About The Trip

Where in the world is Suzanna going now?  I drew green circles around the destinations for this trip:

I drew green circles around the four Seychelles islands that we visited.  We stayed on Mahe for 2 nites, and Praslin for 2 nites. We visited La Digue and Moyenne.

I did this trip with

Adventures For Singles Inc www.adventuresforsinglesinc.com

Suzy Davis <suzy@adventuresforsingles.com> ( our "GTL" Gracious Trip Leader)

1907 Daniel Green Ct Smyrna GA 30080
Georgia: 770-432-8225 Elsewhere: 877-813-9421

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Day 1 Day 2 Tuesday, Nov 26 - Fly to JFK > Dubai > Seychelles

Whoops. This trip is not getting off to a good start. Ill start at the beginning. I set my alarm for 5 am. I woke up at 4:55. Get ready, leave the house, park the car at Park 'N Go on Camp Creek Parkway,  shuttle to the airport by 7:30.  I follow a tried and true practiced ritual on my drive to the airport: I go to McDonalds and get an egg McMuffin. I cram it into my carry on and Im not allowed to eat it till Im sitting at the gate. TSA lines are harried. I veer left and follow the tunnel to the other search area. So they arent kidding, they mean it when they say everything out of your pocket. Even Kleenex. Excuse me? Shoes off.  Stand legs apart, feet on the yellow outlines. Hands up, strike a pose for 3 seconds. They found something suspicious on me to so I was pulled aside. She was just as uncomfortable padding me down as I was having it done. Then grab all my stuff and shuffle (I use that word because I had to take off my belt and my pants were falling down so I couldnt walk normally) to the put yourself back together station. Shoes on, etc. At 8:45 I arrive at the gate for this flight - (There are at least 4 flights a day from Atlanta to JFK. I didnt pick the earliest. I picked the next one. ) DELTA AIR LINES ATL to JFK : DL 2350 Depart: 9:28 AM Arrive: 11:40 AM Atlanta, GA to New York-Kennedy, NY FLIGHT TIME: 2h 12m   So we are all waiting to board the plane and now a big. Ohhhh Nooooo....!    And what in the world is going on here?   They wheeled a dead person off the plane!  We are supposed to get on that plane!  Now they need to switch planes and our estimated departure is 10 am. I was tired of standing. I sat on the floor and what do I see peering out at me from an open case on the floor a very quiet cute, groomed coffee-colored (thats coffee with cream and sugar, not black coffee) Bishon Frze. Very very cute. Gives me an inquisitive look asking who are you? with her eyes. But most important, she is quiet.   So I am sitting on the floor by the gate. There is a dead person on a gurney in front of me, a baby screaming behind me, and a very cute furry doggie in a carrier right beside me. I think I need a coffee. In all my evenings of watching TV and flipping through channels, there are so many crime/solver/ stopper programs -  I don't consider my evening complete until I see at least one dead person on a gurney. Well, there it was. Right in front of me. In person. But this time I can't switch the channel to get rid of it.  Delta is handling it. Officials are scurring everywhere. They talk in hushed tones. Police , fire rescue, counselors. I did not see a single photo taken. Amazing. That is respect. OK I admit, the thought crossed my mind to take a photo, but I didn't. So how do journalists know when they cross the decency line? It felt like a photo would cross the line.   I digress about this journal - I was thinking that some time in the future after I retire that I possibly would act on my aspirations of maybe being a travel writer some time, later.  Not sure how to do that yet. Start with something. In the mean time, I compose and publish these trip journals so I can remember the trip, and so others on the trip can remember the trip. Many people on the trip told me that they stopped journaling because I was. Yes, that is what I do. I write. That is who I am. I am a Technical Writer at work, which I really enjoy, and a journal writer on these trips. It's a lot of work to organize and publish this trip journal, but it will be my rocking chair memory. So I gotta document it now while I can remember.  But I also know that the less I write, the less I'll have to type later...   We finally get to JFK.  I roll my carry-on bag off the plane. I don't need to collect luggage. CNN news broadcasting from the east coast airports are cancelling and delaying many many flight because of the weather. I was on the second flight, and there are 2 more flights to JFK just in case my flight didn't go. So now I'm here in New York.   I am relaxed, no travel stress. I have to meet the group at JFK for an 11 pm departure on Emerites to Dubai. Now I need to find a comfortable place to lounge at the airport. There is no carpet, and the floor is cold. Then benches have arm rests so you cannot lay down on the seats. I found a wonderful place. After you go through security, you have to take escalator down . At the bottom of the escalator turn toward the windows and there are wide window sill where I laid down, read and napped. Just a bit chilly though. I watched the snow plows line up ready to charge out and keep this airport open when needed. I watched a luggage puller do bumper cars to push another one out of the way by denting the front with a hard shove till there was enough clearance for him to get along. Thats entertainment.   Suzy told us to meet at Emirates in JFK. She arrived Nov 26 @ 7pm. "Will see you at check in or gate. I'll have AFS sign."  She was on one of later flights from ATL to JFK.   Weather got worse that afternoon, but no flights were cancelled and Suzy made it to JFK just fine. We had a group reservation and e-ticket numbers on award winning Emerates Airlines via Dubai. Check in begins 3 hours prior departure and closes 45 minutes prior. Just show our passport to get boarding pass.       EK= Emirates Air, JFK is an airport in New York, DXB = Dubai, SEZ= Seychelles GROUP NAME: DUBAI & SEYCHELLES GROUP, ADVENTURES FOR SINGLES INC. 1907 DANIEL GREEN CT SMYRNA, GA 30080 11/26/2013 - 11/28/2013 EMIRATES AIRLINES Flight No: 202 (30 Ticketed Passengers) From: New York (JFK) Departure: 11:00pm on 11/26 Dest: Dubai (DXB) Arrival: 08:30pm (next day+1) on 11/28   I found Suzy and the gate and met some others on the trip.  This is going to be a great experience (I'm referring to the trip). The JFK to Dubai plane trip was NOT a great experience. I was ... I can't find the appropriate adjective here....   The babies (plural) on the plane were not cute, quiet, little treasures; they were loud, obnoxious and somewhat annoying. How to handle a loud baby. Loud implies crying and every other noise that comes out of his lungs, over the vocal chords and out of that tiny little mouth. "How to handle" is not correct. You dont handle the baby, so maybe better to say: How to survive crying babies (plural). Ear plugs, good head phones cancel out feature, good music, sleeping pill, Benadryl, Be thankful that Im not right beside the poor wailing, sleep deprived, child and have sympathy for the parent that did not even get a nap and has to care for the kid. Be thankful that the flight will end, eventually. Albeit, 12 hours later, but it will end. We are 37 minutes before landing. Its a chorus of cries. 4 very upset children with very frustrated parents. A cacophony of cries. Sue called it stereophonic screaming.   We finally get to exit the plane.  Dubai Airport is empty when we arrive, but it quickly fills with people.  We have a 2:30 am flight so we are almost to the Seychelles! I am so tired. I cant even think straight. I was awake so many hours on the 12 hour flight. I might have slept 4 hours off and on. At least the food has been good on Emerites. Great airline. Well, except the Cheese omelet was not very good on airplane. I'm already eating too much. OK, my yawns are out of control now. Jan (next to me on airplane) understood about my writing obsession. It is not a bad thing. It is what I do. At 2 am the airport was packed with people. I saw the Starbucks and had flashbacks to Amman, Jordan.   Gate A12 1:00 pm DUBAI- SEYCHELLES 11/28/2013 - 11/28/2013 EMIRATES AIRLINES Flight No: 705 (30 Ticketed Passengers) From: Dubai (DXB) Departure: 02:30am on 11/28 Destination: Mahe Island (SEZ) Arrival: 07:05am 4.5 hour flight.   I left Atlanta on Tuesday.  On Thursday, I arrive in the Seychelles.  This little airport in Seychelles holds the Guinness record for smallest international airport.  Mahabe desk is the Welcome desk.

