The month of April has not been so inspiring for me. The only highlight to me is not Moscow, which I will write about it later, but Male, Maldives, where I will never say no in going…
Knowing a friend from a different culture and country will always give you an edge and broaden your horizon definitely. I am privileged enough to have met a really good friend of mine while studying in KL. She’s a Maldivian and she has taught me a lot about her country and life in general. While I was in Male the other day, I spent it mostly with her and her adorable family (her daughter and her admirable husband). It was indeed a really wonderful time spent on seeing places while enjoying the company of a long-distance friendship.
We started the day with her family of four in the resort I was put up to. They came from Male capital city, which from her previous description, I still have no idea how it looks like. It took them about 25minutes to travel by boat. We had a hearty buffet breakfast, catching up with each other and of course to acquaint with her adorable toddler, something that I have no chance to do much.
After breakfast, we hit to the beach. The toddler was so natural with the sea and was having so much fun. While sited on the deck chair admiring the blue ocean, my friend was arranging for a boat to bring us to her capital island. I couldn’t wait actually as I have never seen Male city before. My curiosity grew larger and the moment I board the boat, I knew I was going to have lots of fun.
The boat ride was a smooth one without the choppy sea. During that journey, my friend explained what a picnic island is, clarified what a safari is (it’s actually a yacht and her husband is building one currently) and shown me where the jail is located. Her husband joked, even the prisoners get to live in one of the islands with such great views!
Finally, we reached the jetty and the boat captain carefully steer away from the President’s jetty, which was of course, slightly more elaborated in design of wood carvings. We alighted and I could smell a real city on a relatively small island. My friend decided to show me around with her newly-bought white Honda motorcycle (yes, I agree it’s so much more convenient riding it!). The moment I sat on her motorcycle, I could feel my bum was burning. The seat was so hot as the motorcycle was parked under the sun. My friend said the hotness would only last for a while. She seemed to have accustomed to it, and I trusted her. When we finally stopped at the first traffic light, with so many other Honda motorcycles around us and a few cars, I felt my real journey is about to begin, taking my mind off my roasted behind.
I felt really liberated somehow. I attribute it to the lack of regulation on wearing helmet. Everyone rides without any headgear on. It’s a truly relaxed environment compared to where I am living now.
My friend was so eager, wanting to show me every single inch of her city. She brought me to the fish market (which is almost males only), telecommunication shops, make-shift swimming pool where the locals go, man-made beach, park, boys’ school, girls’ school, the President’s (Gayoom) palace, the square, mosque, her office building (Monetary Authority of Maldives) and many more. We rode on her motorcycle and we covered the whole city in less than an hour!
Despite on the rush to see the city, I have a real sense of accomplishment and what’s more when I did make people on the streets turned their heads. They, the locals and tourists must be wondering who is this lady and where is she from riding with a local on a bike! Well, my friend’s hospitality really made me feel so at ease and to some point, I really did felt embarrassed. She is so generous with her time and effort, showing me where she lives and her closed relatives' homes. I almost forgotten how many homes I had stepped into! The people of Maldives are really a fun-loving, open, laid-back and humble bunch!
My most memorable encounter is when I stepped out of her living room in to her balcony/courtyard area. I could see homes, many of them which are apartments of different colours and some racing to add more levels upwards. Well, that’s the only way to have more space, where land is in scarcity. With the clear blue sky on top, the view looks very Cycladic. Imagine, the white-washed buildings with blue dome in Santorini being replaced by colours like blue, pink, green, white, orange etc and without the blue see in sight. That is how I would describe it.
Although, almost everything here is imported, I still managed to taste the local mango juice. It tasted just right, not too sweet as compared to Indian mangoes. We had lunch at Salsa Royal, one of her husband’s restaurants and we had the most sumptuous Thai cuisine I have ever tasted! The chef is from Thailand and they serve Italian cuisine too!
My day at Male City ends with bidding farewell to the lovely friends I have there. They all sent me off to the jetty and waited until my boat started to jet off. I felt a sense of reluctant dismissal. How could I leave such lovely people and city behind? As the sea filled my view, I gazed into the horizon and ponder how nice it was, to have what I just had.
p/s : My apology for not uploading photos. My camera failed me this time :(
