Seychelles

Bizarre Beach Sights

2009-05-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

Chicken Wing flapper

She stands facing the sea, staring fixedly (with her oriental eyes) at a point on the horizon. Her knees are slightly bent, her feet are spaced apart, arms bent. She flaps her wings, up and down, up and down.

Frisby whizz

Well muscled and glistening, his rottweiler in tow on a very tight leash, he strides from one end of Sunset beach to the other in his speedo, proudly strutting his stuff. He ties up his dog and plunges into the sea. He emerges dripping and reaches for his orange frisby. Then the magic begins. He dazzles with his skill, spinning it, boomerang like, under a leg, over an arm, around his head, over and over.

Here’s a picture of his turf.

Sea Strider

With eyes focussed on a distant point, his feet taking big steps on the sandy bottom, arms akimbo, he strides along in the sea parallel to the beach.

Skew swimmer

She’s trying to swim breast-stroke, in her big ‘swimming pool’, but one foot keeps splashing out of the water. She does 100 strokes. Now she attempts back-stroke. She’s looking up at the clouds and counting to 100. She’s swimming skew but she doesn't realize this. At 85 her bottom hits sand. She’s right at the water’s edge.
Nobody notices or cares. Here, you’re free to do pretty much whatever you want.

Here’s a picture of her big ‘swimming pool’.

"You fill up my senses..."

2009-05-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Night after night.....
I’m sitting on a big rock under the branches of our avocado pear tree.
I’m watching the sun setting into a millpond-calm sea. Silhouette island is a two-dimesional cut-out. The sky is on fire.
The knobbly granite presses into my skin.
Way off to my right, the music so loved by the Seyhcellois drifts my way, throbbing gently.
The sweet scent of some exotic shrub in my neighbour’s garden fills my nostrils.
The taste of the Bourgeois fish we had for supper lingers on my palate.
Seychelles....you fill up my senses.

But on some days.....

My skin feels hot and sticky, itchy and prickly and I'm irritable with the heat that goes on day after day. It's much warmer than it says in the brochures - it must be global warming.

I look at the majestic Albiza tree in front of our house and I feel sad...and mad. Someone has ring-barked it and it is withering and dying. It used to be green and lush. At dusk, the fruit bats used to swoop into its leaves and hang, wrapping themselves into barely visible pod-like shapes.

The stinky pong of the tuna factory has oozed its way through the hills and slithered up toward our house. I long for the wind to turn.

I can hear the pitiful mooing of one of Andy's cows. It must be tethered somewhere near us again. Is its rope too short, has it grazed everything within reach, is it thirsty and hot like me? I would love to set it free.

Man's encroachment on this beautiful island leaves a bitter taste.

This too is Seychelles.

No place is perfect. There is no paradise on earth.

Snorkelling

2009-04-11T04:46:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed ‘out of this world’ snorkelling off an Angel Fish Ltd. Laguna catamaran, at Anse Coco, La Digue (the rocks on both sides of the beach), Ave Maria (which is small enough to swim right around), and Round island (the southern side).

You don mask and flippers, splash into the crystal clear turquoise sea. Cool water laps at your skin. You taste salt in your snorkel. You're looking straight ahead at a very ordinary scene. You put your face under and everything becomes extraordinary; the underwater world is totally magical. Schools of mullet shimmer just beneath the surface.

Looking like miniature Dumbos, a squadron of small squid line up their defence.

Way down in the murky blue, a school of the huge, very strange Napoleon fish suddenly appear, and swim sedately by.

You lift your head out of the water to see where you are. You've reached the rocks, poking up out of the water; no surprises. You put your face into the water again and thrill at the sight. The rocks' hidden parts plunge dizzyingly down into the depths below. They’re split, cracked, tumbled or stacked, smooth or gritty, furry or spiky with algae or coral. Fish teem around them, chomping, or shelter in their crevasses and caves. In the sand at their feet, you see rays and turtles.

You see the very common, but exquisitely beautiful blue-striped surgeon fish everywhere. Also prolific are the gorgeous powder blue surgeons, with their bright blue bodies, yellow dorsal fin and black and white heads.

Only one pair of the magnificent palette surgeon fish, electric blue with bold black patterns, shows up at Ave Maria. (Ile de Coco teems with these gorgeous fish.)

You see the Oriental sweet-lips – as someone remarked; “Who said spots and stripes don’t go?” They do in this striking looking fish. And there are plenty of beautiful parrot fish too, in a huge variety of colours and sizes.

You're followed by the inquisitive spade fish.

Appropriately, you also see plenty of angel fish, two in particular; emperor and semi-circle - adults - the juveniles are far less common. Semi-circular white and blue stripes on the black body of the juvenile give the fish its name. The adult is completely different; its body pale brown, speckled with black and outlined in the same powder blue as their fetching eye shadow. The juvenile emperor is similar in shape and colouring, but is patterned with concentric circles. The adult has striking yellow and purple stripes and a yellow tail.

Wherever you look you see schools of fish....

......and so you wallow in a watery wonderland.

Photos courtesy of Rob and Sal.

The hot sky whispers summer dreams....

