My Asia

GREETINGS! Welcome to my Asia. Take this journey with me and discover Magnificent Maldives, Sublime Sri Lanka, Sensational Singapore, Captivating Cambodia and Mesmerizing Malaysia. Then call your travel agent, and take the journey again!!!

Good to Know...How to Say Hello

...in Maldives, hello doesn't really exist...You could just say kihineh , "how are you?" in Dhivehi ...in Sri Lanka, hello is ayubowan in Sinhala and vanakam in Tamil ...in Singapore, hello is ni hao in Mandarin, selamat in Malay and vanakam in Tamil ...in Cambodia, hello is suor sdei in Khmer ...in Malaysia, hello is selamat in Malay

Saturday

MALE' MANUAL

Prayer Times: Shops in Male' close for prayer time which can go from 10 minutes to an hour. The approximate times are noon, 3:30 pm, 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

Transportation: Taxis (readily available on the 2 sq. km island) are the best way to get around.

Eateries: Male' offers many nice restaurants.



  • Kam Hotel is in a tiny street Meheli Goalhi, off the waterfront. Phone: 332 0611. Nice steak and seafood

  • Salsa Cafe- Keneree Magu. Phone: 331 0319 Good Maldivian cuisine especially the Thursday morning breakfast buffet!

  • Shell Beans on the waterfront AKA Boduthakurufaanu Magu Phone: 333 3686 is THE quintessential Maldivian coffee house

  • Red Zanzibar is also on Boduthakurufaanu Magu. You will find that in Male', the waterfront is where its at! Phone: 334 0951 Outstanding pasta

  • Symphony- Athamaa Goalhi. Phone: 332 62 77 Great reputation

  • Thai Wok- Ameer Ahmed Magu. Phone: 331 0007 Great take out and delivery

  • Olive Garden- Fareedhee Magu. Phone: 331 2231 Best pizza in town!!!

  • Nasandhura Palace Hotel- Boduthakurufaanu Magu. Phone: 333 8844 Nice selection of Western and Oriental cuisine

  • The Lighthouse- Lily Magu. Phone: 331 0900 The place for sandwiches

  • Twin Peaks- Boduthakurufaanu Magu. Phone: 332 7830 Great reputation

  • Salsa Royal- Orchid Magu Delicious pasta and great Thai cuisine too

  • Jade Bistro is on Boduthakurufaanu Magu right before HSBC going in the direction of Hulhumale Ferry Station. Seafood as you've never had it before, a bit pricey though.

  • Royal Cafe is the place where I had breakfast just about every morning until I left the Maldives. Great mas-huni. It's on Medhuzyaarai Magu, right after the Sultan's Palace and the Whale Submarine.

  • City Snacks is right next to Bank of Maldives on the waterfront. Great freshly blended pineapple juice


HULHULE ISLAND RESORT or AIRPORT HOTEL runs a free ferry approximately every 15 minutes to and from Male'. The restaurant is very nice, a bit pricey.The Thursday Night Buffet offers the finest in Asian and Western cuisine and is reasonably priced.

WHAT IS THERE TO SEE IN THE MALDIVIAN CAPITAL?

--The National Museum inside the Sultan's Park (Make sure you put your mosquito repellent on when visiting Sultan's Park)
--The Local Market- Fresh fresh fresh produce coming from neighboring nations like Sri Lanka and India
--The Fish Market- From the Indian Ocean to your dinner table!!! Plenty of tuna (all day, everyday) but also red snapper (make sure you are there at 3:00 pm... Indeed before 3:00 you are not sure the fisherman have returned with the day's catch and after 3:30 pm, it is all gone!!! I promise!), and even octopus!
--Whale Submarine- For people like me who really want to see Maldives extraordinary coral reef but who are still at the "I-will-start-taking-diving-lessons-next-year" stage. Their office is on Medhuzyaarai Magu right next to the Sultan's Palace and the submarine is right off the coast of Male'. An unparallelled experience.
--If you have little ones be sure to visit Skippy and Male' Zoo/Playground.



  • Skippy is an amusement park located on Boduthakurafaanu Magu inside Hajiya Alima's Centre, after the Hulhumale' Ferry Terminal. Children can play Bumper Cars, ride on the Big Bee, the Kiddie Airplane, the Kiddie Train, just to name a few. It's also a great place for children's birthday parties. There are lots of eateries in Hajiya Alima's compound with the Artificial Beach located at the very end.

  • The Male' Zoo/Playground is on Amenee Magu, right by Stelco. The crocodiles and rich variety of birds are a must-see just as the huge aquarium of brightly colored fish is. Then there is the playground where families flock on the weekends. Children of all ages play to their heart's content. A really touching element is the unspoken rule of the older children helping the younger ones, climb, swing and slide, without ever being asked to do so. Refreshing! Pleasant! Heartwarming...

SHOPPING IN MALE'...

Majeedhee Magu is where you can find just about EVERYTHING. Chandhanee Magu and Fareedhee Magu also offer nice shops.


GROCERIES IN MALE'



  • STO People's choice is located inside the Trade Center on Orchid Magu

  • Fantasy is on Fareedhee Magu. Many Australian, Canadian and French goods. There's an exquisite new bakery just across the street from Fantasy called Baker's Fantasy. French pastry at its best!

  • Lilly Supermarket is on Majeedhee Magu and offers a variety of local and imported goods.

  • Red Wave 1 and 2 are both on Majeedhee Magu. Sosun Market is on Chandhanee Magu. These 3 markets are smaller than the aforementioned ones but also carry great products.
    • SHOULD YOU HAVE A HEALTH CONCERN...

    Indira Ghandi Memorial Hospital is a Male's biggest health care facility and is located on Buruzu Magu. Phone: 331 6647

    ADK is a private clinic on Sosun Magu. Phone: 331 3553

    SPAs in MALE'... Jade Spa on Ameenee Magu, not too far from STELCO is a nice place to rest and relax...and be pampered!

    It is Thursday afternoon, the last day of the week. The weekend starts now and ends Sunday morning when work resumes bright and early. So as they say in Male' "What to do?" Get on a speedboat and speed away to paradise...

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