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пятница, 22 мая 2015 г.

Hamlet in Maldives || Гамлет на Мальдивах

Last week I wrote that not much happens in Malé so any cultural event is much appreciated. 

No words can describe how much appreciated was the performance Shakespeare's Globe gave in Malé last Sunday. I suspect it was an unprecedented event for Maldives that was only possible as a result of a global tour with a goal to visit every country in the world!

For me (and probably for many who live in Male) it was a unique opportunity to see a classic tragedy performed in the best way possible: without stage effects or elaborate costumes. A story simply told it was utterly amazing.

I'd like to mention a few moments that might be interesting to you. First, the tickets to the performance were only 100 Mrf. I dare say 6.5 us dollars is very cheap for 3 hours show by professional actors. If you take a look at the tour's site you can see that they often perform in school or colleges even in the countries that obviously have better stages. You can also see that donations are welcomed. The project is not just an ambitious one (every country!) but first of all incredibly humane.

This brings me to the second moment worth mentioning. It was as I said an extraordinary occasion and definitely the most exciting event in my more than 3 years in Maldives. Yet it was hardly advertised. I can only hope that the announcement was made on local television. From my (expat's) point of view it was pure luck if one heard about the show at all. There were no posters around Malé, only small ones inside the Olympus Theatre. I personally learnt it from Expats in Maldives facebook group and since very little information were provided (just a poster picture) until the very last moment I didn't really know what to expect.

So it's a little wonder that the theatre was only about half full. Consider also that the show was at 14:00 on a working day. Still breaks one's heart...

Well, let me say at least here that seeing Hamlet in Malé was a delight and I am deeply grateful to Globe to Globe for bringing it all the way to Maldives. (I kind of think that if they skipped it nobody would have noticed)

(picture by Dilara)

На прошлой неделе я писала, как редко в Мале происходят культурные события и как ценно поэтому любое подобное мероприятие.

Никакие слова не могут описать с какой благодарностью было воспринято представление театра Глобус (того самого, Шекспировского) состоявшееся в Мале в минувшее воскресенье. Я подозреваю, что это беспрецедентное для Мальдив событие было возможно только мировому турне. Мировому в полном смысле этого слова: труппа планирует посетить каждую страну в мире!

Для меня (и, вероятно, для многих, кто живет в Мале) это была уникальная возможность увидеть классическую трагедию, исполненную наилучшим, на мой взгляд, образом: без сценических эффектов и сложных костюмов. История была рассказана просто, где-то с юмором, где-то с глубоким чувством, и эффект произвела совершенно удивительный.

Я хотела бы отметить несколько моментов, которые показались мне интересными. Во-первых, билеты на выступления стоили 100 Mrf. Я осмелюсь сказать, что 6,5 долларов США это очень дешево для трёхчасового представления, разыгранного профессиональными актерами. Если Вы взгляните на сайт турне, то Вы увидеть, что они часто играют в школах или колледжах даже в тех странах, есть куда более подходящие площадки. Также труппа приветствует пожертвования. Очевидно, что проект этот не просто амбициозный (все страны!), но, в первую очередь, невероятно гуманный.

Это подводит меня ко второму моменту, который я бы хотела упомянуть. Как я уже сказала, это был исключительный шанс и, определенно, наиболее волнующее событие за более чем три года проведённых мной на Мальдивах. Тем не менее, рекламной кампании практически не было. Можно только надеяться, что было сделано какое-то объявление на местном телевидении. С моей (экспатрианта) точки зрения, услышать о шоу было чистым везением, ведь не было никаких плакатов на улицах Мале, только маленькие афишки внутри кинотеатра Olympus. Лично я узнала о представлении из экспатской группы в facebook и, поскольку, всё, что там было, это та самая маленькая афишка, то до самого последнего момента я даже и не знала, чего ожидать.

Так что это не удивительно, что зрительный зал был полон лишь наполовину. Примите во внимание также тот факт, что шоу начиналось в 14:00 в рабочий день. В любом случае, очень печально...


Хотя бы здесь мне бы хотелось сказать, что увидеть Гамлета в исполнении актёров Глобуса было настоящим счастьем, и я искренне благодарна, что они проделали весь неблизкий путь до Мальдив. (Если бы они эти махонькие острова пропустили, никто, наверное, и не заметил бы.)

вторник, 19 мая 2015 г.

Myanmar (Burma) 2015

Myanmar was the first country we visited on this trip and the place where we spent most of the time - almost three weeks. 