2009-04-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

“The hot sky whispers summer dreams and the sweet feet go out to sea together.” Sal’s beautifully expressed sentence sums up the ‘once in a lifetime’ sail we, five Feete, had here in the Seychelles.
We ‘shop around’ but Angel Fish Ltd. are the most helpful. The price has us gasping, but once taken to see the Laguna, it is all over – we’re sold... simply can’t say no.
Skipper Ronnie and chef Danny welcome us aboard. One deluxe and two other double cabins (decorated with hibiscus in typically Seychellois fashion), all en suite, comfortably accommodate us. The wobbling turquoise water beckons, through ‘windows’ in the floor.
Ronnie suggests mooring overnight at Anse Coco, La Digue, to be sheltered from the NW wind. We set sail and choose our spots to tan, relax, read, snooze. We all shift around, but none of us is surprised to see Captain D at the wheel before long! Danny produces an excellent lunch of red snapper and salads, followed by fresh fruit.
Late in the afternoon we anchor in the beautiful cove. We have a fantastic snorkel around the rocks on one side. (The snorkelling needs to tell its own fishy tale.) We also swim to the beach for a walk. Ronnie kindly takes us quite close inshore with the rubber duck. By evening we have the whole gorgeous spot all to ourselves.
The full moon comes up over the sea. Patchily tanned but feeling good after a day in the sun, we sit down to a delicious dinner. Quite early the next morning, soon after the moon sets and the sun rises, we snorkel amongst the rocks on the opposite side.
Sailing around the northern end of La Digue, Ronnie anchors quite near the jetty, so that Danny can go by rubber duck to get milk for our breakfast! Next stop is Ave Maria. The dive boat soon leaves and again, what a pleasure it is to be the only people there.
Our last anchorage is off Round island.
We enjoy Danny’s superbly cooked carangue while sailing back home to Mahe. Ronnie docks expertly at 5 pm. Back in their beds on terre firma, five Feete, still rocking, sleep soundly, under the nearly full moon, dreaming sweet sea dreams.

A walk to Anse Major

2009-03-03T04:53:00.000-08:00

If you’re in the Seychelles, give yourselves a treat and do the walk to this stunning little beach. If you want a longer walk, you can park your car at La Scala restaurant at the end of the Bel Ombre road, or you can be lazy (like we were) and drive as far as you can along the road. There is a sign saying ‘No cars beyond this point’ at an abandoned house. Here is Big Foot near the start. There are amazing rock formations everywhere.

Here are the Brittains and D sweating their way along the path. You will sweat a lot, but it will be worth it....you'll see.

Here’s Marie resting in the walk through cave.

Marie's nearly there. There’s the small cove of Anse Major, way down there on the left, beyond the small shelter and picnic table.

And there it is in all its glory.

You've reached the beach. If you drove as far as the old house, it will probably have taken you about an hour and a quarter to get there, at a very leisurely pace. Now you can have a swim in the sea, or in the fresh water pool if the sea’s too rough. It often is. Don’t take chances. There are no lifesavers around.

Marie and Jane have stopped to drink in the silence and the view. You can do this anywhere along the route. If you’re lucky you may see blue pigeons, the graceful long-tailed tropic birds or fairy terns, swooping in pairs. You might even see rays way down there in the sea, or a school of dolphins swimming lazily along in the distance.

Heading back toward Bel Ombre, you get a totally different perspective. DO IT!

Sour oranges, bitter pill, sweet pineapple

2009-02-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

She holds out a bag in her right hand. It is full of little oranges, the ones that grow here in the Seychelles. They’re very sour with lots of pips. The bitter pill is in her left hand. She gives me back my story, folded up. She’s read it to her children. “They laughed at it,” she says. “It sounds so Enid Blytonish.......children here wouldn’t say “Oh my gosh!” and it didn’t ring true for me either.” “Well, it was presumptuous of me to write a story for that age group, when I don’t have any contact with them,” I say. “I hope you’re not upset,” she says. “No,” I say. “It’s what I needed to hear. I asked for your honest opinion.” So, now I'm home with my sour oranges and my bitter pill. My neighbour calls me over. She has a huge sweet, sweet Seychelles pineapple. The season is almost over. She cuts me a generous chunk. Yay, someone from Portugal has read my blog and likes it. He's sent me a hug.
I peel some of the little oranges, squish out the bitter pips and put the fleshy segments at the base of a bowl. I add bananas, mango (from Randolph, the fruit seller at the beach), papaya (off our own tree) and the sweet, sweet pineapple. My husband comes home. “Lucy’s kids made fun of my story,” I say. “It’s rubbish – but I needed to hear it. But a man in Portugal likes my blog." We laugh and eat the fruit salad. It’s delicious and the pineapple is so, so sweet.

A gem: Round Island, Praslin

2009-02-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

It’s small in global terms, but ROUND ISLAND, Praslin, Seychelles sits like a huge emerald jewel in its setting of turquoise sea. You can only get there by helicopter or by boat. Once on the island, the only modes of transport are ‘a pied’ or by golf cart. A few narrow roads and paths twist and turn up and down its humpy middle.

