Several years ago I flew Emirates Airways. At the time I lived in Seoul, Korea and purchased my ticket with Emirates to go somewhere, don't even remember where. I had enough miles with one of their partners to upgrade to business class. My first flight was business class and quite nice BUT as fates had it in for me that year, by the time I boarded the plane to return home, my business class seat had dissolved and was gone somehow and I had to fly economy which I hated because it's a long flight from Seoul to Dubai. I swore I would not fly them again but they were so apologetic about the mix up and the resulting disappearance of my upgrade, that they promised to upgrade me for free on my next flight, no matter what class of ticket I purchased.
OK, still in Seoul, but I thought I'd give it another go and purchased an economy class ticket to go through Dubai on the way to elsewhere and upgraded to business, for free. To do this, I had to spent a lot of time in the bowels of Kimpo airport in Seoul (Inchon was not up and running yet) but got my upgrade and everything looked promising until I flew into Dubai and had to go to their service desk to get my upgraded business class boarding pass. And I only had about an hour to do it. Of course there was NO RECORD in their computer with my upgrade and so I ended up flying back to Seoul in economy class again!!!! I swore on anyone's grave that this time I would stick to my guns and never fly Emirates again - ever - not ever, never.
One should never say never :) This trip to the Seychelles, there was no way we were going to fly economy and turns out Emirates Air had the best prices for business class. Oh my. I was going to have to eat my words it appears and get those tickets.
I must say that the experience with Emirates Air this time was delightful and pleasant and enjoyable. They have certainly stepped up their game for business class so hopefully they have for economy class as well. We were picked up for free at our home and driven to the airport where there was a dedicated check in area for business and first class. You get a fast pass to go through security which really never does much but it is nice that they try to get you through faster. Once inside the terminal, you can go to the lounge and there was direct boarding from the lounge onto the plane. OMG. No fraternizing with the "riff raff" in economy! How funny is that! And of course, there is food all the time. If we ate all the food they offered, we probably would have gained 2 or 3 pounds on each flight and time spent in the lounges!
I am not a big fan of Airbus and the huge planes that are now coursing through the skies. Don't get the whole physics of flying and keeping something that huge in the air plus when it takes off, it doesn't ever seem as if it is going fast enough to lift off the ground. But they do and it is certainly comfortable seating. Emirates has cameras mounted on the outside of the planes so you can see the plane rushing down the runway and taking off which is pretty cool. These huge planes also have pretty good entertainment and Emirates has a small lounge area where you can go get drinks or snacks during the flight.
Our whole experience with Emirates was really good this time. I appreciate that they have gotten much better at their business than there were years ago and I'm glad I tried flying them again.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Reasons to visit the Seychelles
Gosh, it is so pretty. What's not to like? Tropical islands, sunny (usually some every day but we were there at the start of the monsoon season), sea breezes, friendly people, lovely views, etc. etc. There certainly are some downsides which mainly is the cost to get there. And once there, things can be expensive, very, very expensive but you can do a lot of the islands on the cheaper end too.
A lot of places are self catering. One thing we didn't do which we will next time is bring our spices with us. That way you can just buy food and not worry about getting large quantities of sugar, salt, spices, and still have some tasty meals. We did not have an A/C place except for the bedroom which was needed. We did have a fan in the living room. Also a self catering place will probably give you more room to spread out and also probably have a washer for doing your laundry. We might look for a place with ceiling fans next time or A/C all over as it did get really hot in the house during the afternoon.
There are also tons of resorts around the islands. Some of them are absolutely ridiculous in price. We could afford the ridiculous prices but why would we want to. Guess some people have to have the pampering though and that's fine too. What I'm saying is you can probably find any kind and price of accommodation you want on the islands. Just look around for it.
Driving is almost a necessity to get around BUT I know that they have good bus transportation too. I am not sure I could have ridden the bus because the roads are steep, twisty, winding, switchbacks, and pretty sure riding a bus would have made me seasick. But every place we went, we could have gotten there by bus and just walked up the road to our villa from the bus stop. Taxis are available to get you to your hotel or villa or whatever if you want to do the bus route. Usually the hotels, villas, or whatever, will help you arrange a car so that the car can be delivered to your place of stay. That's what we did the first day since we had no clue where to find our villa. Then we were good and our car met us at the ferry when we moved islands.
Getting to the closer islands from Mahe, the main island, is quite easy but can be a bit expensive, we thought. Cost us around $75 for a round trip from Mahe to Praslin by fast ferry. Not sure there are cheaper options. Know that there are more expensive options as you can fly or take a helicopter. Some of the islands only have helicopters access but those are the high end private islands.
The diving was good. First day, we didn't think so much of our dive sites but they got progressively better. Good that it wasn't the other way around. Probably the best thing I can say about the Seychelles is that we would return to go diving again. And we hardly ever go back to a place unless it is the diving or going with someone who hasn't been.
So I think you could make a trip to the Seychelles be really expensive with the high end resorts and restaurants and such or you can make it reasonable with self catering and such. It certainly isn't one of the cheaper places to dive either but it was good enough to go back. Hopefully, we'll be back next year around the same time. And it will be stay in one place and dive the entire time, I hope.
A lot of places are self catering. One thing we didn't do which we will next time is bring our spices with us. That way you can just buy food and not worry about getting large quantities of sugar, salt, spices, and still have some tasty meals. We did not have an A/C place except for the bedroom which was needed. We did have a fan in the living room. Also a self catering place will probably give you more room to spread out and also probably have a washer for doing your laundry. We might look for a place with ceiling fans next time or A/C all over as it did get really hot in the house during the afternoon.
There are also tons of resorts around the islands. Some of them are absolutely ridiculous in price. We could afford the ridiculous prices but why would we want to. Guess some people have to have the pampering though and that's fine too. What I'm saying is you can probably find any kind and price of accommodation you want on the islands. Just look around for it.
Driving is almost a necessity to get around BUT I know that they have good bus transportation too. I am not sure I could have ridden the bus because the roads are steep, twisty, winding, switchbacks, and pretty sure riding a bus would have made me seasick. But every place we went, we could have gotten there by bus and just walked up the road to our villa from the bus stop. Taxis are available to get you to your hotel or villa or whatever if you want to do the bus route. Usually the hotels, villas, or whatever, will help you arrange a car so that the car can be delivered to your place of stay. That's what we did the first day since we had no clue where to find our villa. Then we were good and our car met us at the ferry when we moved islands.
