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 Outdated attitude of the mullahs towards these hip youngsters totally pisses out the x generation of today.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.

Three kg of bread flour for this shoot.
It has to do with importance of atmosphere in a photo. While shooting inside this boat hangar... we found the air to be too clean and too thin to bring out the necessary haze, for industrial effect. Hence the relevance of bread flour. A blower did the final trick. Dust against bright sun rays provide a visually cool effect. You see it all the time in hollywood movies. Remember to wipe off the lense, though.

Id like one please.
Dont know about the price though, never thought of asking. Is price an issue? I mean... if I have to pay for something like that, Id think the feeling will be lost and it will become more of a transaction rather than a show of affection. No people, not the seaplane, I am talking about the hug.

Wallpaper island? More like walls from concrete hell. Also refered by me as sin city in my Flickr posts. This is detail from an overview of the capital of Maldives, where 100,000+ people cramp into an area roughly a square kilometre? Maddening. But a 100k? Should check my stats, on the other hand, cant be bothered as census officials themselves have difficulty in obtaining proper statistics about this place.

As a popular cake decorator, Leela likes to leave her trademark logo with her trusted clients and lovers alike. How many "L"s was that? Another version of this logo exists... with the catering bit in the same cursive script, which is more common and found advertised in local glossies. Designed in 2002 ~ Did I forget to mention that she is also good at stealing hearts.

Air has to be really still to do this.
I thought air was always still. Doh? Coco should know better. (Not related to the fashion giant) Coco is a champion wind surfer who I see regularly on the beaches of villigili island. Its a mutual understanding between us. I need action for my pics. He needs attention, and an audience to appreciate his board stunts. And when wind dies down at the beach, it is time for coffee and smoke rings at cafe by the beach.

Good morning. Its 5:26 am as I write.
I have been awakened by mosquitoes that must have filtered into my room. I am still cold because it was raining (lightly) almost all night. And therefore an excuse not to go out of the house. I will however be on the lookout for a change in light outside, as sunrise is quite near. Next on agenda is raiding the kitchen fridge.

Sonee logo (right) is already very prominent throughout the country.
My task was to device the anniversary bit, which I thought will have to complement the logo. Not fight it. Line wight for the circle was taken from the logo itself. Same width, same color... which was repeated 3x towards centre denoting 3 generations. Numerical letters 3 and 5 which were molded into the circular symbol which completes my interpretation of sonee 35. March 2006.

From a bright single flower (from previous post) to the multi colored, multi tasting, mysterious variety. Flowers, nevertheless.
Dont worry folks. Half the population in Maldives is women. And you are bound to cross paths which way you are headed. My advice is to keep yourself sane and not give in. To demands, ie, remember, we are living in a materialsitic world.

Expansion project.
In the tropical islands of Maldives, resort owners are always exasperated... at the smallness of the place. Fifty rooms and the island is already bursting at seams. Recently, however, a solution has been diagnosed with the allowing of building water rooms (background in the pic). Now everyone is hurrying to expand and increase..., rooms right upto the very reefs edge.

Its raining today in 'paradise', incase you were wondering.
Rain is anticipated anxiously here, for drinking as well as for agriculture. The uneven elevation of this islands topography allow for different types of tropical crops to flourish. One example is the taro, shown here. It grows in soft, muddy, low lying areas and needs plenty of water.

Cousins of Ishi, from his soo camp party.
Girls are extra curious during this time as to why part of boys penises (soo camp = circumcision) has to be chopped off. During the 5 - 7 days of resting for the boy to heal from his pain, it is music, good food, games and other celebration based activities for the rest.

Hirilandhu island during eid festival.
Open stages are purpose built, big, so that visitors can participate in the acts. And indeed encouraged to act in ad hoc performances, which can last well into the wee hours. Girls here, are not shy to dance with visitors. Where as activities in some islands are day based, here, it is stictly night. And the theme is party, party, party. Hirilandhu, an island of hospitality.

There are many stories about Elvis.
Local Elvis. Dont know if he can sing jail house rock. But sure he can surf like crazy. On many afternoons, when the wind is good he will be found performing stunts with his surf board. One fun story comes from a bunch of girls when they failed to recognise Elvis on national tv. They have never seen the bare body Elvis wearing a shirt before.

Happy birthday Elvis, where ever you are.

Safari Ummeed.
Also Known as live aboards. Maybe because you get to live your life onboard? Still, one of the best ways to explore the islands. An itinery can be worked out with the captain, to suit your interest. Diving, surfing, island hopping, or whatever!
Your stay onboard is also gauged by the quality of the boats cook..., on whom you depend for your meals for the entire journey!

Do you want the story?
Does anybody want the story? Guess not.

Airport reception booth.
Major resorts and operators have their booths for recieving and seeing off clients. One important fact unmentioned in the travel brouchures are the amount of waiting time for transfers to the resorts... which can last hours, depending on distance, weather, flight arrnagement or plain luck.

Identity for a Maldives based travel services company.

He n She talent show 1996
One of the largest gathering of performers and musicians on a Maldivian stage. Planned and executed ten years ago, the event was hailed as a milestone. I was among the three directors who coordinated the event.

Can you act natural?
Many 'models' featured on our assignments turn out to be paying guests. Did I say many. All of them. Because professional models are usually on the expensive side, and resort owners have difficulty in understanding difference between a pose and an act. Here on location at a high end resort... we leave model sourcing to the waiter.

When my client inquired about a face for his coffee product, unfortunately..., many conditions were attached. She had to be hip, fresh, coffee friendly and Brazilian looking. Do we have Brazilian looking face here? So I went to see Faathu, above, and briefed her about the task. A few days pass and when by chance my client happened to see Faathu, who was in charge of model searching... the search was over. "She is the girl I am looking for!"