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Day 3 Thursday Nov 28 - Arrive Seychelles, the land of timeless beauty at 7am. B & D

We stayed 2 nights on Mahe island and 2 nights on Praslin island.   Mahe, Seychelles Picture a huge granite mountainits colors ranging from pure white to pitch blackrising nearly straight up from the sea: That's Mahe. Dotted with palm and other green trees and surrounded by more than 60 white-sand beaches, Mahe is the largest, most populated island in the chain and the group's economic and political center (90% of Seychellois live on this 17-mi- (27-km) -long island). The country's only town, Victoria, is one of the world's smallest capitals. A miniature clock tower marks the town center. Is was erected 1903 to commemorate full colonial status. It chimes twice each houronce on the hour and then again five minutes later for anyone who missed it the first time. Or another version of the reason, the first time to wake you up, and the second chimes to tell what time it is. There is also an open-air market, a cathedral, a colorful Hindu temple, several art galleries and a botanical garden. Victoria has a suitably quiet, lazy atmosphere. You can walk from one end of town to the other in 20 minutes.   Mahes coastline has 75 beaches and coves (known as anse in Seychelles) Mahe has more beaches, more hotels and more tourist facilities than any other island in the Seychelles. The hotels are located throughout Mahe, but our favorites are on the beach of Beau Vallon. If you're looking for a truly great beach, go to Anse Intendance on the southern end of the island. Snorkeling is very good right at the beach hotels, but we think some of the best snorkeling is at Port Launay Marine National Park, off the island's western coast. Divers and snorkelers will want to visit Ste. Anne Marine National Park, in the harbor off Victoria, which offers splendid views of coral and sealife100 species of coral and 900 species of fish live in the waters surrounding the islands. Ste. Anne was where the first settlers in the Seychelles lived. It has been a whaling station and a World War II gun battery, and is an important nesting site for the endangered hawksbill turtle.   Other island activities include great hikes on organized trails and excellent deep-sea fishing (wahoo, dogtooth tuna, marlin, bonito and others). Anse aux Pins (just south of the airport) has a nine-hole golf course, and several hotels offer tennis. There are casinos at Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort (at Beau Vallon) and the Plantation Club (at Baie Lazare).   87% of the population of Seychelles lives on Mahe Average GDP per capita (2010) was US$10,788, the minimum wage per omnth US$582. Prince William and Kate honeymooned in the Seychelles in the 6 + star resort. They booked the entire hotel.   Praslin Island, Seychelles The main attraction on Praslin is the Vallee de Mai . It is 45 acres (18 ha). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's home to the endemic coco-de-mer palms that produce the world's largest nutsthey can weigh as much as 40 lb/18 kg. The nuts got their namesea coconuthundreds of years ago when they washed up on the shores of Africa and Asia. When its outer shell is removed, the nut looks amazingly like a woman's pelvis, both fore and aft, which explains the nut's status as a collector's item. (The "male" part of the tree looks appropriately male, leading to predictable iconography to signify ladies and men's restrooms.)   Praslin is also home to some of the world's rarest birds, such as the black parrot, fruit pigeon and Seychelles bulbul. Take the self-guided walking trail to tour the Vallee de Mai (in the south-central part of the island), allowing at least two hours for the stroll (it can take a full half-day if you walk every trail). The island's best beach, exquisite Anse Lazio, is picture-perfectworth the hilly walk to reach it. The people on Praslin are exceptionally friendly, and the slow pace of life is very appealing. We suggest a stay of at least three nights. 30 mi/50 km northeast of Mahe.   More Marketing fluff:   These Indian ocean islands are soaring mountains covered with lush jungle. Although travel to Seychelles might be considered a luxury, Seychelles is without question a spectacular destination. The Seychelles Islands are filled with physical beautydistinctive granite rock formations, white-sand beaches and clear blue waters surrounding Seychelles' beaches. The Seychelles may be the only country described exclusively in hyperbole."Paradise," "Garden of Eden" and "spectacular" seem to be among the mostcommon terms employed. We can confirm that the hyperbole is well-earned, but what impresses us most has to do with people, not the scenery. We'reconvinced that one reason everyone comes back raving about the Seychelles is that, in addition to a beautiful setting, thesociety's attitude toward tourism is remarkably healthy. It seems to have avoided the atmosphere of mutual exploitation that exists on many Caribbean or South Pacific islands whose economies also rely ontourism. In the Seychelles, the gap between rich and poor is not striking: Local residents are as likely to be managing well-run properties as makingbeds. Pride in their islands is near universal, and resentment toward visitorsis, though not entirely absent, seldom expressed. Of course, this may change as the government continues to develop the islands for increased tourism. More cruise ships are visiting and new roadscart boatloads of people to once-isolated beaches. Numerous five-star hotelsand luxury resorts open every year, and older hotels are being refurbished toever-higher standards. Residents have been turning their homes into guest houses. Travelers who seek paradise may want to go sooner ratherthan later. There is one factor, however, that will always limit the number of visitors:cost. Its expensive to get to the Seychelles, and food and hotel prices arealso rather high. The foremost attractions of the Seychelles are beaches, bird-watching,snorkeling, scuba diving, waterskiing, big-game fishing, tropical scenery, windsurfing, surfing and local cuisine.   After our 4.5 hour flight (that left at 2:30 AM IN THE MORNING!) from Dubai to Seychelles, we arrive on Mahe island.  Feel the warm, humid air.  I'm truly on VACATION and loving it.  Forget that you've been travelling, on the go, for 50 hours.  Forget that you are dehydrated, hot and tried.  You can't be grumpy.  We are in PARADISE! All the suitcases made it.  Load us onto two different buses, suitcases went on a third bus. So now it is 8:30 am and Im sitting in the bus.  They give us wet wipes for our face and hands and a beautiful blue shaped bottle of water. I'm hot, tired, no longer dehydrated, and there is a smile on my face because look where we are!

