Time flew by quite quickly, and before long it was time to
check out from this lovely resort. Since I was planning on staying overnight in
Male for one day, I asked the hotel to put me on the last flight out, which
meant I could check out at 5 PM!
While waiting, I decided to chill at the pool with some new
friends from New York, who discovered that the cushions outside could actually
float.
At around 5:00 pm, the hotel staff picked up my luggage was drove
me to the hotel lobby to check out and settle my bill. My total bill was $540,
a mandatory $520 domestic flight fee and $22 small pizza I ordered on my first
night.
I graciously thanked my host, Charles, and knowing that I
probably was the thriftiest guest he’s ever had, gave a bit extra. Plus, he
helped me take some wonderful photos of this resort.
As the sun set into the Indian Ocean, we sailed off on our
speedboat as the staff waved us goodbye.
My night domestic flight was mostly uneventful and I landed
in Male on time. I stored my luggage at the baggage hold in the airport and I took
a speedboat going to the city.
One of the perks of being a travel writer is that you meet
the most amazing people online. A reader put me in touch with a local friend
who gave me a tour of the city the next morning on the back of his bike..
Male is actually one of the densest cities in the world, and
driving along the crowded capital makes it quite clear that this is not the
sleepy island country capital that some people may imagine.
The highlight was the fish market where you can see various
kinds of seafood being sold and prepared, including some pretty big tuna.
I’d suggest wearing some plain shoes, as they could get
stained with fish blood on the floor.
We also got to see the artificial beach in Male and grabbed
the local non-alcoholic version of the mojito – a drink mixed with red bull and
artificial sweetener.
My new friend soon had to go to work, so I ended up grabbing
buffet lunch at the Sea House restaurant with my Airbnb hosts. The food was
delicious, filling, and significantly cheaper than the places at the airport.
I then went back to my apartment to relax for a bit before
heading to the airport.
