"Ate once a day, lost 4 kg." Belarusian woman stranded in the Maldives returned home
A Belarusian woman, who got stranded in the Maldives due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East and mass flight cancellations, has managed to return home. Volha stayed on the islands for 16 days instead of nine and shared how she endured this "unforgettable journey." "I was afraid to go outside, ate once a day, and lost 4 kg," says the girl, recalling a vacation she considered "the dream of her entire life." Details of her return were reported by the publication "Onliner."
What happened?
Volha was supposed to be vacationing in the Maldives from February 25 to March 5 (Maafushi island), but due to the situation in the Middle East, she faced flight cancellations. The tour involved a departure from Moscow with Air Arabia via Sharjah (UAE), and the return trip followed the same scheme. But the departure was first postponed to the 12th, and then to March 15, and initially, she was told to find accommodation on her own.
Later, the tour operator eventually offered Volha an option to stay in one hotel, and then another, until her flight. However, she had to move from the resort island of Maafushi to Malé, where "it was even dangerous to go out of the house because it was Ramadan." The airline was willing to process a refund as a credit voucher, which could be used within a certain period to purchase Air Arabia tickets.
These options did not satisfy Volha: she needed to return home and go back to work as soon as possible.
"When I wrote asking for help, the tour operator Anex (with whom the contract was concluded) sent me to the travel agent, and for accommodation issues, to the airline. The director of the travel agency '360 Travel' helped me draft appeals to the airline and Anex, but explained: his authority ends there, all key issues must be resolved by the major operator. On Thursday, March 5, I was evicted from the hotel. Through Threads, I managed to find a girl from Prague who was in a similar situation. She rented an apartment in Malé and let me stay with her until March 7," the girl recounted.
"Lost 4 kg from stress"
At the time of the previous publication, the tour operator Anex offered Volha to spend one night (March 6) at the Noomoo Huhumale hotel, and from March 7, two nights at the Amber Sea Side hotel.
But the girl was afraid to stay on Malé island and moved to the local island of Guraidhoo, located 30 km from the capital of the Maldives. Like on neighboring Maafushi, it also had a bikini beach, cafes, shops, and a hospital.
"It was truly an unforgettable journey," the girl recalls. "One could write a book about 'surviving in the Maldives.' I lived at my own expense for the remaining days; the option offered by the travel agency was dangerous for me. Staying alone in Malé was frightening, especially since there was no certainty that the tour operator would extend the accommodation until the day of departure.
Therefore, through acquaintances, I found a budget option on Guraidhoo island, which I immediately reported to the travel agency and offered to pay for, but they refused."
About 2,000 dollars for the journey back were collected for the girl by her friends and acquaintances from her hometown, Dzyarzhynsk. This money, according to her, was enough for accommodation and to buy a return flight ticket.
"As an option, I was suggested a small local hotel, Chambao hotel. What was my surprise when I found out that its owner, Alena, is Belarusian and that her childhood was spent in the Dzyarzhynsk district. In general, I was met with warmth, care, and very delicious food."
According to Volha, the support from her compatriot greatly helped her cope and get through the situation.
"On the morning of March 8, I burst into tears, thinking that on a holiday, I was left without flowers and attention. I came to breakfast, and everything was decorated with flowers especially for me. It was so sweet!
Nevertheless, my anxiety after the stress, it seems, broke through the cosmos: after Malé, where everyone was engrossed in Ramadan, I was afraid to go outside, plus I had to save every penny collected by people.
I went to shops and cafes, maybe a couple of times. Consequently, I mostly ate once a day. From stress and starvation, I lost 4 kg. I no longer wanted to rest; I was just counting the days until I flew home."
According to the girl, she requested a refund from the travel agency for the repeatedly cancelled flight, "but so far, I haven't received any letters or refunds." She was able to return to Belarus on March 12 on an Aeroflot flight from Malé to Moscow (Sheremetyevo airport). The plane ticket was bought with money collected by her fellow countrymen. In total, the girl spent about 1,700 dollars on living expenses and the journey back:
"I have a bad taste left from how the tour organizers treated my situation. If they hadn't convinced me on February 28 that we would fly back on March 5, I would have been able to buy tickets much cheaper and be home on time. As a result, I flew home at twice the price, and they haven't even refunded me the money for those tickets yet."
Since the tour operator initially did not extend Volha's hotel accommodation and did not bring her home, Volha sent a pre-trial claim to Anex.
-
Polish court approved extradition of a well-known Russian archaeologist to Ukraine. He is accused of illegal excavations in Crimea
-
Leader of "Alternative for Germany" Alice Weidel called for oil supplies from Russia
-
Japanese man rented apartment where his wife was murdered for 26 years to preserve evidence in hope of new technologies. And finally, the killer was found
Comments