Sutan is our guide. Our driver is Mr. Santille. They drive on the "other side" of the road here. It is 85% humidity and the temperature is 31 = 81 F We arrive at the hotel that we are staying at for two nights Nov 28 and Nov 29.   Transfer to Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort. P.O. Box 550, Victoria Mahe, Seychelles Tel : + (248) 4287 287 Fax : + (248) 4247 943 Email : mahe.inquiry@berjayahotel.com Beau Vallon means beautiful valley.  It is indeed beautiful.  Walk through the lobby of the hotel and you see this pool enveloped by the mountains. .

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Just past the pool is exquisite amazing perfection for pacifying the soul:

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Chairs that beckon my butt to be in them:

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While the hotel was getting our rooms ready, some people waited in hotel lobby. Some people went to the ocean, some out by the swimming in pool. He said the ATM location if you want to get local currency: turn left on the road, change money at reception, but bank is better in Victoria. Daniella, my roommate, finally showed up! Shes been here in the Seychelles for 2 days already.  Stayed at B&B on the S side of the island. A couple days ago she emailed me to make sure I leave a room key at the front desk. She is a very experienced traveler if she is thinking about that! This hotel has a huge chess board with thigh-high chess pieces.  Further past that was a tortoise enclosure. Tortoises are very slow moving, plant eating reptiles weighing an excess of 85 kilos and are known to live a long time. The largest population of tortoises are to be found on Aldabra, where the latest census count was 156 thousand. Tortoise are endangered species. Don't feed us! We are being looked after So please be gentle. Tortoise Feeding Session Time 4:00 pm   About 11 am we got our room key. It's a long walk down the hall on the second floor.  Very comfortable room with 2 full size beds, couch, desk. Shower in the bathroom. I took a short nap. Daniella was out all afternoon. Shes  was the ocean, in the waves, drinking in the sun.

I think its about 4 pm. Im so incredibly tired.  And Im really enjoying relaxing. After 6 months of stressful mandatory Monday-Wed-Friday 10 am meetings 30 people in each meeting to get this software release ready, its finally in beta and Im on vacation. Yeah!  I was also on vacation last weekend in St.Augustine where Scott ran a half marathon. That was a great vacation leading into this even better vacation! Sitting on a chaise by the pool, I love listening to the endless waves. Theres an occasional sprinkle of rain here. Just like the summers in Florida and Georgia. There is so much humidity, the clouds have to release some moisture.  Each drop is so loud when it hits the big strong bread fruit tree? leaves above me. Im wondering how Tom Hanks in Cast Away survived so long in the this. That was not Forest Gump. No thank you   --- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - --> Walking out to dinner we were greeted by this colorful splash in the sky.  This place is heaven sent - the turquoise waters and fine sand is the gold at the end of this rainbow  ---------------------->   Dinner Oh my goodness. Some people really dressed up for dinner. Very nice, but I hope it's not going to be like that every nite! I had a reversible long dress that I wore. Dinner was a delish, delicious buffet.  The hit, the best dish, at the buffet dinner was, dont laugh: Fish balls with banana curry. Very yummy. Also very good: the fried bread fruit chips. Bread fruit is the Tree of Life. Leaves are like giant oak leaves. Green cannonball fruit weighs up to 7 pounds (3 kg). serve as chips, mashed, pudding with coconut milk, or baked.

Our schedule tomorrow

7:30 breakfast
9 am departure

Spice garden etc

Tour till about 5 pm

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Day 4 Friday, Nov 29 Full day tour B & L

From the trip description: In many ways, Mahe is a spectacular island with towering mountains, 75 secluded beaches, nature tails and colorful markets. It is the largest island of 152 sq kilometers and the cultural hub of 85,000 diverse ethnic people from Africa, Asia and Europe. Today enjoy a full day tour which begins up Sans Souci Rd for breathtaking views. We visit Mission Lodge with relics of the school of children of the freed slaves. This is your best Kodak moment. Then we discover the landmarks of Victoria such as the Catholic Cathedral, National Museum and famous Clock Tower. Visit the bustling market for local spices and unique handicrafts. (Good duty free shopping also here for tanzanite and other gems.) Continue to La Plaine St Andre, a plantation house built in 1792. It has a story to tell. You'll learn about Seychelles settlements, traditions and island species. Visit extensive medicinal herb garden: At Takamaka Bay Rum Co here, we get a guided tour of the distillery. Sample the famous spirit of Seychelles. Later on the mountainous southwest, we visit Jardin du Roi or king's garden set. 1771. Here's a re-creation of a working plantation which grows tropical fruits, aromatic spice plants, endemic palms and more. Also see various animals like parrots, fruit bats and giant tortoises. We have a lunch here with superb local dishes in the rustic Creole restaurant overlooking Anse Royale Bat. (The owner makes herbal ice creams here as well.) Evening at leisure at resort or head into town. Jeeps and buggies are say to hire. Visit bars, pubs and an open air club with live music. Local mix freely with visitors. B, L Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort    Our tour is from 9-5 today. Ciril Cereal Siril is our guide and our driver is Mr. Sanvil He said "there is always a chance to buy water." The group is divided into 2 buses of 20 each so we got the smaller group feel with this large group. Tour Schedule: Hindu temple Victoria market Catholic church Mission lodge Tea plantation Michael Studio artist 1:15 lunch included 1:30 spice garden Anse Royale beach 3:30 craft village

This is the traffic in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles. This is the main street through the city.

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We parked and went into the Hindu temple:

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Very colorful. 

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Next we went to Victoria Market.    The market was started in 1939.   All the prices are fixed - there is no bargaining here. You dont need to change money. He told us to use US dollars. There are a lots of fruit, vegetable and a fish market.  Also clothing and this is the best place to buy souvenirs.

	I think this is bread fruit 11
What is this?  Prickly fruit?	This is not a pansy! 41

Are the peppers above or the fish below more colorful ?!?!?!?

 

Next we visited the Catholic (Roman) church.

It was built in 1890

Adjacent to the church is a beautiful house of the Bishop and Moorishan Monk built 1936.

