Malé, Maldives-Day 2 马累，马尔代夫

March 24, 2025

This morning, we started early with a visit to the Malé Fish Market and nearby local market. The fish market was just opening and was quite small, but offered a glimpse into the city’s seafood culture.

We continued walking westward along the coast toward the Tsunami Monument, built in memory of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami victims. The monument itself was simple and, to be honest, not particularly impressive. But the walk there took us through a lovely coastal park, where we paused to enjoy the breeze and take a well-needed break.

Next, we visited two of Malé’s most important religious landmarks: the Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy) and the Grand Friday Mosque. The Old Friday Mosque, built in the 17th century from coral stone, is a remarkable structure with intricate carvings and a deep sense of history. In contrast, the Grand Friday Mosque, with its iconic golden dome, dominates the skyline and represents modern Islamic architecture in the Maldives.

We were allowed to enter the mosque, but Connie needed to cover her head. A kind security guard lent us a scarf and even offered a brief tour, taking a few photos for us. He gently hinted that the scarf could be bought at the local market for $20. At the end of the visit, we decided to offer him $20 and kept the beautiful scarf — it may come in handy during the rest of our journey.

When most people think of the Maldives, they picture luxury resorts perched over turquoise waters. We didn’t see that — not in Malé. Instead, we walked through the heart of a working island city, witnessing everyday Maldivians living and working to support the tourism industry that the country is so famous for.

Spending a full day in Malé gave us a taste of authentic island life, far from the curated experiences of five-star resorts. It was raw, real, and deeply human.

As our ship departed the Maldives this afternoon, we looked out toward the horizon and finally caught a glimpse of those distant resort islands — little dots of paradise surrounded by endless blue. And while we didn’t get to experience that side of the Maldives firsthand this time, we left with something just as memorable: a deeper understanding of the people and places behind the postcard-perfect images.

马累，马尔代夫

2025年3月24日

今天一早，我们前往马累鱼市和附近的本地市场。鱼市刚刚开张，规模不大。随后我们沿着海岸向西步行，前往海啸纪念碑，该纪念碑是为悼念2004年印度洋海啸的遇难者而建。纪念碑本身较为简洁，坦白说并不令人惊艳。但沿途经过的滨海公园却非常宜人，我们在那里短暂停留，享受微风和片刻的宁静。

接着，我们参观了马累两座最重要的宗教地标：星期五古清真寺（Hukuru Miskiy）和国家大清真寺。前者建于17世纪，由珊瑚石建成，是一座极具历史感的建筑，雕刻精美，气质沉稳。后者则以其金色圆顶成为城市天际线的标志，展现了马尔代夫现代伊斯兰建筑的风貌。

我们获准进入大清真寺参观，但佩民必须遮住头发。一位友善的保安借给我们一条头巾，并热情地带我们参观，还帮我们拍了几张照片。临别时他轻声提及，这条头巾在市场上售价约为20美元。我们最终决定给他20美元并留下了这条漂亮的头巾——或许在之后的旅程中还会派上用场。

当人们谈起马尔代夫，脑海中浮现的往往是建在碧蓝海水上的奢华度假村。而我们这次没有看到那些画面——至少在马累没有。我们所见的是一座正在运作的岛屿城市，一群为旅游业默默付出的普通马尔代夫人。

今天下午，当我们的船慢慢地离开马尔代夫时，我们终于在地平线的远方看到了那些点缀在碧海上的度假小岛——如梦如幻，宛如天堂的点点绿洲。

Malé, Maldives-Day 1 马累，马尔代夫

March 23, 2025

The morning began with an unforgettable snorkeling excursion just off the coast of Malé. After being tendered to Jetty No. 2, we boarded another boat that took us to our first snorkeling site. The water was calm and crystal-clear. We spotted countless tropical fish and even a graceful turtle gliding by.

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Unfortunately, our underwater camera had broken on a previous trip, so we have no pictures to share — but the memories are vivid. After about 30 minutes at the first reef, we moved to another site where even more marine life awaited us. Connie spotted a white-tip reef shark, while Chenggang was thrilled to see many Moorish Idol fish — the very same fish he had drawn in his art classes on the ship.

