March 21, 2011

Hulhule Island Male, Maldives

Hi All

Randal and I have done a bit of exploring on Male and yesterday found the marine supply and general hardware stores. That’s his kind of shopping. Meanwhile I still can’t find a shop that sells barrettes that can hold thick, curly hair. I’ll keep looking. Yesterday on the ferry a cruiser asked if I wanted to know about the salon she had found. I explained that even though I look like I need one, I am trying to grow my hair which in hot weather is really uncomfortable. I can’t get to Turkey and colder weather soon enough! Not sure when that will be. Our transport ship is in Taiwan. From there it will go to Singapore and then come here. Its arrival is predicted for the end of the month. Then it will take several days to load all of the boats. So hopefully by the first week in April we’ll be on our way. I know this looks like paradise, but we really are just anchored here waiting. We could pay $400 for a cruising permit and go off to see some of the small islands that make up the Maldives, but that’s just too much money for too short a time. And we’re just not inspired enough to do it. I think we are just a bit “cruised out” and just want to sit here calmly and wait. As long as we get off the boat every other day, it’s ok. And Male is a fun place to walk and just going for lunch makes a half day outing. There is an Asian Football Championship game to be played here the last week in March and we’ll probably go see it. I don’t really care but Randal wants to and there is a huge carnival to support deaf education that same day.

An island transport ferry.

We take the dinghy to shore here at Hulhule and catch a similar ferry for the 5 rufiyaa, 15 minute ride to Male. The ferries have been full each time we’ve been on it. Partly because the back 1/3 is parking space for motorbikes and an occasional bicycle. But we can’t take ours because we’ve no way to get it ashore on the dinghy and there’s really no need since we can pretty much walk anywhere we want to go.

These sisters were with more family members on the ferry going to Hulhule for a beach outing.

The young woman on the right was entertaining the small family members by blowing giant bubbles with her gum. She works as a customer service person at a Male hotel. You can see her flag bandanna that Randal had given her.

A favorite place for cruisers to eat, but lots of locals do too.

Could be Roanoke, VA.

The restaurant was built around this tree which goes up through the second floor too.

The second floor is the smoking section so we eat downstairs.

Another attraction of the Seagull.

The Seagull food is very “western.” You can get a Caesar salad or a chicken/cheese wrap. That’s a nice switch sometimes form the Asian spices. The prices are higher, but more for the drinks than the food. No alcohol is served on Male. The resorts serve it and so does the big hotel near the airport on Hulhule according to cruiser chatter. But it’s like $3 or $5 for a beer! We stocked up in Langkawi for the Red Sea passage so we are set. I’d rather have ice cream. With the hot weather and spicy food, it seems an essential.

A two scoop cone!

We’d eaten lunch hours before so stopped back for a rest and some ice cream. I wanted a one scoop cone. Only two scoop cones were sold so I got two scoops. But since we were staying to eat, the cone came in a dish. It reminded me of the ice cream clown my friend Martha had in Japan. There you pointed to a picture of a meal. Martha picked hers so she could have the ice cream clown. Problem was the entire meal, everything in the picture, came together at the same time. But at least hers had a face on it. I shoved one ball in and ate that and then gave up and ate the second from the bowl. Actually it was frozen yogurt and pretty good. But it was really one scoop too many. Next time I try the Zuppa Inglese whatever that is.

Lots of motorbikes here and they seem to race up the streets as if they are in Monte Carlo.

Lots of satellite dishes here.

A small mosque on the corner.

Shady shabby chic.

It’s all still new enough that it’s “shabby chic” rather than “run down.”

Once you get away from the waterfront and its open spaces, things start getting crammed together.

Lots of apartment buildings.

A variety of architectural styles just next to each other.

All levels of educational opportunities.

Tall buildings, short building, mosques….everything together.

Yesterday Randal and I walked down a narrow street with tall buildings on both sides and trees along the way and it was 10 degrees cooler, like walking in a canyon.

Communications dish exhibited at the National Museum.

Gumby! Not really but it’s what I saw and I have no idea what it really is.

Male auto collision repair shop!

Collision repair was the common language.

Ru

Doramac