At noon on the third day, we arrived at the port of Victoria on Mahe island. Our visit to Mahe was cut short by the 1.5 days due to the ship's mechanical delay. However, we made the best of the situation with a visit to the botanical gardens, followed by a stroll through central Victoria (which consisted of all of a half-dozen or so streets - very small town). All the shops were closed due to our Sunday pm arrival. Took a taxi to the western side of the island and enjoyed the beach for a couple of hours and headed back to Victoria for dinner at the Pirate's Arms restaurant. The highlight of the meal was a frosty, refreshing pistachio milkshake, which proved to be the perfect antidote to the hot, humid Seychellois summer weather.
Praslin and La Digue
The next morning, we set sail at sunrise for nearby Praslin island. Praslin's claim to fame is its Vallee de Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage protected preserve which serves as home to thousands of the very unique Coco de Mer palm tree. The fruit, or coconuts, that the tree bears resemble the derrier of a voluptuous woman, and the male variety of the tree produces a rather phallic-shaped fruit. Needless to say, plenty of rumors, myths and innuendos about this unique "freak" of nature and its purported aphrodisiac qualities abound. A nice benefit of the nature walk through the park was the large and broad fronds of the Coco de Mer palm, which provided a natural canopy to shelter from the hot tropical sun.
The Coco de Mer
Female plant (center)
Male plant (right)
Mark getting cheeky with a Coco de Mer
Praslin harbor (right)
Next, we headed back to the jetty to catch a 20-minute catamaran ferry ride over to neighboring La Digue island. La Digue is famous for its idyllic powder sand beaches accented by beautiful palm trees and huge granite boulder outcroppings. After enjoying a wonderful chicken curry lunch, we rented some bikes and headed for the beach, a 15-minute ride south. For the next two hours, we basked in the warm tropical sun amid the sandy-bottomed lagoon, fringed by the protective reef. Absolutely perfect! Totally unique. The most idyllic beach scene I've ever experienced, bar none.
Local taxi on La Digue
Idyllic beach at Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue island
After a quick cat ferry ride back to Praslin, and transfer to a tender, we were back aboard the Royal Star to embark on the next leg of our journey - a voyage southward to Madagascar. It would take two more days at sea to cover the 750-mile journey to the Land of the Lemurs...
No comments:
Post a Comment