Your own personal butler takes you to your villa by golf cart and gives you a guided tour of the island. There are only four villas, three of which are two bed-roomed. Each bedroom has its own en suite bathroom (beware of the Jacuzzi jets!) and outside shower (but very civilized, with hot water). Reading on loungers on the veranda is wonderfully soporific. There is another much larger villa, delightfully rustic, with its own swimming pool. All are set in lush green shrubbery dotted with colourful tropical flowers – an ongoing supply of blooms to decorate beds!

You can climb the wooden staircase to ‘heaven’. Climbing up and up and up between amazing sculpted granite rocks, one gets to a viewing platform. Up there, you can see Mahe and Fregate on a good day... and have a candle or moonlit dinner at night! Or you can bird watch. We saw blue pigeons, the majestic fregate birds, the beautiful long-tailed tropic birds and fairy terns.

There is a restaurant and bar down at the small beach and another (the main one) overlooking a swimming pool, round of course. The chef conjures up meals fit for royalty - so good-looking in fact, that they deserve to be appreciated as works of art before being consumed.

The snorkelling in certain areas at the base of this jewel, is excellent. You can also sail or kayak.
Round is a true gem.

Mad woman and feather pillows

2008-10-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

Recently I did something crazy; I washed feather pillow casings. What was I thinking? My ‘Queen of Clean’ neighbour had told me that she does this, ‘for something to do’. ‘There are many things I’d rather do to fill my day,’ I thought. But we do sweat a lot here in steamy Seychelles. I stripped ours down and had a good look at them - they were not a pretty sight. I decided to do it.
Armed with a ‘quick unpick ’, I started opening one end. Feathers escaped and floated out in my freshly swept house. I moved onto the veranda. The wind was blowing, so very soon, there were lots more wafting about and sticking to my t-shirt. I worked them down into the case as best I could and finished opening one end. I managed to upend and tip most of the feathers into a plastic bag. Moving onto the grass, I turned the casing inside out and shook it vigorously to dislodge the rest. Loads blew across toward ‘Queen of Clean’s house (serve her right for putting this daft idea into my head). It looked as though I’d plucked a chicken out there. I persevered and did two more, moving around the garden to distribute ‘plucked chicken’ effect. The casings then had a good soaking, before being washed, rinsed and dried in the sun. Smelling fresh and looking a whole lot better, the feathers now had to be stuffed back inside. Yet more escaped, but finally the openings were hand-stitched closed.
Was it worth it? Yes....especially as a Seychelles sunbird has, I’m sure, used some of the feathers that were lying around to create the little overhanging porch above the entrance to her beautiful little nest. She has built this in one of the star-fruit trees in our garden and the inside too, looks white and downy. It is wonderful to see her going in head first and then turning around and sitting there with her long curved bill protruding. They only lay one egg and the female does all the incubating, (11 – 16 days) and most of the feeding of the nestling.

P.S. On Sunday the 9th of November, her very large chick had his/her solo flight...and they all lived happily ever after.

Beautiful Beau Vallon Beach - a walk

2008-08-08T01:02:00.000-07:00

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!

A roller coaster ride

2008-08-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Head down steep hill to main road. Halfway down, come face to face with car coming up. Jinx off up someone's driveway. He goes past. He does not say thank you. Head into town, up the mountain, down the other side, twisting, turning, hairpin bends, 2nd gear most of the way. Come face to face hurtling bus on wrong side of road. He's bypassing cordoned off area, collapsed retaining wall being repaired. Where are men with Stop Go signs? Tea break? Screech to halt. Squeeze past. Heart pounds, palms sweat. Smooth ride through town, flat, breathe easy.
Directions; after coming out of town, look out for hairdresser sign at 2nd mirror (lots of these because of many blind corners). Turn sharp left onto narrow road going up hill. Bakery on right ensures correct route (very few street names here and no house numbers). Up, up, up, steeper, more twists, sharp turns between huge boulders, road petering out...finally, pile of burnt rubble (also in directions) and there is Birgitte, waving from veranda. Her house is perched on a lumpy little hill (lots of big rocks under the grass), has lovely view of St Anne's island. We have black coffee (she hasn't been able to get milk - still a shortage) and delicious chocolatey biscuits, which fortify for drive home. Warning from Marcus: DO NOT try to avoid huge pothole on right, as tyre will go off into gully on left. Hold breath.... whew, wheels still on track. Head down hill. Squeeze into layby to let someone drive on up. He says thank you. Decide on scenic route to avoid 'rush hour traffic' in Victoria. Calm and comfy, fairly flat, two way luxury, liven up by acclerating to 40kms per hour. Still lots of twists, turns, solid white lines. Someone has stopped at one of many little shops. Traffic backs up. One by one, we daringly sweep out over white line, break free. No-one hoots. Exhilirating now, traffic thins out, driving up east coast. Stretches of beach and ruffled milky turquoise sea flash past. Twisting, turning, rising, falling, feels great going round North East Point. Into familiar territory, head down west coast toward Beau Vallon. Well known markers whizz by (50kms per hour); Copra House, Sunset Beach, Northolme, Mike's Store. Glimpses of beaches far below, then same level as my Speedy Silver Bullet. Home stretch, slow down, first gear, surge up short turn off into 'our' road. Heartbeat steady, slow, but hang on, here comes a car down the hill. Roll back down hill off to one side. Car gets past. Smile and wave, smile and wave. Stay in first for very steep bit, flattens, widens, whoopee into 2nd. All is calm. Swing wide, get good angle for going between walls. Check mirrors, good, haven't bumped either side. Orange garage doors, heart soars, home sweet home. Ride over.