Gliding over coral gardens teeming with life, surrounded by vibrant fish, we agreed it was the best snorkeling experience we’ve ever had. After an hour in the water, we were completely exhausted — and more than ready for a delicious lunch back on the ship at BeefBar.

In the afternoon, we ventured out on foot to explore Malé. The city is incredibly compact and densely built — it feels like every square inch of land has been used. We walked along the island’s eastern coast, passing by King Salman Mosque, the Artificial Beach, and Lonuziyaaraiy Park, enjoying glimpses of daily life in the capital.

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Our destination was the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, also known as the Sinamalé Bridge — a modern structure linking Malé with Hulhulé (home of the international airport) and Hulhumalé. Funded and built by China, the bridge is a symbol of international cooperation. Walking along the waterfront and seeing the bridge stretch across the sea was a sharp contrast to the older, crowded streets of the city.

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We did walk a portion of the bridge, but the heat and humidity were overwhelming. Eventually, we turned around and made our way back to the ship. By sunset, traffic had reached its peak — motorbikes, cars, and pedestrians filled the streets. But when the adhan (call to prayer) echoed through the city, everything stopped. People headed to the mosques, and suddenly the streets were eerily quiet — no honking, no revving engines.

Then, as soon as the prayer ended, families gathered for iftar, breaking their fast together. It is Ramadan. From sunrise to sunset, they abstain from food and water. We deeply admired their spiritual discipline and sacrifice — we felt dehydrated even while drinking water!

马累，马尔代夫

2025年3月23日

经过又一天的海上行，我们的邮轮来到马累(Malé）岛——这座虽小却充满活力的马尔代夫首都。早晨，我们参加了浮潜，我们先乘坐接驳船抵达2号码头，然后换乘另一艘当地的小船，前往第一个浮潜点。那里的海水平静清澈，我们看见了无数热带鱼，甚至还有一只优雅的海龟从我们身边滑过。

可惜的是，我们的水下相机在上一次旅行中已经损坏，因此这次无法留下任何照片——但那些五彩斑斓的画面依旧清晰地留在我们的记忆中。大约在第一个珊瑚礁区停留了30分钟后，我们前往了另一个浮潜点，那里有更多的海洋生物等待我们。除了更多漂亮的鱼之外，Connie幸运的见到了一条白鳍礁鲨，而成刚则惊喜地看见了许多摩尔神仙鱼——这正是他在船上的艺术课程中曾画过的鱼。这是我们有史以来最棒的一次浮潜体验。水中一个小时后，我们已筋疲力尽，迫不及待地回到船上，在BeefBar享用了美味的午餐。

午后，我们上岸步行探索马累岛。整个城市非常紧凑且高度开发——几乎每一寸土地都被充分利用。我们沿着东海岸步行，路过萨勒曼国王清真寺、人工沙滩以及Lonuziyaaraiy 公园，一边走一边感受这座首都的日常生活气息。

我们的目的地是中马友谊大桥，它连接着马累、国际机场所在的胡鲁勒岛以及新兴的胡鲁马累岛。这座由中国出资并建造的现代化大桥，是两国合作的象征。在滨海步道上远望大桥横跨海面，画面与城市中老旧而密集的街道形成鲜明对比。

我们试着走上大桥，但炎热与湿度令人难以忍受。只走了一小段后便掉头返回船上。日落时分，城市交通达到了高峰——摩托车、汽车和行人挤满了街头。然而，当穆斯林的**祈祷呼声（adhan）**响彻全岛，一切都停止了。人们纷纷走向清真寺，街道突然变得出奇地安静——没有喇叭声，也没有引擎轰鸣。

祷告结束后，海边渔船及各种小游船上的船员们围坐一起，开始吃开斋饭（iftar）。正值斋月（Ramadan），从日出到日落，他们禁食、禁水。我们由衷敬佩他们的精神与自律——在炎热潮湿天气下，即便我们可以饮水，依然感到口干舌燥。