MALE’, MALDIVE ISLANDS – MARCH 15TH

“Maldive” comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “garland of islands” which are located southwest of our last port, Sri Lanka.  They are about 116 square miles with a population of 44,259 people.  The capital is our next port, Male’, which has a population of about 5,000 people.  The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia with the highest percentage of recruits into ISIS.   It is also the lowest country in the world and is just about sea level.  The currency is the Rufiyaa (MVR).  At this point, I’m not sure about the exchange rate, but I used dollars and didn’t spend much money.  The Maldives are renowned for their beaches and coral reefs.  Ironically, there are no beaches on Male’ itself – the island is  bordered by a seawall.  

The climate of the Maldives is hot year round, determined largely by monsoons.  However, being on the Equator, the monsoons are mild.  Most parts of the country receive over 2,700 hours of sunshine annually.  The temperature varies little with an annual average daily maximum of 87 degrees with a minimum of 79.  It was very humid the day we were there and I would suspect it’s like that year round. 

The Maldives is a Muslim country and dress is conservative.  It was recommended to us that our clothing cover our shoulders and knees.  Of course, we follow the rules so I wore my attractive elephant pants, a top that covered my upper body and Michael wore long pants.  I guess some of the passengers didn’t get the message.  

Prior to our arrival in the Maldives, we were sailing south and east of the coast of Somalia which has been known to be a “pirate” area.  We were pretty far from the coast and there hasn’t been any incidents of piracy for some years now but, of course, safety is always a concern onboard and it was suggested to us that we watch the safety and security presentation and piracy procedures on our televisions.  During our travels in this area, the dining room curtains and veranda in the back of the ship are closed in the evenings.  We are discouraged from opening our curtains in our cabins and, of course, not to stand on our balconies after sunset.  Lights are kept low during this time so as not to attract attention to the ship.  In the event of an attack, which I’ve never heard of happening in recent memory, we were instructed to sit in the hallways and not enter our cabins until told to do so.  These measures were in place for only a couple of days. 

Male’ is a tender port so we waited until the majority of people got off the ship for their tours until we went ashore.  We also arrived on a Friday so just about everything was closed for religious observance.  One enterprising shop for souvenirs was open close by the pier so we immediately went there looking for our refrigerator magnet.  

This is not a wealthy area in the world and I was very happy to pay $4.00 for the one-of-a-kind wood magnet I found and $16.00 for a lovely little wooden box.  Amazingly, the woman behind me said, “the other lady paid $2.00 for her magnet” to which I said, “it’s not the same magnet” when I wanted to say, “why don’t you mind your own business.”  Not in a million years would I think of remarking to someone about how much he or she was paying for something.  I also find it obscene to try and negotiate a price just for the sake of getting a better deal.  The prices of my two items were originally about $25.00 and, like I said, I was very happy to pay $20.00.  Four dollars for a magnet is not a lot of money. 

The local fish market was already closed, having been open earlier in the morning with that day’s catch.  We were told the market would be open again at 2 p.m. when the next group of fishermen arrived with their catch but we knew we weren’t going to be around that long.  We did walk to the market, with its narrow lanes of vegetables and fruit and jammed with merchants and shoppers.  I always like taking pictures of brightly colored produce, some of which I’d never seen before.  

Although there were a few modern buildings near the pier, most of the streets bordering on the waterfront were very narrow and in great disrepair.  The men weren’t dressed “conservatively” as we were told they would be (lots of knees showing) but many of the women were covered from head to toe.   We didn’t see many cars but saw a lot of scooters.  Most of the shops were closed although we did pass a plumbing supply store and a shoe store.  Some little grocery shops were open.  

On the way back to the tender pier, Michael noticed a big sign “Antique and Style Souvenir Market” so we walked the two flights up into a very comfortable air-conditioned 2-level showroom owned by Ahamed (aka known as “Papa” on the island) who was very gracious and welcoming.  His store had all sorts of souvenirs including magnets (but not the one-of-a-kind magnet I bought earlier), shells, corals, jewelry, woodcraft items, t-shirts, etc.  

Something I need to mention:  We saw masks on the walls with a decoration of painted dots.  These are local items and it is always interesting to see the same style in all parts of the world.  We first saw these “dots” in aboriginal art in Australia and we’ve seen it in Asia and now near Africa.  You have to wonder whether the continents were really all one land mass at some point as the art is so similar yet in places hundreds if not thousands of miles away from each other.  

 

While enjoying my air-conditioned surroundings, I saw something I was interested in and asked Ahamed how much it was.  He said it was $27.00.  I said, “ooh, sorry, too much.”  He then said, “how much would you like to pay.”  I said, “I don’t want to insult you so I’ll just pass on the item.”  I think he appreciated my courtesy and insisted I tell him what I wanted to pay.  He made a point of saying that he has a great deal of respect for women because his mother is a woman and again asked how much I would like to pay.  Again, I said I don’t want to insult him but I wanted to spend $10.00.  With a smile on his face, he said the best he could do was $15.00.  I liked the item and I wasn’t about to talk him down lower than his $15.00 price so I was very happy to pay that amount.  He was happy.  I was happy.  When we were checking out, he asked Michael if it was ok to take a picture with “Madam” and he charmingly said he would’ve liked to have met me years ago in America.  He was extremely gracious and we said good-bye with smiles on all our faces.  

 

We stopped at the waterfront and saw many fishing boats with fishermen washing their clothes, cleaning their equipment and getting their catch ready to sell.  We saw two fishermen fileting yellow fin tuna for two other men on the dock.   

Although very hot and tired, we got back to the ship early, rested, showered, had a lovely dinner and enjoyed dancing until 11 p.m.!  A wonderful day in the Maldives! 

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:   The first thing I always note is the presence of bars or shutters on the windows of apartments or homes.  Surprisingly, I didn’t see one single bar or shutter. This is probably due to the strict rules of Muslim law in which violators are dispatched with quickly.  So, although a third world country, the residents feel and live in the knowledge that they will not be burglarized or harmed by their fellow citizens.  In the last shop we visited, I received a lesson on the beautiful black coral which is made into fine jewelry.  This amazing substance grows in the seawater and is covered with a white fungus.  The coral is collected, the fungus removed and the result is a beautiful black finish which is made into beads used for necklaces and bracelets.  You can tell this is natural because, like a tree, there are growth rings which can be seen by the naked eye.  I thanked the proprietor for the education and I always enjoy talking with people who deal with fine jewelry.