Getting to the closer islands from Mahe, the main island, is quite easy but can be a bit expensive, we thought. Cost us around $75 for a round trip from Mahe to Praslin by fast ferry. Not sure there are cheaper options. Know that there are more expensive options as you can fly or take a helicopter. Some of the islands only have helicopters access but those are the high end private islands.
The diving was good. First day, we didn't think so much of our dive sites but they got progressively better. Good that it wasn't the other way around. Probably the best thing I can say about the Seychelles is that we would return to go diving again. And we hardly ever go back to a place unless it is the diving or going with someone who hasn't been.
So I think you could make a trip to the Seychelles be really expensive with the high end resorts and restaurants and such or you can make it reasonable with self catering and such. It certainly isn't one of the cheaper places to dive either but it was good enough to go back. Hopefully, we'll be back next year around the same time. And it will be stay in one place and dive the entire time, I hope.
Back home, sigh!
Made it back home just fine but think we were quite lucky in that. Apparently, the same day we flew home, there had been a glitch somewhere and a lot of flights out of Heathrow were cancelled but we got home ok. Just a long dang day flying and flying and flying. We had a little over 3 hours to waste time in Dubai airport before we could board the plan and head on home. We only had about an hour after we had checked in at the Seychelles but luckily, they had the one pair of earrings that I had been looking for since our time at Vallee di Mai on Praslin Island. whew. Poor hubby almost scraped by with just getting me one pair of earrings in Dubai. ha ha ha. love that man!
Was a very good trip and very relaxing which is unusual for us. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think we are doing the "up at dawn, out the door, run around, run around, see everything, back past dinner, fall into bed exhausted, repeat the next day" trips anymore. Have gotten old enough that the energy level is much lower now. So our trips are becoming more relaxing and more time spent just enjoying the scenery or the area around us and not spending all our time going from one spot to the next because it was listed in the guide books. I am liking this new method of traveling.
So our "bunch of islands" in the Seychelles was only 4. We would have liked to do a lot more diving but because of our housing problems, and having to move islands, that got cut a bit short. We would return there to dive because we saw some really cool stuff.
Now we are home and it takes about a week to get everything put away, all the clothes washed, all the errands run that we put off for awhile, so on and so on. Will say that my cat is sooooooo very happy that I am home. She has been sitting on my lap whenever possible and snuggles as close to me in the bed as possible. Very nice that she missed me.
Need to work on the next trip now. bye bye
Was a very good trip and very relaxing which is unusual for us. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think we are doing the "up at dawn, out the door, run around, run around, see everything, back past dinner, fall into bed exhausted, repeat the next day" trips anymore. Have gotten old enough that the energy level is much lower now. So our trips are becoming more relaxing and more time spent just enjoying the scenery or the area around us and not spending all our time going from one spot to the next because it was listed in the guide books. I am liking this new method of traveling.
So our "bunch of islands" in the Seychelles was only 4. We would have liked to do a lot more diving but because of our housing problems, and having to move islands, that got cut a bit short. We would return there to dive because we saw some really cool stuff.
Now we are home and it takes about a week to get everything put away, all the clothes washed, all the errands run that we put off for awhile, so on and so on. Will say that my cat is sooooooo very happy that I am home. She has been sitting on my lap whenever possible and snuggles as close to me in the bed as possible. Very nice that she missed me.
Need to work on the next trip now. bye bye
Friday, December 6, 2013
Peacock! and Tea!
Peacock? And Tea!
Made our transition from Praslin Island back to Mahe Island
without a problem except the sea was a bit rougher on the journey so wasn’t as easy
to read. We were met at the jetty with
the same car we had before so packed our luggage into it, had lunch at Fish
Tail Restaurant right on the jetty which was excellent fried chicken and fries
then away to our Sailfish Beach Villas again.
We are in a different villa this time, more room actually as it is a two
story with the bedrooms upstairs. Very
nice places just friggin’ hot.
We unpacked most of our dive gear and clothes that we had
left behind as we had jammed them into the suitcases possibly a bit damp before
our transition over to Praslin. Put
everything out into the sun to dry better and also washed up with the clothes
we had taken with us to Praslin and then laid them out in the sun too. Then
we headed out to the closest grocery store to get some supplies for
breakfast. As we are pulling out of our
steep driveway, there is a peacock sitting on the stone column that marks our
driveway. A peacock? What the hey?
We had learned that one of the UAE sheik’s nephews has built a home at
the end of our road. I imagine that the
peacock is his as they are certainly not native here. My hubby is trying to remember the call so
he can whistle at the peacock but it eluded him at the time. We continue to the grocery but the peacock
has disappeared when we return. We need
not have worried as we heard the blasted thing most of the night, calling,
calling, calling. Dang lost peacock.
Had a bit of a sore throat, probably because my daughter has
had one all week. We have a rather
unique connection in that almost every time she gets sick, I get sick too and
this is even when we are on different continents. So we just had peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches for dinner and spent some time trying to answer emails as the
connection on this island is just pitiful.
We are using a dongle and it takes a long time to upload or download
anything. Our host thinks they will get
internet soon. Apparently having a Sheik’s
nephew down the road has benefits. It
speeded up their water connections and now probably the WiFi connections. And they get a peacock to run around their
yard sometimes.
So our last day in the Seychelles, we are going to spend it
sightseeing. We don’t have to get up
early so just hop out of bed when it feels good and after a leisurely breakfast
of toast and more PB&J and some yoghurt and cereal, we head to the gas
station first and then on into Victoria, the capital city. It’s not a big city so doesn’t take us long
to see most of the sights. There is a great
Hindu Temple on one street which is also close to the open market. We wander through both and then head to the
Pirate Arms for lunch because it was open and had ceiling fans and looked
pretty good. Not a real big day because
not a lot in the main city to see really.
There are some kiosks that are along the main road and by the parking
lot and we wander past them. One store
had very nice carved tortoise starting at a ridiculous price of $2300. While it was big and heavy, couldn’t have
taken that long to carve. A kiosk had
one about ¾’s the size starting at $350.
He was willing to bargain but that was still way more than it was worth,
we thought.
Anyway, that concluded our sightseeing of the town. We wanted to head over the mountains and find
the tea plantation. We missed the road
because the signs weren’t really helpful to coordinate with the map but we did
manage to get over the mountain and see where we were and then head back to the
tea plantation. Actually, it was the
factory that we visited but they were only bagging tea today and one man was
spreading citronella tea out on drying tables.
