Legends of the Coco de Mer

One of the most enigmatic plants I’ve encountered in all my travels is the coco de mer palm. The only natural habitat of this endangered palm are the granitic islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles.

This iconic palm holds several records in the plant kingdom. The fruit borne by the female palm of the species is the largest and heaviest in the plant kingdom. What is even more remarkable is that when the fruit is dehusked, the nut inside bears an uncanny resemblance to the nether region of the human female body!

A cultural symbol of the Seychelles, this rare nut embodies the uniqueness of the flora and fauna found on this island nation. Even the Seychelles visa stamp bears the shape of the coco de mer nut!

The Seychelles visa stamp in the shape of the coco de mer nut

The best place to see the coco de mer is the rich ecosystem of the Vallee de Mai palm forest on Praslin island.

In ancient times, these bi-lobed nuts were found washed up on beaches as far as India and even the islands of the Malay world. According to Malay folklore, this mysterious nut grew on a magic tree (pauh janggi) in a massive whirlpool known as the Navel of the Seas (pusat tasek). The legends surrounding this palm are as tall as the palm itself.

More about the legends of the coco de mer in my article for the Sep-Oct’16 issue of PASSAGE, the bi-monthly magazine of the Friends of the Museums Singapore.

(Reproduced with the permission of the Editor.)

 

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For information about hiking in the Seychelles, read my posts about the Anse Major Trail and the Trois Frères Trail.

Read about my birdwatching experience in the Seychelles.

Click here to learn about the legendary Coco de Mer palm.

For a flavour of Seychellois cuisine, read my post about Bazar Labarin.

Hiking in the Seychelles – The Trois Frères Trail

Always looking to experience a different part of Mahe island in the Seychelles, I accompanied a few of my local friends for a hike along the Trois Frères Trail.

If I thought the Anse Major Trail was tricky, then the Trois Frères Trail turned out to be even rockier and fairly steep. Not complaining though as the sweeping views of Victoria and the islands beyond, made the hike completely worth it! 🙂

The name Trois Frères (French for three brothers), comes from the trio of imposing granitic peaks overlooking Victoria. Covered with luxuriant vegetation, including introduced spice trees like cinnamon as well as native palms and screw pines (pandanus), these weathered cliffs are also home to the only carnivorous plant in the Seychelles, the pitcher plant Nepenthes pervillei.

Pitchers of the carnivorous Nepenthes pervillei seen along the trail

To get to the starting point of this trail, one needs to get to the Sans Souci Forestry Station bus-stop, located on the Sans Souci Road. If coming from Victoria, immediately after the Forestry Station bus-stop, take the small side road on the right and go uphill until the sign that marks the direction to the Trois Frères appears. That’s the starting point of the trail. It’s a cul de sac which also serves as a car park.

The trail itself is less than a kilometer long but feels like more because of the steep gradient. After climbing for about 30-40mins, we came to a view point which offers a spectacular view of Victoria, St. Anne Marine Park, Cerf and the other eastward islands.

We had however, not checked the weather that morning. And before we knew it, the heavens opened up, ruining any chance of a sunny, dazzling view or a good panorama shot! And it also became impossible to spot or photograph any birds 😦 A lone white tailed tropicbird braved the rain and seemed to enjoy riding the wind current.

View of St. Anne Marine Park and the nearby islands from the viewpoint

There is a path that goes all the way to the cross at the top (height of approx. 700m). But we didn’t dare venture ahead in the rain.

According to Seychellois historian Julien Durup, the original wooden cross at the top of this peak was erected on 4^th November 1956 to commemorate the visit of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburg, on 19^th October that year. As the wooden cross eroded away due to the elements, it was replaced much later by a concrete one.

I leave you to enjoy these rain filled pictures from the Trois Frères trail viewpoint. Hopefully, there will be better weather next time!

The calm before the storm…

View of the airport in the distance

Victoria and beyond….

 

For information about hiking the Anse Major Trail, click here.

Read about my birdwatching experience in the Seychelles.

Click here to learn about the legendary Coco de Mer palm.

For a flavour of Seychellois cuisine, read my post about Bazar Labarin.

More here about the islands of Praslin, Curieuse & Cousin.

 

Winged wonders of the Seychelles

With all of Seychelles dazzling white sand beaches, sun-kissed cerulean waters and lush granitic landscapes, it’s easy to overlook all the elegant creatures that call this picturesque island nation ‘home’.

