Saturday, September 10, 2005
Frankie and I arrived in Mahe, from London, on Air Seychelles, around 10:30 a.m. Mark met us at the airport and we drove 5 minutes to The Wharf Hotel and Marina (the only marina on the island!). (Mr.) Blair, and (Cabin Boy) Chris met us on board. It was a great homecoming.
Wharf Hotel
Mark fixed a light lunch of Chicken Caesar Salad, and we then collapsed for a couple of hours before taking stock of our surroundings. The marina was relatively new, with a small hotel on the property. On the other side of the road, the granite cliffs rose straight up to about 1,500 feet. Quite dramatic. The island-folk seem to be a real cross section of African, British, French and Indian. They are defined as being “Creole”, and the local food depicts that culture. They seem to be very “island”, but courteous. They speak English, French, and “Creole” amongst themselves. We stayed close to home, and ate at the Wharf Hotel in the evening. Great food.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Mike Cobb arrived in the early a.m., without his checked bags. He had missed his connecting flight in Paris, and had to come to Seychelles via Dubai. Anyway, once he was settled, Mark made up a brunch for us all, and we had a late meal before heading out, exploring the north of Mahe. Mark had rented a car, and he drove us through Victoria, the capital, and up a winding road into the mountains to a place called the “Mission”. This was the site of a school that was opened for ex-slaves’ children in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, fairly quickly they ran out of money, and had to close. The place is derelict, but has a great lookout over the island.
From the top
Mission Ruins Tea plantation
On the hillsides, there are small tea plantations, with tea plants about 2 feet tall. Women were sitting on the hillside plucking the suitable leaves from the plants, putting them in small sacks. After our visit to the mountain, we had to retrace our steps back to the east side, and then drove around the coast to Sunset Hotel for “happy hour” while the sun set. The hotel has a most picturesque beach, and orients to the west, but the sunset was blocked by clouds on the horizon.
Sunset Beach
We then went on to the Boat House on the North West side for a wonderful, traditional (Creole), buffet. There were many spicy dishes, curries, fishes, chicken, and veggies, and salads. It was a most more-ish meal, with several trips back to the buffet during the evening.
Mr. Blair had met a very nice young Seychellois girl, Ineke, and since she lived close by, we surprised him and invited her to join us for the dinner. We really had a good time, and got back to the boat quite late. So what else is new??!!
Sunset Beach Ineke & Mr. Blair
Monday, September 12, 2005
The Seychellois are very proud people, and have no anti-colonial attitudes. They believe, as do many of us from our respective worlds, that their Government is on the “take”, but certainly their standard of living has improved dramatically over the last twenty years. I really liked the motto that they have hung over the streets, and painted on walls – in English, French and Creole “Our children, our treasure, our future”. To give an example of the language: “Our Children” in French is “Nous Enfants”, and in Creole it is “Nou Zenfant”. Obviously, Creole is derived primarily from the French.
First thing that happened – Mike’s suitcase arrived, minus guitar! I told him we’d arranged for it to be sent back to England!! In fact, it was promised to be delivered on Wednesday morning, on the same flight that Diana Smith and her partner, Brendan Ivers, were arriving on.
We left the marina in mid-morning to drive to the south. Our first stop was at an Art & Craft village, which had a restored Creole furnished house as its centre-piece. It provided a brief glimpse into the way people lived on the islands. On either side of the house were small huts, each with its own merchant, selling local crafts and handiworks. The setting was beautiful, with lots of large flowering trees, and bougainvillea.
Typical Creole House Gardens
From here, we went around the southernmost point of the island, to get to the Banyan Tree, where we had made reservations for lunch. This is a most up-market hotel with a beautiful entrance, lounge, bar, and restaurant, on a magnificent beach. The food and service was exquisite, and we lingered overlooking the beach and pool for a time afterwards. Unfortunately, the waves were pounding in, so it was not the time for us to swim, though people were “paddling” in the waves.
