Maldives Going Out
Food and Drink
Things to know: All bars are situated on resort island (no alcohol is available on Malé, though it is available on the nearby Airport island). Locals do not drink at all.
National specialities:
• Seafood such as tuna, grouper, octopus, jobfish and swordfish is widely available.
• Kavaabu (deep-fried snacks made from rice, tuna, coconut, lentils and spices).
• Curries, such as chicken or beef, are widely available. Curry leaves are added to a lot of Maldivian dishes.
National drinks:
• Sai (tea; a Maldivian favourite).
• Raa (toddy tapped from palm trees, sometimes left to ferment and thus slightly alcoholic - the closest any Maldivian gets to alcohol).
Tipping: Service charges are invariably added onto all chargeable services in resorts. Extra tipping is not expected, though cash tips (US$1 per bag) for porters is appreciated.
Nightlife
Many different types of traditional national dancing and singing may be enjoyed across the islands.
Shopping
In Malé, most souvenir shops line the northern end of Chaandanee Magu, earlier known as the Singapore Bazaar for its many imports from Singapore. The local market offers stalls with a variety of local produce, mainly from the atolls, such as different kinds of local vegetables, fruits and yams, packets of sweetmeat, nuts and breadfruit chips, bottles of homemade sweets and pickles, and bunches of bananas hanging on coir ropes from ceiling beams.
Note: There are strict prohibitions against the export of coral and turtle- or tortoiseshell.
Shopping hours: Sat-Thurs 0830-2300, Fri 1330-2300. Shops officially shut for 15 minutes five times a day in deference to Muslim prayer times; however, this rule is not always strictly adhered to in the tourist areas away from the capital.
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