We decided to go to Myanmar at some point in 2015 so we didn't have months to research or plan or dream; just enough time to get tickets and visas (yes, both Luke and I needed visas but they were relatively easy to get on-line). I bought a Lonely Planet Myanmar (digital edition 2014) and Luke was reading on-line so we soon knew what places we would like to visit and had a general idea of how we can get from one point to another. As Luke and I found out by trial and error (our trip to Borneo) that's about as much as you can plan. The details, well, one has to improvise ^_~ 

I am going to highlight here and in later posts some of our experiences that are not necessary connected to certain locations or listed in any particular order. I will also share pictures that didn't make it to my Instagram, once again not a day by day report but something worth focusing on. Hope you enjoy it!

четверг, 14 мая 2015 г.

Slam workshop & tournament

Life in Malé doesn't offer many cultural events or entertainments so when the directrice of Alliance Française de Malé was so kind to call and invite me to Slam Poetry workshop I agreed without thinking. 
I should have at least googled Slam but I didn't. So it came as a shock that one has not only to write poems but to perform them in front of the audience. As soon as this got clear I wondered if I could furtively escape but the bridge was burnt... 
Here, by the laws of the genre, I should write that I stayed and enjoyed and had the best evening of life and what a liberating experience it was. Well, it wasn't.
It was all right: it was, at times, fun, and since I really like languages it was iteresting to see how people interact with words. Nevertheless reading my freshly written poems aloud to other participants was rather dreadful. 
Let's forget for a moment my personal discomfort with writting and reading and, last but not least, listening to some half-baked poems... Slam poetry phenomenon includes tournaments of all things! How bizarre is that? Whether Slam is an art or an act of self-expression holding tournaments seems to undermine the very idea! 
Obviously I had to see it so tonight I set off to Malé Social Centre where the tournament was held to determine who will represent Maldives in the Indian Ocean Island Games 2015. Well, someone gets a trip to Reunion Island out of the deal, not bad!
My part in the tournament was in fact more than a spectator. I was the master of the time. I had to check how long each poem is as they should be less than 3 minutes long. And to cut it short I'll tell you how this story ends. The winner was the best performer even though he was not strictly speaking performing poetry...
#things I've learnt today

***
Мале мало что может предложить в плане культурных развлечений, так что когда пару дней назад директриса Alliance Française de Malé позвонила и предложила мне принять участие в семинаре, посвящённом поэзии Slam я согласилась не раздумывая.
Нужно было, по крайней мере, загуглить Slam, но я этого не сделала. Так что известие о том, что придётся не только писать стихи, но и читать их вслух перед аудиторией было полнейшей неожиданностью, а пути к отступлению были уже отрезаны. Теперь, по законам жанра, я должна написать, что я осталася и получила огромное удовольствие, и что это был лучший вечер моей жизни, и невероятный, освобождающий опыт etc. Нет, ничего подобного. Было не так уж плохо, порой даже забавно. Интересно было наблюдать, как участники взаимодействуют с языком, со словами. Читать, однако же, написанные впопыхах стишки перед другими участниками всё равно было невыносимо.
Забудем на минуту моё личное неудобство, связанное с декламированием стихов, и, между прочим, необходимостью слушать все остальные недозрелые сочинения... Slam поэзия, как оказалось, включает в себя ещё и турниры! Странно, не правда ли? Будь Slam искусством или актом самовыражения, соревнования, мне кажется, подрывают саму идею! 
Так что сегодня вечером я отправилась в общественный центр на другом конце Мале, чтобы своими глазами увидеть турнир, в ходе которого определилось, кто будет представлять Мальдивы на Indian Ocean Island Games 2015. Что же, по крайней мере, кто-то получит поездку на остров Реюньон. Совсем не плохо.
Уже на месте меня перевели из разряда очень немногочисленных зрителей в организаторы и поручили следить за продолжительностью стихотворений по секундомеру. Представления должны быть не более трёх минут, так как краткость, как известно, сестра таланта. Я, пожалуй, тоже завершу свой рассказ: победил тот участник, который лучше всего выступал, даже если его выступление не было, в общем-то, поэтическим...
#теперь я знаю что такое Slam

понедельник, 4 мая 2015 г.

Myanmar Thailand Laos Vietnam

This spring Luke and I went to travel in South East Asia again. It's not that far from Maldives where we are based and there is so much to see. The truth is there is always so much more to see it almost hurts!

It was also our honey moon since life in Maldives simply doesn't count ^_~


Last year we travelled in Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. We almost made it to Vietnam but I had to return to Maldives. Such a disappointment since Northern Vietnam had been a dream of mine for quite some time!


This time our route was from Myanmar, through Northern Thailand and Laos, to Vietnam but I was pretty sure we won't make it that far. Six weeks... Not as long as one might think... but long enough trip if you have to write about it.