But for me, birdwatching is an integral part of all my travels and Seychelles was going to be no different.

The granitic and coralline islands of Seychelles are home to 13 endemic bird species. In the time I’ve spent on Mahe, Praslin, La Digue and a few of the nearby islands, I was fortunate to observe 8 of the endemics and photograph 7 of them.

Here are the 7 endemic birds I’ve photographed so far….

The elusive Seychelles Kestrel is a small bird (about 20cm long) and is the only bird of prey in the Seychelles. Photographed in the Beau Vallon area on Mahe island.

The rare Seychelles Black Parrot is the national bird of the Seychelles. Photographed in the primeval palm forest of Vallee de Mai on Praslin island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only found on the island of La Digue, less than 300 individuals of the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher are believed to exist in the wild. This is a male individual.

A female Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher seen in its nest, incubating its lone egg. Photographed at the Vevue Nature Reserve on La Digue island.

A handsome Seychelles Bulbul photographed in UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vallee de Mai on Praslin island

The regal Seychelles Blue Pigeon spotted resting in the thicket at Anse Major Trail in northwest Mahe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sprightly male Seychelles Sunbird with its iridescent throat

The endangered Seychelles Magpie-Robin photographed on Cousin Island during our 2009 trip. Less than 250 individuals remain in the wild.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, I had no luck photographing the Seychelles White-eye, which I saw in the La Misere area of Mahe, during my last visit to the island nation.

If you are looking for a nature / bird guide, I highly recommend Basil Beaudouin (+248-4241790) who did such an awesome job of spotting the Seychelles Kestrel 👏👏👏

Nature / bird guide, Basil Beaudouin, in action

Photographing some other endemic birds like the Aldabra Drongo (species) and the Aldabra Rail (sub-species) will call for a trip to the remote Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most pristine ecological environments in the world. I won’t even bother telling you the logistics of getting there but hopefully, I’ll make it in this lifetime! Fingers crossed!

There are several other bird species in the Seychelles that are either ‘native’ to this geography (i.e. they established a population in the Seychelles without any human intervention) or were ‘introduced’ a long time ago, either accidentally or intentionally, by visitors.

The Malagasy Turtle Dove is native to several islands in the Indian Ocean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The male Madagascar Fody develops a bright red plumage during the breeding season

Many of the Seychelles islands are teeming with species of migratory seabirds which come there to breed – shearwaters, tropicbirds, frigatebirds etc. (More about that in my 2009 trip to Cousin Island.)

A White-tailed Tropicbird flying in the distance, off the Anse Major Trail in Mahe

One of the many seabirds spotted en route from Mahe to Praslin by ferry

My favourite seabirds are the very ethereal looking Fairy Terns, usually spotted flying around in pairs or threes, as if putting on a show just for you. You may recall seeing a pair of flying Fairy Terns on your Air Seychelles aircraft 🙂

Fairy Terns  on Beau Vallon beach, Mahe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up-close with a Fairy Tern at Beau Vallon beach, Mahe

The Fairy Terns graphic on the livery of an Air Seychelles aircraft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(This is the third in a series of birdwatching posts after Singapore and Sulawesi.)

Savouring Seychellois cuisine at Bazar Labrin

What better day to write a post about Bazar Labrin than today, a Wednesday 🙂

Every Wednesday evening, a group of Seychellois (pronounced seychelwa) food vendors gather by Beau Vallon beach on Mahe island to sell their homemade Creole food. Known as Bazar Labrin, this market is a popular haunt for both locals and tourists alike. According to a friendly cabbie I once met, Bazar Labrin means ‘sunset bazar’ in Creole.

For the duration of my stay in the Seychelles, this bazar was my mid-week dose of food, friends and festivities. Seychellois Creole cuisine is a remarkable blend of African, Indian, European and Chinese influences and this fusion cuisine goes way back to Seychelles mixed roots.

The main island of Mahe is believed to have been uninhabited for most of its known history and was colonized by the French only in 1770. The first settlement party consisted of about 30 people – French colonists, some African slaves and a few Indians. From this mix of original settlers was born Seychellois Creole cuisine.

Coconut based curries, grilled fish, black pudding, banana/breadfruit/sweet potato/cassava chips, fiery chatini (made with fresh, crushed chilies), raw sliced mango or shredded papaya salad – all ultra-fresh, hearty and simply delicious!