We’ve had citronella tea both cold and hot. The hot is like drinking insect
repellent. The cold is quite nice if it
is sweet enough. So about 10 minutes to
wander around the tea factory then sit down in the cool mountain breeze to have
a pot of tea. I had vanilla and my hubby
had cinnamon. Both were quite nice
really. And that’s about it for our
sightseeing too. There are roads to
drive and hills to climb and coastlines to see and all of it is beautiful but
it’s probably time to pack up our suitcases and get ready to head for home
early tomorrow morning.
It has been a good vacation and relaxing and calming and
nice. We’d come back which is saying
something because we don’t usually return to places. Too many new places to visit. The diving is good here and next visit will
be almost all diving, I’m sure.A
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Last Islands in the Bunch - Crabs, 1 - Me - 0
The Last Islands in the Bunch
Wednesday we scheduled ourselves for a water taxi which would take us to Curieuse Island. This is where a sanctuary has been created for the wonderful gigantic Aldabra Tortoises, very much like the Galapagos Tortoises which have gotten much more press. Didn't even know they had these tortoises here before we started getting ready to come. Anyway, this island was once used as a leper colony and was a harsh place but has now been taken over by a small museum which was the Doctor’s House, the doctor who was sent out by the British to take care of the lepers and oversee their care and also is a place where most of the tours end up for a BBQ lunch on the island.
The plan is to drop you at one side of the island where the tortoises are, mostly, and then you hike through the mangrove forest to the other side of the island where your boat and crew meets you and cooks you a BBQ lunch
. Then you are back in the boat for a short ride to Ile St. Pierre island which is quite small and there you snorkel but don’t really get on the island.
We meet at the appointed time and they brought the King Creole as close to shore as they could and 10 of us piled onto the boat. The poor boat captain was trying mightily to push us into deeper water so he could start the engines. We finally had to all go stand in the front of the boat and two of his co-workers had come out and help push. Gosh, we could have helped push but paying guests don’t do that, I guess. It is not a long ride to get to Curieuse and we are out and wade to the beach and he comes ashore and shows us the map and where we go to the other side. Then we go look at the tortoises of which they have 300 on the island and there were maybe 50 on that side in the area and we went and looked at all of them and took lots of photos. They are wonderful. Surprisingly they can move rather quickly at times but it is easy to see how they were almost hunted to extinction because there is no way they can get away from a person with a big bat or rifle or something to kill it. Now they are protected and doing quite a good job of keeping the grass down on the island.
We started our hike across the island and first thing we do is go straight up a hill
. OK, he said hike through the mangrove forest which to me means sea level and flat!!!! As we are walking up the hill, we hear grunts, steady and rhythmic. OMG, it’s a couple of huge tortoises in mating throes! Wow, never thought I would be a voyeur to a couple of giant tortoises! We passed on quietly, not wanting to disturb their passion and who knew they were so vocal about it too!
Down the first steep hill and onto a boardwalk that is going through the mangroves. Whew, this is more like it because it’s really hot and humid. There are many, many crabs on the islands. Mostly small red ones but also some that have grown quite large. Part of the protection of the tortoises is to catch the babies when they hatch and protect them for the first five years of their lives so the crabs can’t eat them. As some of the crabs are 5X the size of a baby tortoise, I can see the need.
As we are walking along the boardwalk and watching the crabs, my lens cap pops off my camera and drops to the ground. There is a small crab that is making his way towards my lens cap. I foolishly say, "Let’s see what it does". Hubby valiantly lies down on the boardwalk to grab the lens cap when it gets serious with the crab. The crab grabs it. My hubby makes a grab for it
. The crab runs under the boardwalk with the lens cap. Hubby reaches under the boardwalk and there is a huge crab underneath that the smaller crab has run over to. Maybe he plans to give him the lens cap. Hubby grabs a stick and pokes the crab and makes him drop the lens cap and then he is able to pull it out with the stick and grab it. Whew. Crabs – one, Me – zero!
When we get to the end of the boardwalk, there are more rocky “steps” leading up and over the next hill. Wait a minute. What happened to easy stroll through the mangroves. Now I am understanding why we were told to bring water for the walk. They knew it was a climb and a scramble. So up we go again, rock climbing. It is not an easy climb as the rocks are uneven and steep and sometimes covered in water or mud. So our second rocks scramble of the day. Then back down to another boardwalk. But on this hill, there were some excellent granite formations to see and also the broken down causeway which was built way back when to give hawksbill turtles a place to go lay their eggs but it didn’t work out and the hawksbills got sick from being in the enclosed space made by the causeway and during the last Indian tsunami, the causeway collapsed. Nice view though.
Across some more boardwalk and mangroves and some green crabs and some baby mangroves and mangrove stumps or knuckles
. Nice walk, this part but unfortunately, all too soon, we are climbing another steep hill. I am starting to dislike this hike across the island very, very much. Then down the hill to a flat section where the ocean is off to our left and we can see a bit of beach but we are walking over tree roots now so while it is flat, it is still a bit hard to walk and avoid tripping over the tree roots.
And then, another hill and the last hill is always the worst! This one was the steepest, the highest, and it was a water course so there was a running flow of water cascading down these rocks which made it harder than ever sometimes to find firm footing and step up to the next set of rocks. Now I do definitely not like this walk at all. Crap. I just wanted a stroll through the mangroves and what I got was hot mountain climbing – to me-who lives virtually at sea level almost most of the time. I had to rest several times to get up this hill and it just kept going and going. Finally we get to the top and there is a beautiful breeze. Ahhhh. And then down again and thank goodness we can again see the ocean and hear voices so we are finally close to the Doctor’s House and the beach were we will have the BBQ.
We walk into the rest area and there is a shower, toilets, the Doctor’s House museum, some old ruins of former leper homes, and the BBQ area, some benches, and the beach
. I make for the first bench I see that has a back to it and sit and rest for awhile. That last bit was a hard slog.
After a rest, we go to the Doctor’s House and read all the information about the island and the leper colony that lived here and the Doctor’s and the Coco de Mer tree. Upstairs is just a room for kids with interactive displays on the sea but none of them are working. And then we go get in the water because it’s so hot.
Finally, lunch is served to our group at 1 p.m. It was quite good BBQ of fish and chicken and lots of different salads. But then we are informed we won’t leave the island until 2:30. I am so happy that I thought to bring our kindles so we could read because I don’t want to get back in the water yet as we are going to the other island to snorkel.
