DAY 90---MALE, MALDIVES

 

We dropped anchor at 2:35pm a couple miles off the coast in front of Male.  It is partly cloudy and 87 degrees.  I was out on our balcony watching the immigration officials get off their boat.  A gentleman passenger with a serious lungs issue will be transferred to a hospital here.

Historical/Background Info:

        We were also here in 2010. The Maldives is a country where 99% of its total area is ocean. There are over 1000 tiny islands and Male is the country’s capital. Male is only one square mile in size and the whole island is a city. The country has 253,000 citizens and half live in Male. Eighty-seven of the small islands have been transformed into luxurious and intimate resorts. The resorts have beautiful beaches and some of the world’s best diving can be found here. Tourism is by far their source of income here. They have some fishing but for use locally not exported. Almost everything else has to be imported as the islands are too small for agriculture. House boats carry the imported goods from Male markets to the country’s other islands. The waters here have beautiful colors of blue depending on the depth of the ocean. Alcohol and nudity are forbidden so no nightlife.  Tourists can only have fun at the resorts. The temperature is fairly constant here year-round as it is close to the Equator.

LAST EVENING

                                                                Happy hour in our suite.         

                                        

Sette Mari appetizers

                                                     This wine was too lite and not good.

 

My chicken parmesan was good but no pasta that I ordered and Rebecca  not happy with her pasta,  I had enough to eat so was ok.

"Broadway in Concert" photos

                  Show featuring the production cast singers.  VERY talented group of singers.

TODAY

        During the Captain's noon PA he said we would be arriving an hour earlier than the planned 4pm arrival.  We have a medical emergency on board so we are at maximum speed for the ship at nearly 22 knots.

        Lunch in Compass Rose again today.  I had a burger and fries.  It was very good but took too long for the kitchen to get it out.  I told Joseph I was about to leave the dining room when it showed up.  35 minutes was tooooo long.

     As we sail in to our anchorage we passed by some bungalows along the water on a small island 

                                               Tender to take the sick passenger to shore.

        Getting use to having cocktail hour in our suite.  We have requested jalapeno cream cheese balls for this evening.

        Dinner tonight will be back in Compass Rose.  We have a new headliner entertainer in the theater at 9:30.  Isabel Commandeur is a vocalist from the Netherlands.  We will be going.

        We are overnighting here at anchorage in Male.  Last tender back to the ship is to be at midnight.  In the meantime we can hear the tender engine as the gangway is on our side forward.