Pretty scrambled eggs

2008-08-03T02:56:00.000-07:00

Sunny Seychelles? It is not. It hasn't been for two months or so now - instead we've had lots of strong winds and rain. Poor holiday makers who have paid hard-earned cash to come here. Last year was lovely - lots of glorious sunny days and calm seas. Therefore much safer weather for lifting crates of sooty tern eggs from the islands (where they are harvested at this time of year)onto the waiting barges. In spite of rough seas and pitching barges this year, 1,000s of eggs survived intact and unscrambled and are being consumed with relish. Many people go mad for them.

It seemed like a good day to scramble the intact ones we had in the fridge. They have been staring at me every time I opened the door, for over a week now. I'd had a mental block about them, having been told that they're bright orange when cooked and taste of fish. But they were a pretty apricot and didn't taste fishy to me - not sure I could tell them apart from hen's eggs if it weren't for their colour actually. So, what is all the fuss about then?

Another taboo in my mind (small 'spoilt person' mind) was powdered milk - boarding school memories perhaps. Everyone here knows that you don't get fresh milk in the Seychelles, (except perhaps in the posh hotels?) but mostly one can get long life milk. Lately though, only a few shops have had it in stock, and at a price. So I bought and mixed up some powdered milk and found it isn't at all bad.

There was quite literally a bun fight at the supermarket on Wednesday. A new batch of baguettes was just coming out of the ovens. People stood ready near the empty bread baskets with their plastic bags and as each basket was put down, there was frantic pushing, shoving, grabbing and stuffing of bags. Flour is another product that is hard to find at the moment. Maybe this is why there seems to be a shortage of bread in some shops too. No-one seemed to want the small whole grain loaves at Rs30 each.

Then in the same supermarket, there is an enormous pumpkin on display - a whopping 63 kgs, almost big enough to carry Cinderella to the ball. But there are no mice to be seen, and it is not for sale. It is cordoned off, with a 'don't touch' sign. It was grown hydroponically here on Mahe - a Chinese project. I wonder if it will ever be eaten. It could feed a lot of hungry people.

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Mad dogs and Englishwomen go out in the afternoon rain. I've just seen some bedraggled tourists in their colourful holiday attire, walking along, leaning into the wind and rain. There were also some Seychellois playing volleyball on the beach. I've come home and got out a jersey (South African for cardigan), which smells of mould - it has languished in the cupboard for over a year. I am having a nice cup of Earl Grey tea - we're running out of coffee.

Out of this world; Praslin and La Digue, May 2008

2008-05-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

We flew to Praslin from Mahe - it’s a mere 15 minute flight - but you can go by ferry. We caught a taxi to the jetty on the other side of the island, as we were leaving a bag at our hotel. But you can also take the bus - a white-knuckle drive, lots of twists, turns and steep inclines, but very cheap. With the Southeaster blowing, the half hour ferry crossing to La Digue was a little rough, but no-one needed the sick bags..
Everyone knows everyone and everyone’s business too on this small island, so it was no trouble finding our contact man, amongst all the others vying for our custom. He found us a boatman and insisted on buying samoosas, sandwiches, quiche and banana fritters to fortify us all for the outing. There were lots of boats already at the small rocky Ile de Coco when we got there. It seemed all had the same idea; to get to the snorkelling spots early to avoid the crowds. Still, there was room for all of us to revel in the kaleidoscope of fish in the crystal clear water. The fish seemed totally unconcerned about our lumbering bodies. It was very shallow in places and so we were able to see their exquisite colours and intricate patterns at very close range. The palette surgeon fish is so handsome, with its bold body design in electric blue and black and a bright yellow tail. We also saw a turtle near some big rocks.
Then off we all went to Felicite, which is different again and a much bigger island. A resort is being built on it, so one wonders how long boat trips there will be allowed. Amongst so much else, we saw a big turtle, two devil fire-fish, a small black-tip reef shark and a beautiful well-camouflaged box fish.

Then it was back to La Digue, having had a look at the northern coastline en route.
Very few cars are allowed on the island and so the most common mode of transport is bikes. Those who wobble a bit on them are advised not to carry baggage in their baskets….
Off we all went to Sources D’Argent, which is in the running for one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, because of its amazing granitic rock formations. There is a beautiful walk through the rocks and forest just off the beach. The rocks break the beach up into little bays. So, in spite of all the people, (those who’d been snorkelling at Ile de Coco and Felicite were now there too and others!), we were easily able to find a spot to do what everyone else was doing; smothering on suntan cream, roasting and then cooling off in the very shallow lagoon.
Later, we took a leisurely bike ride round the very picturesque northern end of the island – but had to pedal hard and even push up some of the hills. The chain on Dudley’s bike broke though, so it was a bit of a limp back; freewheeling down hill, pushing uphill, Sal pulling him along on flat bits. (Those who wobble on bikes cannot be trusted with this, so can only offer moral support!) No refund from ‘hire company’….!
We took the last ferry back to Praslin in the evening and it was nice to drive in our hired car back to our hotel, rather than catch the bus. The next morning, we took the scenic route to Anse Lazio (called Chevalier Bay on the map), which is another stunning beach. We had an ‘out of this world’ snorkel around Chevalier Point on the right-hand side, which included a close encounter with a turtle. He came up for air between the three of us and was within touching distance. The swimming off the beach there is lovely too – much deeper than Sources D’Argent.
We had a late lunch at a little beach-side restaurant in Cote D’Or rather than at the very expensive two restaurants at Anse Lazio (which also only price their menus in euros). We drove around a bit more in the afternoon, finding some out of the way, off the beaten track villages and beaches before heading for the airport to catch our 4.45pm flight back to Mahe. Home sweet home at about 6 pm – in time for the sunset over Silhouette.

Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines

2008-03-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

This is for those of you who are interested in Dudley’s work set-up here in Seychelles.
At present (end of March 2008), Helicopter Seychelles has 4 Jet Rangers, 9 pilots and 3 trained engineers, as well as 2 assistant engineers. The number of pilots and engineers changes often. An Augusta 109 - a twin engined helicopter - has been purchased and is on its way from the States to Seychelles. It should arrive by the end of May.
The pilots and engineers come from all over the world. Also, more recently, Seychellois men are being trained in the States on an ongoing basis and then come back here to fly for the company. As this is very expensive, they are then committed to a 10 year contract with HSL.
Most of the work is transfers – flying clients from the airport (on the main island of Mahe) to resorts on the smaller islands. They also do sight-seeing flights, under-sling work (e.g. lifting freight from boats onto islands), rat eradication (a special bucket hangs under the helicopter and distributes pellets) and surveys. Over the Easter weekend, Dudley took some people way down south to survey the coral reefs off Des Roches, Alphonse and Farquar. Most of the flying is over the sea.
Sometimes in their off times on trips, they are able to fish. Dudley took his rods on this recent trip, but sadly the fishing was disappointing. If he’d had more time, a boat and known where the good spots were, perhaps he’d have caught something more worthwhile…….

But it’s quite a nice job really…….!

Bustling, materialistic metropolis - DUBAI

2008-02-27T00:26:00.000-08:00

We flew in over arid mountain ranges and sand… and more sand and then squared off settlements with a few flat-roofed dwellings. Then suddenly Dubai came into view with its high rise buildings and innumerable half-finished ones topped by cranes (25% of the world’s cranes are in Dubai!). There are road works everywhere too, so taxis seem to backtrack and go around in circles to get you anywhere. There is a ‘waterway’, the Creek (which is being extended all the time), running through the city and the gardens are spectacular (plenty of desalinated water – it tastes good too!) It is a very clean city with very little crime. It feels very first world.
Our friends have a lovely villa – fully air-conditioned, year round -but temperatures are very pleasant in the few 'winter' months. The garden is small, but there’s room to sit outside and many bulbuls, sparrows and parakeets crowd the feeders they have out there. Their roof has a spectacular view of the silver and blue skyscrapers. Some of their friends live happily in high-rise apartment buildings.
As there are mosques all around, one hears the calls to prayer, loud and clear, five times a day – but it’s short – some are more melodious than others! Sandy and I visited one of the biggest. Our guide was informative and the building itself is hugely impressive (literally and figuratively).
On Sunday I also went to St. Mary’s, Sandy’s Catholic church. It seemed pretty full to me, but she says it is much fuller on Fridays, as that is ‘Sunday’ in Dubai! It is also a beautiful and very well-maintained building. A visiting Indian preacher gave very good sermon – on Rockefeller becoming a Christian on his deathbed, at 50. He then went on to live another 48 fruitful years!
About 80-90% of Dubains are ex-pats; taxi drivers are mostly Indian or Pakistani (Sri Lankan too?), shop assistants, domestic helpers, waiters/waitresses, seem to be mostly Phillipinos and then there are a vast number of professional people from around the world working there. Nobody pays taxes! Sandy and Roger use taxis to get around, as their Zim drivers’ licences are not accepted. They would have to do 100 lessons at high expense to get legal ones. Most professional people have their own cars. The driving is quite hectic!
Shopping is a huge part of the Dubai experience – shops stay open till 10 pm (except during Ramadan). The Dubai Shopping Festival was on while I was there. The malls are imaginatively designed and vast. One can get exercise and window-shop at the same time and also find anything and everything you want (what a treat!). One can also go on bus tours, which include stop offs at souks (Arabian type markets, gold, textile), the museum (which is excellent) and a boat trip on the Creek (it used to be more of a little creek before it was dredged and widened a few years ago). Then you can do the desert experience; dune bashing in a 4X4, a camel ride, desert sunset, a meal and Arabian dance show in a tent, henna painting - we didn't do this, but perhaps a not so tourisy one would have been good e.g. without hair-raising ride and henna painting?! There are also beaches, but didn’t feel a need to go there (surprise, surprise!).
There are loads of fantastic restaurants in malls and also in magnificent themed hotels.

On the last day Sandy and I met up with another ex Mauritian friend at a Lebanese one with a view of the ski resort inside the MOE (Mall of Emirates)! We also saw a movie, The Kite Runner, in that centre.