On the other hand if you have followed me on Instagram, facebook or vk, you've got a very good idea of how our trip went. So what I am going to do is I will post my Instagram pictures in their chronological order here, country by country, with some additional comments.


I've got of course many more pictures and I'll see if I can fit them in here. Stay tuned!


Let's start with some trivia, shall we?


If I had to choose one country I liked best it would be Myanmar. If I had to choose a single experience it would be ziplining and the tree house in the jungle in Laos. The best way to travel - a slow boat down Mekong river. The worst way to travel - hard to choose but it was in Myanmar... The most frustrating place - Hanoi.




Этой весной мы с Люком снова путешествовали по юго-восточной Азии. От Мальдивских островов это не так уж и далеко, а посмотреть есть на что. Честно говоря, есть столько всего, что хотелось бы посмотреть, столько мест, куда можно было бы отправиться, что порой просто невозможно, невыносимо от того, что не можешь быть везде и сразу!


К тому же, это было нашим свадебным путешествием, потому что, что бы вы не думали, а жизнь на Мальдивах не в счёт ^__^


Прошлой весной мы путешествовали по Малайзии, Таиланду и Камбодже. Мы почти добрались до Вьетнама, но мне нужно было возвращаться на Мальдивы, это было, не стану отрицать, огромным разочарованием, так как посетить северный Вьетнам, а именно Халонг, было моей мечтой на протяжении нескольких лет.


На этот раз наш приблизительный маршрут, скорее просто направление, был таковым: Мьянма, Таиланд, Лаос, Вьетнам. Я была совершенно уверена, что до Вьетнама мы не доберёмся, потому что шесть недель в пути это много только когда тебе нужно про них написать...


С другой стороны, если вы поглядывали в сторону моего Инстаграма (или контакта, или фейсбука), то вы уже прекрасно представляете, как и что с нами происходило. Поэтому я решила, что я выложу здесь мои фотографии из Инстаграма, в хронологическом порядке, страну за страной, с некоторыми дополнительными комментариями.


Конечно, есть ещё преогромное множество фотографий и я постараюсь показать вам самые интересные. Следите за обновлениями! 


Начнём с наиболее общих моментов, хорошо?


Если бы меня попросили выбрать одну наиболее мне понравившуюся страну, то я бы выбрала Мьянму. Наиболее захватывающее приключение - зиплайнинг и домик на дереве в джунглях Лаоса! Самый комфортный транспорт - медленная лодка, идущая вниз по Меконгу. Самый кошмарный способ перемещения - сложный выбор, практически любой транспорт в Мьянме. Самое большое разочарование - Ханой.

воскресенье, 3 августа 2014 г.

Watching the Detectives. Again.

[Читать на русском языке]

I have already written about the detective series once. Here it was (Russian only, sorry). Now it is time to return to this thrilling converstasion: I watched quite a few detective series this year and some of them worth mentioning. 

четверг, 24 июля 2014 г.

Maldives on a shoestring

Ever wondered if you can go to Maldives on a shoestring? Get a cheap ticket and camp out on the beach for a couple of nights? Hitchhike boats and see all the atolls? Does the capital island worth a visit? Well, this is a pre-written letter my fiance made to answer this kind of questions on Couchsurfing. My contribution was mostly in editing.

The Maldives are the ultimate postcard picture of breath-taking ecological marvels. White sandy beaches and turquoise lagoons, two years later I still discover new shades of aqua blue every day! Palm trees swaying in the gentle monsoonal breeze. Coral reefs teeming with rainbow coloured fishes in water so clear even looking down from above the water makes you feel like you are in the water with your mask on. An Indian Ocean paradise of 1,190 low lying islands, a Robinson Crusoe appeal in a pristine barefoot heaven. That’s true as long as we speak about resorts. The country itself is a Muslim country under Islamic law so you should be ready to respect Islamic customs if you are not at a resort. There are rules you have to follow: no sun bathing in anything less than a T-shirt for the ladies; no nudity anywhere other than your shower! There is no alcohol and no pork in Male and all local islands (“local island” is an island with local people living on it, not a resort). Also there is a lot of littering here. While all resorts clean their beaches every morning, local islands may have an overwhelming amount of trash on the streets and sadly on the beach as well.

ARRIVING
When going through customs you should present a custom form with an address of a hotel or a guest house in Maldives and the number of your departure flight. Keep in mind that there are items you cannot bring to the country with you; some of them are alcohol, pork and dogs. You can find the full list at the official website of Maldives Custom Service customs.gov.mv. In case you have accidently brought any of the prohibited items they would be taken for the safekeeping at the airport and you may retrieve them when leaving the country.

