Day 05: Malé Island

Took the local ferry to Malé today, $0.40 for a 20 minute ride. The scooters load first followed by the foot passengers to a maximum of 130 people. First stop was Shell Beans for iced cappuccinos, it's been Nescafe since we started the trip so it was nice to get some real espresso (but have to admit Nescafe is growing on us). We logged 8 km today on the small island enjoying local eats and friendly conversations while covering the usual tourist track and venturing into the less visited side streets.

As we exited the ferry terminal, we ventured up the pier/boardwalk/sidewalk watching all the days goods being unloaded. There was everything from household furnishings to produce to the fisherman's catch. Even selling whole Tuna right on the sidewalk. First stop was the vegetable market. Upon entry we were greeted by a very enthusiastic vendor who insisted we sample smoked tuna, local mango, bananas, ground coconut/coconut sugar stick, very tasty unknown tropical nuts and passion fruit made sweeter with a drizzle of liquid coconut sugar. We purchased some fruit, then wandered through the remaining network of stalls. Next stop was across the street at the fish market. Working our way through the crowds, we watched the locals negotiating for the days catch and highly skilled fish mongers filleting their choice - it was amazing to see how quickly they could take apart a 80 lb tuna.

We made our way out the back and headed pier side to continue our trek around the island. Malé is quite amazing, every block has a building that is being extended higher to try and accommodate the ever growing population. Some serious urban planning needed here, 92,000 people and a limit of 2 sq km to work with. Surprisingly, it did not feel crowded to us at all. After the day on our feet, of course it was easy to justify an afternoon ice cream in a freshly made waffle cone, ocean side at the public beach. Back to our home of the week for a great dinner and relax for the evening.