Apparently...
'paradise' is full of... all types of fruits.

It is always with relief and pleasure, that i find fully intact natural harbors (above and ignore my friend for a while) in fishing villages of maldives. No doubt, when the number one constant complaint of islanders is difficulty in boat berthing. There are shortcomings to this one but hey, the view, at least is gorgeous. From milandhoo island (shaped like a c), from far north maldives. I have an aerial photo on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahmedzahid/35017380/

Sweet little old lady.
From thimarafushi island. Camera shy, but personally friendly. We stayed for only a few days. Our lodging was arranged opposite her house. So, myself and muha (of flickr) had to devise unconventional ways of photographing her. Mostly with flip lcd cameras. Fun.

A time to let your hair down.
Strange, when i tell you parties like this are almost always organised in super secrecy. Outdated attitude of the mullahs towards these hip youngsters totally pisses out the x generation of today. There are no written laws about parties. Just that fun and togetherness in the open is jealously hated by a certain sect in the ruling community. It is also common for many parties being disrupted abruptly by police.

Dragon huntress show off bounty.
Children of all ages craze during this season which lasts only a couple of weeks each year. Chasing dragon flies is a memorable childhood activity for many islanders. Not of its intended cruelty, but because of its great get-together spirit. Its mainly a catch and let go thing.

OK to go it seems.
Staff and dressed up dummy divers stop for a prepared pose at this resort hotel in maldives. Diving is the most popular activity in this sun drenched destination. Schools offer a variety of courses and trips for dive enthusiasts travelling from all over the world.

Counting days.
Always felt curious as to how flowering plants keep to their time schedule. Lilies from my garden. Havent actually counted the interval, but it seems that every 10 days, this beautiful pinky flowers. All trees at the same time, all over the island. This time however, since i have blogger, i am determined to keep a tab on. Do flowers communicate with each other?

Smoke machining.
Burning garbage in my backyard. Instead of dumping in the sea, people in this island burn whatever they could... and in the process, eliminate a few mosquitoes as well. Mosquitoes breed easily in tropical islands causing much discomfort to residents. It is common to see smoky fires like this during afternoons, when mosquito problem is at peak.

Feydhoo island from the linking bridge... a short while ago.
Some six or seven islands are joined together in this long link, (yay!) and provides me with an array of scenes from a single ride. (yawn!) What I really wanted to draw your attention to was, the number of fruit bats flying overhead (top right corner) at this time of the day. Although islanders hate the bat, as they seem to steal fruits... i just adore their grace and size and blackness. Its just that my camera is not suitable to capture them the way i want them. Sigh.

Outdoor shower at local picnic island where crowds converge on holidays.
All islands are not picnic islands. And all chicks are not this super sexy. Unfortunately. But there is something about girls under showers. Especially so, when its in full public view and in the scrutiny of a hundred piercing eyes. Lucky to be at the right spot, at the right moment. Right?

Watching the storm develop on observer.
http://www.gomaumoongo.com/

Although the incident happend a few blocks from my home in feydhoo island, this afternoon... most of the action has now moved to the neighboring island and to capital maaley island. So I am reading the news off the internet.

The story so far: A local bus driver is taken by force into police custody; a relative and neighbor get injured in the process. Supporters take to the streets... converge at local hospital and later shift activities to party office thereby increasing the crowd to hundreds. Tensions increase. Supporters and political activists, intensify activities... spreading to more islands. Addu: Reports of clash between police and activists. Reports of arson incident and damage to police vehicle. Reports of police picking up more vocal people from the crowd and trying to disperse them.
General public is tense and weary, as event may develop to a full blown riot.

Good morning. It is 5.30am as I write.

Visiting orchestra performs on maldivian stage.
Members of LIYO from america, on stage at the MCSE multi purpose hall. First time such an event is held here. Concept of large, group performances are new to Maldives. This highly successful cross cultural experience is organised by Thomas Imboden (salaam School). 1999.

Free entrance.
And show, but remember to bring back more food the next time you come. Birds hang in and around sagarey park for things to happen. Usually bored mothers with irritating kids on tow. Birds here are extra smart, however. Totally neglecting those without proper gifts. Good on any day.

One hundred leaves.
This tree was directly overhead our table at a local cafe. I couldnt help but notice the grace at which the leaves were moving with the soft breeze.

Breakfasting on board.
Meals while travelling has to be simple and prepared with minimum of fuss. Usually it is a deck hand doubling as cook. Fish curry with chapati is a highly popular item among these seafarers, as is today.

Lounging in comfort of the stylish bungalow.
Hotel rooms in Maldives are always separate from each other. More like a home away from home. Most often, a bungalow may consist of a living area with TV, bedroom, toilet and sunlounge. There are ofcourse variety and spice added... and sometimes may even include your own private plunge pool.

Calendar design...
for a local furniture dealer. Distributes imported chinese home and office furniture.

Bending boards.
Instead of the all usual all flat backlit display, we were discussing with signmakers... to manufacture it in a slight arc. Answer: Not possible. Because of limitations, due to length, problems with backlighting, fixing on concrete, etc... the plan was ditched to a more normal approach. Logo and sign design: October 2005.

Self portrait project with the Mute. (From a visit to Milandhoo Island)
Sorry I dont know his name, he is deaf and unable to talk. Just know that he is throughly fascinated with cameras. I let him use mine, with the flip LCD adjusted into mirror position. From here it is upto him to pose, and click untill he is satisfied with the result.

Not exactly crazy over the banana.
No. Not when there are too many of them around. Banana is one of the most readily available fruit in the islands. It is easy to grow and is almost entirely maintenance free. Shown here is the most common variety of the three or four found here. The difference is minor and mostly due to the relative sweetness taste in each. Cant help falling over the translucent colors, though.