My favourite was the chapati stall. Chapati is an Indian flatbread and in this case, is served as a wrap, with a filling of meat or vegetable curry. The lovely ladies there, on my request, ensured they added a generous dash of the chili paste to my order 🙂

The heady kalou (fermented palm sap), also known as toddy or palm wine in other parts of the world, is great to wash down all that yummy Creole food! But before you consume copious amounts of kalou, please ensure you have a friend to take you home.

The folks managing the stalls are friendly and generous with portions. By the end of my stay in Mahe, I knew several of them on a first name basis 🙂

So if you happen to be in Mahe on a Wednesday, don’t forget to make your way to Bazar Labrin. Add the spectacular sunset at Beau Vallon and you have the recipe for a fabulous evening!

For now, I’ll let you enjoy these pictures of Bazar Labrin! Bon appetit!

The menu at the chapati stall

The line for the chapatis only gets longer as the evening progresses….

The flour chapatis used as wraps…..

The chapati ladies in action…..

The quail eggs man…

Fried quail eggs almost ready….

Peeled, sliced & fried – right in front of your eyes! The freshest chips you will ever eat – in this case banana! 🙂

The kalou (toddy) stall. Pretty potent stuff!

Lots of yummy homemade cakes, jams and pickles on sale!

The view to go with your food! 🙂

 

 

Hiking in the Seychelles – The Anse Major Trail

7 years ago, when we first visited the Seychelles, we were mesmerised by its sheer natural beauty – granitic islands rising up from the clear cerulean waters of the Indian Ocean, powdery white sand beaches, unique plant and animal species. Not to forget the legends of swashbuckling pirates and hidden treasures, friendly locals and the most delectable Creole food 🙂

To experience a different side of Seychelles, we hired a guide and trekked along the Mare aux Cochons trail, in the deep interior of the 3000+ hectare Morne Seychellois National Park.

Recently, we found ourselves in the Seychelles again (long story!). This time around, we stayed in the Beau Vallon area and the calm stretch of ocean there kept us entertained for many days. And the sunsets were just as spectacular as the last time we had visited!

When we’d had our fill of sun, sand and surf; we decided to spend a day hiking the Anse Major trail along the northwest coast of Mahe. This trail too falls within the limits of the Morne Seychellois National Park.

From our hotel in Beau Vallon, it was an easy walk to the bus stop opposite the Beau Vallon police station, on the road leading to Bel Ombre. After buying chili cakes (spiced lentil fritters) from the local store, we took a bus to the Danzil bus terminal.

Walking up the main road to the left of the bus terminus, we got to the residential part of Danzil (lookout for the Batman Studio on your left 😉 ) and continued on till we spotted the Anse Major trail sign.

The Batman Studio is one of the landmarks along this trail

The first sign along the trail

The trail is rated as ‘easy’ but the path is rugged in parts and in certain sections, needs to be navigated with care. The views make up for the trickiness of the trail though. On one side were the weather-scarred, granitic rocks covered with lush vegetation and on the other side , an expansive view of the Indian Ocean with Silhouette island visible in the near distance.

Thick foliage everywhere you look! 

Silhouette island visible in the distance

These trail markers were very helpful

On several occasions, we stopped to photograph the birds we encountered along the way – the Seychelles Sunbird, the Seychelles Blue Pigeon and the Seychelles Bulbul. I’m pretty sure I spotted a Seychelles Kestrel as well but sadly, didn’t get a chance to photograph it.

The regal Seychelles Blue Pigeon (Alectroenas pulcherrimus)

The sprightly Seychelles Sunbird (Cinnyris dussumieri)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Seychelles skink (Trachylepis seychellensis) basking  in the sun

As we neared the end of the trail, we came to a wooden shelter. And were rewarded with an unforgettable view – a perfect little crescent of a beach with turquoise waters lapping up gently against the shore. This beach is said to be ‘the finest’ in Mahe, though I don’t know how you can identify any one beach as being ‘the finest’ when every beach here looks right out of a postcard.

The first glimpse of Anse Major beach

Oohing and aahing, we hurried along. We had to scramble down a pile of large rocks before we could plant our feet in the cool sand of Anse Major.

Almost there! 🙂

The friendly beach policeman welcomed us to his domain and was happy to show us around and chat.

Thanks to several pit-stops along the way to observe our surroundings and take photographs, it took us much longer than the prescribed 1 – 1.5 hours. We were really glad we had packed food and water as there are no facilities on this secluded beach.

