WALKING IN MALE'

Male', the Maldivian capital is QUITE small. You can walk around the whole island in an hour even if you are a slow walker like me. I remember this one time, I couldn't find my way...Or so I thought. I kept walking hoping to bump into the sea wall, in which case, I would be able to find my way home. No such luck...Better luck. As I was debating whether to call for help (and embarrass myself-who gets lost in Male'-REALLY), or wimp out of my "Discovering Male' On Foot Day" and calling a cab, what do you know? Lo and behold: a major landmark. As one shop owner said to me a couple of weeks later "You cannot get lost in Male...I promise you...Really I do". My land-locked desert home is made of vast expanses of small trees, endless stretches of sand dunes and wide wide open spaces-hence the necessary adjustment to Male's endless stretches of bright and blue and beautiful waters.

Male' comes alive on Majeedhee Magu or Majeedhee Street. It is to Male what 5th Avenue is to New York. Indeed, it boasts, shops and shops and-yes- more shops. Nighttime is when you can witness all the bustling activity. Shops in Male and on Majeedhee in particular, rarely close before 10 pm or 11 pm.

People walk up and down Majeedhee, young people, seniors, families with babies. After shopping in Majeedhee, the sea wall is the next "Must See" or rather "Must Walk". Boduthakurufaanu Magu or the waterfront, named after a major historic figure in Maldives, is where all the hip cafes and restaurants, banks and major airline offices are located. On a clear day, with some good luck, in the dry season, you can see shoals upon shoals of dolphins, prancing and performing acrobatics in the water...Nature's natural wonderland...Aahhh...

Back home, a river runs through our main city and boasts some interesting stop-overs on its banks. A floating boat restaurant once toured the river. Now some eateries and gardens stretch along the riverfront.

The streets in Male are narrow. Very narrow. On some streets or magus and on some side roads or goalhis, only one person can walk at a time.

Motorcycles fill up Male's magus, goalhis and parking lots. Indeed, bikes are the most practical way to get around.

MALE' INTERNATIONAL WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Welcome to MY Asia!!!

I have been living in Asia for the past 2 years and I must admit, it's been quite an enriching ride! Asia is not a frequent destination for Africans due in part to the considerable distance separating the continents. I took the road less traveled: the Orient, starting with the enchanting archipelago of the Maldives.

BOOK I MALDIVES

Maldives?Maldives?Maldives?
Did you mean Mali? No, I meant Maldives!
Is that the traditional way of pronouncing Malaysia? Actually no, the country's called Maldives!
It's right by Mauritius, isn't it? No, it's to the south west of India!
It's wonderful that you are living in Mauritania! Not quite...
A lot of people have never really heard of the Maldives. Why? For one it's very small and not present on some world maps...OK... So where is it now? Glad you asked!!!
The Maldives is an archipelago of 1192 islands in the Indian Ocean and precisely in the Arabian Sea. It is to the South West and southernmost tip of India and to the South West of Sri Lanka, another large island in the Indian Ocean.
I have heard stories and I have seen documentaries on Maldives but NOTHING could prepare me for what I saw.
My flight got into Male' (pronounced ma-lay) in the morning. As we approached Male' International Airport, I looked out from my window and there were all these patches of greenery, surrounded by white sand, surrounded by every single imaginable shade of blue. Breathtaking??? No, that would be an understatement. I was awe struck. Indeed, God had created these little diamonds in the sea!
The plane landed on Hulhule Island or "Airport Island" as it is called and now off to Male', the capital!!! Onto the dhoni (traditional Maldivian boat) I embarked. That was MORNING ONE!!!

The saga continues...I get on the boat, terrified to fall into the water... I hail from the African savannah and I had never had the opportunity of traveling from one city to the other by boat, so the whole "boat boarding" and "transferring luggage unto a boat" was something let's say...Different!!! The boat ride was uneventful except for the yellow and blue fish that were making their way to Male' alongside the us. Oh but that water, that water is amazing. I tell you, those postcards are truer than true. I could see the bottom of the Indian Ocean!!! Wow! I am going to love this place. The sea is turquoise, then it becomes azure, then it eases into ultramarine and finally a deep, rich velvety navy!!!We get to shore, then things get really interesting.