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| Vallee de Mai, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Praslin Island, Seychelles |
As we raced across the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and
The Seychelles, we were well aware that the ship was in “pirate alley”. Despite this, we were relatively unconcerned
after all the precautions that had been taken.
Also, one of our guest lecturers gave a very interesting and informative
talk about all the reasons that ships are less and less in jeopardy from these
modern-day buccaneers. Not only do
cruise ships make poor targets because of their speed, but because, unlike
cargo ships, there are hundreds of people who just sit and enjoy the views of
the ocean and notice things like “ships passing in the night”. Early warning of unfamiliar boats is one of
the best defenses. In addition, there
are military ships in known pirate waters that will come to the aid of
vulnerable ships should the need arise.
We were due to dock in the Seychelles at 8:00, but Captain
Jonathan made an announcement stating that our berth was currently occupied by
a NATO warship and that when they set sail, we would enter the harbor and dock
as quickly as possible. Yes, we were a
half hour late getting in, but on the other hand, we were quite happy to see
for ourselves that there were ships in the area that would be available for any
possible pirate emergencies.
We had heard that The Seychelles were very beautiful
islands, so we were not at all surprised to fall in love with this small island
country. In fact, while there were many
great differences, we found what we saw quite comparable to our favorite South
Pacific island, Moorea. The rocky hillsides,
the lush landscapes, and the amazingly beautiful beaches were very much like
Moorea! One major difference, though,
is the way the islands were formed.
While Moorea is part of those French Polynesian islands that grew from
the ocean floor due to volcanic activity, the three biggest islands in The
Seychelles, Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, are all granite while the smaller
outlying islands are coral atolls, meaning none of them are volcanoes. The theory is that the largest islands may
have been peaks of an enormous underwater plateau that appears to have fallen
off the edge of the Indian subcontinent about 65 million years ago.
The Seychelles are made up of about 115 islands that lie
approximately 1000 miles off the east coast of Africa and are considered part
of that continent. With a population of about 782,000 and an area of about 176
mi2, it is a relatively small country. The capital, Victoria, is one of the smallest
national capitals in the world and is the only town in the entire country. The other settlements are villages.
The Seychelles are known for a most unusual palm tree that
apparently is indigenous to only two islands in the world (both being in The
Seychelles). This is the rare coco de mer.
It is actually two different trees, one male and one female. They can’t tell until it is older what the
sex of the tree is, but when it is young, it is very easy to tell the age. This coconut tree produces one palm frond a
year so while we couldn’t tell the sex of some trees, we could quickly identify
the age by counting the fronds. The male
has long shoots that pollinate the female, which produces the very unique coco
de mer nut. Not only is it the largest
nut in the world, but it has a very unusual shape. It almost looks like two coconuts have been
joined at the top forming a kind of Siamese coconut.
Upon our arrival in Victoria, our shore excursion, Praslin Island by Boat, was sent ashore
immediately. We walked to the front of
the ship where we boarded a small charter boat that would take us to Praslin
Island. As I looked around the boat, I
could tell that usually this charter was used for fishing and diving
expeditions. Two large fishing reels
were fastened to the stern of the boat.
I thought of our cousin Lyman and wondered how he would enjoy fishing in
these Indian Ocean waters and what he might catch if he did. Under the seats were stored lots of scuba
tanks, all labeled Coltrisub. Now it
might seem strange to think that I’d so easily remember the name on the tanks,
but I got a chuckle out of it! As I told
Chuck, one of my Mokena colleagues was a fourth grade teacher named Tina
Coltri. When I retired I subbed for her
a couple times, making me the Coltri sub!
You never, ever know what things will pop into your head when you’re
traveling!
The boat ride to Praslin took about two hours. As we sailed across the waters we could see
the NATO warship nearby. What a
comforting thought! There were also
cargo ships and sailing vessels as well as speedboats, all plying the waters we
were sailing through. I kept hoping to
see some marine life, but no such luck.
(We had noticed something in the water during breakfast that morning. At
first we thought it might be a large yellow piece of paper until we realized it
was “flapping” its fins. It was a manta
ray probably coming to the surface to see what large beast was sharing its
territory.)
Upon our arrival on Praslin, we were greeted by guides and
ushered to two small buses. We really
lucked out: there were about 27 on the
tour, but only about 11 got onto our bus.
Apparently once people had settled on the other bus, they were content
and didn’t want to move. That meant we
had more time at the various places because we could get around more quickly –
it took less time for us to board or get off the bus each place we stopped. That also meant that we could hear our guide
much more easily. (Of course hearing and
understanding are two different things!
We had been warned that in many of the African countries the guides
would be a little more difficult to understand.) Like all the natives of The Seychelles, our
guide Jean spoke a French Creole language, and although they start learning
English when they are about six, their accent is very thick! There were times when I could understand and
pick up what he was saying and there were times when I didn’t have a clue! We did have a Spanish couple on our bus, and
Jean spoke to them in French, so I was able to pick up a little more, but even that
accent was a challenge for me. However,
his enthusiasm was evident, and he was eager to share his wealth of knowledge
of this lovely country.
If I understood correctly, Praslin Island is about 60 km2
with a population of about 8000 inhabitants.