We had however, forgotten to carry our snorkelling gear along (it was supposed to be a hike, remember?!) So we had to be content with spending the morning in the shallower waters. But we did spot many fish right by the shore! 🙂

Dreading the walk back to Danzil in the hot sun, we took the easy way out. There’s a taxi boat that ferries people from Anse Major to Beau Vallon at regular intervals (200 Seychellois Rupees per person) and we were delighted to return in the comfort of a speed boat.

I wasn’t able to find much about the history of Anse Major but according to Seychellois historian Julien Durup, the road from Danzil to Anse Major was built by a French Capuchin brother in the early 1900s. This Capuchin brother is also credited with developing the land along this trail into a thriving agricultural establishment, cultivating vanilla and other crops. Walking along the Anse Major trail today, one would never be able to guess that this area was once a hive of human activity.

I leave you with this brochure of the Anse Major trail I found online. Happy hiking! Au revoir!

Did you find this blogpost useful? Leave a comment and let me know.

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For more about hiking the Trois Frères Trail, click here.

Read about my birdwatching experience in the Seychelles.

Click here to learn about the legendary Coco de Mer palm.

For a flavour of Seychellois cuisine, read my post about Bazar Labarin.

More here about the islands of Praslin, Curieuse & Cousin.

Of love nuts & giant tortoises

Praslin – second largest island of Seychelles and home of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valle de Mai.

The remnant of an ancient palm forest, Valle de Mai is one of only two remaining, natural habitats of the coco-de-mer palm (the other being Curieuse Island).

Remember the amusing Seychelles visa stamp? The suggestively shaped coco-de-mer nut is a cultural icon of Seychelles.

The coco-de-mer is a dioecious palm – it has separate male and female plants. The male plant bears flowers on a phallus-like catkin.

The female plant bears bilobed fruit which can weigh upto 30kgs, making the coco-de-mer the largest fruit in the plant kingdom.

When the husk of the coco-de-mer fruit is removed, the nut inside bears an uncanny resemblance to the pelvic region of the human female body. Hence, sometimes also referred to as the ‘love nut’.

We had heard so much folklore about the coco-de-mer but seeing it first-hand was surreal, a reminder of a prehistoric time. With most of the morning spent walking around Valle de Mai, we headed to the splendid Anse Lazio for some much needed fun in the sun.

The next day, we were scheduled for a day-trip to Cousin and Curieuse islands. Both islands are protected nature reserves and for die-hard nature buffs like us, this trip promised to be a real treat!

A short boat ride from Praslin is Cousin Island, managed by Nature Seychelles, a local non-profit and partner of Birdlife International.

The island, once a thriving coconut plantation, has been restored to its original state with the reintroduction of indigenous plants and trees. Thousands of seabirds nest here and when I set foot on Cousin Island, I felt like I was being welcomed by an orchestra of a million birds!

Nesting Lesser Noddy

White tern

Nesting white-tailed tropic bird

The endangered Seychelles magpie-robin

Hermit crabs, giant millipedes and several species of lizards, skinks and spiders also call Cousin home.

Giant millipede

Cousin’s conservation program has been a resounding success, earning several international eco-tourism awards along the way. A visit is a must even if you have no interest in ornithology! The fluffy, adorable fledgelings everywhere will melt your heart!

From Cousin, we hopped over to Curieuse Island which was a leper colony until 1965.

Today, it boasts over 500 Aldabra giant tortoises as well as several species of endemic plants (including a native population of the endangered coco-de mer).

Originally from the Aldabra Atoll of Seychelles, these giant tortoises have been hunted over the centuries, leading to their vulnerable status today. The average male weighs approx. 350 kgs and specimens can live upto 200 years.

We had seen several giant tortoises in the yards of Mahe homes. But it was fascinating to observe the antics of these gentle giants as they roamed about freely on the island.

With Praslin, Cousin and Curieuse explored and with a glorious tan as a souvenir, we headed back to Mahe before the end of the week.

Over the course of a fortnight, Seychelles’ pristine, natural splendour had simultaneously overwhelmed and captivated us. This had been love at first sight! Leaving was going to be heart breaking.

With great difficulty I said, ‘Au revoir. À bientôt, Seychelles!‘

Mahe Musings – 2

Day 3 of our week in Mahe.

