Concrete Heart of Tourist Paradise

" The Maldives conjures up images of pristine white sand, shallow azure seas and unspoilt coral reefs.

Flying in from southern India, I could see all these - an entrancing sight as the plane flew low over wisps of atolls surrounded by crystal clear aquamarine waters.

But the capital, Male, is different. It is one of the most crowded places on earth.
A third of the Maldivian population of 300,000 lives there - in under four square kilometers. And that is not counting the thousands of Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis drafted in to do the menial work.

Male' is awash with building sites. There is only one way to go. Up. Eight- and 10-storey blocks are springing up.

The island has a busy, prosperous feel, with well stocked mini supermarkets, smart fashion stores, shops selling Hollywood and Bollywood DVDs as well as films, many of them horror movies judging by the posters, in the local language, Dhivehi.

It would not take more than 30 minutes to walk wherever you want in Male. But every self-respecting youngster has a motorbike.

Back streets have become huge parking lots. Traffic sometimes slows to walking pace. My taxi driver told me that tiny Male now has 20 sets of traffic lights.

Not many of the thousands of foreign tourists attracted to the luxury atoll resorts make it to Male. But their spending power has transformed the economy.

The country's average income - more than $2,500 (£1,260) a year - is well above the South Asian average

There is another side to the Maldives. I went there to attend a Unesco-sponsored conference on press freedom. There has not been much of that in the Maldives "
Courtesy of Mr.Andrew WhiteHead- BBC News.