Much of the island is tropical rainforest and a national park called Vallée
de Mai Nature Reserve that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As we headed toward the park, we made a couple
of photo stops. One was along a lovely
beach. Praslin Island is known for its
beautiful white sand beaches, and we could definitely see why! The other stop was along a road in the park
itself where we could view a waterfall that allowed islanders to collect
natural rainwater. Having grown up near
Niagara Falls, this trickle was miniscule, but we found it interesting to
realize that such a very small stream had such an important impact upon the
area.
In the park, we went on a short guided walk where Jean
explained about the coco de mer palm. He
pointed out small trees whose sex had not yet been identified as well as
towering male and female trees. There
was a coco de mer nut available for us to pick up. While very large (I’d estimate easily 12” x
12” x 6”), it wasn’t as heavy as I’d anticipated. Jean also showed us several other indigenous
palm trees as well as pointing out some that had been brought to The
Seychelles. In one case he showed us
some philodendron that had been introduced and that they were trying to get rid
of because it grew everywhere. It
reminded me of how the New Zealanders felt about the introduction of gorse that
has now overtaken the landscapes! Jean
cut a small piece from one tree and asked us to smell it. He asked what we smelled. Several made different guesses; my best guess
was clove. It turns out that this tree
is a four-spice tree. I only caught
three of the spices, but those three were cinnamon, pepper, and clove. Interesting that one tree would produce so
many spices!
One of the things we’d really hoped to see was the extremely
rare black parrot. This bird makes its
home in the Vallée de Mai forest and is very difficult to see. It flies very quickly and when sitting in a
tree it is hard to spot because of its black color. We were really lucky – we saw one fly right across our path shortly after we entered the
forest. And toward the end of the path
(where we would double back to the beginning) another guide was with a small
group pointing out a black parrot perched in a tree. Because it heard us approach, it darted away,
but we caught a glimpse of it as it flew.
Then that same guide spotted another one perched high up in the branches
of a tree. He showed Jean, who showed
us, and most of us were able to see it and even snap a couple of pictures. Chuck and I were both pleased to get pictures
since it was well hidden in the canopy over our heads. Later I learned from someone on the other bus
that they hadn’t even seen one parrot!
Lucky us!!!
We had lunch at a lovely resort area right along the
beachfront. The menu was local cuisine
including fish, beef, and a very spicy chicken.
Dessert fascinated us – one dish was in the shape of the coco de mer so
we made sure we got pictures of it before anyone cut into it. Shortly after we finished eating, it started
to rain. We were particularly interested
in something we saw in the lobby which seemed to funnel and collect
rainwater. They obviously highly value
this as they were also very proud of that little waterfall in the park that
provided rainwater.
Many of the people on the tour were especially looking
forward to a stop that included a swim.
Because of the tardy arrival of the ship, everything in our tour that
could be condensed was condensed.
Therefore, the swim time was cut back.
For Chuck and me, this was no problem, but for some it was a
disappointment. However, I did take the
opportunity to remove my shoes and go in ankle deep so I could say I had stuck
my big toe in the Indian Ocean. At that
same location we were particularly fascinated by several giant tortoises. They were fenced in but were quite active,
moving around and seeming to cock their heads and listen when we’d talk. When I asked him, Jean explained to me that
they were a relative of tortoises from Madagascar as well as the Galapagos
tortoises. He said that the tortoises
had to be contained because if they weren’t they’d travel in a path and eat
everything in sight as they went. By
keeping them fenced, they could provide food for these huge animals without
fearing destruction of crops or other important flora.
We were pleased to be able to have an opportunity to shop
for souvenirs, but we were given about ten minutes in a very overcrowded store where
we could barely move down aisles let alone pass someone who’d stopped to
examine an item. As a result I came away
with exactly one purchase – a postcard.
Back on the boat, we settled in for the two-hour ride to Mahé
Island and the ship. Because I hadn’t
purchased any souvenirs, I decided to buy one of the t-shirts available on the
boat. Let’s just say that now I have “bragging
rights’ for having purchased the most expensive t-shirt ever. Chuck held that title for three years when he
misinterpreted the exchange rate in Bora Bora in 2009 and bought a very
expensive t-shirt at Bloody Mary’s. We
did agree, though, that the t-shirt I bought is more interesting than the one
he bought, and most likely part of the money goes to funding for research on
sharks. I also figured it would be more
expensive to try and come back to The Seychelles to get a souvenir than to
spend a little extra on a t-shirt now!
En route we once again passed the NATO warship. That was good news – we knew waters would be
protected as we set sail from the remarkable Seychelles!
We arrived back at the pier at 5:25. Boarding time was 5:30 so we could see that
they were starting to pack things up.
They had already hauled in the “down” gangway. One of the shore ex reps was on the dock
waiting for us to return. We were glad
to see him, knowing that he was aware we were coming and they wouldn’t leave
without is.
With dinner at 5:30, we had to race in and make a quick
change. We got to the dining room at
5:45, not bad for having returned to the ship so late!
Our wonderful visit to The Seychelles may have been over,
but they had one more surprise for us.
Our dining table is at the aft windows, and as we set sail, we enjoyed
the most magnificent sunset we’d seen on the entire trip, and one of the most spectacular
we’ve ever seen in our lives! The red
hues in the skies and among the clouds above the islands just kept getting more
and more amazing as the sun dipped closer and closer to the horizon! It was
a truly remarkable ending to a wonderful day!
BT
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