It is in the nature of tropical air... to be dramatic.
And unpredictable. It is also in the nature of local locals to take this drama for granted. And ignore it. Because it is very normal for them to witness thunder storms quickly followed by bright blue skies.

Petal counting on all fours outside my hotel room.
Wild flowers grow abunduntly with a minimum of maintenance in the tropical Maldives. Reason enough to find these natural gardens at most resorts in Maldives.

I would like to draw your attention to star attraction of the nights menu. It is a night, yet it is 2am in the morning. But a dish this good ought not be delayed any longer than is necessary. After a successful fishing trip, what good a way to enjoy the prize then to eat it fresh and sumptous. Boiled red snapper head. Not recommended for the weak at heart.

I will always remember, fondly, how bad Felix(left) comes out in photos. From Swiss, he was burnt during the very first day of tour. And continued to remain that way throughout. Oh, and how girls wanted to pose for photos with Felix, all of the time. Being the guy with a different color meant attention. Good or bad. Photogenic or not, requests and offers of this kind are hard to ignore. So Felix, here is one more from the album.

I have a photo of the real one somewhere in my library. Screw pine, as I know it. This is the smaller, wild version.
Havent thought of looking it up in wikipedia. But I know the result will be fruitful. Always gives me joy when I see red ripes high up in the air. They are big, mind you. About a foot and half in diameter. The aroma and charsteristic taste, (islanders come up with many recipes for this fruit...) but my favorite must be the highly oily raw nut embedded inside each of the cavities.

Konotta from Huvadhu Atoll, if Im not wrong.
I maybe wrong, ok. Four islands were chosen from this atoll for resort development. And I was with one team of architects who were preparing plans for all four. Although all are beautiful, each island has its unique qualities for differing with the next. If Konotta, meaning coconut, its palms are one that certainly made an impression with me. And I have seen quite a few in my life. Coconut that is.

A specific day for a special task.
Primary school children day out for an environmental awareness tour. Nowadays, built into the curriculum, children are taught the importance of co-existing with nature. Message:Trees and birds are your friends.

Hired guns under fire.
Under a looming deadline, any available hand is considered an artistic hand. Here, Sadey and kudoo lend a helping hand with art for a stage decoration project. Cartoons are traced on plywood boards and painted with fine brushes. Work goes on, on a round the clock basis.

Deep underneath ultramarine seas of the Maldives,
tourists listen to soothing instructions provided by beautiful local mermaids. This view is from inside the largest commercial submarine in the world, currently in Maldives... providing a unique glimpse of underwaters, to people who dont necessarily like to get wet in the process. http://www.submarinesmaldives.com.mv/ Whale Submarine Maldives.

Water Villa...
is a feature in the brand new restructuring process of Bandos.
Offering world class amenities and a host of innovative features, the Water Villa will seduce you with her beauty, both from inside and outside as well. Tastefully designed and exclusively serviced, this is an additional gem to the existing world class facilities provided by Bandos.

An early morning beach stroll.
Rewarding by all means. More so, because you get to appreciate things that otherwise go unnoticed. For example this beach flower is from one of the hardiest of tropical trees, which can grow in almost sea water... and is so commonly found in the islands that its inherent beauty is totally overlooked.

Fridays are a bit unlike other days.
How true. Especially so in the islands, where fridays are more like recharging days. husbands rest from work, wives cook instead of tv surf, children play instead of study etc...

Video stills from grandmas funeral. Happened a while back.

Low budget, low key and loads of work.
Sure, most projects start as simple overnight jobs that turn a corner where it shouldnt have. The owner was travelling to see his overseas partner and asked me to put together his pdfs and scans onto a single printable, presentable page. Simple enough, I thought. After visits to two aquariums, one off shore packing plant, 50 page scans for fish, and a new writeup... here is the two sided A4 leaflet for Aqua life. March 2005.

A field day.
With boyfriends and husbands away at sea, (with fishing or trading) it is up to womenfolk to care for the greens. Although not a significant income generator, agriculture is a mainstay for the islander. Coconut, banana, breadfruit and a few other hardy crops survive poor soil and primitive irrigation features of the islands.

Fantastic view(finder)
Of what use is an LCD, when the view infront is so heartwarmingly gorgeous? I know its difficult to focus on the camera part, with local Naomi in the photo. But this post is about LCDs. The bigger the better, its seems. Well, from the hype, camera companies make. Not so useful though, in my own experience: 1. Drains battery power. 2. Slows down response time. 3. Distracts from real action infront. 4. Hardly visible out in the bright sunlit maldives.

A bright day here in the tropical Addu. (Part of Maldives)
I can see dazzling light all around me, from my room at noon. I have been up, (and down) for a couple of times now. Result of too much work and staying up late, I guess. Must announce that I have recently acquired first season of 24Hrs series. Yes I am behind times. Hey what do you expect..., in a place cut off from rest of the World. I should be thankful, at least I have a connection.(Internet!) Even a lousy one at that. See this is my fourth attempt to post... and 40 minutes have passed since... Life must somehow go on.

Thanks to all the cool people of Flickr...
who faved and commented on my Small fry photo.

CP. A most over used initial.
But there was no agreeing on a symbol of mouse, keyboard, monitor or any other computer part for this logo. So it is letters CP in corporate orange and black. Consequently, a hexagon device was created (for sleekness and modernness) incorporating CP initials. October 2005

Visual treat for the taste bud.
When you hype up the food you eat, it seems to taste better. People in the hospitality industry know this well. Opportunities are fully used to attract attention and entertain guests in every which way possible. Today it is freshly caught food, on display infront of the restaurant as trophy.