The local market and fish market are the only places where I got a feel for the old Sultan society of the Middle East. The smell of fish and curry n the traders' shops gave me a nostalgic feeling for places like Somalia or Yemen.

Most upscale tourists arrive at the airport and are whisked off to the outer islands without seeing Male. I enjoyed walking the narrow, shady streets of the city, although as a pedestrian I was often frustrated by having to avoid cars on the narrow lanes or other walkers on the narrow sidewalks.

Since many tourists avoid Male, the city does not have its act together for tourists. I could not find any tourist information; in fact, I couldn't find a single internet café in the entire city. I wanted to take the ferry out to Maafushi on South Male atoll, and had a terrible time finding the right jetty, which turned out to be the Vilingili Jetty, quite far from the airport ferry. Advice: try to find ferry and other transport information before you go to Male.

Just a relatively small to medium size market selling fruits and other local fare. Do not expect much here. And of course, if you are a tourist, everything is marked up