Finally time to leave. It’s a short boat ride to Ile St. Pierre which must be the place to snorkel around here because all the tours bring their guests here. We had left all of our diving gear over on Mahe as we didn’t expect to be in the water here. The guide was supposed to bring masks, fins, and snorkels for all but he only had a box full of masks and snorkels. No fins. My hubby and I both got a mask and snorkel and jumped in the water but there was quite a bit of wave action and without fins, I am not that great of a swimmer so I didn’t want to get far from the boat and I didn’t want to get too close to the island where there were waves breaking over large rocks. So it was almost an in and out immediately. Hubby got out quickly too as it just isn’t a lot of fun snorkeling by yourself and without fins. Once again, we have proven we are not snorkelers but divers.
Unfortunately, two couples had brought their own gear so we had to wait until they were finished. The ladies of both couples finished much faster than their hubbies but the hubbies came back before too long. One had a camera in a “waterproof” baggie which unfortunately for him, wasn’t. Then it’s back to the shore and back to our hotel to clean up and rest and get ready to leave on Thursday. Nice day for our last two islands.
Wednesday we scheduled ourselves for a water taxi which would take us to Curieuse Island. This is where a sanctuary has been created for the wonderful gigantic Aldabra Tortoises, very much like the Galapagos Tortoises which have gotten much more press. Didn't even know they had these tortoises here before we started getting ready to come. Anyway, this island was once used as a leper colony and was a harsh place but has now been taken over by a small museum which was the Doctor’s House, the doctor who was sent out by the British to take care of the lepers and oversee their care and also is a place where most of the tours end up for a BBQ lunch on the island.
The plan is to drop you at one side of the island where the tortoises are, mostly, and then you hike through the mangrove forest to the other side of the island where your boat and crew meets you and cooks you a BBQ lunch
. Then you are back in the boat for a short ride to Ile St. Pierre island which is quite small and there you snorkel but don’t really get on the island.
We meet at the appointed time and they brought the King Creole as close to shore as they could and 10 of us piled onto the boat. The poor boat captain was trying mightily to push us into deeper water so he could start the engines. We finally had to all go stand in the front of the boat and two of his co-workers had come out and help push. Gosh, we could have helped push but paying guests don’t do that, I guess. It is not a long ride to get to Curieuse and we are out and wade to the beach and he comes ashore and shows us the map and where we go to the other side. Then we go look at the tortoises of which they have 300 on the island and there were maybe 50 on that side in the area and we went and looked at all of them and took lots of photos. They are wonderful. Surprisingly they can move rather quickly at times but it is easy to see how they were almost hunted to extinction because there is no way they can get away from a person with a big bat or rifle or something to kill it. Now they are protected and doing quite a good job of keeping the grass down on the island.
We started our hike across the island and first thing we do is go straight up a hill
. OK, he said hike through the mangrove forest which to me means sea level and flat!!!! As we are walking up the hill, we hear grunts, steady and rhythmic. OMG, it’s a couple of huge tortoises in mating throes! Wow, never thought I would be a voyeur to a couple of giant tortoises! We passed on quietly, not wanting to disturb their passion and who knew they were so vocal about it too!
Down the first steep hill and onto a boardwalk that is going through the mangroves. Whew, this is more like it because it’s really hot and humid. There are many, many crabs on the islands. Mostly small red ones but also some that have grown quite large. Part of the protection of the tortoises is to catch the babies when they hatch and protect them for the first five years of their lives so the crabs can’t eat them. As some of the crabs are 5X the size of a baby tortoise, I can see the need.
As we are walking along the boardwalk and watching the crabs, my lens cap pops off my camera and drops to the ground. There is a small crab that is making his way towards my lens cap. I foolishly say, "Let’s see what it does". Hubby valiantly lies down on the boardwalk to grab the lens cap when it gets serious with the crab. The crab grabs it. My hubby makes a grab for it
. The crab runs under the boardwalk with the lens cap. Hubby reaches under the boardwalk and there is a huge crab underneath that the smaller crab has run over to. Maybe he plans to give him the lens cap. Hubby grabs a stick and pokes the crab and makes him drop the lens cap and then he is able to pull it out with the stick and grab it. Whew. Crabs – one, Me – zero!
When we get to the end of the boardwalk, there are more rocky “steps” leading up and over the next hill. Wait a minute. What happened to easy stroll through the mangroves. Now I am understanding why we were told to bring water for the walk. They knew it was a climb and a scramble. So up we go again, rock climbing. It is not an easy climb as the rocks are uneven and steep and sometimes covered in water or mud. So our second rocks scramble of the day. Then back down to another boardwalk. But on this hill, there were some excellent granite formations to see and also the broken down causeway which was built way back when to give hawksbill turtles a place to go lay their eggs but it didn’t work out and the hawksbills got sick from being in the enclosed space made by the causeway and during the last Indian tsunami, the causeway collapsed. Nice view though.
Across some more boardwalk and mangroves and some green crabs and some baby mangroves and mangrove stumps or knuckles
. Nice walk, this part but unfortunately, all too soon, we are climbing another steep hill. I am starting to dislike this hike across the island very, very much. Then down the hill to a flat section where the ocean is off to our left and we can see a bit of beach but we are walking over tree roots now so while it is flat, it is still a bit hard to walk and avoid tripping over the tree roots.
And then, another hill and the last hill is always the worst! This one was the steepest, the highest, and it was a water course so there was a running flow of water cascading down these rocks which made it harder than ever sometimes to find firm footing and step up to the next set of rocks. Now I do definitely not like this walk at all. Crap. I just wanted a stroll through the mangroves and what I got was hot mountain climbing – to me-who lives virtually at sea level almost most of the time. I had to rest several times to get up this hill and it just kept going and going. Finally we get to the top and there is a beautiful breeze. Ahhhh. And then down again and thank goodness we can again see the ocean and hear voices so we are finally close to the Doctor’s House and the beach were we will have the BBQ.
We walk into the rest area and there is a shower, toilets, the Doctor’s House museum, some old ruins of former leper homes, and the BBQ area, some benches, and the beach
. I make for the first bench I see that has a back to it and sit and rest for awhile. That last bit was a hard slog.
After a rest, we go to the Doctor’s House and read all the information about the island and the leper colony that lived here and the Doctor’s and the Coco de Mer tree. Upstairs is just a room for kids with interactive displays on the sea but none of them are working. And then we go get in the water because it’s so hot.
Finally, lunch is served to our group at 1 p.m. It was quite good BBQ of fish and chicken and lots of different salads. But then we are informed we won’t leave the island until 2:30. I am so happy that I thought to bring our kindles so we could read because I don’t want to get back in the water yet as we are going to the other island to snorkel.
