Another day ending with another beautiful sunset
Should we stay or should we go?
We're still not under lock down or quarantine, but for all intents and purposes we're stuck here at home in Addis Ababa አዲስ አበባ. In many places around the world, people are coping with being at home by going on nature walks or to parks etc. Addis, however, lacks green space. The best place to stretch our legs would be at my daughter's international school, but they've closed everything down due to COVID-19. The embassy has also shut down its gym and swimming pool. Even if there were a place to go, we would have difficulty getting out because the road in front of our house is in the process of being paved. Which is a welcome development from its present state, but it'd be difficult pulling the car out of the driveway, and all the exhaust from the construction equipment means we have to stay indoors with the windows shut. And, even if we could get out, there's the issue of gasoline. Fuel supplies are sporadic here in the best of times; with land borders closed to all except vehicles bringing essential goods, there were long lines at all the filling stations on Thursday when my wife and I went to the embassy and the China market. The fuel tank in our car is half-full (or half-empty, depending on your general outlook on life), so until I can get to a station to fill it up, we're being very careful to go out in our Honda only when necessary.
So should we stay or should we go? Hmm...
At least we're not stranded abroad, like so many tourists. Actually, we are, sort of, but at least we're in a by-now-familiar city, in a house with all our personal possessions. In retrospect, we got out of the Seychelles and back to Ethiopia just in time. It was on our fifth day in the former, and our second day on the island of Praslin, that we learned the government had closed the country to visitors from the European Union. There was also a rumor that all European visitors needed to leave the Seychelles that Wednesday evening, but it turned out to be unfounded, as there were still many Europeans remaining in the country by the time we eventually flew out on Saturday.
Wednesday was another hot, humid and glorious day in the Indian Ocean archipelago. By this time I had adjusted to island time, though the same couldn't be said of Amber and Shu-E. Our accommodation (the Sunset Cove Villa) was a short drive from Praslin's airport - traffic has to be halted when the few flights per day arrive and depart (we would end up waiting a couple of times):
Being a former British colony, motorists drive on the left side of the road in the Seychelles. I'm quite used to this state of affairs by now, having driven in Japan, the UK, Thailand and South Africa:
The highlight of our day (and for me, the whole trip) was spending several hours in the waters of what I consider to be the Seychelles' finest beach, Anse Lazio. It's an almost perfect blend of clear waters, palm and takamaka trees providing shade, and granite boulders at either end. The boulders at the northern edge of the beach (pictured below, to the right of the anchored yachts) were teeming with an amazing array of fish, the most I'd ever encountered since I swam off the reef at Yonehara Beach 米原ビーチ on Ishigaki-jima 石垣島 back in 2011:
Even Paradise has its limitations. The beachside restaurant at Anse Lazio was closed (not clear if it was related to there being fewer tourists than usual at this time of year), and feeling hungry by mid-afternoon we drove southeast in search of a place to eat, eventually stopping for a curry at Coco Rouge:
We made a short stop at another famed beach on Praslin, Anse Volbert, but didn't go in the water:
From Anse Volbert, we took a leisurely drive around the island, rounding the southern end of Praslin before driving along the western coast back to the Sunset Cove Villa. Along the way we stopped off at Whole Foods (!) to pick up a few provisions:
We also picked up some food for dinner from Vero's Takeaway across the road from our villa. We ate outside as another amazing sunset capped off a relaxing day:
Shu-E, not being the sun worshiper that I am, waited until after sunset to go for a swim at our private beach:
This day turned out to be the essence of the Seychelles experience - a relaxing morning and early afternoon spent mainly at the beach, not feeling rushed or worrying about the time, followed by a leisurely drive and an afternoon capped off with a postcard-perfect sunset. Relaxing outside our cottage only a few meters from the ocean, with small shops and cafes only a short walk or drive nearby, and the Southern stars to fill up the clear night sky. Why did we ever leave?
In light of everything that's happening now, a very pertinent question...
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