Tomorrow i will fly from Male (the capital) to Hanimaadhoo, an island in the north of the archipelago that should have nice nature and a more traditional character than most of the touristy atolls.
The Maldives are a huge archipelago of 1200 islands threatened by rising sea levels with an interesting culture.
The people are a genetic mix of Indians, Southeast Asians, Africans, and Arabians. The language, Dhivehi, is Indo-Aryan closely related to Sinhala (Ceylonese) and over the centuries has picked up words and expressions from Arabic, French, Persian, Portuguese, Urdu and some Dravidian (south India) family). There must also be a Chinese influence because most restaurants serve noodles and the likes.
Islam is the official religion (since 1153), but traditional beliefs and Buddhist beliefs continue to thrive in most island communities.
Practicalities
Flight from Male to Hanimadhoo: $270 roundtrip (five times a day)
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The Maldives are the 136th country i have visited in my life.
Much easier to organize my trip than expected (see Practicalities below). Once you get out of the loop of travel agencies, it is just a place like everywhere else. I am probably one of the very few tourists that arrives without a hotel reservation.
The city if actually quite cheap: i had a lunch buffet for $7 at a seaside cafe and pasta dinner for $4 at another relatively fancy establishment. Food and drinks in shops are a lot more expensive than in India but also a lot cheaper than, say, in Singapore.
Now i am trying to fly with the aerotaxi to the northern islands.
Male is tiny: the entire island in which it is located is 1.7 km long and 1 km wide. You can walk the whole city in less than one hour. However, it feels very crowded. It communicates by ferry with the island of the airport, which in turn is connected by road with the artificial island of Hulhumale, and there are ferries between Male and Hulhumale too.
Male is Muslim: female tourists must cover themselves (no matter how hot it is) and males should wear long pants and never take their shirt off. Many local women wear the burka or some other black garment that covers the entire body. However, some walk in western clothes with no headscarf (but no skirts).
The only part of the Maldives that is well connected with ferries is the northern islands.
The media have widely reported the coup that ousted the democratically elected president two weeks ago. They have not reported at all a much more troubling event of two weeks ago.
The Maldives are yet another country (like Afghanistan) that used to be Buddhist before it was occupied by Muslims. Last week Muslim fundamentalists destroyed all the Buddhist statues in the national museum. Nothing is left to prove the Buddhist past of the country.
For these fundamentalists any trace of other religions is blasphemy.
Pretty much the same thing that the Taliban did in Afghanistan in 2001. Buddhis fundamentalistts don't destroy mosques nor qurans. Muslim fundamentalists destroy Buddhist statues and Buddhist scriptures. The difference should be obvious to anyone with eyes to read but apparently it is not because we keep tolerating what Muslim fundamentalists do to others.
Practicalities
$1=15.4 rufiyaas but you can also just pay anything with dollars (the currency is pegged to the dollar). Credit cards are widely accepted for tourist activities (but not at neighborhood stores). Lots of ATMs.
Visa upon arrival (free of charge).
Ferry to Male: 10 rufiyaas or $1.
The tourist information office ("help desk") at the airport is useless. In town go to the Ministry of Tourism (4th floor of a 12-story building) for maps and smiles. But neither knows much about the country or the city, apparently.
Lodging is not cheap in the Maldives. The cheapest hotel in Male is $50 per night. No dorms, just single rooms. There are lots of guesthouses and inns around town but all the cheap ones are forbidden to rent the room to foreigners on a tourist visa, and most of them have no sign outside that identifies them as a guesthouse. Everybody in the neighborhood knows which ones are guesthouses though. Taxis around the island cost $1-2. You can try and hire a taxi driver for $5 and let him do the search for you (he might even be willing to book the room for you, in which case the transaction is perfectly legal). The cheapest room with A/C and bathroom that i could find was actually a very reasonable $25 (but, again, only because the owner was willing to break the loosely-enforced law, and after 4 places turned me down).
Male is overcrowded: don't even think of camping on a secluded beach.
Abd it's a conservative country, so unlikely that a family would offer lodging to a complete stranger.