 It has an underground hiding place build in WWII

Here is the text from the sign in front of the church

Cathedrale de L'immaculee Conception

- Cathedral of Immaculate Conception

Horaire des Messes - Time of Masses

Lundi / Monday          6.15 am

Mardi / Tuesday         6.15 am

Mercredi / Wednesday

Couvent St. Joseph      6.15 am

Cathedrale / Cathedral 12.15

Jeudi / Thursday

Couvent Ste. Elizabeth 6.15 am

Cathedrale / Cathedral 5.15 pm

Adoration,Confession et Messe

Ventredi / Friday      6.15 am

Samedi / Saturday      4.30 pm

Dimanche / Sunday      7.00 am

                       9.00 am

There are 18 religions.

Predominant Religions: Christian (Roman Catholic).

According to the 2002 census, most Seychellois are Christians:

82.3% are Roman Catholic (our guide said 88%)

6.4% are Anglican

4.5% are of other Christian denominations. 

There are small minorities who practice Hinduism (2.1%) and Islam (1.1%).

Other non-Christian faiths account for 1.5% of the population while a further 2.1% were non-religious or did not specify a religion.

Inside the church:

Next we drive up Sans Souci mountain.

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We stopped to look at a cemetery. He said the cemetery was started by pirates, then slaves, then people with leprosy.

A Giant (2 meters / 6.6 feet) tall is buried here.

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We passed the house of the American ambassador.

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We stopped the bus on the side of this narrow road so we can get out and take photos.

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The photo below shows mountainous islands where they cannot build houses, so they have to make "artificial islands". 

Blow sand until you can build on it. 

The islands populated with houses and red roofs are the man-made islands.

The islands with mountains were made by God.

Economic and other information

2.5 megawatts fans provide wind power. About 3 months ago they built the fans. It was diesel generators

There is social security tax.

There is unemployment payments.

You work till you are 63 years old, then get pension till you die.

There are public medical clinics. No pay be there are private clinics also.

Public school is free and there are private schools also: 8,000 rupees for 8 months term.

There one university now. Built 2 years ago. Accounting, business.

Average income $250/ month wages.

There is no unemployment

There are many resorts that need workers.

800 people are needed to work in the Tuna fish factory. Only 250 are from Seychelles.

The company provides food and living.

95% of the houses here are private owned.  The government builds social houses.

Tourism #1 economic income.

Import meat fruit, soft drinks.

There are 3 flights a week of imports.

Export fish

There are 30 types of bananas
and 30 types of mangos

2 acres cost 3 million rupees 200,000 EU

150,000 EU for a nice house.

There are 2,000 - 3,000 soldiers in the army for the coast guard.

There are about 80 pirates are in prison.

Car 16,000-20,000 USD
Or 100,000 rupees + 100% tax.

Our next stop is the  

Mission Lodge

Venn's Town Mission

Venn's Town, better known as "Mission" was a settlement whereby a boarding school was founded in 1875 by Reverend William Chancellor of the Church Missionary Society of London to care for and educate the children of slaves freed by the British Navy.

The Mission officially closed in 1889 when the pupils deserted to attend the new Mission Schools in Victoria but carried on unofficially until 1903.

Sign:

1835 Abolition of slavery by England. The Royal navy intercept Arab dhows doing the trade of East African slaves.

1860 2409 African slaves are set free on Mahe in the next 10 years

1872 First concern expresses about the freed children
1874 The Anglican Church Missionary Society proposes a training institution

1875 An appeal is made for funds from abroad

1876 The colonial Government allocates 20 hectares for the school project

1876 Venn's Town school officially opened at Capucin (March 20th)

1883 Visit of Marianne Noth who does several painting on site
1885 E. Locock is the fourth and last know head of school (1885-1894)

1908 Official reports mention Mission as a forestry experimental site

1972 H.R M. Queen Elizabeth II inaugurates the viewing lodge
1976 Independence of Seychelles

1979 The Morne Seychellois National Park is designated.

These are my notes from the guide   In the 1800s slaves were forced to come to the Seychelles. The population was 3,000 rich white people. 130 of the slaves revolted, and escaped to this place to hide and to live. Transport was by horses. In 1835 all slaves were freed. Some returned, some stayed and marry whites -  and that is how our population started. Seychelles people came from Africa, Arabia, India, Europe, Persia and even China ancestors. . The picture to right is the remains of their houses.             The picture below is their view

A the base of this tree is the grave of a slave. Are those coconuts???

After the mission, we drove through the Morne Seychellois National Park. We are about 2000 feet (600 meters) high.  That's a high mountain on this island! He pointed to cardamom plants that grow wild here. Then he exited the bus to carve some bark off the cinnamon tree. We passed the bark around the bus and it very potent. Cinnamon is an invasive (not evasive) plant.

We get to the other side of Mahe near Port Glaud and stop for photo again.    The island in this picture is owned by a Russian. When you own an island, the beaches are still public, There is a restaurant on the island you can walk to it during low tide, but for high tide, you must take boat. In the bottom left corner is a building. It was a Sheraton 5 star hotel.   He said the 2000 Miss Universe pageant was held there, but on Wikipedia, I found it was really the 1997 Miss World pageant. Now the building is deserted and "under renovation. We are driving South along the western side of the Mahe island. Down to Anse La Mouche. This is where the 2004 tsunami hit.  Only 2 people died in this area "Anse" means "beach" 1

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Near Anse La Mouche we stopped for lunch and to tour their herb garden.

  Some things for sale in the shop: Museade (nut), Patchouli

Our table was the last group in line for lunch.  They served us and there was plenty of food. Yum, yum, yum.

Fish (delicious)

Banana in coconut milk

Lentils

Pumpkin for our Thanksgiving

Dessert was carmelized water apple and Ice cream lemon grass and cinnamon flavors.

On the sign below: Blue Pigeon              Seychelles Chameleon       Coco de Mer                                                     Lodoicea maldivica Paradise Flycatcher      Seychelles Kestrel         Leaf Insect                                                     Phyllium bioculatum Seychelles Magpie-Robin  Pitcher Plant              Scops Owl Seybrew                  Frog                      Giant Tenebrionid Beetle Beericus Deliciousi   Since 1972, SeyBrew has been the most enjoyed beer throughout the islands of Seychelles. Brewed and bottled by a 150-strong team of Seychellois professionals, using the finest ingredients imported from three continents, SeyBrew is more than a beer - it's an institution. A symbol of national pride. An icon that, to this very day, remains distinctly Seychellois.

We had a very nice tour of the their herb garden Here is picture of  Turmeric

The "largest vegetable garden" on the islands.  They build roofs to shade for less sun.   We need to build a roof to keep the heat in our green houses.

Hospital (financing from the Chinese).   Our guide said the "Hospital is free of charge.  And the Cemetery is also free of charge."

We drove back across the southern tip of the island from the West side to the East side to this beach: Anse Royale

The beach has beautiful blue/green water.

The bus stopped at the side of the road.  There some parking for cars, but not for busses.