I hope you feel as if you have been able to experience a little of Dubai with me!

SHOPPING ADVENTURES

2008-02-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

Seychelle Rupee 1 = South African R1, about SR15 = 1 GBP, SR7.5 = $1

First, to market – take a clothes peg for the nose if you’re squeamish about fishy smells. Fish of all shapes and sizes are laid out on concrete slabs, and men are noisily selling them. If you’re buying, glistening eyes say ‘I’m fresh’, dry and sunken, ‘I’m not very’. Egrets strut confidently about in the blood and gore - they get fishy bits for free. Buy locally grown lettuces and bananas here, as you won’t find these in the supermarkets –this is income for people who grow these at home. There’s nothing for less than SR10 usually –‘yay’ days occasionally e.g. avocados for SR5s each. It’s a tourist attraction and one day Miss Intercontinental contestants, complete with sashes, added a touch of glamour, skirting around the veggie bits in their stilettos and mini-skirts.

Then the hunt is on: SMB, Docklands, Supasave, Freshcut, Timoljees and finally little shops near home: For cheese (please oh please let me find cheese this week, any cheese – ah look there’s some, one large lonely wedge looking forlornly out through the glass of the empty cabinet, pleading ‘Please buy me’ - I don’t think so – at SR249 per kg); milk (forget about fresh, there isn’t any ever and I won’t complain if I can’t find my favourite, just as long as I can find some milk other than tins of sweetened condensed milk), but no, there’s none, not even powdered. I find something called Dairy Whitener at a little shop at the garage, but before I am forced to use this, Dudley phones and has found a shop with some boxes of long-life – quick, buy 6 boxes please; instant coffee, only one shop has a few bottles of one brand only – 200g for SR145. We’ll wait at that price; bacon – forget green or smoked, back or streaky, forget price even, if I can just find some bacon – oh lovely shop nearby, he has two packets of bacon cubes left - too bad they’re R99 per kg (do pigs know just how precious they have become?); razorblades, still none anywhere – it’s been months since I’ve seen these (perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places). Luckily we still have a few and my legs aren’t very hairy.

Last stop on the way home; Randolph’s fruit stall on Beau Vallon beach. It’s a delight; he always has bananas, paw-paws, mangos and coconuts and other times he has pineapples, grenadillas, avocados, as well as other unusual local fruits.

One can get locally grown fruit and vegetables at the market and supermarkets, but most have been imported; iceberg lettuce SR75, grapes SR120 per kg, over-waxed apples SR80 per kg.

Thoughts on days when there are happy surprises; ‘Shitake mushrooms – let’s give them a try as they are reasonably priced’; ‘yay, mince and chicken pieces today (too bad there’s no ham again)’; ‘Ah Dudley’s favourite Viennas – not in hotel quantities today, so let’s get some of those’; ‘rocket salad again at Timoljees – must be their ‘speciality’; “Yipee, it pays to empty the whole freezer and find the last vanilla icecream at the bottom – so grateful for our little shop.’

All we want is one simple ball of string to tie meat onto the rotisserie – easy to find, right? Nope, no-one sells anything other than the raffia/nylon type. Other things - to name but a few -that have run out at various times; bottled water (La Digue on a very hot day), coke, sprite, yoghurt (and one hardly ever sees plain), butter.

Be grateful - 8 years ago was far worse; the only cereal, Cornflakes, the only toothpaste, Colgate!
Desperate plight calls for desperate measures. One of the young pilot’s wives coming in was worried she wouldn’t find wine gums - her passion. So she wore a trench coat in which she had secreted 80 rolls. She drew attention, wearing a coat in this heat and was searched and made to disgorge all the sweets into the tray. She was mortified, but allowed to repack her coat with them. So now she happily sucks her soothing wine gums as she shops.

Wild and wonderful

2008-01-25T05:47:00.000-08:00

The snorkeling was awful; poor visibility and we saw very few fish, apart from a couple of rays and one small shark. The fishing was disappointing. It rained a lot, torrential at times. We hardly saw any sun or blue sky. We did not get to see the full moon. But the wildlife, walking, meals and relaxing were fantastic!
Bird island is owned by an old Seychellois family. It is not a luxury resort. Their main focus is conservation. This is what makes it special. Many scientists come and go but Roby is the ‘hands-on’ man who patrols the 5 km perimeter 4 times a day, making his notes. He is passionate about what he does and gave us a wonderful talk on all the creatures that populate this small coral island.

There are giant tortoises, including Esmeralda, who is actually male, not female! He is reputed to be over 200 years old. Roby showed us how to ‘jack up’ a tortoise by scratching its back leg. They love it and stiffen their legs, lifting their shells high off the ground. (There's a video at the end of this blog!) Among other more common bird species, there are frigates, brown and lesser noddies, waders, plovers, long-tailed tropic birds, sooty and fairy terns -here's a picture of one of these with her chick. They're all ‘tame’.

