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Thanks for the favs.

I am celebrating 500 favs for my Elastic Reality photo from Flickr. Here is a big thanks for everyone who have visitied and faved it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahmedzahid/154059690/

The Flypast

"The other big social trend seems contradictory: the spread of a more conservative strain of Islam, in a country where professing the religion is, in effect, a condition of citizenship. These days about three-quarters of the women in Male are wearing headscarves. This is a recent phenomenon: the Maldives has no tradition of women covering themselves and, in general, prides itself on its liberalism."

Article from the Economist.
http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8345577

Thanks to Opinionated Indian for pointing this out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notorious_indian/

Group photo after lunch

A close up of the Sultan's Seal...

Inside the compunds of the Old Friday mosque... small, single roomed coral houses protect the buried royals. From a past era. This mosque is supposedly 800 years old. The surrounding area itself is an old graveyard. The protection, from houses (called tombs) comes as a form of respect. The incricately carved stone slabs are an attraction for the curious tourists who visit the Capital Island insearch of something meaningful.

Pre-preparations by the neatly dressed staff before lunch hour at this resort restaurant. Guests come in by the hundreds.

All eyes on you... but the kind of attention you really don't crave for. From dead fish anyway. Any afternoon is good to find action at the fish market, quite near the tourist jetty. Ditch the 100$ guide and spend some time by yourself to observe the busyness of fish business.

Refuelling at sealevel. Unfortunately the cute Air Taxis of Maldives (Canadian actually) don't fly much distance without a stop to refill. Is it refuell? From a trip to far South... this is the first stop at Medhufushi. The chairman, who was also travelling but not in the pic had to pee...:P, so a stop was imminent. Did I say pee? Peeing on aero planes... Worth another entire post.

Camera ready