TRANSPORTATION
To Male
Once you are off the plane there are passenger ferries going to Male every 10 minutes. Ask anyone where to find a “dhoni” (local word for a boat) to Male. One way ride costs 1 USD or 10 MRF (about 0.60 USD). Every 15 minutes the speed boat leaves from the same place: it takes half the time and is 35 MRF for a one-way ride.

To Hulhumale
If you are staying on Hulhumale there are two ways to get there. There is a bus service from the airport. Bus stop is in front of the domestic terminal and that’s where you can find the schedule. There is also a taxi company that connects the airport and Hulhumale - you may ask around once you are in the airport. In case you are wondering: there is no way to walk to Hulhumale due to the airport security. So if you have hard time catching a bus or taxi there is another way: take a ferry or a speed boat to Male and they willl arrive to the ferry terminal from where you can take a ferry from Male to Hulhumale (that would cost 5 MRF).

To local islands
All ferries to local islands leave from Male and most of them leave from Villingili Ferry Terminal. Since it is on the opposite side of Male we would advise to take a taxi. Taxi drivers charge 20 MRF for any distance and 5 MRF extra if you’ve got luggage (less than 2 USD altogether). It’s not difficult to find a taxi on the streets of Male - it would be any car with a yellow license plate. it is possible to walk from the Airport Ferry Terminal to the Villingili Ferry Terminal, according to Google maps it’s 2,5 km. The walk, alas, is not an enjoyable experience. All schedules for ferries to local islands are listed here mtcc.com.mv (an official site). There are daily boats to most of the places; prices are from 22 to 53 MRF, please notice that there are no ferries at all on Fridays! In case you are adamant to go to the local island on Friday you may hire a private charter boat; to give you an idea about prices: a speed boat to Maafushi island is 150 USD.

MALE
You are probably going to spend some time in Male before you can catch a ferry to the local island of you choice. There is not really much to do around the city and you can see all the highlights in less than a day so it’s not advisable to plan to spend precious time of your visit in Male. One more time: Male is not the postcard photo you see of the Maldives. It is a crazy chaotic city where you have to try hard not to get run over by a scooter, with garbage in the streets and floating in the crystal clear waters.
Art object made entirely out of trash from the streets of Male
Places to stay
There are budget places to stay in Male with prices from 50 USD. To mention a few:
Kaani Lodge at Kaani Goalhi (it is only 2 blocks from the airport ferry terminal), phone number 960 300 3626.
Other guest house is Sala Boutique at H. Buruneege, Hithafinivaamagu Henveru, phone number 960 779 2728.
Cerulean View at G. Kaani Hiyaa, phone number 960 776 4567.

Places to eat
Meals in Male are from 3 USD in small local cafes (solo female travellers are not advised to go alone) up to 100 USD in the roof top restaurant in Traders hotel.
Good place to start from is Jade bistro - just a block away from the Airport Ferry Terminal, it has decent food for about 10 USD per person (try local breakfast!) and free Wi-Fi if you need a connection, this place is strictly no-smoking.
Another good place with decent food is Newport, just across the street from airport ferry jetty.
On the second floor of Airport Ferry Terminal there is The Sea House, the open-air deck (smoking is, unfortunately, allowed) overlooks the ocean, food is good, open 24 hours.
Shell Beans is one of the many places on the waterfront, good place for breakfast or a midday snack, they’ve got their own bakery.
Traders roof top pool side bar offers a range of mocktails and a really nice view. Another place with a view is Salt (above the fish market).
If you are up to a drink the only place to go is Hulhule Island Hotel (HIH). There is a free bus from the airport to here (or you can walk for about 5 minutes). From Male there is a free ferry that leaves from Jetty No 1. Since it’s the only place that serves alcohol the service and prices leave much to be desired. On the bright side if you are ready to pay 8 USD for a can of beer you would probably meet many expats who works in Male, airline crews and other people who can give you an insight into the life in this tropical paradise.
View from roof top restaraunt in Traders hotel, Male
Places to see
To stroll around the whole island takes about two hours. The local markets are just to the west of Jetty No.1 (President’s Jetty). Fish market is interesting; fruit market is a good place to buy a coconut drink (“kurumba”, 1 - 2 USD). If you walk in the opposite direction, on the east side of the island, you will see the only beach in Male aptly named “artificial beach”. Strictly no bikini, T-shirts and shorts at least for ladies. From here if you keep walking down the waterfront you will soon come to the Tsunami Monument and just past it there are street vendors and coconut drinks again. Other points of interest are Islamic Centre, Old Friday Mosque, Sultans’s Park, National Museum - they are all more or less in the same area; just walk toward the centre of the city from the President’s Jetty.