From there, we drove north on the west coast, then headed inland, stopping at a sculptor’s studio, Tom Bower, on the way back across the mountain. There were many bronzes on display, and many more pictured. Some of his works were called “Reflections”, depicting a swimmer, or diver, in water, with part of his body above, and his reflection below. It was most dramatic.
“Reflections” Finches
There were also thousands of tiny red birds in the trees which came onto the house deck when Mrs. Bower put out some bird seed. They just swarmed!
We got back to the boat for “happy hour”, then headed out to Sam’s Pizzeria which Mark suggested was a typical Creole/Italian restaurant. The food was good, but the service was “typical”.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
During the morning, we moved the boat from the marina and went around to the west side of Mahe to a beautiful bay at Port Launay Marine National Park. It was a great place for us to snorkel for a while. We were in such a remote area that Mark produced a wonderful fish salad for lunch, then a Mahi Mahi dinner. A most relaxing day, and nice sunset. We battened down for our first night away from the a/c., and prepared for Diana and Brendan to arrive in the a.m.
Port Launay
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Blair left to pick up Diana and Brendan, and Mike’s guitar from the airport. They were quite tired on arrival, but gamely stayed up for our next adventures. We left the bay, having sent Blair up the mast to look for whale sharks which they had seen off the point a couple of weeks earlier. Well, Blair didn’t see anything, and spent an uncomfortable half hour of so standing on the spreaders, some 60+ feet above the deck!
Lonely at the Top Baie Ternay
Our destination was Baie Ternay Marine National Park, where a fresh water pond formed from the river merged with salt water from the ocean. We got there in time for lunch, and afterwards dinghied to the beach. As usual, the beach was really pretty, and once we were settled, we walked down the beach to the pond. It was really strange. The salt water, being heavier was on the bottom, with the fresh water on top. There were two totally different temperatures of the water – very warm on bottom, and cool on top. Amazing!
Hot and cold running water! Baie Ternay
Later, we pulled up anchor, and sailed round to Beau Vallon Bay where we anchored off the beach. After “happy hour”, we got in the dinghy in long pants and smart shirts to go to La Scala, a high end restaurant in the area, via the dock in Bel Ombre. We had about a 15 minute walk both ways. The food was excellent, and the manager and family welcomed us with enthusiasm. We returned to the boat later, and sat up with our ADDs.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
After breakfast, we pulled up anchor and hoisted sail for Praslin, an island about 20 miles to the North. We had a great sail for about 3 hours, arriving in Baie Chevalier around 1p.m. We did another beach landing ashore, and went to Bon Bon Plume for a late lunch. Mike and I teased the waitress, Telma, and Mike got a most “friendly” photo with her.
Later, we returned to the boat, and some swam off the back.
Mike and Telma View from the restaurant – nice boat!
There were some yachties that Mark and Blair had met in Chagos, that were anchored in the bay. Clark (California – been sailing the Pacific for 6 years), and Denise (Peruvian lawyer – on sabbatical), were on board “Condessa”. Paul and Diane, retired, from Perth, Australia, who had been sailing from there for the past six months, were on board “Flame”. Being hospitable, we asked them to join us for drinks at 6p.m., and Mark prepared snack foods for a light dinner.
Mike, Diane, Paul, Brendan Denise and Clark
With our crowd, and our guests, we filled the cockpit, got to know each other, drank and ate, and sang to Mike’s guitar until around midnight! Some video clips were taken of the event, but promised never to be shared!! Suffice it to say that we had to go on a wine-procurement trip the following day to replenish stock! Such is the life of the yachtie!!
Friday, September 16, 2005
Mark had arranged for a taxi, Will, to arrive this morning and take us on a taxi tour, to include the famous “Valle de Mai”. We again did a beach landing, but the water and swell had built over night so we were assured that we would probably get a little wet on the way. Everyone got out of the dinghy, but when it got to Mike and me, a huge swell hit the boat, crashing on board, partially swamping it and soaking both of us. Sadly, Mike had his camera in a waterproof carry bag (which let the water in, but not out!!), so his camera was ruined, and I had my cell phone on my belt, and that died as well. Fortunately, after drying, my cell phone returned to normal later in the day.