Travel agencies in Male are useless: they can do exactly what you can do with the Internet. If you ask anything that is slightly different, they don't know. They are simply robots that book rooms in expensive resorts (up to $4,400/night) and sell you whatever package that resort has sent them. They personally have no experience of what they are trying to sell you. They literally cannot find on the map the place where they want to send you. They are also clueless about cheap accommodation in Male. I also found that the price was often cheaper if i booked it on the Internet (eg Maldivian aerotaxis).
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Summarizing:
* The government of Bangladesh does offer visas upon arrival at the Dhaka airport but de facto the tourists need to get the visa before arriving because otherwise the airlines will not allow them to board.
* I bought the ticket to Dhaka when i bought the ticket to Male without having any visa for Bangladesh
* While in Singapore, i decided to apply for a visa. The embassy was a bit annoyed that i had not requested the visa at home but eventually accepted to give me a tourist visa (we'll see for how many days).
* Tomorrow (tuesday) at 3:30pm i should have my visa. My flight out of Singapore is at midnight.
* My flight stops in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, for 12 hours, and i will try to get out of the airport and visit Colombo. I have been in Sri Lanka, but at the time i avoided the capital because there was still a civil war going on.
* I should arrive in Male (capital of the Maldives) in the evening. Male is incredibly expensive: the cheapest hotel is $60. I am trying to find something cheaper but, arriving so late, it's unlikely.
* I actually don't want to see Male. I would like to see the islands in the north that are remote from civilization. The problem, again, is the cost. And i only have five days for the Malvides.
Practicalities
Bangldesh visa for Italian passport S$88=$75 (for US passports the cost is three times more)
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It is surprising that a country like Singapore, that appears to be a lot more
"modern" than the San Francisco Bay Area, has contributed less to technological
innovation than Silicon Valley.
Singspore is a model of urban design and management.
Silicon Valley is decades, if not a century, behind Singapore, meaning that
it would probably take a century for Silicon Valley to catch up with Singapore's
infrastructure projects, not to mention to match Singapore's architectural
wonders (compared with Silicon Valley's none).
It's not only the subway and the quality of roads that is superior in Singapore:
the Singaporean citizens are way more "high-tech" than their peers in Silicon
Valley. Singaporeans had cell phones when they were still a rarity in Silicon
Valley. Silicon Valley still has to match the Internet speed that Singaporeans
have been enjoying for years. However, hard as it may have tried, Singapore
has produced no Apple, no Oracle, no Google and no Facebook.
The reason might be the very concept of what high-tech is.
In Silicon Valley people need just a cubicle to work (and a car to get there,
given the third-world public transportation). They are perfectly happy living
in a
culturally poor
place of ugly buildings and mediocre malls.
In Singapore people expect a town that is comfortable; a nice place to live in.
High-tech is a means to an end just like concrete and plastic.
It is part of the urban fabric. It is one of the elements that contribute to
making Singapore a model of urban design and management.
In Silicon Valley people are willing and even excited to be worked to
death like slaves for the privilege of being part of the high-tech world
that designs the tools of tomorrow (and for a tiny chance of becoming the
next billionaire).
In Singapore there is nothing particularly prestigious about working in
high tech: the prestige is in using it to do something that is relevant
to society.
Silicon Valley assumes that one can change the world just by releasing a
new device or a new website that will spread virally.
Singapore assumes that one can change the world by adopting whatever are
the best available tools at the moment, and it is largely irrelevant who
invented them.
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Hot and humid. Good to see friends from back when i was living here in the 1990s.
New architecture of Singapore: http://scaruffi.tumblr.com
All the pictures i took this time: http://www.scaruffi.com/monument/indonesi/singa12.html
All the pictures from previous times: http://www.scaruffi.com/monument/indonesi/singapor.html
Below: Daniel Libeskind's Reflection Towers and Moshe Safdie's Marina Bay Sands.
