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

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.