At dawn, we set out with our guide, Steve. He took us along the Mare aux Cochons trail, in the deep interior of the Morne Seychellois National Park. Nestled amidst the thick forest vegetation is Morne Seychellois (905m/2,969 ft), the highest point in the archipelago.

As we climbed up to a height of about 500m, we passed fragrant cinnamon and nutmeg groves, vanilla vines, pandanus with its long, aerial roots and many other tropical plants.

Wild pineapples, luscious berries and different types of mushrooms added pops of color to the green blanket around us.

We also observed several forest creatures like the fruit bat, the endemic Seychelles skink, giant spiders and snails.

Steve shared an interesting insight with us – Seychelles has no large predators or poisonous snakes. Wish he had mentioned that at the start of the trek!

 

DAY 4 – Le Jardin Du Roi (The King’s Garden)

Le Jardin Du Roi is a 35-hectare spice garden, located on a hilltop near Anse Royale with splendid views of the bay below. A wide variety of spices, herbs, fruits and flowering plants are grown here.

The walk around the plantation made us very hungry and we headed to the cozy, garden restaurant. Here, Creole style meals are lovingly prepared from ingredients grown in-house.

Octopus curry with raw fruit salad

Fish curry with a plantain side dish

After our delightful lunch, we ordered the restaurant speciality – homemade ice-cream. Hands down, the freshest, creamiest ice-cream I’d ever had!

Nutmeg, cinnamon and citronelle (lemongrass) icecream

Must do: Take home some of the yummy fruit jams from the store at the Spice Garden.

On a side note – whoever coined the phrase ‘plain vanilla’ obviously never tasted the real thing! Did you know, vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron? When added as a dried pod, it lends a sublime, floral aroma along with a pale yellow color and a multitude of tiny brown specks from the bean. The phrase ‘plain vanilla’ is such an oxymoron.

A short drive from the Spice Garden is the Domaine de Val des Pres (Craft Village) – a colonial plantation lined with frangipani trees.

Several artisans are based there including a potter and a ship modeller, among others. The charming 1870 plantation house takes you back to a simpler time.

 

DAY 5 – Around Victoria

A visit to the colourful Victoria market was long overdue.

The busy market (originally built in 1840 and renovated in 1999) is named after Sir Percy Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke, Governor of the Seychelles from 1947–1951.

Later in the day, we drove to Bel Air and did a quick tour of the historic Bel Air cemetery.

 

DAY 6 – Bazar Labrin, Beau Vallon beach

Last Saturday of the month. A throng of people had gathered at the evening market on Beau Vallon beachfront.

The atmosphere was festive with serenading musicians, the aroma of barbequed fish and stalls selling local arts and crafts.

We feasted on breadfruit chips and stopped to get a taste of kalou, a mildly intoxicating drink made from the sap of the coconut palm tree (also known as ‘toddy’ or ‘palm wine’ in other parts of the world).

As the sun began to set, we looked back on the week gone by. We had completely forgotten about our ‘real’ lives. Work pressures and city stresses had been replaced with calming visions of golden beaches, azure waters and the smiling faces of the Seychellois people!

We had one more week in this paradise. We were headed to Praslin the next day – home of the exotic coco-de-mer.

For my post on the islands of Praslin, Curieuse & Cousin, head to Of love nuts & giant tortoises.

Mahe Musings – 1

Pristine palm-fringed beaches, clear cerulean waters, the most hospitable locals, delectable creole seafood, legends of swashbuckling pirates and hidden treasures….just some of the exciting stuff Mahe is made of!

Our first week in Seychelles. We spent hours relaxing at some of Mahe’s idyllic beaches – Beau Vallon, Anse Soleil, Grand Anse and a few other heavenly anses whose names I don’t recall now. (Anse is the French word for ‘cove’ or ‘bay’.)

We couldn’t get ourselves to step away from the comfort of the silky, smooth sand and the cooling ocean breeze. But we had to visit some of Mahe’s other sights. Here’s a summary of our first few days in Mahe:

DAY 1 – Tea Factory

Located in the vicinity of the mist covered Morne Blanc, this 50 year old tea factory produces organic tea for export.

The whole area is enveloped in a warm, tea aroma and the surrounding tea plantations lend an ethereal charm to the place.

The cozy cafe on-site (Tea Tavern) gives visitors an opportunity to sample some of the speciality teas produced here.

Complementing the superb tea experience is the breath-taking view of the western slopes of Mahe.