Sexy!

Fooding at the ultra cool garden cafe of Raanba. Something light please.

Leaflet for a woodturning establishment.
A small workshop that produces tourist oriented gift items and pots. It was supposed to be an easy project with all those creatvity flowing around the place. The stuff was genuinely cool. So were the apprentice students. (female! in case you were wondering)
I strongly objected to the owners suggested A5 format and came up with this 4 fold A4. Model featured in the main pic is Nadey, a close friend who used to drop by in our studio.

Face of the visit campaign.
Ten years back, this was my contribution to the largest single effort to promote Maldives. This logo was selected from a design competetion.
Back then when environment was a prime issue, my idea of a first impression of Maldives was clear water. A fish swimming in transparent water was depicted and successfully brought about a unique and lasting image that is still associated with the country.

A Zuha Zahid profile.
She has her own web page at www.flickr.com/photos/zuhazahid/

Always a hit.
My aunt Abida tha. These pics were taken at Lilyge, some 30 years back. If you scroll down a bit you can see her daughter Fazu, at approx this same age.

Flower power from the white hibiscus.
Girls in addu do not fancy this exotic flower much, I heard.

Explore 22 August 2006. Visit my stream on Flickr.

Customs building. Colorising the capital citys seafront.

A friend of my daughter.
The girl, mind you not the bird. When visiting her island we used to drop by... to count the birds and exchange stories. She is also very photogenic. A beautiful model, now proudly featured on the packaging of a Maldives chocolate product. Designed by the you-know-who. I will try to post a sample.

Breakfast time at the sumptous Bandos restaurant.
Curry, beef sausage, baked beans, Mush, Mashuni, fruits and chapapti. Some side dishes are missing including the obligatory cheese omelette. My fovorite. Ahem. Remind me to watch my weight.

The attraction power of the slideshow.
Pro photographer Azu with owner and staff of Nika Hotel. An impromptu gathering at the coffee bar. Any unwanted haram drinks nearby? Hope not.

Wandering inside the garden of colors.

Life outside the four walls.
Roadtrip with Ibrahim Firaq of Flickr fame. These scenes are in and around my island... all from the last hour.
1. Road sweeper 2. Parked boat 3. Fishers
4. Fruit seller 5. Loiterer 6. Fire wood collectors

Island Mapping, on the way to Nika Hotel.

Too Cute!

Six years pass by.
And during this short period of time... what a revolution for the digital photo.

Aish Shihab - Any angle is a good angle
VIP treatment by barfoot pilots. Model, fashion designer and marketing consultant. I was accompanying her on tour to north Maldives... to see some islands up for bid.

Their only requirement is 'photo'.
Color contrast, lighting, angle and compostion is ofcourse none of their concern.

Unloading.
Or just a show off? Obviously the fisher is happy with todays haul. From here it is a short wait at the fish market. The price for this one is expected to be around US$5.

Faces full of smiles.
Sara, fazu, ansar, and aish(far right), from a cousins wedding.

Environment awareness tour with kids of Feydhoo School.
This spot is for a breath of fresh air after 45 minutes bus ride. Destination is a famous fresh water lake in Addu.
Eedhigali Kilhi. Will post more later.

Romancing Tropics. Part 1.

Men are strong, women are feeble:But this misconception gets corrected pretty quickly, and thrown back, at those who boast of sexual prowseness and durability, in this community.
Welcome to life on the Equator.

The day starts early for the man, if you call 4AM early. Not for the woman though, who can afford to sleep a little longer. Because, by now the smallest of her Four children has learned of the correct spot, by the beach, for that early morning shit.

Morning is also the time for that mesmerizing sleep, and time to dream the dream. Dream of how she was swept away, literally, by her man, when she was way too young.
Young, were the days at her time.She doesn't remember her age correctly, but her periods have started. She has graduated from reading classes.Friends have been talking, the talk.And all too often she has noticed that, she has become an attention attractor, amongst men. And the subject of much ogling.She has also witnessed marriages in the community, and seen, in person, how deeply satisfying the consequences could be.

Beef cake on chocolate:Biceps and shoulders are what you notice first. Biceps and shoulders are impressive for this breed of smallish men, with active lives out on the sea. Thanks, largely to the heavy tunas, that they haul onboard. And to the rice, they eat during the journeys to and back.But the eyes? Oh, they are dark and mysterious.And sharp. Their facial features, from thousands of years of inter-racial breeding, hold a degree of uniqueness, in beauty and form, beyond description. Finished with the brownest of brown tan, this particularly attractive body among several bodies has already conquered: (1) Her heart.(2) Her mind, AND (3) Her weak spot. This, within days after their first ever secret encounter.
Then, one day, an incidential accident!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When accidents happen, accidents happens for a reason. If only this reason was subject to rationality or logic? If it was more apparent and predictable? If there were traffic lights and warning signs along the way?(wishful thinkers.)But then again, wouldn't that life be boring? And meaningless? And without spice?
Dull flowers wouldn't attract that many bees, and dead sunsets wouldn't attract that many romantics.

She is now 24, with Four kids on hand.She has also inherited a common property, along with most other women in the community: An uncaring husband.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Recently, she has been contemplating news of even a scarier nature.Her man was discovered to be in love, with another... man.

To be continued.

Sky study against an array of palms.

Small fry.
A catch nevertheless. From Maradhoo island, closeby to my home... I hang around here for something to happen. So here it is. I am off to gym and I have a sched to visit airport to see off a friend.

Moon spotting under vastness of the blue.

Working on a leaflet for my favorite jewellery shop.
The initial idea to hire local models was ditched when two of the shop assistants volunteered to pose.

Here are some unapproved shots, on Blogger, just to gauge your reactions. Makes you drool, dosent it?