Finally time to leave. It’s a short boat ride to Ile St. Pierre which must be the place to snorkel around here because all the tours bring their guests here. We had left all of our diving gear over on Mahe as we didn’t expect to be in the water here. The guide was supposed to bring masks, fins, and snorkels for all but he only had a box full of masks and snorkels. No fins. My hubby and I both got a mask and snorkel and jumped in the water but there was quite a bit of wave action and without fins, I am not that great of a swimmer so I didn’t want to get far from the boat and I didn’t want to get too close to the island where there were waves breaking over large rocks. So it was almost an in and out immediately. Hubby got out quickly too as it just isn’t a lot of fun snorkeling by yourself and without fins. Once again, we have proven we are not snorkelers but divers.
Unfortunately, two couples had brought their own gear so we had to wait until they were finished. The ladies of both couples finished much faster than their hubbies but the hubbies came back before too long. One had a camera in a “waterproof” baggie which unfortunately for him, wasn’t. Then it’s back to the shore and back to our hotel to clean up and rest and get ready to leave on Thursday. Nice day for our last two islands.
The Wretched Vallee
The Wretched Vallee
Go see the Vallee de Mai, go see the Vallee de Mai, go see the valley, go see, go see, go see. OK. Definitely sounded like we needed to go see this place. It is a national park or protected area on Praslin Island where the Coco de Mer palm tree grows and is protected and flourishing. So we dutifully drove up the hillside and found the place and parked. On the way into it to get our tickets, we were approached by a local who explained that there were toilets and a café and gift shop here, none in the forest, and that they were all local guides and could take us into the forest and show us around so we wouldn't miss anything. Sounded promising. We went to the ticket booth and noticed there was a sign there that said free guided tour at 10 a.m. and it was exactly 10 a.m. So we latched onto the free guided tour with the young lady.
We spent the next hour going about 500 yards, maybe. OMG. I have never shuffled so slowly through a densely packed forest on a small hot trail that went up and over some steep hills. I’m sure it was interesting because my hubby wanted to listen to her but I was so terribly, terribly bored!!! It was like being in a museum with the same painting on each wall but we would move slowly to each "painting" and get a tiny bit more information about the painting each time. There were more than one type of palm tree in the forest but mainly the coco de mer and that’s what she talked about.
So what I learned about the Coco de Mer from her. Grows on the tree after about 20-25 years and requires a male and female tree which cannot be determined which is which until about that time. The trunk doesn’t grow for the first 15 years. It has a basket shaped set of roots so that it kind of circles in a high wind rather than sways back and forth like, say, a coconut palm. The fruit grows in a husk, like a coconut, and can weigh something like 20 kgs. Needless to say, don’t get hit by one falling, but it takes several years for the fruit to grow and get ready to drop. The male produces some kind of small flower which pollinates the female and smells quite flowery and nice. The pollination takes place from the wind or from small birds
. The nut, when out of the husk, looks like a female abdomen and that is what makes it quite popular in paintings and such. Oddly enough, she never said what it is used for mainly although she did say it can be eaten. And oddly, we haven’t seen any products on any of the islands yet that say “coco de mer”! The plants in the forest are protected and governed and the nuts are registered and sold carefully, probably to high paying clients! And the palm fronds are quite good at making roofs and such. And that’s what I learned in an hour of hard shuffling through the dense forest. And it didn’t cost you anything and you didn’t get sweaty!
What I learned from the Doctor’s House museum on Curieuse Island, where they had a display in his house (the doctor’s house was for the appointed doctor who took care of the lepers on Curieuse Island – usually a Scotsman appointed by the King). For years, nobody knew where this mysterious double lobed nut came from. It had washed up sometimes on the shores of India. They finally thought it came from the Maldives and so its scientific name is something Maldivian. But explorers of the Maldives didn’t find the tree and the locals said that it was a tree growing underwater which is how it got its name Coco de Mer (coconut of the sea). Finally the trees were discovered in the Seychelles. I give you this information as a bonus and you still didn’t have to walk through the heat and stand in the heat for an hour!
Go see the Vallee de Mai, go see the Vallee de Mai, go see the valley, go see, go see, go see. OK. Definitely sounded like we needed to go see this place. It is a national park or protected area on Praslin Island where the Coco de Mer palm tree grows and is protected and flourishing. So we dutifully drove up the hillside and found the place and parked. On the way into it to get our tickets, we were approached by a local who explained that there were toilets and a café and gift shop here, none in the forest, and that they were all local guides and could take us into the forest and show us around so we wouldn't miss anything. Sounded promising. We went to the ticket booth and noticed there was a sign there that said free guided tour at 10 a.m. and it was exactly 10 a.m. So we latched onto the free guided tour with the young lady.
We spent the next hour going about 500 yards, maybe. OMG. I have never shuffled so slowly through a densely packed forest on a small hot trail that went up and over some steep hills. I’m sure it was interesting because my hubby wanted to listen to her but I was so terribly, terribly bored!!! It was like being in a museum with the same painting on each wall but we would move slowly to each "painting" and get a tiny bit more information about the painting each time. There were more than one type of palm tree in the forest but mainly the coco de mer and that’s what she talked about.
So what I learned about the Coco de Mer from her. Grows on the tree after about 20-25 years and requires a male and female tree which cannot be determined which is which until about that time. The trunk doesn’t grow for the first 15 years. It has a basket shaped set of roots so that it kind of circles in a high wind rather than sways back and forth like, say, a coconut palm. The fruit grows in a husk, like a coconut, and can weigh something like 20 kgs. Needless to say, don’t get hit by one falling, but it takes several years for the fruit to grow and get ready to drop. The male produces some kind of small flower which pollinates the female and smells quite flowery and nice. The pollination takes place from the wind or from small birds
. The nut, when out of the husk, looks like a female abdomen and that is what makes it quite popular in paintings and such. Oddly enough, she never said what it is used for mainly although she did say it can be eaten. And oddly, we haven’t seen any products on any of the islands yet that say “coco de mer”! The plants in the forest are protected and governed and the nuts are registered and sold carefully, probably to high paying clients! And the palm fronds are quite good at making roofs and such. And that’s what I learned in an hour of hard shuffling through the dense forest. And it didn’t cost you anything and you didn’t get sweaty!
