Maldives Paradigm

If you remember vividly in my last travel write-up about Paris, I highlighted some other vacation sites, well today I’ll be taking us on a visionary tour to one of them.

The Maldives!!!

I’m sure you want your visit to one of the natures most gifted places on earth to be memorable.

Let’s explore. If you’re planning to visit or if its part of your wish list, Welcome to the tour.

Alright let’s see what’s with this Maldives of a place.

Located in the South-West of Sri Lanka, along the North-central Indian Ocean, consists of a chain of small coral islands and sand banks.

With the official colours of the flag being Red, signifying the boldness of national heroes and their sacrifice, the green rectangle symbolizing peace and prosperity and the white crescent symbolizing Islamic faith.

The official language of the Maldives is Dhivehi, there is also an influence of English language used in business.

Some interesting facts, you may not have known about the Maldives; Shells were used as currency, the Maldives, is the world’s lowest populated nation.

Interestingly, you get to swim with enormous fishes, especially, the whale sharks, oh!, you don’t need to get scared because of the shark part, these mammals feed off planktons.

I’m sure we’re used to our weekends being Saturdays and Sundays, well, over there, it starts a day earlier, giving you Fridays and Saturdays as your weekend.

Lastly, the Maldives became a vacation destination like fifty years ago, despite the fact that its been existing for thousands of years.

If you’re a food lover, this info is for you. The Maldivians are spice and coconut lovers,these have a special place in their kitchen, popular dishes in the Maldives are fish soups and curries, Staples, which include, Mashuni(shredded smked tuna with coconut), Hedhikaa(savory fried snacks), Gulha(small savory dumplings stuffed with tuna,coconut and onion).

As said earlier, maldivians are coconut lovers, plus, they pair these popular dishes with flat bread, offering a blend of fresh seafood, and smoky flavours.

I believe you wouldn’t plan to offend your hosts, so, take these dressing tips seriously.

If you're at the resorts, swim wears,shorts, and sundresses are allowed, though, while at the capital city “Male”, modesty is required, do well to wear outfits that cover shoulders, chest, and knees especially females, while males should avoid going shirtless, or wearing shorts that stop at knee level.

Outfit ideas for females include long cotton skirts, light shawl and ankle length pants. While ,for the males, cotton T-shirts, linen shirts, light weight trousers.

If you plan to attend dinner parties, for females, airy maxi dresses, work just fine, while males, can put on linen trousers, paired with light shirts.

The official currency of the Maldives, is the Maldivian Rufiyaa(MVR), although, US dollars are widely preferred at private resorts and hotels, this means the Maldives operate on a dual-currency system, both can be charged from your credit card, except you get to visit local/neighbourhood areas where cash is required and is controlled by the Maldives Monetary Authority, which is virtually impossible to buy from banks outside the country.

The official religion of the Maldivians is Islam.

Popular tourist attraction include,;MaaFushi Inland, Banana Reef, Vaadhoo Island, Baros Island and Ari Atoll.

To happily enjoy your stay at the Maldives, here are a few rules you really want to consider:

• when travelling by public ferry or planes, ensure you dress modestly.
• Bring a mix of swimwear and modest clothing for travelling between islands.
• Make sure your bags contain sunglasses, UV protection, hats, sandals and umbrellas, coz it rains a lot at the Maldives.
• Do well to remove shoes when entering homes.
• Maintain distance from wide life.
• Keep to local customs.

Also, you're not allowed to bring alcohols over, they’re served at the various resorts

• No naked sunbathing
• Try not to bring too much luggage
• Do not bring pork products, they are strictly illegal
• No public display of affections

Lastly, and surprisingly, you’re take/purchase corals or shells from the country.

Additionally,do well to tavel between November and April, use basic Dhivehi phrases like “Asalamu Alaykum” for “hello”, “Aan” to say “yes”, and “Noo” to reply “No” , “Shukuriyya” for thank you, and “Dhanee” for “Bye”.

I believe reading this has made you feel grounded enough for your trip to the beautiful Maldives.

Majaa koh laa!!!