Dear Italy. Wouldn't it have been more fitting to have thrown a model cathedral at the Pope and a sc...
Dear Italy. Wouldn't it have been more fitting to have thrown a model cathedral at the Pope and a scarlet woman at Berlusconi?
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Male is the capital of the Maldives - a chain of islands which straddle the Equator, west of India, and about one hour by air from Sri Lanka, a country with which it is often twinned in the two centre holiday market.
See from the air, Male seems curiously crowded, being an almost square island, packed to the edges with buildings, in fact its about 2km by 2km, and everyone owns a car! Arriving there by boat, (it's too small to sacrifice land for an airport), it bustles with life. The market is a friendly affair and free samples of Maldivian produce abound (at least they do if you have an official guide). If you visit the Mosque don't forget polite dress code - no shorts etc, although they will oblige and lend you a sarong (and very nice I looked in it too!). Souvenirs aren't up to much, but it's a working town, so what do you expect. For the uninitiated, the Maldives come as a surprise, being two countries in one - a) the bit where the Muslim population live,
and b) the islands where tourists and hotel staff live, and ne'er (or hardly ne'er) the twain shall meet. Male is the main exception, as it often figures as a day excursion from some of the closer-in islands - we stayed on Bandos, about 20 mins away by fast boat.
You wouldn't exactly call it a holiday venue, especially as it's "dry", but it is an interesting relief and contrast from a week of total relaxation on an island, where you can get very bored unless you want to take part in all the water sports going.
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