We got out and walked along the side of the road.  Some people crawled down on the rocks, but we kept walking another 50 feet to the beach entrance.

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Nice, small beach with white sand. 

We are here for 45 minutes and there is a light rain so I am parked under a big leaf tree staying dry.

 There is about 10 from our group in the water.     GORGEOUS Water !!!!

Next stop about 4 pm is the Craft village.

There are lots of shops with souvenirs.  Big hats, Indian coral strand.

They also had a beautiful colonial home that was  restored by the Seychelles Heritage Foundation.

Conserving, administering, and putting to the best use the cultural heritage assets of Seychelles"

There was no cost to go inside the house. It reminded me of Hemingways house in Havana. Open windows for air to blow through. Gingerbread lattice. Ornate white picket fence around the wraparound porch.

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I didn't feel like venturing out for dinner so I stayed in the hotel and ate with Dixie and Jan at the a la carte Chinese. I got

230   Chicken Thai Sauce

210   Fried mixed vegetables

 76   House Red wine

 51 Service Charge

 77 VAT

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645 Total, which is $58.00 USD.

Great conversation and good food. Yum. I love vacations.

Our schedule tomorrow:

Depart 9:15. Tour till about4:30

Bring Swim suit, towel, snorkel, sunscreen.

Restaurant boat house. The Boat House buffet dinner on the beach

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Day 5 Saturday, Nov 30 - Full day in St Anne Marine National Park & Moyenne island

From the trip description: Today we discover the magic of the colorful underwater world of the Seychelles. This wonderful glass-bottomed boat excursion is a must for any visitor. The marine park was created n 1973 for the preservation of wildlife. They are the nesting site for hawksbill turtles. See nurse sharks, stingrays, angle fish and barracudas. We cruise over incredible sea grass meadows to 3 islands; Ste. Anne with exquisite resorts, Round Island, a former leper colony and Moyenne which has a population of two! (and a restaurant for the 2). We stop to snorkel and swim clear waters that reveal glorious coral reefs. See a variety of fish, such as the parrot and butterfly fish, bottle nose dolphins and giant Aldabran turtles frequent theses waters. Delicious BBQ lunch is served on the beach. B,L Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort

There was a wakeup call, but we did not need it. Daniella was up before 6 and out of the room to document the sunrise.

This morning I woke up to a pouring rain at 7 am.  I think it rained all night. It should stop by 9 am. I hope.

Wow. We had great tours on our first day (yesterday). I got to see temples, churches, and the market in town.

Looking forward to another wonderful day in paradise.

So I'm going down to breakfast in my swimsuit and cover-up. This is a first. They had porridge on the breakfast buffet yesterday. Yum. I love porridge. Ill also get eggs today.

Today is a beach day. 9:15 depart 1 bus, and 2 other vehicles.

We rode past the Seychelles Yacht Club to the dock.

They loaded out group onto glass bottom boats.

Val, Mary, Valerie, Kelly

Suzy, Lisa, Christa hangin' out

We passed the wind turbins:

We saw the Coral reef in glass bottom and fed the fish.

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While the boat was running, the guide tried to lecture us on a history lesson of the island country.

That didnt go over very well.  The diesel engine fumes wafted in the air, we really need to get moving instead of sitting there inhaling fumes.

Finally, we're on our way to the next stop:

Moyenne Island

The entire island, just for our us! 

The sign says:

Landing Fee Euro 10 / USD 12

Payable at the Jolly Roger Bar

Allows:

Access to Jolly Roger Bar and Restaurant

Access to walking trails

Toilet facilities

Beach shower

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The smallest National Park in the Seychelles

Moyenne is a beautiful island, set like a jewel in the middle of the Ste Anne Marine National Park, and only 20 minutes by boat from the main town of Victoria. Moyenne is the only island within the Marine Park to have been declared a protected area, and at only 9 hectares, it forms the smallest terrestrial National Park in the Seychelles.

The island's lush tropical woodland imparts a feeling of natural peace and tranquility, and together with the small white sandy beaches and surrounding coral reefs teeming with fish, provides the best of both terrestrial and marine worlds.

The island was bought by an Englishman, Brendon Grimshaw, in 1962 but he only came to live on the island in the early 1970s. Brendon and his Seychelles friend, Rene Lafortune, gradually and painstakingly "created a nature reserve out of what was formerly a hunk of waterless bush", restoring the island by hand from scrub to a more natural wooded environment in which Giant Tortoises roam free and birds abound, and a number of endemic plant species now thrive.

Rene unfortunately did not live to see Moyenne Island declared a National Park in 2008. And when Brendon himself died in 2012, the island was bequeathed to the Moyenne Island Foundation Society, which Brendon established in 1998 as a non-profit NGO, and which is now responsible for the island's management.

The text from the brochure:

The island has a fascinating history, with tales of pirates and huge treasure (which Brendon was never able to find) and stories of ghosts (with whom Brendon had personal encounters).Two of the graves in the tiny cemetery are reputedly those of pirates, In the more than two centuries of human settlement of the Seychelles, only four owners of Moyenne have actually lived on the island.

The main path around the island passes the ruins of two old houses. One was occupied by the earliest traceable owner, Melidor Louange, ages 16. He was a carpenter and married Jule Chiffon, ages 16. They lived on Moyenne for 42 years until they sold it to Alfred d'Emmerez de Charmoy for 301 rupees, a princely sum in those days. Alfred is reputed to have used 10 rupee notes to light his cigars!

The other ruined house, known as the House of Dogs, was built by the next owner, Miss Emma Wardlow Best, an English woman who loved animals. She collected stray dogs from neighboring Mahe and gave them a good home at the house between 1899 and 1919, when she died. Miss Best left island to two friends with strict injunction that nothing, "not even a rat" was to be killed.

The cool veranda at the top of the island's main steps provides a magnificent view over the water of the marine national park towards the mountains of Mahe. Maison Moyenne, Brendon's house while he was alive is to be converted into a museum reflecting the life of this amazing man who with his close friend Rene, turned a small neglected island into a tiny tropical paradise. Brendon's grave lies next to the little chapel, along with that of his father, Ray, who came to live on the island at the age of 87

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in 1982, and of course the two pirates.

Brendon left a wonderful legacy of Seychelles, residents and overseas visitors alike - a place for nature to thrive, an environmental treasure trove for all who step ashore. Enjoy the island in peace; take home photos and wonderful memories (and also any packaging or other rubbish!) leaving only footprints and the tranquil natural beauty that you found.

Enjoy exploring the island along the main path, which is marked and easy to follow - the small sandy coves, huge granite boulders, tiny chapel, a museum... or follow other smaller tracks to discover Hanni's haunt or Treasure Peak, taking special care as these smaller trails can be slippery, and watch for the deep holes ("digs") where treasure was searched for but never found!

