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Six things you need to know about Malta
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From the narrow, hilly streets of the capital city Valletta to the Blue Lagoon of Comino island, it's not hard to see why Malta is a very popular tourist destination. (Shutterstock/-)
B
ack in 2010, I was accepted on the European Masters Program in Language and Communication Technologies. It was a joint program and they assigned me to two universities: one the university I chose during registration, the other the University of Malta.
"Where’s that?" people asked me about the latter.
"It's in Malta."
"Yes, but in which country?"
"Er ... "
Not many people in Indonesia have heard of Malta. I, too, only learned of its existence through the Master’s program.
Yes, I was to spend a year in a place I had never heard of. But, as it turned out, it was one of the most unforgettable years of my life.
Here are six things you need to know about Malta.
Which country?
Well, that's not really a valid question, since Malta is a country. It is an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, located to the south of Italy.
There are three large islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, as well as some small, uninhabited islands. It is the smallest country in Europe and, with around 400,000 inhabitants, one of the most densely populated.
Prepare to be enchanted
Over the course of the year, more tourists visit Malta than there are residents.
From the narrow, hilly streets of the capital city Valletta to the Blue Lagoon of Comino island, it's not hard to see why Malta is a very popular tourist destination.
Popular filming location
In the first season of “Game of Thrones”, scenes were shot all over Malta. The Azure Window—a stunning rock formation in Gozo—was used as a backdrop to a wedding between two characters.
Malta was also used as a filming location for movies including “Popeye”, “Gladiator” and “Troy”.
Loud traffic
People in Malta drive on the left, and they drive very fast and loud, honking the horn at every turn. But don't worry, priority still goes to pedestrians. Most drivers stop to let you cross the road.
People often complained about the increasing number of cars and bad traffic. Of course, coming from Jakarta, I had no idea what they were talking about.
Safe country
Though the traffic is nowhere near as bad as Jakarta, it can't be denied that there are a lot of cars for such a small place. But what surprised me was that they were often parked on the side of the road with the keys left inside, windows open, doors unlocked.
My friend once asked a Maltese if it was safe to sleep with the windows open, since her room didn't have air conditioning but she was afraid someone would climb in through the window. The Maltese responded that if that ever happened, it would be in the news for three months.
That might be an exaggeration, but it's true that Malta is considered a safe country.
Vintage buses
When I lived there, the main mode of public transportation was the vintage Malta buses, which released black exhaust smoke and rarely ran on time. They were privately owned, and the drivers would often customize them with personal decorations like a giant cross or stickers with slogans such as True Love Never Dies.
In 2011, however, the transportation system underwent a major change. The old buses were replaced with shiny, scheduled and more environmentally friendly buses.
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Annisa Ihsani is a writer, book nerd, and mother of one. She is the author of middle-grade novel "Teka-Teki Terakhir" (Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2014).
