A walk across the light sand on the beach, souvenir photos under palm trees, a fruit cocktail while your feet dangle in the warm water. Stranded on an island in the Indian Ocean, end open.
What sounds like a dream has now become a difficult situation for Peri and Chalid. “It’s getting more and more difficult,” says Peri.
Wedding with friends and family in Egypt, honeymoon in Mexico, then back to everyday life in Dubai – that was the couple’s plan in early March. “When we left, Corona wasn’t a big deal,” says Chalid.
“Please be patient”
The departure from Cancun in Mexico on March 19 is still going smoothly. But on the plane the couple receives messages from friends: “How do you want to get back to Dubai?” The UAE Home Office has announced an entry stop for foreign nationals residing in the Emirates.
“We only really understood the extent of the problem after our stopover in Istanbul,” says 36-year-old Chalid, who works as a telecommunications engineer in the state on the Arabian Peninsula. He and his wife Peri (35) are on the phone with friends, UAE authorities, the Egyptian embassy. “Please be patient,” it says. If they attempt to take the connecting flight, they are rejected and the boarding passes are confiscated.
Chalid and Peri are stuck at Istanbul Airport. One day, another. No information about when it could go on, no luggage. “The situation was very chaotic,” says Chalid. Without a boarding pass, the couple cannot even shop in the airport shops.
Maldives as a way out
Because flights to Egypt are also suspended, Chalid and Peri need a replacement plan. Which destinations are still being served? And which of them come with an Egyptian ID? The only solution after days of perseverance and research at the airport: the Maldives.
“We didn’t even think too much,” says Chalid on the phone. “We just wanted to finally have a bed again and our things – and shower.” The nine of them are sitting in the giant airplane that flies them to the Indian Ocean archipelago in mid-March. They have been stranded there for more than two months now. “Nobody takes you seriously when you complain about a never-ending stay in the Maldives,” says Chalid.
But what may seem like a dream to some has actually little to do with a second honeymoon: In response to the first detected corona infections in the capital Malé in mid-April, the authorities have ordered a curfew for the region. Shipping between the islands is prohibited, hotels are not allowed to accommodate guests. It can be assumed that most resorts will be closed if the last guests have left them, writes the Federal Foreign Office.
Exit almost impossible
“The last guests” – this includes Peri and Chalid. One hotel after the next closes. The couple has a tally list: Since the beginning of March, they have unpacked and packed their bags in more than 14 rooms in at least six different hotels. “We are greeted warmly in every hotel before it closes shortly afterwards,” says Chalid. The reception calls every morning and asks: “When are you leaving?”
But an exit from the Maldives is currently almost impossible. Commercial flights from Male International Airport have been temporarily suspended. “And even if there were flights …, we wouldn’t be coming home,” Peri interjects.
With small seaplanes or with boats they are taken from island to island when changing hotels. Every transport has to be paid for. The credit card will also be charged for exclusive rooms. The couple, who have been together for eight years, have saved money for living together. But the savings are now gone, the fear of the growing mountain of debt is now “bigger than all Covid worries,” as Peri says.
Departure possible from June 1st?
The two recently moved to an isolated “emergency shelter”. The resort on the island of Manadhoo claims to have “luxurious villas in turquoise water”. The marketing director and her husband work here as well as possible. If necessary on the computer of the reception. Because jobs are rare in honeymoon hotels.
From June 1, foreigners with a residence permit should be able to return to Dubai with a special permit. You cannot book a ticket until you have this. “We don’t regret flying here. It was the best thing we could do in the situation, ”says Chalid. “But we want to go home.”
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