There was a book about the 2 men living on the island. I did not get the title. Anyway.  

    Manny with a tortoise!                        

Our boat pulls up on the white sand beach (called a "Sandspit" on the map below).

We get out of the boats to enjoy our island paradise experience. 

Walk along the beach a short way to the steps that lead up, up, to the house, "restaurant" and toilets (the "Jolly Roger Restaurant" on the map below.

When we get up there, there are turtles, HUGE turtle, I mean "tortoises" everywhere!  Everybody was taking pictures.

The guy said you could sit on the turtle! 

Yes, that is a very obnoxious touristy thing and looking back, probably not very proper to do.

Mr. Tortoise didn't seem to mind.

He started to walk!  No problem. 

That's one strong Ninja turtle!

The female turtle shell is flat, the male is rounded.

Ages 30-90. Oldest is 200 on Seychelles.

Giant tortoises are only found in 2 places in the world: The Galapagos, and Seychelles.

They grow up to 1.6 ft high, weigh 330 pounds (150 kg) and live up to 200 years. 

Giant Seychelles tortoises have survived for 150 million years, since the age of the dinosaurs.

Some of those seen today on La Digue are more than 90years old.

They have no teeth, drink water through their noses and their biggest threat is the sun.

We had some time before the dinner, so a boat took a group out to good spot on the marine reserve where there is good snorkeling.

Some people stayed around the house, some stayed on the beach and another group did a hike around the island.

The guided hike just went to the graves and church.  Some small group continued around the island. 

The hike around the ENTIRE island,  with the pause on the other side beach, I'm guessing took about 45 minutes. 

The hike was difficult in places. Climbing up and down rocks.

If you go here, take the time to find spots labeled on this map.  Allen did all the hikes and found some real treasures to photograph.

Here is the graves and the church.  The label on two of the graves is "Unhappily Known", presumably pirates are buried there.

They have posted "Tortoises have the right of way" and then you see Mr. Tortoise in the middle of the path. 

Hmmm, do you go over him, around him?  You need to get out of his way!

And what is this dude up to?  What a show off!  Do a little dance !

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Day 6 Sunday, Dec 1 - After breakfast check out and transfer to Mahe

From trip description: After breakfast check out and transfer to Mahe Jetty for a 1 hour boat ride over to Praslin Island which is famous for its vanilla orchids, endemic lizards and the black parrot. With just 7000 inhabitants, it covers 27 sq. miles. Transfer from pier to Paradise Sun Resort. This gem has lush gardens and sits right on Cote d'or beach. Discreetly tucked behind granite boulders, there is a crescent shaped bay with our white powder sand beach 2 miles long. Aquamarine waters stretch to an endless horizon. The resort has WIFI in your room and even on the beach! There are bicycles to hire and taxi boats for a nominal charge. Onsite is the Whitetip Dive Center with all snorkel and dive equipment so no need to pack it. They offer fun water sport tours to 17 sites. Also yoga, nature walks, volleyball, pool, shops and Creole cooking lessons. Day at leisure to enjoy the heavenly beach, spa or perhaps visit some outer islands. It's easy to visit Cousin Island or St Pierre Marine Park from here. Dinner tonight included, a themed buffet dinner or barefoot at the resort Beach Restaurant. B, D Paradise Sun   Breakfast omelet station fruit juices. Cheese breads, last night leftovers and porridge. Yum. At breakfast this morning some were worried about sea sickness and people on the trip were offering pills to help.  It's great to see the group looking out for others we had water retention cures, tummy problems, etc. concern to help others.   Today we are taking a ferry to another island - Praslin (you don't pronounce the "s") Its 9:15, bus leave at 9:30. We were transported to the ferry. We have to check in our luggage and have it weighed. Zeke gave his sis Farley a beautiful Berington flower! When we were lined up to get on the ferry, I ask Suzy if I could distribute my card. Everyone could see that i was writing the entire trip, so I want to share this journal with everyone.   No one expected it would take so long to document this short trip though...   It 10:45 wow. Very cool and comfortable temp. We boarded the ferry.  Very few of us downstairs in the air conditioning. Next floor up is open air and people up on top. This is an adventurous sun seeker group. I found a place to lay down and write. It doesnt get much better than this. 1 hour ferry ride to this island. I circled our hotel location below:

Hotel Dec 1-2 Praslin Paradise Sun.   http://www.paradisesunhotel.com/Praslin%20Seychelles/Home

Beautiful beach resort. Free sea kayaks, canoes, bikes and snorkel equipment
Physical Address: Paradise Sun Hotel, Anse Volbert, Praslin Island, Republic of Seychelles
Telephone (+248) 4293 293 Fax (+248) 4232 019 Email paradise@seychelles.net

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Suzy warned us that that most of our rooms are on second floor. Porters are available.

Information:

7 - ? Breakfast

7-9? Dinner. There is no dress code

6 pm meet at the restaurant

7 pm dinner

Danielle bag got there first.  She put on her suit and was out.

I waited on the balcony, gazing out to the beach 

1:15 wow. Now this is paradise. Sitting on the balcony of our room looking out on crystal clear blue water.

Quiet waves gently washing up on shore. Plenty of lounge chairs on the beach with thick pads.

2:30 more of paradise in the restaurant on the beach. Warm (not hot) wind blowing. Nice.

(I think I might be the only woman on this trip that did NOT have painted toe nails!! )  

Yup, Paradise

And I'm here to take it in

At our Paradise sun 6 pm pre-dinner meeting, Suzy briefed us on Dubai

We will arrive Dubai 1 pm

The Bursh sail shape

High Tea $120

Bursh Kalifa Atmosphere 127 floor.

9-2 or 8 to noon - city tour, then gold souk.

Desert safari 4:30-10

Several groups were booking High Tea, etc. 

Here is Happy hour with the honey moon couple enjoying a cocktail: Bob and Kathy.  Behind is Cheryl and Manny.

Dinner was in this "dining room" - the chairs are on the sand. 

As the evening progresses, your front chair legs sink further into the sand, so you are leaning forward..

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7 pm yummy buffet dinner. Grilled pork, chicken fish, eggplant. International buffet had potatoes au gratin, mashed carrots, chicken curry, salad station, bread.

Dessert island A BIG chocolate cake. Huge round 20-inch choc mouse. 5 high with thin layers of cake yum.

I sat across from Suzy at dinner. She answered lots of questions and we traded travel stories.

I shared my worst travel experience of a naked Jennifer at Petra, and again a naked Jennifer in Amman, Jordan closing down the airport. Yes, that really happened,  read all about it here.

There was live music after dinner. Show songs and Christmas music. Yes, it is almost Christmas and here I am sweating in the tropics. 

