The Maldivian archipelago is home to a rich cultural melange spanning influences from India, Africa, Sri Lanka and Portugal, among others. The city of Male is the capital and is worth exploring from one of the many excellent Maldives spa resorts hosting your stay. As a quick aside, the Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas offers a seamless blend of luxury and leisure right on the clear blue waters of the Indian Ocean, and is one of the ideal Maldives resorts to accommodate a visit here. For an immersive experience of the Maldives’ vibrant local life, venture down to one of the many markets where you will see a variety of goods being hawked for a sale by impassioned men and women. Two of the most iconic markets boast colourful offerings of fresh locale fruit and vegetables directly sourced from the many islands dotting this unique archipelago, and the abundant catching of fish gathered from the ocean each day. Both are easy to spot; the vibrant yellows of huge banana bunches will lure you to walk away with bags of crisp and fresh fruits and vegetables that are truly organic in the best possible sense. This unique local fruit and veggie bazaar is neatly divided into stalls for easily location and selection. Grab some packages and bottles of delicious homemade sweet meats that evoke the tasty sentiments of local treats, which encompass various nuts and breadfruit chips as well, a healthy alternative to the potato chips proliferating the aisles of the high priced supermarkets. Next door, you can pick up some appetizing slices of smoked and dried fish to munch on while you shop. Speaking of, follow the pungent aromas of freshly caught fish as you discover the local treasure house of seafood, courtesy of the hardworking local fishermen. It is a unique tradition of the Maldivian islands that must be savoured first hand.

Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and intends to visit them all someday.

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