What I learned from the Doctor’s House museum on Curieuse Island, where they had a display in his house (the doctor’s house was for the appointed doctor who took care of the lepers on Curieuse Island – usually a Scotsman appointed by the King). For years, nobody knew where this mysterious double lobed nut came from. It had washed up sometimes on the shores of India. They finally thought it came from the Maldives and so its scientific name is something Maldivian. But explorers of the Maldives didn’t find the tree and the locals said that it was a tree growing underwater which is how it got its name Coco de Mer (coconut of the sea). Finally the trees were discovered in the Seychelles. I give you this information as a bonus and you still didn’t have to walk through the heat and stand in the heat for an hour!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Middle of a Barracuda Vortex Dec 1 2013
Middle of the Barracuda Vortex
This was so awesome that I pulled it out of the longer day's blog and put it in here separately. We were with one dive master on this trip, Adam, and he told us that Stork Perch had good sharks, rays, and other impressive stuff. Well, just about anything in the ocean is impressive if you are a scuba diver and you are a scuba diver because it’s impressive. Yep. Stork Perch was a ways off the shore so seemed like we were speeding in the boat a long way. Over the side finally and into the water.
I am following Adam and he goes underneath a ledge and through a small rock tunnel. I follow him and my hubby goes over the top instead. When I am halfway through the tunnel, Adam is already out and has turned around to gesture to me to hurry up
. Not knowing if something is chasing me or not, I scurry out of there. He points off into the blue (looking out into the ocean when underwater that everything just turns blue) and I see, moving away from me, a school of blue spotted eagle rays. They are superb, gorgeous, wonderful. Moving gracefully up and down and they slowly stroke their wings up and down, like flying only in water. My hubby is off to my side and except for the fact that we were underwater, I’m sure our mouths would have dropped open as our chins hit the floor. It was just so incredibly awesome. We watched until they were out of sight.
We continued our dive and here comes the school of rays flying towards us now! OMG. We get to see it again. All of the divers just stop and hang in the water watching the incredible ballet of rays moving up and down effortlessly in the water column. What a privilege to see such a thing. In all, the rays swam by us maybe 4 times. Each time it was just as breathtaking which isn’t good when you are underwater – ha ha – but everyone remembered to breathe.
Well, what can beat that! Surprise, but we had another wonderful thing happen on that dive. We had finished our dive with a pipefish, an octopus, some sharks, a small turtle, and had drifted away from the granite rocks that make up Stork Perch and we hanging in the water at 5 meters for our 3 minute safety stop
. A school of barracuda came round us. They circled us continually the whole time we were hanging in the water. Amazing! Barracudas look really, really mean as they have a very long mouth and it is alllllllll teeth! Big Teeth! There were probably about 125-150 barracudas swimming around us constantly. We were in the middle of a barracuda vortex. A virtual tornado of barracuda. I’ve never been bothered by barracuda and have been extremely close to them before so I wasn’t really worried but I’d never seen this many, nor have I had them circle me. They were probably wondering why we weren’t moving, just bobbing up and down to take care of our 3 minute stop. At the end of our three minutes, we all started slowly surfacing and the barracudas just disappeared, swimming off into the blue of the ocean and they were gone, or at least not visible anymore.
What an amazing dive with both such fantastic things happening for us to see and photograph. GEEZ diving is so cool.
This was so awesome that I pulled it out of the longer day's blog and put it in here separately. We were with one dive master on this trip, Adam, and he told us that Stork Perch had good sharks, rays, and other impressive stuff. Well, just about anything in the ocean is impressive if you are a scuba diver and you are a scuba diver because it’s impressive. Yep. Stork Perch was a ways off the shore so seemed like we were speeding in the boat a long way. Over the side finally and into the water.
I am following Adam and he goes underneath a ledge and through a small rock tunnel. I follow him and my hubby goes over the top instead. When I am halfway through the tunnel, Adam is already out and has turned around to gesture to me to hurry up
. Not knowing if something is chasing me or not, I scurry out of there. He points off into the blue (looking out into the ocean when underwater that everything just turns blue) and I see, moving away from me, a school of blue spotted eagle rays. They are superb, gorgeous, wonderful. Moving gracefully up and down and they slowly stroke their wings up and down, like flying only in water. My hubby is off to my side and except for the fact that we were underwater, I’m sure our mouths would have dropped open as our chins hit the floor. It was just so incredibly awesome. We watched until they were out of sight.
We continued our dive and here comes the school of rays flying towards us now! OMG. We get to see it again. All of the divers just stop and hang in the water watching the incredible ballet of rays moving up and down effortlessly in the water column. What a privilege to see such a thing. In all, the rays swam by us maybe 4 times. Each time it was just as breathtaking which isn’t good when you are underwater – ha ha – but everyone remembered to breathe.
Well, what can beat that! Surprise, but we had another wonderful thing happen on that dive. We had finished our dive with a pipefish, an octopus, some sharks, a small turtle, and had drifted away from the granite rocks that make up Stork Perch and we hanging in the water at 5 meters for our 3 minute safety stop
. A school of barracuda came round us. They circled us continually the whole time we were hanging in the water. Amazing! Barracudas look really, really mean as they have a very long mouth and it is alllllllll teeth! Big Teeth! There were probably about 125-150 barracudas swimming around us constantly. We were in the middle of a barracuda vortex. A virtual tornado of barracuda. I’ve never been bothered by barracuda and have been extremely close to them before so I wasn’t really worried but I’d never seen this many, nor have I had them circle me. They were probably wondering why we weren’t moving, just bobbing up and down to take care of our 3 minute stop. At the end of our three minutes, we all started slowly surfacing and the barracudas just disappeared, swimming off into the blue of the ocean and they were gone, or at least not visible anymore.
What an amazing dive with both such fantastic things happening for us to see and photograph. GEEZ diving is so cool.
Last Diving Days Nov 30 and Dec 1
Diving Days nov 30 and Dec 1 2013
Going to put these two days together as our two days were all about diving and not much else. We are quite happy with our dive crew and the first day sites weren't fantastic but was nice. Our third and fourth days sites were great, except for one which had a lot of surge as the tide was coming in. Some very good sites with some very good things to see. Ohhhh, it’s so exciting to see new things when you dive and there are always new things to see.
One day we had 9 people on the boat to dive which was quite a lot we thought but the boat is licensed to take 16 divers. Whew. I think it would be pandemonium to try and get that many divers ready and into the water. A dive guide basically leads the group around the area and tries to spot interesting things to see and point them out to the divers
. This is important because when you are in a brand new spot, you don’t know which way to go to the good stuff and what might be there. A good dive guide is on the spot maybe several times a week or at least several times a month so he/she knows what is usually hanging around the site. A dive master also makes sure nobody gets in trouble. Even very experienced divers with a lot of dives under their belts can get all excited and forget to watch their time or depth. I’ve known lobster hunters to way overextend themselves and every year there are some divers that die in the Florida Keys while hunting lobsters because they just run out of air. And finally a good dive guide keeps the group together and knows when to start ascending if someone is low on air and also can give up their weights which they usually carry if one of the divers is low on weight and having trouble staying at depth.