After I heard "I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus" in English and the he sang the song AGAIN in French!,  that was too much. 

Off to bed. 

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Day 7 Monday, Dec 2 - Full day to tour Praslin and La Digue

From the trip description:  After a tour of Praslin, we visit Vallee de Mai, UNESCO WH Site of a botanical paradise. It's believed to be the original Garden of Eden for its endemic Coco de Mar, the world's largest nut which only grows in this amazing forest. You'll learn about these unique male and female palms that mate. Then our tour takes us to the exquisite Anse Lazio Beach. Year after year, it is voted as "the world's best beach" with astonishing beauty of living corals and balmy waves. Later we transfer to pair for a boat ride over to La Digue Island. It is protected with masses of pink granite rocks which seem to have exploded on the coastline. This is the home and breeding ground of the rarest birds like Black Paradise Flycatchers, Waxbill and more. In La Digue, time stands still. Transport is only by ox carts and bicycles in an area of only 10 sq miles. The island trademark must visit is L'Union Estate with its coconut oil mill, old kiln and fine colonial house set in vanilla and coconut plantations. As you stroll here, you can pet the gentle land tortoises before we settle on another stunning beach of Ansse Source d'Argent. Set against exceptional rock formations, it remains a source of inspiration for artists and it will take your breath away. Tonight we'll celebrate with a farewell dinner. B,D Paradise Sun

This hotel has wonderful breakfasts!  The offerings were extensive. Some things included:
Coconut nougat, Tropical fruit jam, guava jam, star fruit jam, banana jam.

Creole biscuits, cassava gallet, carrot juice, mixed tropical juice, banana smoothie, mango smoothie, fruit and juices,

In the hotel lobby where we were all gathered, Suzy reviewed our Praslin Tour day schedule today

8:15 depart
Wear your Swim suit, bring bug spray
walk in the park 1:15.
Boat to La Digue island.
Coconut processing plantation
Life in the past.
Vanilla plantation.
Arse beach, swim, lunch.
Shopping.
4:30 return to boat.
5 pm back to hotel.

8:15 meet the bus
Moyra is our guide today.

Our schedule

She said we will visit the nuts. Well see the only place where coco de mer grows
10 am boat to La Digue. 15 minutes.

Coconut plantation

Lunch

Cast away beach.

There is a small airport here on Praslin

It is the rainy-hot season now, so there is calm water. Water is rough in August.

Our guide said there are Jobs for everybody. There are many resorts here.

There are jobs that people dont want to do

Tourism, fishing, agriculture, arts and craft.

Reclaimed land is artificial"

For the houses (flatter land)

Hospital is free of charge.  Cemetery is also free of charge.

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Here we are at the Vallee De Mai

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The signs says

Stepping out of the Shadows
30 years of discovery at the Vallee De Mai
The 30th Anniversary of the Vallee de Mai as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Vallee de Mai supports:

the largest coco de mer population

core Seychelles black parrot breeding habitat

one of the only two populations of the rare giant bronze gecko

at least 14 species of endemic reptile and amphibians

invertebrates which are endemic to coco de mer forest

healthy populations of five of the six endemic Seychelles palm species

This is a World Heritage Site in 1983 because of extraordinary palm producing the worlds largest nut and home to endemic Black parrot.

Entrance fee is SR 335.

We are going on a hike through this beautiful forest

At the first stop, the guide shows us the FAMOUS Coco De Mer palm tree parts.

Coco de mer palm trees or KOKO-D-MER   (Lodoicea maldivica) PALMAE

The coco de mer palms have given Seychelles its exotic reputation as the islands of love

Sometimes nicknamed the "love nut" because of the shape of its fruit which, with the husk removed, presents a "double" coconut resembling buttocks.

Male catkins and double female nuts bear a striking resemblance to the respective human reproductive organs

The coco-de-mer produces the world's heaviest seed pods. The jellyfish tree is to be found in only a few locations on Mahe.

This strange and ancient plant in a genus of its own (Medusagynaceae) has resisted all efforts to propagate it.

For the Coco de mer tree, you wait 20-40 years before you can see it is male or female tree.

There are tree with boy parts - Dont eat male parts. Male parts are only used to reproduce.

And the female trees with THE NUT

Female Coco de mer coconut palm that produces the coco de mer nut -  we were calling it the butt nut.

The jelly inside the nut is sweet.

After 9 months and jelly is solid then you cannot eat it any more.

It is the biggest nut and Biggest aphrodsiac.

The nuts can weigh as much as 40 lb/18 kg.

Yellow flower on male part is only there for 24 hours to make the fruit it takes 7 years.

Female tree only receptive to the flower once in its lifetime.

Has a split leaf base  

Here is our GTL showing us the Coco de Mer tree parts

Here is the text from some signs that were posted in the forest:

Male Coco-de-mer

Coco-de-mer palms are either male or female, but until a tree first produces flowers, sometime between 15 and 40 years, there is no visible difference.

Male "catkins" are the phallic male inflorescence can reach an impressive two meters.

Some male palms produce 2 or 3 of these at once. Between the overlapping brown "bracts" are deep pits containing the male flowers.

There are 60 to 70 flowers in each pit. opening sequentially.

Each flower has prominent yellow anthers and produces a strong heavy scent.

The nectar and pollen are food for several endemic animals ... bright green geckos (Phelsuma spp.), white slugs (Vaginula seychellensis) and insects.

The split at the base of each large leaf stalk allows water to seep down the trunk to the roots.

Juvenile coco-de-mer

The leaves of young coco-de-mer palms are amongst the largest in the plant kingdom, dwarfing the other palm seedlings and swaying gigantically above us. They form an excellent device for catching and channeling rainfall down to the roots, which in a palm do not spread out very far. A trunk is formed only after about 15 years.

Young coc-de-mer plants provide several useful products, including weaving material for hats and bags, strong flexible string for tying thatch, and decorative wall and ceiling linings. The fine brown fibrous material on the underside of newly opened leaves was once used for dressing wounds and stuffing pillows. Palms within Vallee do Mai are fully protected.

Coco-de-mer bowl

At the base of the a coco-de-mer palm is an extremely dense and durable "bowl" which is punctured by numerous finger-sized holes, and resembles a huge colander. The bowl forms a socket, into which fits the bulbous base of the trunk. The tough, flexible, rope-like roots pass through the holes in the bowl anchoring the palm to the ground.
It is thought that this arrangement allows a certain amount of movement of the trunk in strong winds, for the trunk itself is inflexible and cannot bend in the wind like the trunk of a coconut palm.

Dead standing coco-de-mer trunks slowly decay and are in the favored nesting site of the Seychelles black parrot. The coco-de-mer bowl, however, is extremely resistant and remains for many years.

