Fling the Fish!

On the way to the resort we saw Maldivian fishermen offloading their fish in what is apparently considered a normal manner... throwing the tuna on the filthy street. The apparent lack of refrigeration in the 100 degree steamy weather can't be good either. If you ask for fish in the Maldives, make sure it's cooked!

Celebrating July 4th in Maldives

The minister decided to send us to one of the Maldives' famous resorts, specifically Chaaya Island Dhonveli, to celebrate our Independence Day. I had seen pictures of the tropical islands, turquoise water and endless blue sky but they do not do justice to the real thing. The view from our over-the-water bungalow was fantastic. However, the current made actually swimming off of the deck rather treacherous. This was a problem until I figured out that I if held on to the ladder and flattened my body in the water I could admire the view unobstructed by the wooden railing on the deck. Other activities included snorkeling and swimming by the beach where the current was not so strong.

It was not possible to go scuba diving because of Maldivian regulations requiring that everyone must do a checkout dive and then wait for a day before going to an actual dive site. While I would like to go diving at some point while I am here. I was prefectly content to snorkel swim and relax for one day before getting to work in the newsroom.

Many of the Maldivians working at the resort, upon learning about our work here, were eager to share their opinions about the elections, including the fact that one of the opposition canidates is gaining suprising amounts of support.

Unfortunately we could only spend the day at the resort. this one definitely lived up to all of the hearsay in the US. Now it is back to the newsroom, and reality...

In the Newsroom

Shortly after our meeting with Nasheed, I arrived at the newsroom where I will be spending most of my time. We met with the news director, Abdullah Rameez. The rest of the day was spent getting my bearings, and meeting the other journalists.
I will be worlking on the business desk doing reports regarding the inflation and economic problems that are facing the country at this time. I also will be helping the reporters with their English. The picture shows me in the control room with Hamda, the business desk editor, who was producing the English newscast.

Meeting with the Minister

While we were eating breakfast, we received a phone call from the minister of legal reform, information and arts. Mohammed Nasheed wanted to meet with us. Our team quickly got ready to go and headed to the Ministry. Shortly after our arrival we were ushered into his office. The discussion lasted for roughly one hour, covering such topics as ratification of the new constitution, the election coverage fairness code, other reforms that will have to be made in the country's news media and possible dates for the presidential election. He even decided to send us to a resort for the weekend before we begin our serious work! This was a good introduction to the problems that Maldives will face in making the transition into a free democracy.

First Impressions of Male

The two best words that can be used to be describe the capital of Maldives are "sensory overload." Male is the fifth densest city in the world consisting of 130,000 people packed into a one square mile airea. While being shuttled to my hotel, located along the Mageedi Magu, the main street of the city, I was amazed at the teeming life that is Male. We passed through typical streets no wider than the average sidewalk. Even at eleven o'clock at night the city was absolutly full of people. Despite the many things going on in the city I was glad to get a good night's sleep.

Seeing Singapore

Singapore was a good transition form the western/christian to the eastern/muslim world. Its status as a former British colony and geographical location offers a good deal of western culture, including the British custom of driving on the right side of the road. However, there are also a lot of veiled Muslim women. The city is also surprisingly green. There are flowers and trees everywhere. The small island of Singapore was also a good transition to the even smaller capital of Maldives. One can drive around the entire island of Singapore in less than two hours.
The tour of Singapore's downtown area showed the modernity. allthough some of its attractions were under construction, the cleanliness of the city, like the airport, impressed me. I'm standing next to the Fountain of Wealth, the world's largest fountain, which is supposed to be a feng shui method of bringing money into the city.
Later on I took a walking tour of the city. Despite the heat, I managered to see such sights as the Raffles Hotel, and the oldest church in the city. It took only a day but I felt like I have seen the highlights of the entire country.

Stopover in Singapore

On my way to Male I am spending a daylong layover in Singapore. Since Singapore Airlines offers a free transportation intothe city, I plan to make use of the time by exploring this small country. The airport has already impressed me with it's size and modernity, so I am eager to see more. This opportunity after a 17 hour plane flight. More details will follow.