HULHUMALE
Hulhumale is a manmade island next to the airport. Unlike Male it has wide paved streets with solar powered streetlights and sidewalks, green spaces and quiet beaches (unfortunately rather littered, same no-bikini rule is applied). I don’t know why more people are not living here! There is a watersport and dive centres here so you can try wind surfing, banana boating, jet skiing, snorkeling and diving you can find out the detail by calling 960 778 1001. There are guest houses here, e.g.
Hulhumale’ Inn. (10487 Hulhumale, phone number 960 332 1079),
Ocean Sounds (A-56, 10126 Hulhmale, phone number 960 335 0067),
Ul Inn (Hulhumale’ Lot 10573, phone number 960) 976 2668, info@uihotels.com).

VILLINGILI
Villingili Island is just a short ferry ride from Male (Villingili Ferry Terminal, every 10 minutes, 5 MRF) but unlike Male there are no scooters here and that, believe me, makes a whale of a difference. There is a nice public beach (no-bikini rule!) and many simple cafes on the seaside. People that live here say that it’s like pushing the mute button after being in Male.
You can see Male seating in one of the seaside cafes on Villingili island

MAAFUSHI (South Male Atoll)
Maafushi is a popular destination for independent travellers. Ferry goes daily from Villingili Ferry Terminal, 23 MRF, 2 and a half hours ride. This island sports a big number of guest houses, nice cafes, a couple of dive centres; it even has an enclosed beach for tourists where you can sunbath and swim in bikini (finally!). Some of the guest houses here:
White Shell Beach Inn (Dhonveli K. Maafushi, phone number 960 777 7947) - this guest house is the closest to the beach;
Summer Villa Guest House (Spring Villa/Kaafu, Maafushi, phone number 960 777 3087),
Island Cottage (K. Maafushi, phone number 960 793 7903, sfuty88@gmail.com) - a bit far from the beach, right next to the prison.
You might want to do some research and choose a guest house on the north side of the island since that’s where the beach is.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Liveaboard/Safari boats
If 17 dives in 7 days and chance to swim with whale sharks sounds like a perfect vacation to you you might want to look into diving safari. The prices start from 1100 USD per week per person in low season.
ScubaSpa Ying

Surf camps
Surfers World at Woodland (Thulusdhoo, phone number 960 795 5410)
Cokes Surf Villas at Ocean Beach (Thulushdoo, phone number 960 760 5527, U-sobah@hotmail.com)
Surf Camp Accommodation at Dhunthri (K. Huraa, phone number 960 777 6894, sukeygroup@hotmail.com)

Whale Submarine
Whale Submarine is a nice ride about 40 minutes long, excursions leave several times a day from President's jetty in Male (phone number 960 333 3939)
In the submarine

Day trips to resorts
If you want to see the luxury side of Maldives but not ready to pay thousands of dollars you may do day trips to resorts from Male or Maafushi, some resorts provide a room for day use, at some places you would spend a day on the beach, snorkeling and sunbathing, in the pool or in the bar - your choice.
Bandos is one of nearby resorts

Scuba diving from Male
The price is about 100 USD for 2 dives.
Best Dives (phone number 960 330 5960)
Dive Club Maldives (phone number 960 778 5165)
Diving near Male, Leopard shark & me

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Camping? Camping is prohibited by law; as a tourist you must be in a resort or in a hotel/guest house. People that have actually done camping in Maldives said that ants and crabs, heat and humidity made it not as enjoyable as one would expect.

Money? You can use USD everywhere. You can exchange most major currencies at the airport or in the bank (there are plenty in Male). Most places in Male will take Visa or MasterCard. On a smaller local islands you might need cash to pay in a food store or market or tea house. If you withdraw money from a local ATM you can only get Maldivian Rufiyaa (MRF). A piece of advice: do not get stuck with too much MRF as it might prove to be difficult to change back from local currency to something widely recognised.

Prayer times? There are five prayer calls a day and most of the shops get closed for some time (from twenty minutes up to two hours). On Friday pretty much everything gets closed - shops, cafes, banks, everything. You might want to find out when is the holy month of Ramadan starts and ends this year and do not plan your trip for this period.

Budget places? The best site for cheap places to stay in Asia is Agoda.com, also you can try Airbnb.com. There is a list of all guest houses in Maldives on the Ministry of Tourism official site. You may contact the guest house of your choice directly.

