Beautiful Beau Vallon Beach - a walk

It’s 7 am, Thursday 7th August. The sand is fine and soft on this 2 km stretch of beach, the longest on Mahe. There’s a full semi-circle rainbow today and the pot of gold is down the southern end. A few people are having breakfast in the open plan dining-room of the Coral Strand Hotel. In one of their restaurants, you can enjoy excellent mouth-watering curries. I covet the big white house with its pediment and pillared shady verandas. Women are sweeping the beach, just as they do every morning. There is more litter today, because of the market last night, held every Wednesday evening on the road right next to the beach. Seychelles All Sorts for sale; kebabs, karis (curries; fish, chicken, shark), home brews, sarongs, paintings, ceramics, jewellery. At Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Beach Resort there is activity at the Dive Centre. It’s a good day for a dive. There are 15 boats in the bay today. When it's rough they all disappear. This is where the ‘pot of gold’ should be. And it is; the sand sculpture. Always there is a smugly smiling lion (dreadlocks, Rastaferian?!), with a mermaid/maiden, lying submissively at his feet. This morning, her lower half is washed away by the tide. Sometimes a turtle and/or an entwined couple join them. Their creator is here today. We shake hands. Joseph wears large sharp ‘teeth’ (real, ivory, plastic?) around one arm and in one ear. He’s carving a wooden turtle. The Meridien Fisherman’s Cove hotel, with its attractive thatched bungalows, is the southernmost point. I retrace my steps, some washed away, some blurred by the incoming tide. The sand is firm at the water’s edge, the sea flat, yet small waves form and break constantly. Pairs of fairy terns swoop and glide overhead. Now I’m opposite Al Mare. This is the best spot to sip sundowners and enjoy a good meal, while watching the sun set over the sea, with Silhouette island at centre stage. It has an impressive mountainous silhouette, but is in fact named after an early settler. Randy’s table is empty but later it will be laden with local fruit; coconuts, bananas, papaya, pineapples (when in season), star, bread, jack, passion fruits. You can taste before you buy. People are bustling about at the Blue Sea Dive Centre. The ever popular sandy-floored Baobab Pizzeria will be packed at lunch and dinner, but is deserted now. Fishermen are preparing their nets to go out and catch mackerel. I cross the shallow river flowing into the sea and reach the big granite rocks at the northern end. When the tide is low, you can walk between these and see green-backed and giant herons. But today the tide is high. Back in front of Al Mare, I go for a swim. The water is a clear turquoise. I look up….. and down. I’m the only one in the sea. Lucky, lucky me!

It’s 7 am, Thursday 7th August. The sand between my toes is fine and soft as I step mid-point onto this 2 km stretch of beach, the longest on Mahe. There’s a full semi-circle rainbow today and the pot of gold is down the southern end. A few people are having breakfast in the open plan dining-room of the Coral Strand Hotel. In one of their restaurants, you can enjoy excellent mouth-watering curries. I covet the big white house with its pediment and pillared shady verandas. Women are sweeping the beach, just as they do every morning. There is more litter today, because of the market last night, held every Wednesday evening on the road right next to the beach. Seychelles All Sorts for sale; kebabs, karis (curries; fish, chicken, shark), home brews, sarongs, paintings, ceramics, jewellery. At Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Beach Resort there is activity at the Dive Centre. It’s a good day for a dive. I count boats as I walk. Today there are lots, 20. When the bay is rough they all disappear. This is where I estimate the ‘pot of gold’ should be. And it is; the sand sculpture. Always there is a smugly smiling lion (dreadlocks, Rastaferian?!), with a mermaid/maiden, lying submissively at his feet. This morning, her lower half is washed away by the tide. Sometimes a turtle and/or an entwined couple join them. Their creator is here today. We shake hands. Joseph wears large sharp ‘teeth’ (real, ivory, plastic?) around one arm and in one ear. He’s carving a wooden turtle. The Meridien Fisherman’s Cove hotel, with its attractive thatched bungalows, is the southernmost point. I retrace my steps, some washed away, some blurred by the incoming tide. The sand is firm at the water’s edge, the sea flat, yet small waves form and break constantly. Pairs of fairy terns swoop and glide overhead. Now I’m opposite Al Mare. This is the best spot to sip sundowners and enjoy a good meal, while watching the sun set over the sea, with Silhouette island at centre stage. It has an impressive mountainous silhouette, but is in fact named after an early settler. Randy’s table is still empty but later it will be laden with local fruit; coconuts, bananas, papaya, pineapples (when in season), star, bread, jack, passion fruits. You can taste before you buy. People are bustling about at the Blue Sea Dive Centre too. The ever popular sandy-floored Baobab Pizzeria will be packed at lunch and dinner, but is deserted now. Fishermen are preparing their nets to go out and catch mackerel. I cross the shallow river flowing into the sea and soon reach the big granite rocks at the northern end. When the tide is low, you can walk between these and see green-backed and giant herons. But today the tide is high. Back in front of Al Mare, I go for a swim. The water is a clear turquoise. I look up….. and down. I’m the only one in the sea. Lucky, lucky me!