Because of the tides, in the morning, tanks, weights, gear must all be carried to the boat which is anchored anywhere from 20 meters to 60 meters offshore. The first two days, we waded in water to get to the boat. The last two days, we waded, walked across an exposed sand bar, and then waded some more. The dive shop is gracious enough to carry the ladies tanks to the boat and then most of the male divers carry their own tanks. Everyone carries their own weights. I am not above being very grateful on letting someone carry my tank
. I’m so fluffy that it takes a lot of weights for me to dive so I’m carrying a heavy load without the tank.
Anyway, one morning we set off and all 9 divers were on the boat and it was about ready to leave. My hubby had not found his tank yet so we were looking at all the gear to see where it was. If people don’t bring their own gear but rent the dive shops, then all the gear looks alike. And usually most of the gear is very similar anyway as people buy the standard brands like Aqualung, Scubapro, etc. But our gear has a shaker on each of our BCD’s. It helps us identify our gear and also we can hear it underwater so we use it to signal each other. We were looking for his shaker. I had put my hand on a tank with a backpack that looked amaziningly like my husband’s PLUS it was on a larger tank which my hubby was also using to get some more bottom time. A very large man on the boat with a German accent almost slapped my hand away and almost shouted "Don’t touch that!" OMG mister. You’re here on holiday – take a breather. No diver would hurt someone else’s gear and we were just looking for the shaker. But you do run into some ugly divers every once in awhile just as you can run into ugly tourists. I figured this guy was one of the nasty tourists so we moved to the other side of the boat to stay away from him
. Yep, sure enough. Later on the dive, when we were all in two groups, 4 of us with one dive master and 5 with the other dive guide, this guy came out of nowhere in the dive and joined our group. Which means he meandered away from his dive guide and got lost. He stayed with us for awhile, ran into me once, hard, and then ran into another diver, hard, and then our dive guide pointed out the other group and sent him on his way. I think that he never found them because after we were in the boat and waiting for the other group to surface, this man surfaced all by himself and was bobbing in the ocean alone. NOT a good diving practice. Of course the other dive guide shouldn’t have lost him but sometimes it happens no matter how good the dive guide is.
Anyway, the dive was good for us and we had an enjoyable day. Our last day of diving was pretty cool. We saw some wonderful stuff. We went to a site called Stork Perch or maybe Porch. Wasn’t sure which. I was trying to explain to some Germans what a Stork was and when I explained that “they sometimes bring the babies”, the Germans knew immediately which bird I meant as they have the same story in Germany or one similar to it. Our dive guide told us we might see some sharks, some rays, some barracudas, etc. usual stuff for the area. My hubby and I were following him and I went behind him through a small tunnel of rocks while my hubby went up and over. As I was coming to the end, the dive guide was hovering in the water and motioning me to hurry. As I came out he pointed out into the deep. Flying away from me was a school/group/pod of blue spotted eagle rays. There isn’t any way to describe what they were doing other than flying. They were so graceful and just diving up and down as they moved their wings and played with each other. It was so magical
.
Our group moved on as the rays “flew” out of sight into the blue. But I kept glancing out into the blue and sure enough, in a couple of minutes, the rays are back and this time flying towards us. I pointed it out to my hubby and we all stopped and watched the rays again. In all, the ray (school just isn’t majestic enough!) school/group/pod/whatever flew by us about 4 times. Each time we all stopped swimming and just hung there in awe. One ray came down close to us and started snuffling along the bottom to get some lunch but then he flew off to join the group again. How wonderful it was.
We saw quite a few things in our last few dives. Another pipe fish, an octopus, lots of coral in a spot called Alice in Wonderland which is connected to Oscar’s Reef so those two were my favorite spots but have to say the rays were one of my favorite things to see. Also saw a black and white spotted moray who was very cleverly concealed but my hubby spotted him. Another octopus who had built himself a nice home with rocks and such in front of his hole.
As we had to leave the water at Stork Perch – where we saw the rays flying – we drifted out and away from the island so it would be easier for the boat to pick us up
. As we are hanging in the water column at 5 meters for our safety stop, a school of barracuda came around us. There must have been about 150 barracuda swimming there. They circled us and continued to swim around us in a circle for our entire 3 minute safety stop. Barracuda do not frighten me. I find them quite interesting but I did wonder if anyone had anything really shiny on their tanks because barracuda are known for darting in and snatching bright and shiny things. Kind of the magpies of the sea. My hubby joked that as long as they are circling us, we are fine. When they stop circling and face inwards, then we worry! But they disappeared as soon as we started moving upwards again so were out of sight by the time we hit the surface.
Wonderful diving. I am chagrined to admit that I had messed up our hotel reservations so that we were forced to change our hotel in the middle of our stay. We decided to move to another island because of this but also because of this, we’ve pretty much ended our diving early. Such a shame. Here’s hoping that we get to come back because it was good diving and a good dive shop. We did hear from one of the other divers that Oman has some good diving. Hummmmmm. How interesting.
Going to put these two days together as our two days were all about diving and not much else. We are quite happy with our dive crew and the first day sites weren't fantastic but was nice. Our third and fourth days sites were great, except for one which had a lot of surge as the tide was coming in. Some very good sites with some very good things to see. Ohhhh, it’s so exciting to see new things when you dive and there are always new things to see.
One day we had 9 people on the boat to dive which was quite a lot we thought but the boat is licensed to take 16 divers. Whew. I think it would be pandemonium to try and get that many divers ready and into the water. A dive guide basically leads the group around the area and tries to spot interesting things to see and point them out to the divers
. This is important because when you are in a brand new spot, you don’t know which way to go to the good stuff and what might be there. A good dive guide is on the spot maybe several times a week or at least several times a month so he/she knows what is usually hanging around the site. A dive master also makes sure nobody gets in trouble. Even very experienced divers with a lot of dives under their belts can get all excited and forget to watch their time or depth. I’ve known lobster hunters to way overextend themselves and every year there are some divers that die in the Florida Keys while hunting lobsters because they just run out of air. And finally a good dive guide keeps the group together and knows when to start ascending if someone is low on air and also can give up their weights which they usually carry if one of the divers is low on weight and having trouble staying at depth.
