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.The Maldive Island scoop by Nelly (Written January 24, 2016 @ 3PM): Since we are sailing on the edge of the Indian Ocean, known to have sporadic pirate activity, we just finished a piracy emergency drill. No way to slack off, they keep us on our toes.

However, it is time to inform you about our adventure (Saturday, January 23, 2016) on the Maldive Island called Male, which is the capital. Actually there are hundreds of Islands, but only some of them are populated.   All together they form the "Garland Islands" just South and West of Sri Lanka and India, near the Equator. Altogether, the Maldive Islands have a population of 385,925. 30% of that population live in Male.

Saturday morning, we transferred to an ever bouncy tender/lifeboat. Hold on to your breakfast! Since we sat near a window on the tender, a shower was included, free of charge. After we arrived safely at the pier, we started walking independently along the shore and braved taking a side road into the interior jungle of the city . After a while we had no clue where we were, but the locals turned out to be very friendly and helpful as long as you gave them a dollar. One young man had the guts to ask, while looking questionably at the dollar: ”Don't you have 5?” As the Australian would have said: ”That was cheeky.” And no, we did not give him any more money. Jim got even chummy with some of the local woman. He was lucky he didn’t get hit over the head by one of the husbands. Jim found out quickly that it was easier talking to the women than to men.   Anyway, we found all the important sights. Since most of the population is Muslim, we even got to visit, with a guide, the inside of the big mosque. Beforehand, women were advised on the ship to cover their legs, arms and heads. Mama Mia, I was a sweaty mess, because the temps and humidity was very high. We are near the equator. Visiting the fish, fruit and vegetable market was a must. Again, Jim enlisted the help of a local. This time he picked a young teen who was waiting in a park for her boyfriend . It turned out that she was very talkative and wanted to practice her English. She insisted showing us the way. Fatina Ali, the young teen girl, took us and another couple to the colorful, smelly and overwhelming busy market on the pier. However, with all the hustle and buzzle in the market, one forgets the heat and smells. You just had to be there. Or as some of you might say:   ”No way, Jose.” After 3 hours of adventure, we decided it was time to go back to the ship. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to take a shower and Jim was looking forward to another meal, after all, it was 2:00 PM by the time we got back to the ship.

Now we have a three day cruising trip until we get to our next destination: the Seychelles Islands. This is another exotic destination, but not as densely populated as Male. A lecture on the Seychelles Islands was given this morning. We anticipate a more rugged terrain there than what Male offered.

Again, NO internet connection for sending pictures could be found in Male. But at least you know, we are still around and enjoying our trip immensely. 

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