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 | Maldives Local Customs | Tips 1 - 10 of 86 |  |
 The Geckos - Hoanu by Fam.Rauca
They are named Hoanu, in the local speech.
If you have not a room with climate installation, you can see on the ceiling and on the walls, many Geckos that try to find insects.
The more Geckos are in rooms, the fewer insects there are. Leave a Comment
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Every day about 10 pm, the sharks are fed.
The young sharks get their lining from the keepers and from the tourists.
It is like a small spectacle for the curious gazes.
The tourists have the possibility to support this activity, in which they help the keepers.
This happens every evening, by the terrace of Thai restaurant Sun Star. Leave a Comment
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 Cleaning the beach... by FletteMette
The explanation is, of course, that resort staff are constantly cleaning and sweeping the beaches, removing trash and any traces of prior human presence - allowing you to keep your illusion of the Maldives as a trash-free tropical paradise.. ;o) If you decide to venture away from your resort island and visit one of the local islands, you will notice that the beaches there look *quite* different.
Remember that the Maldives have got a *huge* trash problem. *Don't* throw anything on the beach or in the ocean! (And please don't bring any excess plastic packaging to the Maldives, unwrap that new snorkel before you go:o), and take as much plastic packaging as possible (and all used batteries etc!) back home with you.) Leave a Comment
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a local guide who took us around the small village showed us many of the old buildings, which were built with what looked like some weird cement. on closer inspection, and upon being told, we found out it was coral! back in the old days, coral was dredged up and used, along with cement, to build houses. while of course this might of been fine back in the old days, today, with the knowledge that we all have, about our environment and protecting reefs etc, this sort of building is no longer put into practice. years of dredging coral has basically destroyed alot of areas of coral reef. today most maldivians know that their reefs and ecosystem is so valuable, not only to them, but to the world, so this form of building has now been done with. in small villages you will see still see families living in this form of housing though. Leave a Comment
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The Maldivian currency is called Rufiyaa (one rufiyaa is divided into 100 laari) - but chances are that you won't even see Maldivian money. At the resort, everything is billed to your room - US dollars and all major credit cards are accepted. When visiting local islands, US dollars are the preferred currency - even though some tourist shops will accept other currencies such as euro and British pounds as well. It might be a good idea to bring some small denomination USD notes to give as tips (to the baggage handler at your resort etc). The only time you might need Maldivian money, is in smaller non-touristy shops and cafes in Male.
The exchange rate is ca 12.80 rufiyaa for one US dollar. Rufiyaa comes in notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500, and coins of 1 and 2 rufiyaa, plus 1, 5,10, 25 and 50 laari. Your resort will offer a money exchange service, and there are of course banks available in Male.
A cute little boy in one of the shops on the local island we visited (Rasdhoo island) showed me several coins - the designs were very nice, and included a conch shell, a turtle, and a coconut palm. :o) If you want to bring some Maldivian money home, there are coin sets for sale in many of the souvenir shops. Leave a Comment
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Your room will be cleaned everyday and your mini bar restocked. Always give the person a small tip and you will find that they will leave small surprises for you. We started having heart shaped bed linens and towels suddenly took the form of swans. And when you ask for something - you get it right away! Leave a Comment
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 local flowers by JustinJansen
We talked with loads of people and this seems new for then, that tourist will talked to them.
Most people are from bangladesh ore Sri Lanka and don't urn much money, and they have their familie's still back home.
Leave every now en then a tip on you're bed ore at you're attendant in the restaurant!
Also learning few maldive words makes a good show! Leave a Comment
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In the Maldives you have to keep your top on. Although the whole country is virtually financed by Western European Tourists, modesty has to be observed. You can go out in a thong or bikini and sip cold beer, but keep your ‘shirt’ on. Leave a Comment
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Coral rocks and wood were traditionally the only building materials available locally, and if you visit Malé or a local island (ie - not a resort island) you will see walls like the ones in my photos: built with coral and cement.
The first tourist resorts were built in the early seventies - the tourist industry boomed (well, don't we all want to visit these beautiful islands..;o) - and as the demand for building materials grew, more coral reefs were destroyed. Thankfully, the government of the Maldives realised that by ruining the coral reefs (and the entire reef ecosystem!), they're also ruining the basis for tourism - which is the most important industry of the country.
Coral rock is still used in the construction industry in the Maldives - but coral mining is no longer widespread. Coral mining does, of course, cause major damage to the reefs - and the government is now regulating the mining activities. Coral mining is banned in certain areas, coral can no longer be used in the construction of tourist resorts or public buildings, and the import tax on cement has been reduced - to encourage the use of other building materials. Leave a Comment
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 weather by Myndo
Truth is, you can have rain in the dry time and sunny days without end in the wet season.
If you are looking for a few extra hours of sunshine, then you should visit the Maldives between December and April, which is the dry season. This is also the high season and resorts can be fully booked and prices are higher than the rest of the year. The Christmas-New Year period is the busiest and most expensive part of the high season. Between May and November it's still warm, but the skies can be cloudy, humidity is higher and rain is more likely. This is the low season, and there are fewer tourists and prices are lower. The months between November and April are said to have increased water clarity and better visibility for divers.
When we were there, we got a good deal because it was the wet time. (In October)
I had a look at the weather report for the area (see link) in the week before and was a little taken aback, because it showed "100% chance of precipitation" and "thunderstorms" during the whole week.
When we arrived we had quite some rain on the first day ... and then two weeks of blue sky and sun with only occassionally clouds and rain on the horizon.
So you can be lucky ... or not. No need to worry about.
For those who can't do without an outlook, have a look at the website below. Leave a Comment
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