´ó¿§¸£ÀûÓ°Ôº

Hi all,

I am staying in Male, capital of Maldives and I came here in May 2017.

While landing in Maldives, many things hang up in my mind, mostly regarding my new job, work atmosphere here and the cost of living and whether I will be able to save some money after my expenses.  One concern among them was whether I will be able to find food that suits my taste; as I prefers vegetarian foods.

After reading many blogs before landing here, I felt it will be very difficult for me to get vegetarian food here.  As I know little cooking my first quest was regarding availability of materials for cooking.  Frankly speaking I found more variety and brands of cooking materials here in Maldives than in India; where I belongs.  I took vegetables from vegetable market and stationary items from a shop called kilo gram where I could find most of the stationeries I require.

Next concern was about finding friends.  Though I got some friends here, but the numbers are only few.  Hope I can increase more in the coming days.

Now it’s time to talk about those things which make me stunned.

An open gym is working near artificial beach, near tsunami memorial.  It’s a very good concept where we can do almost every exercises to burn extra calories and shape our body.  Daily work out in this gym and 40 minutes’ walk (distance from my flat) helps me to stay fit.  Make sure you wear shoes to enter this gym. There is also an open gym in Hulmale which is more spacious and well designed. 

Images of Maldives for me was long beaches, white sands and crystal like blue water.  But I was disappointed to see no such beaches here in Male, except than an artificial beach on both sides of Male.  Though my disappointment was compensated when I saw well maintained swimming pools on the way to the gym.  Its very good and well maintained.

Another striking feature I noticed is about the importance Maldivians showing to sports and games.  I could see many football stadiums in Male.

Though the prices in Maldives are high compared to India, but I felt many items such as electronic items are very competitive and most striking fact is that we can find more varieties and brands here. 
Finally about the working atmosphere and people of Maldives are amazing.  I found no incidents during my stay which made me upset.  People are friendly respectful and most important, ready to include expats.  Moreover it’s not at all a difficult task to find our nationals in Male.

For me, Maldives is the best option than middle east countries as its very near to India, good climate and can easily save money as there is nothing available in Male which encourages you to spend more.

Thanks for reading
Padmanabhan (papps)