Best of all, both green and hawksbill turtles lay their eggs at this time of the year. On rainy, windy Monday night, we came across a big green turtle (about 1 metre across) digging with her front flippers. We could see where she had come up the very steep sandbank. She must have been exhausted as instead of going further up the beach beyond the high water mark, she was busy digging just over the rim. We got there at about 9.15. She finished digging a big round hole with her front flippers, then dug a much smaller deeper hole with her back ones. We watched all this from behind her, lying on our tummies at the very edge of the hole. Only when she started to lay did we turn on a small torch - Roby had told us what would or wouldn’t disturb her. She was coy and had almost hidden the laying from view with her back flippers, but we could just see the ping-pong ball sized eggs plopping down. I counted 62. To cover the eggs, she flicked sand behind her with her front flippers and paddled a compact wall with her back ones, moving slowly forward as she did so. Although she didn’t grunt, it must have been a huge effort, as she rested between every scoop. We wondered if she might tumble down the steep bank and end up on her back, but she shimmied down on her shell with flippers out of the way as easy as you like and off she went into the sea.

We got back to our bungalow at 1.20 am. We both feel over-awed by the experience. We marked the spot 12 m in from the nest as we felt sure with the whole nest would be washed by morning – and sadly it was. But she is oblivious of course.

On Wednesday morning, Dudley was tired and so I went for a walk on my own and came across a hawksbill turtle coming out of the sea to lay! She went right up into some bushes, resting a lot, bumbling into and clambering over driftwood, grunting a little as she went along – she didn’t seem to have the sense to go round the obstacles. Turtles are very short-sighted. They are smaller than the green turtles. She’d wedged herself in under some branches and I wondered whether she might get stuck there and whether Roby ever helps them in these situations. A Swiss couple that we’d met arrived and together we watched her digging her hole – interestingly only at the back. Her eggs came out more than one at a time – sometimes 5 at once! Roby arrived and he broke off some branches around her and said we could scoop some sand out from the back to get a better view. She was also less shy and had her flippers spread wide open, so I got some good photos and also a little movie! I felt sad that Dudley missed this. Roby wanted to measure and make his notes etc., so we left him and her to it. Hawksbills lay up to 230 eggs, the green turtle fewer.
This is a paille-en-queue (long-tailed tropic bird) chick.

Why clothes?

2007-12-20T23:51:00.000-08:00

As I stood under the fan, trying to iron good creases down the legs of my dear husband’s work trousers I thought:

Why clothes in the Seychelles? It’s so hot all year round – why don’t we all just go naked? Who decided that trousers with creases in them were smarter anyhow? It must have been a man and he would soon have changed his mind if he’d had to iron them himself, in the Seychelles in summer. My husband hates his bright red work shirts too. (He said he stopped to offered a colleague a lift the other day, then realized it was a postbox.) They could all wear red ties with the company logo on it instead, knotted loosely round the neck so that no-one gets too hot under the collar.

It would be a shame not to have some colour around. So maybe the older Seychellois women should still wear their lovely outfits with hats that are so much a part of the character of this island.

Also, the men that wear the huge rastaferian green, red and yellow beanies over their magnificent dreadlocks would probably be reluctant to part with these. They are certainly eye-catching, but so are the dreadlocks when allowed to hang free. Perhaps the tourists would want to show off their newly purchased sarongs. These could be knotted around waists. Cloths that so many people carry around to mop their sweating brows could become a fashion statement. They could be produced in lovely colours and made big enough to cover up strategic spots if one was feeling a bit shy.

Think of the money we would save on clothes, soap powder, softener, electricity, not to mention the time spent doing, hanging and ironing our washing. The company’s Christmas party would have been a lot more fun if everyone had been naked - just prettied up a little with bits of tinsel or coloured baubles.

FEAST OR FAMINE?

2007-12-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming. Normally by now the Christmas cake would have been baked and wrapped in its foil (full of Christmas cheer -plenty of brandy). Tins of pineapple rings and boxes of cherries would be ready and waiting to decorate a gammon, which would be glazed and cooked on Christmas Eve. So far I haven’t found gammon (turkey and legs of lamb, yes, at a price), or pineapple rings, or fruit mix. A small bottle of brandy would have been plenty for the cake, but there are none of those and SR’s175 for a bottle is just too much. A friend kindly brought us some fruit mix and cherries from Dubai, so we will have our cake but will eat it without brandy. It would be fun to be browsing for gifts in beautifully decorated shops, with choices to boggle the mind. But this is the Seychelles. There are no shops like that here. We've been spoilt in the past, being able to buy pretty much anything we wanted. All the things we can’t find now are luxuries anyway though and way out of reach for the majority of Seychellois, not to mention millions of others living elsewhere.

We came across an amazing sight on a jetty last week; two crayfish or lobsters, both huge but the one particularly was enormous – the biggest any of us have ever seen.

The men who’d caught them said that they had got them at a depth of 20 metres. Is this allowed we wondered? They will probably have been sold to a hotel or restaurant and provided a feast for someone, but not the men who caught them.

Then at another little café on the beach, an array of huge, gorgeous shells were displayed on the railing. One never sees these sorts of shells washed up on the beach these days, so surely they must have been taken live from the sea, way out, where very few people venture. People must buy them (and it is tempting as they are so beautiful), as otherwise they wouldn’t keep producing more and more. Perhaps this is the only way some people can earn a few extra rupees, so that they too can give their families a little Christmas ‘feast’, something a little different from their normal diet.

