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Published: April 29th 2010
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Sundowner
We had an impromptu sundowner on the bow last night with music, drinks and an outstanding sunset. Well, we’ve enjoyed 3 wonderful days at sea. Last night we were treated with an impromptu sundowner out on the bow. Drinks were served, our resident guitarist Jerry Vasi played, and it was an outstanding sunset. We anchored at Male this morning at 8:00am.
The Maldives is one of a thousand tiny islands spread over 26 atolls straddling the equator in the heart of the Indian Ocean and offers some of the world’s most exotic island getaways with its balmy climate and stunning beaches. It is considered one of the world’s best dive destinations. Over 99% of the total area of the country is ocean, and this marine environment is one of the healthiest anywhere in the world, with an incredible variety of sea life. With an average ground level of only 4-5 feet, it is the lowest country on the planet.
The city of Male is the capital of the country, as well as its communication and administrative hub. Occupying a tiny island of one square mile on Male atoll, the bustling city has a population of 120,000 people, about half of the total Maldivian population.
This morning, we signed up for “Explore the Underwater World of
Wow!
A memorable sunset on a calm sea. the Maldives” tour, which departed right after we anchored. We took the tender to the pier and got on a dhoni (small wooden local boat) that took us to the submarine station where we boarded a real passenger submarine that took us down to about 100 feet along the reef. The colorful coral reef and fish were fabulous! Two people shared a porthole window. We cruised the reef within a couple feet for about 20 minutes and then the pilot slowly turned the sub around so the other side could be along the reef for the rest of the 40-minute trip. Some of the fish came right up to the porthole windows. It was great that we did this in the morning as we heard the one in the afternoon got cancelled because of increased tides and currents.
After returning to the ship, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed off to our afternoon walking tour of Male excursion at 1:00. Upon arrival back at the pier, we watched as men were off-loading fish from their boats. After meeting our guide, we walked first past the President’s Office. We then went to the finest building in Male, the Hukuru
A Great Shot!
Annette captured a really nice shot including our shipmates. a Miskiiy, or Friday Mosque. It was built in 1656 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar and has hundreds of carved coral blocks on the exterior. It is surrounded by many ancient tombstones erected in memory of past sultans, heroes and nobles. Across the street is the Mulee-aage, a palace built by Sultan Mohammed Shamsuddeen III for his son in 1906. This beautiful colonial building became the president’s official residence after the Maldives became a republic in 1953. Today it is used for official functions and accommodates visiting dignitaries and heads-of-state. We then took a brief tour of the National Museum and then walked to the Grand Friday Mosque, the largest in the Maldives, that can hold up to 5,000 worshippers. And then, we went to the fish market…wow! There were fish of many kinds everywhere, and men still bringing in their catch of the day. People buying fish right off the floor. They would then buy a ticket for the number of fish they wanted cleaned and took them to a long counter where men did nothing but cleaned fish. It was a sight to see! Our only disappointment was that Annette had a missed opportunity to buy one of a few
A Fireball
A small ball of fire sets into the calm horizon of water. Blue Fin Tuna for about $25 (our guide estimated) that she could have taken back to the ship for outstanding sushi, but we weren’t sure we could do that. One interesting fact that our guide told us was that the fishermen were eco-friendly, not allowed to use nets, and could only fish with single hook fishing poles.
From there we walked along a street where they sold local souvenirs. We picked up a few things. Our guide released us and we walked around some more, stopping in a luggage store where we bought a small foldable bag for our upcoming 4-day safari. We meandered back along the harbor looking at the small fishing boats before getting back on the tender for our return to the ship. Another outstanding day of world travel experiences!
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