;)
;)
Practicalities
US$1=S$1.2
Cozy Corner hostel in Bugis S$20
Mitraa hostel north of Little India on Race Course: S$25 +
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Tentative itinerary:
Feb 9 SFO-Singapore
Feb 15 Singapore-Male
Feb 20 Male-Dhaka
Mar 4 Dhaka-Singapore
Mar 5 Singapore-SFO
I have the tickets already for all of these but
a) There was a coup in the Maldives on Feb 6
b) Bangladesh's tourist visa is a lottery (in theory i could get it upon arrival, but most airlines don't let you board a flight to Bangladesh if you don't already have the visa, and i don't)
- Last time i was in Singapore was 2007. Now they have completed Daniel Libeskind's Reflection Towers and Moshe Safdie's Marina Bay Sands.
- The Maldives are a huge archipelago of 1200 islands threatened by rising sea levels with an interesting culture http://www.visitmaldives.com/en/the-maldives/culture
- Bangladesh must be a crazy country: 148 million people for 147 thousand square kms (California has 36 million people on 424 thousand square kms).
;)
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Biggest (and scariest) adventure of the trip: the flight from Los Angeles to San Jose. I had not seen such an old low-tech plane since maybe the 1980s, not even in Africa. You board and you pause to think: "does this thing actually fly?" It does, but at very low elevation and at a speed of a bump per second. It's a fascinating experience, the flying equivalent of the old chicken buses of the third world (that are rapidly being replaced by lightning-speed trains).
Sitting next to me is a young woman equipped with the latest smartphone and all who works for a Silicon Valley company (presumably like most of the passengers on this antiquated plane). I told her that i'm coming from Peru and she replied that she's coming from Irvine... i don't think she knows that Peru is a country.
Coming home can be really depressing.
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End of the trip to Argentina, Brazil and Peru. All the pictures: http://www.scaruffi.com/monument/nov2011.html
Lima has a few interesting churches but mostly it confirms the rule that Latin American capitals (with the exceptions of Mexico City and Brasilia) are best avoided. The only good thing is that the historical center is even cheaper than Cuzco. Out in the poor barrios it must be incredibly cheap.
The Museo de Oro is interesting but it is located far from the center (Alonso de Molina 1100 – Monterrico – Surco) and it's expensive (33 soles or $13).
Confusingly, there are two National Museums: the Museum of the Nation (Museo de la Nacion), which is the larger, and the Peruvian National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History (Museo Nacional de Arqueologia Antropología e Historia). The former (Av Javier Prado Este 2466 in San Borja) contains the Lanzon from Chavin, a reconstruction of the burial chamber of Sipan, and the mural "Revolt of the Objects". The latter (Plaza Bolívar in Pueblo Libre) is better known as Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco. They are both difficult to reach if you don't take taxis.
Practicalities.
Airport to center: walk out of the international arrivals, turn right, cross the parking lot, take the pedestrian exit and walk 50 meters to the right to the bus stop and ask for a collectivo that goes to your destination (eg Plaza de Armas or Miraflores).
Cheap accommodation in the historical center: +Hostal San Francisco 35 soles (one block from San Francisco), Hotel Espana (next door), Hotel Europa 20 soles (across from San Francisco), Hospedaje Santa Rosa 30 soles, Pension Ibarra 25 soles (on noisy Tacna). Miraflores has many more hostels but the prices are usually higher (not only for accommodation).
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Tomorrow could be the last day of my life. I will rent a bike and a truck will take me to 4600 meters. Then i will bike down to the valley (a 3000-meter elevation drop) and then i will bike up again. Weather permitting. The ride should offer the best of the two worlds: Andean landscape and jungle. And biking it allows me to see it in one day (there is a similar trek but it requires 2-3 days). I am not worried about the uphill (that's just a matter of time) but about the downhill (steep and not all paved).
Yesterday i got rained during the descent from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes. It rarely rains in the morning but the afternoons are a lottery. Of course, chances of bad weather greatly increase at high elevation and the jungle is called "rain forest" for a reason.