Cheap flights? FlyDubai, Tiger Airlines and Condor are the low cost airlines flying here. AirAsia has recently stoped flyong here but it might come back for a high season.

Taxes! Beware of the “plus plus”! The “Bed tax” is from 8 USD to 10 USD per bed per night, service charge is 10% and GST (something like a tourist sale tax) is 8%. Most prices are quoted before the plus plus. Always ask if it is a final price or there would be some additions to it.

Transfers? All resorts and local islands require transfer by dhoni, speed boat or seaplane. The transfer (if it is not by local ferry) can be more expensive than a night at the resort itself. Be sure that it’s a part of the quoted price.

A seaplane ride? In a group it is 100 USD per person for a fifteen minutes photo flight. Cheapest confirmed seat is 400 USD for a return trip (Male - resort - Male).
This is Male. Views are mostly FAR BETTER than this but that's the only picture I've got ^^`

Night life? Clubs? Not in Malé or any local island. Night life does exist at few resorts but you have to be a guest of the resort to see it. It’s not really much to see anyway.

Dive courses? Maldives is a great place to learn how to dive (although it is more expensive than other asian dive destinations); there is plenty to see and there are a lot of options to chose from. Almost all resorts and guest houses can help you with this. Dive centres work with SSI and PADI.
Yes, you want to see this for yourself ^_^

Can I drink the tap water? No one I know is drinking tap water. Bottled water is very cheap and available everywhere.

Local food culture? Traditional Maldivian cuisine is based on two main items - fish and coconuts. The best local thing for me is tuna! Try local breakfast at least once. It is called Mashuni Roshi; it’s a fish sambal - a local dish made with smoked tuna, onions, chillies, lime and freshly grated  coconut, which is served with flat bread for breakfast or dinner. I have this almost everyday. Other tuna dishes: tuna tartare, sesame crusted tuna, tuna sashimi, BBQ tuna, yellow fin tuna spare ribs, tuna fried rice, tuna short eats, tuna curries - that’s far from the complete list.
Fried rice
Coconut drinks (also known as “kurumba”) are being sold on the streets for a 1 - 2 USD; sellers would cut open a fresh coconut for you to drink. After having the coconut milk the vendor will split the coconut open and make a spoon from the husk so you can enjoy the coconut meat as well.
Kurumba
Do I have to tip? No, you do not have to tip here. There is a 10% service charge on your bill - that is your tip. Once on a local island the waiter ran out after me to give back the money I had left on the table for him. So it is up to you.

What to wear? The daily temperature is from 28 to 32 Celsius year round. The sun is strong and in the middle of the day you might want to hide from it. If you plan to be on a local island or in Male you should wear modest clothing as Islamic law prescribes, especially if you are planning a visit to a mosque. In this case both men and women must have their knees and shoulders covered. 

Thank you for your attention and feel free to ask questions in cooments to this post. Opinions are our own and not sponsored, more pictures in my web album. One more piece of advice if you don't mind, as with any information on-line it would be wise to check it out for yourself as there might be changes.

Good luck!

Gulshat

вторник, 22 июля 2014 г.

Talking of weather

[читать на русском языке]

Well, it's been a while and a lot of things has happened. I didn't write about any of them. 

Let's say I took a break. The truth is at the end of the previous year when I stopped blogging I was considering going rogue, sorry, I mean, analogue, going analogue. 

For better or for worse I didn't see the alternative to e-books and Skype with WhatsApp. Other things I believed I could have figured out. 

You may wonder why on earth did I even think about quitting Internet. Me of all people!.. 

To be honest I don't know. I don't think I spend too much time on-line. Probably more than I have to but still not so bad for year 2014 - I've got time to read, to draw, to exercise, to talk to people face to face, to enjoy cooking and eating... Real life so to say. Nevertheless I felt tired of updates, trends, likes and an infinite lack of genuineness. Nothing was new or original or sincere.

Little did I know that those days were the golden twillight of the social medias when there was still some sense left between lines and kittens. Soon, as we all know the waste spaces of Internet, fell victim to propaganda, to posts of pure hatred, all kinds of inappropiateness and overall stupidity.

I was travelling and avoided the worst of it. I made a habit of saying that I am from Bashkortostan. Most of the people would obviously and unsuccessfully rack their memories trying to remember where is it. Some would ask. "Ah, one of many stans in Central Asia..." I don't think I am lying and even if I am I'd rather avoid an awkward "Ha! Why did you still that part of Ukraine?!" conversation.

I returned to Maldives and started to work again. Between the job I liked and the man I love and diving and surfing and reading and running I sometimes thought about writting down my travels but there were always other things to do.