So we're forgetting about the ham and fancy dinner with all the trimmings. But it won’t be famine for us. We will have our ‘feast’ at a local restaurant on Christmas Eve. It probably won’t be a traditional Christmas meal but the food there is very good. How lucky we are to be able to afford this. If the weather is nice, we will go snorkelling on Christmas Day and feast our eyes on fish and hopefully turtles too. This is where we often go snorkelling (and there’s my little dream house perched on the rocks….)

Stars and the Universe

2007-11-12T00:29:00.000-08:00

There was a fascinating programme on TV a couple of nights ago about stars, the universe and all matter that we find in our world today; scientists speculations about what happened at the very beginning of time, how it all began and continued, to form the world as we know it today. They talked about the 'Big Bang', the huge explosion of the very small but hugely charged only bit of matter that existed (they think). Then from this, they deduced that various elements formed, probably through violent collisions of atoms, first hydrogen, then helium and finally, over a very long period of time, all other substances that make up our world today, including our physical bodies. Even a substance such as zinc is vital to our physical make-up. According to one scientist , our universe is still expanding and at an accelerating pace. The conclusion is that eventually everything will fly apart and be dispersed so widely that it will all go back to 'nothingness'!
There was a bit about the incredible Mr. Hubble and his telescope. What a brilliant mind, able to conceive and build such an amazing instrument. What a team that was then able to get it out into space and working, sending those awesome pictures back to earth. Not only are the images of exploding stars (and so much more) breathtakingly beautiful, they are captured events that happened so long ago, it is difficult for our brains to comprehend. It is a treat to go onto the Hubble site and look at the pictures it has taken and continues taking.

But God wasn't mentioned once.....frequent phrases cropped up which expressed uncertainty about their theories; 'we think that', 'we don't know, but', 'this is probably the result of' etc. It is inconceivable to me that people - and such clever people with magnificent minds (also made by God in my view; if you need convincing, read Dr. Paul Brand's books Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and In His Image) - can think and assume that it all 'just happened' without Divine Intervention. For me, Creation and the Universe and all it consists of, all of its beauty so evident to all, is summed up in the last line of the Lord's Prayer:
'For thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, forever and ever, Amen'

I had just written the above in my journal and was then doing my daily quiet time and reading. As if in affirmation of what I'd written, it said in my guide; 'Habakkuk affirms God as the God of the Universe, glorious and splendid.' So it seems that Habakkuk and I agree then!

FRUIT, STAR-FRUIT & STARS

2007-09-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

We had been wondering if the plants growing in our lawn that looked like pineapples were in fact these, when suddenly we noticed that one had started to flower and grow its fruit. An exquisite star-burst flower/fruit of many colours, mauves, reds, pinks, blue-greens, has pushed up out of the leaves. A pineapple is growing really fast.

Also in our garden, we have a star-fruit tree. We have never seen one of these before and don't know if they grow anywhere other than in the Seychelles.The tree has dainty little clusters of pink flowers, but the fruits are the real eye-catchers. They are large and look like shiny yellow decorations hanging in the tree. The skins are very waxy, but you can eat the fruit skins and all. They taste and look rather like oranges inside, being similar in texture and having the same kind of pips. When you look at them end on, or sliced through horizontally, you can see where they get their name from.

Two paw-paw (or papaye) trees in the front of our house give us a more or less constant supply of fruit. The birds get plenty too. I always used to cut these lengthways, but recently cut one across its circumference and was intrigued to see how the central hollow where the pips are is star-shaped. It is an almost perfect 5 pointed star. The star-fruit is more like a Christmas star.

The real stars here are exceptionally brilliant, as there is no pollution.

Wee beasties

2007-09-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

There are pretty geckos here. They are shy and scuttle up the wall or behind a curtain if you get too close. We're fond of Freddy, a cheeky Madagascan fody. He knows his way in and out of the house and often comes into the kitchen to look for crumbs......

But that's when we stop looking at the 'wee beasties' through rose-tinted spectacles.....

The other geckos are much more intrusive and ugly. They get into everything. Our kettle and toasters have covers now. We've boiled a few in the dishwasher . They mess everywhere too. This would make good glue - it sticks to granite, tiles, glass wood, plastic etc.

Spiders run boldly into the house and then disappear, reappearing when you least expect them to e.g. when you're reaching for your towel. A lot of screaming goes on in our house We have been told they are all harmless - so why do they give us the shivers?

In the evenings, mosquitoes, enormous cockroaches, and sometimes flying ants or leathery rhino beetles come flying in. We take it in turns now to swat the cockraoches with a flyswatter - more screaming if we miss and they run towards us (yes both of us!).

We found a monster 12 cm long centipede lurking on a skirting board. It had two vicious looking spikes at its rear end. It clung tenaciously to the end of the broom, not wanting a flying lesson, but on the second swing, it sailed off into the bush below our house. Wasps make mud nests on curtains. Tiny ants get into the sealed sugar container....

Then out of the blue, three dragonflies grace us with their presence. One appeared in the kitchen, another in a bedroom. They stayed for a while, then flew away. I found a third one dead, but intact, with its wings spread. I was able to study it close up and was blown away by its beauty and intricacy; its iridescent wings, its little face, composed of many parts, the lacy web of its wings. Having these visit felt like a privilege.