Male, the largest island and the capital
of the Maldive Islands was our anchoring point.
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| Tender to a Jam Packed Island |
We had to use a tender to get
ashore. Everything in and around this 1 by 2 km island is very crowded and tightly
packed. To save space sky-scrapers are built. There just is no more room for
anything else. All one can see are buildings and narrow streets filled with
people, mopeds, mini trucks and cars. It is hectic on the island. Boats are searching
for room inside the very small, shallow harbor. Large ships need to anchor
further out. This is not a place for vacations; it is a mini metropolitan
business place.
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| Grand Mosque at the Islamic Cultural Center |
All of the people of the Maldives are Sunni Muslims. The biggest attention getter and main attraction is the golden dome and minaret
of the Grand Mosque at the Islamic Cultural Center. It rises above many buildings
near the harbor and truly is the spiritual center of the islands. Carol and I
visited the mosque. We were received with a very friendly welcome. A young man
asked Carol if
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| Minaret |
she wanted a head covering but Carol had brought her own scarf.
Shoes had to be removed before
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| He Discussed Religion With Hans |
entering. The young man’s English was excellent.
Carol explored the inside of the mosque alone and this young man and I talked about
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| Inside the Prayer Hall |
religion. Well, it was he who talked, trying to convince me that Islam is the
true and only religion. He was very knowledgeable in his subject and maybe a
bit brainwashed but it was a friendly exchange of ideas. Naturally I could not
even bring this man to hesitate and think about what I said, he was a true
believer of his religion and he had all the answers. There is no use talking to
someone who has a closed mind. Yet I could not just stand there and agree with
all he said. We both kept it friendly. We all won. Carol had her free time to
take pictures. The young man felt like he did the right thing in trying to make
me see his religion as the only true way and I had an interesting experience.
We left on friendly terms after maybe 30 minutes, with a handshake and a smile.
We
explored some of the docks, side streets, the fish market, a green grocery
market and saw the controlled chaos and lifestyle of the locals. Competition is
fierce on this island of Male’. Some stores have people walking or standing in
the streets to talk to passers-by and lure them or talk them into visiting
their shops. It was done with flair but still, it was strange to be asked to
buy something from their shop; we were just walking past their premises. US Dollars
were
accepted, one does not need to exchange money. Sure the exchange rate was
not the best that way but it saved us time and standing in line at the bank
later to change the rupees back to dollars.
The hectic pace of the small shops amazed
me. The fish market, an open store with locally caught fish thrown onto the
tiled floor, was not too busy. I believe the best fish had been sold already. We
were there in the afternoon and the fish smell was overwhelming. Flies buzzed
about, fish guts were piled up and nobody seemed to notice the lack of hygiene
in the place. That is the daily life of Male. If you get used to things and
see them daily in a dirty way, you believe it is the normal way of living. From
my point of view it was not healthy, yet the locals live like this; and think
that is the way it is done all over the world.
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| Betel Leaves |
Green grocers across from the fish market
sold odd fruits like spine fruit, or sugar made from coconuts. Betel leaves
were offered that give you a high and make the inside of your mouth all bright
red. A taxi driver told us that drugs are a big problem on the island. I can
only imagine.
We hired a taxi the next morning before we
left the port again and had a city (Island) round trip tour, looking for any
kind of beauty. All we saw were busy people and crowded streets abuzz with
mopeds,
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| Busy Streets |
cars and trucks. We found a section along the beach where young men
scuba dive. Women are not allowed to swim in the ocean. The women were not
allowed to scuba dive either. There is something about modesty in their belief
system that prevents them from cooling off in the sea. Women could not
be in a bathing suit and show legs or bare shoulders, etc. I don't understand it;
I was told women are not allowed; I did not want to start a sermon about Islam’s
strange laws.
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| Young Men Learning to Scuba Dive |
Having visited Male and seen the insane
overcrowding, I wondered where the nice parts of the Maldives were. Sorry to
report that we did not find the stunning beaches that must be there someplace.
Other passengers on the cruise saw them. I also did not see the $1000.-/night
rooms with awesome views and superb locations that I was told about. Maybe I
looked behind the scenes of those fancy resorts when I roamed through Male and
looked into the Maldives kitchen so to speak. You
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| Lots of Mopeds Everywhere |
know, there are always
dumpsters behind the kitchen of a restaurant, a bit smelly and not very clean. Well,
I am sure there are great spots and stunning vacation resorts on other Maldive
Islands but this City Island is not one of them. No need to visit Male again.
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| Crowded Shoreline |
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Muslim Woman Learning to Ride
Motorcycle Sign Reads "Help Driving School" |
accepted, one does not need to exchange money. Sure the exchange rate was
not the best that way but it saved us time and standing in line at the bank
later to change the rupees back to dollars. 
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