Kaashidhoo to Male

Kaashidhoo Atoll was our last stop before Male. We accessed the island and anchorage through a long cut in the coral lagoon which was a bit tricky - actually nerve racking would be a better description. Once ashore we met with the friendliness and hospitality that we have come to expect. Sure we are a bit of an oddity and get plenty of stares but a few smiles and 'hellos' seem to break the ice. Musa was the first local to come and say hello - we ended up with quite an entourage. He spoke excellent English and took us on an impromptu tour of the island. He even included a short walk into the jungle so that we could see some pre-Islamic ruins of what appeared to be a Buddhist temple in the shade of an ancient Banyan tree. The ruins were excavated by a German archeologist and it was quite a surprise. We ended up having coffee at Musa's football club hangout - the netball girls get to use the place as well - most of them being the sisters of the football guys. When we asked about a cafe for dinner Musa offered us a 'bbq', price to be determined by us and proceeds to the football club, as there was nothing open on the island. The couple of small cafes that we encountered had the usual collection of males sitting around drinking coffee and didn't open in the evening. So darkness found us back ashore with a table set for four (sy Sage joined us) at a BBQ in the yard of the UN development fund (??) catered by the football club guys. The fish was delicious and then we were treated to some traditional music(drumming) and singing. All very unexpected but you really need to be alert for opportunities in the Maldives.

We left the next day after negotiating the coral cut - didn't 'touch' this time and were on our way to the north Male atoll. It didn't quite work out like we planned - there were lots of storms and squalls around and we couldn't get through the kandu (opening in the reef) with sufficient light to find an anchorage. We ended up 'doing an overnighter' down the western side of the atoll and arrived in Hulhumale the following morning.

 Hulhumale is an island that was mostly man made (we avoid the term 'reclaimed' as there was nothing here to reclaim) to accommodate Male's large international airport. The anchorage is right in the flight path of the large number of jets and float planes that seem to fly in non stop day and night. It has been ok though until all the dreaded big dive boats came in over the weekend to disgorge their passengers and pick up new ones for week long dive trips. Then we had to deal with not only the air traffic but the noise and wake of a myriad of small boats going back and forward to the dock. We have had several trips into Male itself - we catch the local ferry (less than a dollar for both of us) which is quite busy as it is the only way to get into town. Male is a bustling little metropolis and the hub for everything that happens in the Maldives which appears to be 99% tourist related. Not that you see many tourists in Male itself. They seem to all be picked up from the airport and then shuttled straight onto a float plane to the resorts for the duration of their visit or a dive boat to hopefully a dive spot. So here we are anchored among the dive boats with a small international contingent of cruising yachts who are all here for the same purpose - provisioning, laundry and a bit of a western food fix. There are a couple of places in Male where this is possible - no bars of course but it is a nice break from the local cafes that are only patronised by men drinking the national beverages of coffee and Red Bull (not together). We will be leaving in a day or so for the hopefully quieter South Male atoll. It is also a bit tense here in Male at the moment with protests surrounding the popular ex President being dragged off to a 13 year jail sentence being met by a prominent police and army presence. The emails from DFAT telling us to avoid any mass gatherings ie protests are also a bit disconcerting. Not at all what we expected - but this a country on the 'cusp' - more about that later.