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Pictures: http://www.scaruffi.com/monument/peru/mp.html
This was my third time in Machu Picchu and probably the last one. The first time was in the 1980s when Peru was under civil war. The second time was in the 1990s and i did the Inca trail (in 1.5 days).
Machu Picchu has become the most overpriced attraction in the world.
In my opinion it does not compare with other "lost cities" of the world, like Angkor, Tikal, Petra and Bagan, but it costs much more than any of them.
The Incas still lived in the stone age, and Machu Picchu is a good example of stone-age civilization. The craftmanship is extremely poor, especially if you think that it was built in the 16th century. The place is not big either: you can see every single stone in a few hours. There is absolutely no craftmanship to admire: no frescoes, no relief, no nothing. Compared with the ruins in Mexico (which are also much older), the Inca ruins are truly pathetic. What is truly breathtaking is the location, but there are only so many panoramic pictures that you can take of the same city.
It is not only the ticket that is overpriced: transportation (which is usually very cheap in Peru) is also overpriced. Despite the cost of the ticket, the train from Cuzco to Machu Picchu is extremely slow. Truly painful.
The contrast between government prices (usually quoted in dollars) and the prices of regular businesses like restaurants and hotels is staggering. It's like having two parallel economies, one that thinks $5 is a lot of money and one that thinks that $100 is cheap.
When you buy your ticket to Machu Picchu and your train ticket, you have to commit to a specific day and time. If it rains, you're screwed.
You can save on the train to Machu Picchu by taking the bus from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo, and viceversa take the bus from Olla to Cuzco. This way you only need the train for the section that does not have a road: Olla to Machu Picchu. This train costs about $70-80 round-trip instead of $150. The collectivo from Cuzco to Olla and viceversa costs 10 soles (less than $4) and takes one hour. It might even be faster as the train is extremely slow.
You can save on the shuttle bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu by hiking it. Walk down the road (walk downstream) for about 20 minutes until you cross the bridge (the guard will check your passport and ticket). Then turn right (the road goes left) and walk 100 meters: there is a clearly marked staircase on your left. The "trail" is one long staircase that takes approximately 40 minutes.
Finding accommodation in Aguas Calientes is usually easy as there are dozens of guesthouses, and they keep building new ones. The owners meet you at the train station with their little color brochures. Most of them are within a two minute walk from the train station. Bargain (especially if you arrive in the evening).
I stayed at +El Tambo for 35 soles (single room with private bathroom, wi-fi and tv set).
The main reason to stay in Aguas Calientes is to get up early in the morning and beat the crowds.
Needless to say, food is a lot more expensive in Aguas Calientes than in Cuzco.
It often gets dark early in Machu Picchu because the clouds obscure the sky. Most tourists leave in the early afternoon. Sometimes at 3pm it's already difficult to take pictures. Machu Picchu closes at 5pm.
There is water in Machu Picchu at the "Fuentes" but most foreigners don't trust it (I did).
Buffet at the Machu Picchu lodge: $33 (90 soles).
One way to organize your day in Machu Picchu:
* Reserve your hike to Wayna Picchu for 7am
* Hike from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu at 5:30am, arriving at 6:30am
* Cross the whole sanctuary until you reach the checkpoint for Wayna Picchu
* Wait in line. This can take one hour.
* Hike up the steep trail in about 40 minutes
* Wait at the top until the mist/fog disappears and you get a good view of Machu Picchu
* Walk down and explore the three main areas (the Tres Portadas, the astronomical observatory, the temples)
* Walk to the Inka bridge and back (30')
* Walk to the Sun Gate on the Inca trail (30')
It gets dark early, and most people have seen everything by noon.
An alternative to the expensive train and to the expensive Inca Trail is to hire transportation from Cuzco to Santa Maria. The road to Santa Maria has been paved, is in excellent conditions and provides great views of the mountains (it peaks at 4100 meters and descends to the jungle at 1300 meters). The drive takes about 5 hours. From Santa Maria the hike to Aguas Calientes is an easy day hike. Several agencies organize minivans and hiking guide. This still requires the expensive entrance ticket to Machu Picchu.
;)
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