Saturday, April 12, 2014

From the Seychelles, Live!


Believe it or not, we have arrived at a hotel with WiFi. At least, some semblance of WiFi. If I told you how long it took to load these pictures we could debate whether I am truly connected or not -- but they did get there, eventually.

The Seychelles are almost absurdly beautiful. They're like everyone's stereotypical idea of a tropical paradise, with turquoise water, colorful birds, copious sunshine broken by brief, refreshing rainstorms, exotic flowers and plants and plentiful relaxation. Nothing in the Seychelles happens quickly, as any Seychellois person will tell you.

Getting here turned out to be a challenge. Our flight left late from London, so by the time we arrived in Abu Dhabi we'd missed our connection. The airline put us up in a hotel (for a few hours, because by this time it was the middle of the night) and when we set out to find some food, all we could come up with was...


…McDonald's. But I must say, that was a darn good Big Mac. It's all about the special sauce, isn't it?

The next morning we were on the first flight out, and our arrival in the Seychelles went smoothly. We landed on Mahé, which is the main island, and got a brief tour of the capital, Victoria (which seems to be about eight square blocks) courtesy of our taxi driver. He then took us to the jetty for the ferry to Praslin, the location of our first hotel.


Praslin is a quieter island, with idyllic beaches like Anse Lazio, where the thatched lifeguard stand provided a place for some local romance. (The lifeguard himself is on the right, and he did seem to be paying attention.)


The wildlife is amazing. This orange bird is a Madagascar fody, and they're very common, flitting around in their bright breeding plumage. I think the little brown bird in front may be the female. Only the males turn orange, apparently.

We've seen lots of other amazing birds, and huge fruit bats that circle through the skies in afternoon and evening. We snorkeled on a reef, and yes, it was like an aquarium, to use a tired but truthful analogy.


And of course, we've seen lots of giant tortoises. Literally dozens of them. They love having their necks scratched.

Yesterday Dave and I went to the Valle de Mai, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the home of the Coco de Mer palm. These palms only grow in the Seychelles, mainly on Praslin, and they live an incredibly long time for a tropical tree -- something like 800 years. They're best known for their curvy and suggestive seeds, which weigh several kilos and are the largest in the plant kingdom.

Our guide at the Valle de Mai introduced himself as Sean, "just like Sean Connery -- but I can't act."

Dave quipped, "Well, you look just like him."


We've seen lots of geckos and lizards, too. And crabs! This place is simply crawling with crabs. The good kind.

We left Praslin yesterday and came back to Mahé, where we will spend the rest of our trip, being forced to witness sunsets like these:


Yes, they really look like that. Virtually every night.


Oh, and there's going to be a lot of this going on.

9 comments:

Ms. Moon said...

Well. You have found heaven, obviously.
God. Just enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

e said...

What Ms. Moon said...I am not normally afflicted with envy, but here I might just make an exception. Have a lovely time.

Sharon said...

Such gorgeous photos especially that sunset, wow. It really does look like a slice of paradise. Have fun!

ellen abbott said...

Oh you poor thing, having to endure all that beauty.

Linda Sue said...

New location for bucket list, I reckon! wowie, the tortoise is the thing that sells this holiday the most. What a lovely creature. So good of you to post on your blog, we are enjoying this very much.

37paddington said...

Your photos are amazing! It does remind me a lot of the Caribbean. Have you ever been there? I'd be curious to know how the two places compare.

Lynne said...

Hello! Oh, you are making me want to go back. I'm glad to hear it's still a very relaxing place and that hasn't changed about it. While on Praslin we stayed at the Village du Pecheur, but when I googled it just now it looks nothing like it did back in 1989/90.

I am not surprised at all that you did not have internet on Praslin.

That was also my first time ever snorkeling and anything else now does not compare. It did look like a stocked aquarium! So many beautiful fish.

Where are you staying in Mahé?

Enjoy the rest of your wonderful vacation!

Elizabeth said...

I am so afflicted with envy that I might cry.

The Bug said...

Well that's just glorious!