The reasonable question at this point would be Why. Why am I writting again? Well, either you live somewhere else or you are happily oblivious to weather in Ufa. It's almost poetically dreadful: "get ink, shed tears"* kind of weather; and since the forecast leaves no hope you might hear from me again very soon.

I might write about a beautiful island of Borneo, about short yet eventful trip to Sri Lanka, about Malaysia, Thailand or incredible Cambodia, about Dubai or even Maldives. Maybe I will write about hypocritical charity events in luxury resorts or scams on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. I might finally write what it is really like to work in Maldives or live in Russia. Patriotism maybe? How about new detective series I watched? Or shall we talk about television killing creativity? Well, I am not asking if I should write about books I have recently read - there is no way in hell we can avoid this conversation.

Lots of love & see you soon,

Gulshat

*a poem by Boris Pasternak

понедельник, 4 ноября 2013 г.

Maldives. October 2013 || Мальдивы в октябре 2013

So I am back to Lonely Planet guide books for numerous reasons. Well, first, I've got to admit I don't really remember why I got mad at them. Second, they finally offer not only PDF but ePUB. For certain most popular titles... but that's a good start I'd like to support. And finally they were selling their e-books for HALF PRICE at Halloween! Nothing beats this!

Actually what I am really reading now is "The Roots of Heaven" by Romain Gary. I am reading it in Russian because unfortunately I do not know French. I was in fact going to learn it in the Alliance Francaise de Male' but this organization turned out to be astoundingly untrustworthy. They collected the fee and... in a matter of hours before first lesson they canceled it by mobile text and delayed the start of the course for indefinite time - "after the elections or December 2nd" Seriously!? I could scream! So frustrating! Cherry on the top - getting money back proved to be somewhat tricky.

Another fun thing I am doing these days is running. Oh, I love running!.. Ran 6 mi today and it felt AMAZING! While running I usually listen to audio books. Audio books are fantastic: they let you read (in a way) when your hands are busy! But with due respect I wouldn't listen to, let's say, oh, well, any BIG BOOK for the first time. You need to choose your own pace with them, tread carefully indeed. The key here is "for the first time". I decided to re-read some books by listening to them and so far it works fine. I started with Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials". I read and greatly enjoyed this trilogy many years ago. I didn't at that time determine myself as a radical atheist yet but I already knew that I love those books for the same reasons I never loved "The Chronicles of Narnia". Let's not dwell into it now... Another interesting fact about "His Dark Materials": it's the only book I failed to read in English - at that time it proved to be too difficult for me - another reason to return to it.

Some books have a great visual impact. Sometimes when you read you imagine scenes from a book, like directing a play on the stage; or think how good they would be on the cinema screen. Sometimes you long to live those fictional lives, roam those worlds and you write yourself into the pages; not literally of course but by the force of imagination. But there are books that contain such fiery stunning images you can't help but SEE. Emotionally charged they burn into you and you are not likely to forget them easily. You wish you could draw and draw them out of you just because they are so huge, so loud!.. Well, actually anyone can draw, it's a matter of practice. I am trying to practice daily - smallest sketches, different techniques... I am not in a hurry, it just feels good. Everybody should try.

So what else I was busy with?.. I participate in preparation for a Peace Boat visit. That involves writing in Japanese (we are making a little introductory book for Japanese guests) and learning quite a lot about Maldivian culture. Fun! Yes, I do think that writing in a language I barely know about matters I am hardly familiar with is fun. I also think that running marathon would be the time of my life. We might have different ideas of fun though ^_~

Well... The fact that I somewhat abruptly finished my travel log from Istanbul and (finally) uploaded pictures from Singapore didn't elude most attentive of you and the question was asked... I am indeed going on a new adventure tomorrow. You will hear all about it really soon.

Talking about the question that was asked. Can't wait for Doctor Who 50th anniversary special. Didn't watch the trailer! Luckily I don't know many Whovians so nobody talks to me about it and gives away any spoilers! There is a silver lining in most of clouds... 

Hugs,

Gulshat

***
По целому ряду причин я всё-таки вернулась к путеводителям Lonely Planet. Во-первых, я, честно говоря, не помню, чем они меня так уж разобидели. Во-вторых, они, наконец-то, начали предлагать не только громоздкий PDF, но и куда более удобный для небольших экранов ePUB. Пока что только для наиболее популярных изданий, но это начинание, на мой взгляд, достойное поддержки. И в-третьих, чёрт побери, они продавали свои книги ЗА ПОЛЦЕНЫ в честь Хэллоуина! Перед таким аргументом было просто невозможно устоять!

