The Maldives Flag
How do you recognize and remember it? The white crescent is the religious symbol for Islam. Green, I thought was the Islamic colour but Wiki says it represents peace and prosperity. The peace of the green contrasts with the blood red of blood shed in battle. The red represents the willingness of the inhabitants to spill every last drop of blood to defend their land.
There you have it. Recognizable and memorable Red border, Green centre.
The white crescent in the middle has its back to the hoist side. (Not due to any fixed, universal ruling. The crescent started out facing the way it is now. At one time the crescent was reversed to face the other way but a few years later the authorities changed it back.)
Where is the Maldives?
You see the circle below India on the map. That's the location of the Maldives, south-west of India and Sri Lanka. What does the name mean. Div comes from words for island. Mal(a) means necklace or garland. The Maldives is one of a series of islands. the capital is Male, starting with the same three letters as the country, easy to remember.
Why go there?
One of the two official languages is English. The country gained independence from Britain in 1965, in July.
The good news on October 22nd for travellers from the UK is that the UK government has lifted some of its quarantine restrictions so from the UK you can visit the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, the Spanish speaking Canaries islands in the Atlantic off Africa (Tenerife, Fuentaventura, Las Palmas and others), in Europe, Denmark and Mykonos island in Greece.
Since I have been to the other three, I am more interested in the Maldives. Is it just an island in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by turquoise sea in sunshine, (when not cloudy nor raining), and sunset, an island where you pay high prices for drinks? Let us be more charitable and cheerful. The name is very attractive. Let's see what the Maldives has to offer.
Natural Attractions
Attractions are the coral reefs. Fish to see and eat. Coconut palms and coconuts to see, eat and drink.
Man-made Attractions
Mosques built of coral stone and modern mosques and religious buildings..
Modern Islamic centre in Male.
Tourist resorts.
The religion is Sunni Muslim and Wikitravel reported that the country bans alcohol, dogs, pork and the celebration of other religions. To become a citizen you must be a Moslem. If you are of the same persuasion, or want to learn something new, this is the place for you.
The website of your country of departure will tell you the latest rules and regulations regarding Covid-19. Wikitravel and Wikivoyage and operators' websites also provide information and useful warnings. You may have a window of opportunity.
Look on the bright side. With your main activity being snorkelling and water sports, you don't want to be drinking alcohol because you want to stay alert and enjoy watching the fish and birds.
Bottled drinking water in hotels could be a part of your budget and if you venture into the capital Male, you might wish to take some back to your hotel. With the current health emphasis on only mingling outdoors, you might like the idea of bedrooms spaced out over water in isolated resorts.
The islands are low and were badly hit by the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. In Male you can see the monument in the shape of a column.
The islands are predicted to gradually disappear in the next hundred years under the rising ocean. Meanwhile, in your lifetime you have a chance to see and record for posterity a vanishing world.
What To See and Do
The capital
Several mosques including the Grand Friday mosque with the dome. Tombs of saints such as the man who introduced Islam to the Buddhist islands, are alongside the mosques.
The national museum, police museum and stamp museum, in the same place, near the palace. NB Friday is the day when worshippers visit the mosques. Museums are closed. (Check opening times. Museums may close early, mid-afternoon, on other days.)
Island hopping by ferry, local style boat, or seaplane, or national airline.
Other islands:
Dhiffushi, Himmafushi, Huraa. Double letters:f,a,m (as in family).
I had trouble typing, spelling and remembering these names. However, I found a useful memory aid, different, hurray.
You can also combine a trip to the Maldives with a holiday in India or Sri Lanka.
Snorkelling.
Fish market.
Submarine.
Glossary
Atoll
A circular small island with shallow water in the middle (like a lagoon), created from the top of a dormant volcano poking out of the water, with the shallow water allowing the growth of plants and palm trees on the part of the limestone coral sticking up. You get rings of separate but nearby atolls, or horseshoes of atolls.
Remember that the name Maldives probably comes from the two words for necklace or garland and islands.
Boxing Day
The day after Xmas Day, which legend says was the day that servants went around with boxes of leftovers to celebrate with the families, or to collect tips. (A second day of the holiday in English, and Commonwealth countries, in some ways resembling the Jewish festivals which have a second day outside Israel, but this because of the time and date, so that everywhere in the world celebrates at the same time as in Jerusalem.)
Snorkelling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swim fins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn. Even if you cannot swim you can snorkel.
Swimming On Or Under Water - Simplified For non-swimmers
Helpful advice from me and a swimming instructor in Singapore. For non swimmers, starting swimming. Swimming is simple. As the swimming instructor says, "You are pulling yourself through the water." Use both hands to pull to get the idea. Then use your whole arms. Help yourself go faster by kicking with your legs, either out sideways, like a frog, or up and down. to breathe above the water, keep paddling, or lie flat but keep lifting your head up. If you can't get the hang of breathing, stay in shallow water and use a breathing tube so you can put your head down in the water and see the pretty coloured fish below.
For safety you need an experienced instructor, who is a strong swimmer, who is watching out for you, instructing you and reassuring you, and knows the area, especially in the Maldives which has strong currents.
PACKING/BUYING
What to buy and pack or buy at destination:
Swimwear and Beach clothes:
Conservative cover-up clothes for mosques and public places. Check regulations for swimwear and clothing.
Underwater camera.
Snorkelling equipment
MORE INFORMATION
CANARIES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Islands
MALDIVES
Useful Websites
UK Government
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/maldives
Canadian
https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/maldives
Maldives Government
https://www.tourism.gov.mv/en/press/updates_on_the_covid_19_situation_in_the_maldives
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives
wikitravel
wikivoyage
tripadvisor
About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. She and her family have lived in the UK, USA, Spain and Singapore.
Please share links to your favourite posts.
You can connect with Angela through Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter.
Angela Lansbury is a member of several Toastmasters International speakers clubs many of which are accessible online to visitors for free worldwide through zoom. Most are English speaking, but there are several for speakers of Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Spanish, Tamil, with speakers' manuals in several languages.
Harrovians in NW London, England, the UK. Monday evenings, 1st and 3rd Mondays, UK time starting at 7 pm or 7.30 pm.
Braddell Heights Advanced in Singapore. First Wednesday 7 pm Singapore time and and 3rd Saturday afternoon starting at 2 pm Singapore time, not on Zoom but on learncool.sg / or the learncool app
Please come along. You will love it, and have opportunities to speak, and speak about travel.
Angela Lansbury is the immediate past president of this club (2019-2020) and current Vice President Public Relations (2020-2021).
Singapore Online Dynamic - meets every Friday evening, 9 to midnight Singapore time, timing moved from the usual 7 pm, two hours, to be later so that members and visitors can join from the UK after lunch and from the USA in the early morning. Do join us.
No comments:
Post a Comment