Maldives on a budget
The luxe island getaway is slowly gaining traction with the cost-conscious. A slew of affordable lodgings have enabled more to enjoy idyllic beaches and also discover the essence of local life, writes
Residents of Guraidhoo island.
Guide Ahmed Mujthba or Mujay says one of the best places to start is at Medhu Ziyaaraiy (Central Tomb), a manor-like building in navigational hues of whitewashed walls lined with blue. This is the resting place of Maulana Al-Hafiz Abul Barakaath Yoosuf Al-Barbari, a religious scholar from Morocco who converted the Maldivians to Islam in 1153. Before that, the people were Buddhists.
Across the street from the mausoleum is the quaint 17th century Old Friday Mosque built in 1656 (non-Muslims may enter with prior permission). Mujay takes me inside, where intricately carved Arabic writings and ornamental patterns adorn dark teakwood ceilings and doors. The exterior walls exhibit fascinating tactile refinement, being made of corals, moulded and shaped into exquisite patterns.
Equally fascinating is the main market, which bustles with chatty traders selling items ranging from raw edibles to electronics. At a fruit stall, I sample Maldivian coconut candy (similar to ours), pine nuts and the local stumpy, sweet banana.
Nearby, the fish market gets busy in the afternoons when fishermen bring in their catch of yellow fin tuna, jobfish, jackfish and barracuda, among others.
The market is divided into two sections. One side is where fish are sold while the other half is the fish cutting section. I am captivated by the large sizes and different SCOOT flies to Maldives four times weekly (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) from Singapore with daily connecting flights to Kuala Lumpur. ScootThru is a complimentary service offering seamless flight connection and check-through luggage (for Scoot, Singapore Airlines and SilkAir) at Singapore Changi Airport. Details at www. flyscoot.com.
Hulhumale-based tour operator Pro-Excursion Maldives is located on Hirundhu Magu; Email: proexcursion@gmail. com, yaamin1985@gmail.com, WhatsApp: +960 912 1036. types of fish, particularly the torpedo-like tuna. Noticing my close inspection of a barracuda, a friendly seller shows me the aggressive hunter’s sharp, nasty fang-like teeth, for tearing its prey apart.
At the cutting section, I watch in wonderment how these skilful fish-cutters, who clean and slice the fish for customers, perform with precise yet artful manoeuvres.
Maldivian tuna curry with rice, chapati and pickle. The shearing away of the yellow spiky fins of a metre long tuna is executed with the adroitness of a master craftsman.
One buyer tells me that an average sized tuna can feed his family of 15 for four days. The ubiquitous tuna is the staple of curries and salads, eaten with rice or the local bread “roshi”, resembling the chapati.
The guide takes me onto a fishing boat berthed at the harbour across the fish market. There, I meet the fishermen made up of relatives and friends whose families have been fishing for generations.
They tell me how they fish without using nets, which are outlawed in the country to keep fish stock sustainable. With hook and line in the ocean, they watch for dolphins, which are followed closely behind by shoals of tuna.
Another interesting feature is the names of houses stated on the front entrance. As an amusing side attraction, I walk curiously into lanes to read the names, which range from the mundane “Ever Bright”, the odd “Neutron” and intriguing “Merry Glory” to the eye-brow raising “Crony”.