Because of the tides, in the morning, tanks, weights, gear must all be carried to the boat which is anchored anywhere from 20 meters to 60 meters offshore. The first two days, we waded in water to get to the boat. The last two days, we waded, walked across an exposed sand bar, and then waded some more. The dive shop is gracious enough to carry the ladies tanks to the boat and then most of the male divers carry their own tanks. Everyone carries their own weights. I am not above being very grateful on letting someone carry my tank
. I’m so fluffy that it takes a lot of weights for me to dive so I’m carrying a heavy load without the tank.
Anyway, one morning we set off and all 9 divers were on the boat and it was about ready to leave. My hubby had not found his tank yet so we were looking at all the gear to see where it was. If people don’t bring their own gear but rent the dive shops, then all the gear looks alike. And usually most of the gear is very similar anyway as people buy the standard brands like Aqualung, Scubapro, etc. But our gear has a shaker on each of our BCD’s. It helps us identify our gear and also we can hear it underwater so we use it to signal each other. We were looking for his shaker. I had put my hand on a tank with a backpack that looked amaziningly like my husband’s PLUS it was on a larger tank which my hubby was also using to get some more bottom time. A very large man on the boat with a German accent almost slapped my hand away and almost shouted "Don’t touch that!" OMG mister. You’re here on holiday – take a breather. No diver would hurt someone else’s gear and we were just looking for the shaker. But you do run into some ugly divers every once in awhile just as you can run into ugly tourists. I figured this guy was one of the nasty tourists so we moved to the other side of the boat to stay away from him
. Yep, sure enough. Later on the dive, when we were all in two groups, 4 of us with one dive master and 5 with the other dive guide, this guy came out of nowhere in the dive and joined our group. Which means he meandered away from his dive guide and got lost. He stayed with us for awhile, ran into me once, hard, and then ran into another diver, hard, and then our dive guide pointed out the other group and sent him on his way. I think that he never found them because after we were in the boat and waiting for the other group to surface, this man surfaced all by himself and was bobbing in the ocean alone. NOT a good diving practice. Of course the other dive guide shouldn’t have lost him but sometimes it happens no matter how good the dive guide is.
Anyway, the dive was good for us and we had an enjoyable day. Our last day of diving was pretty cool. We saw some wonderful stuff. We went to a site called Stork Perch or maybe Porch. Wasn’t sure which. I was trying to explain to some Germans what a Stork was and when I explained that “they sometimes bring the babies”, the Germans knew immediately which bird I meant as they have the same story in Germany or one similar to it. Our dive guide told us we might see some sharks, some rays, some barracudas, etc. usual stuff for the area. My hubby and I were following him and I went behind him through a small tunnel of rocks while my hubby went up and over. As I was coming to the end, the dive guide was hovering in the water and motioning me to hurry. As I came out he pointed out into the deep. Flying away from me was a school/group/pod of blue spotted eagle rays. There isn’t any way to describe what they were doing other than flying. They were so graceful and just diving up and down as they moved their wings and played with each other. It was so magical
.
Our group moved on as the rays “flew” out of sight into the blue. But I kept glancing out into the blue and sure enough, in a couple of minutes, the rays are back and this time flying towards us. I pointed it out to my hubby and we all stopped and watched the rays again. In all, the ray (school just isn’t majestic enough!) school/group/pod/whatever flew by us about 4 times. Each time we all stopped swimming and just hung there in awe. One ray came down close to us and started snuffling along the bottom to get some lunch but then he flew off to join the group again. How wonderful it was.
We saw quite a few things in our last few dives. Another pipe fish, an octopus, lots of coral in a spot called Alice in Wonderland which is connected to Oscar’s Reef so those two were my favorite spots but have to say the rays were one of my favorite things to see. Also saw a black and white spotted moray who was very cleverly concealed but my hubby spotted him. Another octopus who had built himself a nice home with rocks and such in front of his hole.
As we had to leave the water at Stork Perch – where we saw the rays flying – we drifted out and away from the island so it would be easier for the boat to pick us up
. As we are hanging in the water column at 5 meters for our safety stop, a school of barracuda came around us. There must have been about 150 barracuda swimming there. They circled us and continued to swim around us in a circle for our entire 3 minute safety stop. Barracuda do not frighten me. I find them quite interesting but I did wonder if anyone had anything really shiny on their tanks because barracuda are known for darting in and snatching bright and shiny things. Kind of the magpies of the sea. My hubby joked that as long as they are circling us, we are fine. When they stop circling and face inwards, then we worry! But they disappeared as soon as we started moving upwards again so were out of sight by the time we hit the surface.
Wonderful diving. I am chagrined to admit that I had messed up our hotel reservations so that we were forced to change our hotel in the middle of our stay. We decided to move to another island because of this but also because of this, we’ve pretty much ended our diving early. Such a shame. Here’s hoping that we get to come back because it was good diving and a good dive shop. We did hear from one of the other divers that Oman has some good diving. Hummmmmm. How interesting.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Pirates -oh MY! Nov 29 2013
Pirates – Oh MY! Nov
29 2013
We’re doing all of our diving off of Mahe, out of Dive the
Seychelles diving shop which is quite nice, well run, good divemasters, etc.
etc. We are enjoying it a lot. There are other dive shops on this island
plus diveshops on most of the other islands with good places to dive. However, the interesting thing that my hubby
read in the up to date guide book that I just purchased before we came, was
that diving has been discontinued on some of the farther out islands. For reasons of PIRATES! Yikes and heave ho! When you look at the east coast of Arica and
find the Seychelles Islands, we are not terribly far from Somalia which as
everyone who reads a newspaper or hears the news these days is well aware of
their penchant for harboring and helping pirates attack any boat that meanders
into their waters. I think they have
started going a bit further afield possibly.
The guidebook naturally doesn’t give any gruesome details and just makes
this simple one statement declaration – no diving on far out islands because of
pirates. Wow. I kind of assume it is because they have
probably lost a few tourists and divers.
I’m fine with staying close to large settlements and main islands were
there are a lot of people. The diving is
still good and I don’t think I’ll miss anything by having to worry if my boat
will still be there when I surface or if it will be full of pirates.
Internet Woes Nov 29 2013
Internet Woes Nov 29
2013
Having some problems getting things onto the internet here
in the Seychelles. Our hotel in Mahe has
a charge for the megabytes that are
uploaded and downloaded. We have been
blissfully going along and adding to it when it stops on us but then realized
we really needed to see how much we were spending. So, as a result. Things are going to be uploaded on a daily
basis and there is a chance that photos might not be uploaded until we get
home. We’ll have to see what transpires
from here.
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