We got to the taxi and found that Will had a very neat and tidy car which we were about to wreck with our wet backsides, etc. Anyway, he had a brush and dustpan in the back, so we were all brushed off, and inspected before being able to get “aboard”.
Will took us around the Northern part of the island to Anse Volbert village, where he left us to look around a couple of craft shops and have lunch at Le Gulue Café.
Anse Volbert Secluded home
We were give our own little “bus-shelter” like outdoor room with a table and seats set into the concrete. Some had grilled fish, but found that they had two whole fish to deal with!! Fortunately, I had a fish burger which was quite tasty.
After lunch, Will took us to the “Valle de Mai”, over the mountain, and accessed from the east. When we had purchased our entry tickets, we were approached by a guide, Juliet, who offered to give us a tour for $10 each. Since we needed to know what we were looking at, we quickly agreed to retain her.
Juliet Diana with Female Coco de Mer nut
The VdM was acquired from a private citizen in May, 1948, hence the name. It is the site of the famous Coco de Mer Palm trees. There are male and female palm trees, and, notably the male tree has male catkin, and the female nut is shaped like the female pelvis, and is the biggest nut in the world, weighing up to 45 lbs. This valley has therefore been dubbed “the garden of Eden” for centuries.
The VdM also has arrays of different palm trees, and a host of many birds. Juliet was able to point out and explain many of the species. It was an interesting tour, which finished around 3:30p.m.
Will picked us up, then took us to St. Anne to see if I could find the internet. I went to such a facility and became most frustrated with the slowness of the dial up service, with the computer repeatedly timing me out! After that, we went on our wine mission and bought 6 bottles of white wine from a little store on the side of the road.
When we got back to the boat, Mark prepared a surf and turf dinner – tenderloin and giant shrimp – which was absolutely scrumptious. Again we had a relatively late night.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
We left the bay after breakfast, and headed around the north point of the island to Curieuse Island. This is a National Park, principally housing thousands of tortoises, and is also the site of a leper colony from the late 1800s. We did another beach landing, and were met by a conservation officer who talked to us about the raising of the turtles and their habits. One fascinating story is that the male tortoise climbs up the hills looking for a mate, and when they get to the top, if they haven’t been successful, they tuck their feet and head in their shell and roll all the way back down to the bottom. Some of these guys have to be over 300 lbs.!!! Look out for rolling tortoises!!!
After our tour, we followed a track for probably over a mile, up and down, from mangroves to hill tops, to the southern side of the island where we found the doctor’s house and the remains of the leper colony. The documentation about leprosy was very interesting, and it was encouraging to note that the terrible disease is likely to disappear from the world during the next decade.
Mark had kindly avoided the trek and had brought the boat from the original anchorage to the beach off the doctor’s house, so we had a short dinghy ride back.
There was a strong current where we were anchored, and Diana and Brendan had decided to swim to the boat from the beach. The more they swam the further behind the boat they got. Diana made it to the boat, but we finally picked Brendan up by dinghy!
We dropped anchor off Seychelles’ most photographed island, St. Pierre Islet. It is basically a bunch of granite boulders with some palms and trees in the middle. It is a great dive destination, and some went snorkeling after lunch.
St. Pierre Islet
Later we returned to Praslin, and anchored in Anse Volbert. This is a long white beach, which has some shops and restaurant along its expanse (2.4 miles long). Mark and Blair took the dinghy to identify a spot for a beach landing, and later we went ashore to the Casino des Iles, which had a restaurant above called “Tante Mimi”. It was an upmarket restaurant and the atmosphere and food were excellent. Afterwards, we all had a little flutter in the casino, but only Mike, playing roulette, came away with more money in his pocket than when he started.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
This morning we raised anchor and sailed over to Le Digue, a small island to the east of Praslin. Unfortunately, we had to anchor outside the harbour because of our draft, and that meant that the boat was going to be rolly, and therefore we couldn’t spend the night. Mark went ashore and arranged for a taxi tour of the island, with a stop for lunch. There are two beautiful beaches on the island, Grand Anse, which has a small restaurant on it, and Anse Union, which is more beach friendly. We first went to Grand Anse, where the swells were rolling in, but we had lunch at Loutier Coco Restaurant.