DAY 1 (con’td) – Ruins of Venn’s Town Mission Lodge

Close to the Tea Factory are the moss covered ruins of a boarding school built by missionaries in 1876 to educate the children of liberated slaves. In its time, it was a symbol of great hope for these children and their families.

Today, the lookout gazebo offers an unparalleled, southward view of Mahe.

DAY 2 – Ste. Anne’s Marine National Park 

We rented a glass bottom boat at the pier and headed to Ste. Anne’s Marine Park. En route, our boatman slowed the boat to let us observe the seagrass and colorful fish via the glass bottom.

Our destination for the day was the picturesque Cerf Island (a part of the marine park).

The translucent, teal waters of Cerf Island are a snorkelers delight, with fish visible even from the shore.

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we spotted a reef shark!

After a few hours of glorious sunshine, a vicious storm began to brew on the horizon. We reluctantly decided to head back to Mahe.

The early evening downpour created a dramatic double rainbow, ending the day on a magical note.

Fun Tip: We had rented a car for our week on Mahe. But one of the must dos here is to take the local bus. Be warned! The bus drivers are daredevils – navigating the narrow, winding, hillside roads of Mahe at F1 speeds. Hold on to the handle in front or like us, you could risk being thrown out of the bus. A thrilling joyride for sure! And worry not,  their safety record is impeccable.

For more on our time in Mahe, head to Mahe Musings – 2.

Curious about the island of Praslin? Head to my post, Of naughty nuts & giant tortoises.

I leave you now to enjoy some of Mahe’s local Creole dishes. The Seychellois cuisine is heavily influenced by African, French and Indian flavors, making for some really delicious, fusion food. Bon appetit!

Octopus Salad at a Beau Vallon restaurant

Octopus curry at a Beau Vallon restaurant

Grilled fish at Anse Soleil Cafe

Steamed barracuda

Le petit paradis – Seychelles!

Easter 2009. Hubby and I travelled to Seychelles on an absolute whim. This was well before celebrities made it fashionable to honeymoon there.

Our aircraft approached Mahe (the largest island in the Seychelles), in the wee hours of morning. Silhouetted against the pale golden light of dawn, the Seychellois islands began to slowly appear. Our tropical paradise holiday was just minutes away!

At Mahe airport, I was thoroughly amused by the visa stamp on  my passport. To my jet-lagged eyes, it looked like a pair of shapely buttocks!

Hubby explained it was the outline of the coco-de-mer nut, a plant endemic to Seychelles. Ingenious! I don’t know about you but it’s the most exotic visa stamp I’ve ever seen.

Seychelles is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, consisting of over 100 granitic and coralline islands. Situated about 1,500km from mainland Africa, it is endowed with phenomenal natural beauty, from picture-postcard beaches to stunning biodiversity.

We rented a car and headed to Victoria, the capital of Mahe. Along the way, we were greeted by unspoilt beaches and inviting blue-green waters. Such a welcome change from the frantic pace of city life we had just left behind.

We got to the town centre and a familiar sight awaited us. At the heart of Victoria is Lorloz, a much smaller version of the Big Ben. Erected in 1903, this clock tower is a reminder of the British rule in Seychelles and today, a tourist landmark. We walked around admiring the Victorian architecture of the nearby buildings.

At lunch time, we headed to The Pirates Arms. Over glasses of local beer, we chatted about the laidback vibe and rustic beauty of the island. We were smitten!

We spent the rest of the day at the idyllic Beau Vallon beach. The turquoise waters were calm and despite Beau Vallon’s popularity, the beach was relatively empty.

As we lay down in the powder-soft sand, we realized just how tired we were from the flight and jet-lag. We splashed around in the warm waters of Beau Vallon and our exhaustion slowly began to fade away. So therapeutic!

Dusk approached and the sky turned into an incredible mosaic of colors. We watched the sundown spectacle in awe!

This was just a prelude to what the fortnight ahead had in store for us – island hopping, creole cuisine, coco-de-mer, Aldabra giant tortoises….

More about Mahe and things to do there in my posts, Mahe Musings – 1 & Mahe Musings – 2.

Curious about the island of Praslin? Head to my post, Of naughty nuts & giant tortoises.

For now, I’ll let a few pictures from Day 1 do the talking.

Happy kids of Mahe

Blue and green everywhere

Ergonomic signage

Traffic jam

Islands galore

Victoria’s favorite watering hole