And what a place. Luxury tourism has made the Maldives rich, by South Asian standards. In Male, street fashions are smart and the shops are well-stocked. And although everywhere is easy walking distance, this tiny island has twenty traffic lights, 500 taxis, and at least ten times that number of motorbikes. Everyone is living on top of everybody else. Narrow alleyways lead to tiny apartments. Families gather to gossip in courtyards barely big enough for a couple of plastic chairs and a parked scooter. Male has got just about everything—apart from personal space.