Marketing fluff: General Gordon of Khartoum (in 1881) was convinced that the Seychelles islands were the original Garden of Eden and the coco de mer was the "tree of knowledge of good and evil." Of the many myths surrounding theretically shaped coco de mer nuts, a local fable tells that when the moon is full, the trees make love. Should you be a witness to this phenomenon, however, you will instantly be turned into a black parrot. Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (1552-1612), promised to pay everyone who'd bring him a coco de mer the astronomic sum of 4,000 golden florins (probably more thanUS$200,000 of today). There are 70 varieties of palm trees. 6 varieties are endemic. We saw a palm tree where the roots grow down from the trunk to stabilize the tree. She showed us a "4 spice tree".  One leave contains the seasoning of four spices: clove, pepper, nutmeg, cinnimon in one leaf in the plant. Here is picture of durians on a tree. Tastes like heaven, smells like hell.

Daniella managed to take photo of two very rare giant bronze geckos.  From Wikipedia:

The giant bronze gecko (Ailuronyx trachygaster) is a species of lizard in the Gekkonidae family endemic to Seychelles

Ailuronyx is a small genus of geckos from Seychelles, commonly known as skin-sloughing geckos. They have a reputation for delicacy and especially for shedding strips of skin if handled.

Classification of genus Ailuronyx

Seychelles bronze gecko, A. seychellensis

Seychelles dwarf bronze gecko, A. tachyscopaeus

Giant bronze gecko or yellow gecko, A. trachygaster

Solicitation fluff: The Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) is responsible for the management and protection of the Seychelles two Natural World Heritage sites: Aldabra Atoll and Vallee de Mai. SIF strives to maintain the outstanding universal values of both sites for humanity. You can support the preservation of these two sites through your donation. Thank you very much!   At the end of the hike, we went back to the building where they had some shops. And we found out that we have a some shoppers in the group. Manny was all smiles when he got on the bus showing off his (butt) nut!!!! He got papers with it to show it is legal to own. So now it is 9:45 and we have to drive to the dock to get onto a ferry that leaves at 10 am! We made it to the dock and the ferry just in time. We are going to this island:  La Digue

We are herded toward these ox carts. How cool.  The driver kept telling us the scoot forward so we don't strangle the ox!

Allan feeding the ox puling the cart behind us:

The ox's take us the "Coconut factory"   In the morning, they pick up the coconuts, remove the husk, then take them to the kiln to dry for 4 days. They dehydrate and it transforms into an oily component called copra.  They put the copra into the center barrel (in the picture below), the bulls goes around which moves the center trunkc and presses the copra and extracts the oil.  They showed the oil from the short demonstration for our group.    The leftovers are called pumak and that is fed to the chicken and birds.   Back in the 70's we would slather coconut oil all over our skin to "get a better tan".  If had no USP sun protection, so you just end up getting burnt.

Vanilla is cultivated on the islands.

This is a Vanilla plantation.

Vanilla planifolia, an orchid, is a creepingvine that clings to a host tree. Each flower has to be hand-pollinated. The long, bean-shaped pods are later picked by hand and dried on racks in thesun for four months. Pure vanilla essence is distilled on La Digue.

From flower to kitchen, it takes 9 months to prepare. 

She is cleaning the vanilla in this picture.  Manualy wiping each strand.

There was a cemetery right next to this - the sign said:

La Digue Cemetery

The cemetery was the private burial place for the Mellon family who was among the first settlers on La Digue during the early 1800's. Mrs. Louise Mellon (nee Desjardins) was the first owner of L'Union. Her sons, friends and relatives are buried here. Her descendants still live on La Digue

Restoration Project of the l'Union Cemetery by the Seychelles Heritage Foundation (SHF) in partnership with the Cantier d'Histoire et Architectures Medievalies (CHAM) and with the participation of

a) (From La Digue) L Union Estate La Digue Island Lodge District Authorities La Digue Community

b) La D.R.A.C Couseit Regional Conseil General La Prefecture

c) L'Ambassade de France aux Seychelles.

It was in this cemetery that the first inhabitants of La Digue were buried.

La Passe Jety

We did a nice, long, slow walk to the next beach. Anse Source d'Argent

This is the beach where portions of the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks was filmed.

You could walk a long, long way along the beach, or behind the beach through these beautiful boulders:

I spy a bride!

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Keep walking along and you pass boulders, more turquoise water

Keep walking and you pass draping palm trees adored with beautiful women:

Keep walking along, and you pass more turquoise water, sand beaches:

Beauty and perfection goes on forever

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Allen enjoying the view:

I walked with Allen as far as we could walk, then we had to get back to eat lunch.  That was a great afternoon. But it wasn't over!

After lunch they had two trucks waiting for us to transport us the most Top-rated beach in the world!

Grand Anse beautiful beaches, dangerous currents.

There are very intense strong currents and waves. I call it "Pull your pants off waves".

The best way to get out was to dive under the waves to get out further.

Very cool photo of Daniella and Melissa by Juliana:

We were at this beach from about 2:15 to 3:15. Then back on the 2 transports. We rode back of 2 trucks.

There was lots of exhaust on our bus. I was in the front cab on way there. 3:50 back at the dock.

Small souvenir shops. Soda , beer, Kim went on a mission to find ice cream for our guide.

Showing purchases on the dock waiting to board, Amy said I went into the ocean in my pajama pants, so I bought these wild pants to sleep in  Very cute.

Evening and tomorrow's schedule

7 pm cocktail hour
7:30 dinner
9 pm to room
Close out room charges
3:15 wake up
3:30 bag out
Box breakfast.
4:15 group 1 depart
4:40 group 2 depart.
15 minutes flight
Check in Mahi.
7K 14 pounds carry on
22k 42 pounds checked luggage.

7 pm. Happy hour in the hotel lobby.

They were passing out glass of rum punch.  I told the barender  I dont drink rum . So he is trying to accommodating. I said "I drink vodka". So he says ok, there is vodka in there also! And he named 3 other rums!. I got the virgin fruit drink. Someone called it bug juice.

Dinner was the same buffet delish grilled station, salad, desserts, yum, yum and more yum.

Last night they had rice pudding. This nite, chocolate rice pudding. Sue and Farley headed to bed. Zeke wanted a beer and I wanted to enjoy a glass of red wine before bed. The band was pretty good. Listened to one more song then off to bed.

9 pm pack. Set out tomorrow clothes, zip up suitcase. 

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Day 8 Tuesday, Dec 3 - Transfer to airport for our 8:30am flight to ultra-modern Dubai! Arrive hotel by 2 pm

Continue with    Part 2  Dubai - Part 2 of Dubai/Seychelle Journal (Day 8 through Day 10, The Palms Mega islands)