Grand Anse Mike @ Loutier Coco Restaurant
They featured a typical creole buffet, which again was very good. The restaurant itself was a thatched area, with benches and tables – extremely beachy and native. After, we went to Anse Union, which was extremely scenic, and we all had a swim off the beach.
Anse Union Blair and Charlie
We returned to the boat around 5:30 since we needed to return to Anse Volbert on Praslin to anchor for the night. En route we caught a small tuna which we planned to throw back, but it had swallowed the hook, so it died while we tried to extract the hook. We therefore filleted it, and it provided a most tasty meal once we had settled into Anse Volbert for the night.
Monday, September 19, 2005
After breakfast, we hoisted sails and had a wonderful 4 hour sail back to the Wharf Marina in Mahe – where we had left last week. We ate en route, and arrived around 2:30. We had discovered that we could swim in the hotel pool, so we draped ourselves around the pool in the afternoon, and in the evening ate at the restaurant in the hotel, the “Aubergine”.
Pool at Wharf Marina
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Since this was to be Diana and Brendan’s last day, Mark had hired a car, and after breakfast, we went into Victoria to walk around the shops, and market place (and do the Internet, for some!). The town is very small, with one main street, which is quite busy, and some side streets, with some small shops and an under-roof market place. Early in the morning all types of fish are displayed and sold, but by the time we got there the fish had all gone. Interesting, the source of food on the island is pretty sparse, and depends on shipments from South Africa or India. Hence there are shortages for weeks at a time. When we arrived, there had been no cheese for 3 weeks. Pity the pizza restaurants! During our stay, there were no “chips”, only rice. It was therefore with great excitement that we saw piles of potatoes in the middle of the floor in the market! All kinds of local produce was on display, and on the second floor, there were many art and craft shops.
All of the art and crafts are local, and there is much of the sameness, but Frankie and I did pick up a couple of small watercolors painted locally to memorialize our visit.
We had arranged to meet Mark and Blair at The Pirates’ Arms, which was a fairly large, well-known, restaurant in the middle of the town. To celebrate the recovery from the potato famine, we all had hamburgers, or fish and chips!
In the afternoon, we returned to the pool for a while, then cleaned up to go out to dinner. Mark took Diana, Brendan and Mike to Sunset Hotel to have sundown drinks, and watch the sunset. Later, Frankie, Blair and I taxied over to the Boat House, where we met up with the rest, and Ineke joined us again. Our guests really enjoyed the buffet for their last night on board.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Frankie and I got up early to say goodbye to Diana and Brendan, and started the process of packing for our departure tomorrow. We stayed around the boat most of the morning, but I drove Frankie and Mike to the Spice Gardens to our south. We had lunch at a very local restaurant at the gardens, which was up a very steep, ever narrowing, road with gutters dropping off on each side. After lunch, we walked around the gardens and checked out a lot of the spice plants and other trees that were labeled.
On the way back, we stopped again at the Arts and Crafts village, but yet again we didn’t buy anything.
There is a model boat factory displaying its wares, and I was sorely tempted to buy, but resisted.
In the evening we went into Victoria and ate dinner at a very nice restaurant, Rendezvous, overlooking the street. We sat up when we got back winding down from a very busy couple of weeks in the Seychelles. The tour was very interesting, and the sailing was spectacular.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Apart from going into Victoria to check Internet, we packed our bags, had an early lunch at the Wharf Hotel, and arrived at the airport by 1p.m. for a 2:15 departure for London.