На самом деле, я сейчас читаю "Корни неба" Ромена Гари. Читаю в переводе на русский язык, так как французского, к несчастью, не знаю. А могла бы... И даже собиралась начать занятия в Alliance Francaise de Male' но эта организация оказалась возмутительно ненадёжной! После того как я зарегистрировалась и заплатила, за несколько часов до первого урока, они смс сообщением отменили начало курса и перенесли его до "после выборов или второго декабря"... Серьёзно?! Как я огорчилась! На десерт: вернуть деньги оказалось не так просто.

Другое моё развлечение в эти дни - бег. О, я люблю бегать! Пробежала 9 с половиной километров сегодня. Невероятные ощущения! Обычно, во время бега я слушаю аудио книги - отличная штука, можно читать (в определённом смысле) даже когда руки заняты! Но, при всём моём уважении, я бы не стала слушать, скажем... да, в общем-то, любую БОЛЬШУЮ КНИГУ в первый раз. С ними всё-таки нужно внимательно и аккуратно выбирать темп, ступать осторожно, так сказать. Ключевое слово здесь "впервые". Я решила "перечитать" некоторые книги, слушая их аудио-версии и пока что эта схема работает замечательно. Начала с "Тёмных материй" Филипа Пуллмана, трилогии, которую с огромным удовольствием прочитала много лет назад. В те далёкие дни я ещё не определяла себя как "радикального атеиста", но и тогда я знала, что эти книги нравятся мне по той же причине, по которой я не люблю "Хроники Нарнии". Лучше мы не будем сейчас в это углубляться... Другой любопытный факт, касающийся "Тёмных материй": до сегодняшнего дня это единственная книга, которую я не смогла прочитать на английском - в те дни моих познаний на неё не хватило. Ещё одна причина, по которой я непременно хотела к ней вернуться.

Вы знаете, бывают книги невероятной зрительной выразительности. Иногда, когда читаешь, разыгрываешь в голове сцены словно бы на сцене, или думаешь, как потрясающе те или иные эпизоды смотрелись бы на экране IMAXа. Иногда так невыносимо хочется жить вымышленными жизнями в вымышленных мирах, что ты вписываешь себя в сюжет истории, не буквально, конечно, а силой воображения. Но временами книги содержат в себе картины настолько яростные и мощные, что ты не можешь НЕ ВИДЕТЬ. Эмоционально заряженные они прожигают материю твоей памяти, и ты не можешь их забыть. И ты хочешь уметь рисовать, чтобы вырисовать их из себя, потому что они такие громадные и громоподобные, эти картины. На самом деле, каждый может рисовать, это вопрос практики. Я стараюсь рисовать ежедневно - маленькие наброски, разные техники. Я никуда не тороплюсь, это незамутнённое ни чем удовольствие. Каждому следует попробовать ^^ .

Чем ещё я занимаюсь? Я принимаю участие в подготовке к встрече Лодки мира (Peace Boat) Подготовка включает в себя написание текстов на японском (мы делаем небольшую ознакомительную книжку для гостей из Японии) и знакомство с мальдивской культурой. Это так весело! Да, я считаю, что писать на малознакомом языке о практически неизвестных мне вещах это весело. Я также думаю, что пробежать марафон было бы для меня невероятно счастливым событием. У нас, не исключено, разные представления о веселье.

Что же, тот факт, что я несколько внезапно дописала свои впечатления о неделе в Стамбуле и (не прошло и года) опубликовала фотографии из февральской поездки в Сингапур, не остался без внимания. Наиболее наблюдательные из вас выразили интерес, и были совершенно правы - я собираюсь на встречу новым приключениям. Завтра. Очень скоро вы об этом услышите!

Кстати о слухах. С нетерпением жду юбилейного выпуска Доктора Кто. Трейлер не смотрела и, весьма удачно, не имея других поклонников шоу в своём ближайшем окружении, пребываю в блаженном неведении по поводу его содержания. Светлая сторона ^_~

Обнимашки,

Гу

среда, 30 октября 2013 г.

Путевые заметки 2013 - Сингапур

February 2013
Photos with captions in English & Russian from Singapore


***
Февраль 2013
У меня нет объяснения, почему написать о Сингапуре оказалось не просто сложно, а невозможно. Даже комментарии к фотографиям заняли у меня восемь месяцев. Выложить фотографии, расположить по порядку, написать комментарии, написать комментарии, написать комментарии - я возвращалась к этому раз за разом, пока, наконец, не вымучила несколько предложений. Могу только сказать, что Сингапур - интересный город, который заслуживает посещения и лучшего блоггера, чем я ^^``

Гу