Coping with the coronavirus, seeing the Seychelles: Praslin, Day 5

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...

Coping with the coronavirus, seeing the Seychelles: Mahe to Praslin, Day 4

Meanwhile, back in the jungle...

I'm writing this blog post at home, as I always do. What is unusual is that I'm doing this at home on a Thursday, on a day when under normal circumstances I would've gone to the office. But as we all know, these are not normal times. 70% of the Americans in my section have left or are leaving as normal operations have ceased, except for emergency cases, while virtually all local staff have been told not to go to work until further notice. Authorized departure has been approved, meaning those who wish to leave Ethiopia may do so, but we've decided to stay for the time being. Why? Mainly because we don't have a home in the U.S. to which to return. The option would therefore be to relocate to D.C., and be housed in a small apartment and placed in some office somewhere in order to keep me busy. Considering the seeming inability of American health authorities to come up with a coordinated plan to handle the situation with Covid-19, we're better off here, at least for the time being. Whether or not the Ethiopian government decides to shut down the country, or at least the capital city, remains to be seen. It's a situation that is continually changing, but for the time being we aren't in quarantine.

Yet.

Which is why I'm glad we were able to enjoy the Seychelles while we could. And so this blog series continues, as on a Tuesday morning we checked out of The Palms Seychelles, drove to the Cat Cocos Berth in Victoria (where we left the rental car in the parking lot with the keys under the floor mat - car return is very casual/trusting in the Seychelles), and then took the 10:30 ferry from Mahé 45 kilometers (28 miles) northeast to Praslin, the second-largest island in the Seychelles:

Leaving the port in Victoria:

Approaching Praslin:

We picked up another rental car in the Praslin port parking lot and drove from there to the Vallée de Mai national park, where we first had lunch. The nature reserve is one of only two places in the world (both in the Seychelles) where the rare coco de mer palm tree grows in its natural state. The coco de mer coconut is probably the most erotic fruit on earth, as this example at the cafe demonstrates:

Vallée de Mai is one of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Seychelles. The other is the Aldabra Atoll, 1200 kilometers (700 miles) southwest of Victoria:

We spent a couple of hours walking through the forest. Shu-E checks out some other examples of the sexy coconut:

The national park is home to more than just the coco de mer, as this jackfruit proves:

The coco de mer trees can soar as high as 30 meters (98 feet) above the forest floor:

Vallée de Mai is home to the endangered Seychelles black parrot, of which there are between 520 and 900 left in the wild:

I strained to see any parrots in the canopy overhead, without any luck...:

...but I'm certain I heard one, as they have a distinctive whistling call:

We did see a Seychelles blue pigeon:

On our way out of the reserve, I took this photo of the male coco de mer tree, the flower stem of which can grow up to a meter in length and only adds to the tree's steamy reputation:

It was the middle of the afternoon by the time we had finished at the Vallée de Mai. We drove to the northwest side of Praslin and located our accommodations for the next two nights. The Sunset Cove Villa is a comfortable three-bedroom house just steps from the sea. Shu-E relaxes outside the bedrooms:

The back of the house faces the Indian Ocean. We would eat all our meals outside. At night Shu-E and I would relax on the chaise lounges and gaze up at the star-filled southern night sky:

Two kilometers offshore lies Cousin Island, a nature reserve:

We even had our own private beach. Amber and I went for a swim before dinner; Shu-E took a dip after the sun had set:

The sunset was glorious, truly glorious:

This is how I would like to spend my retirement - in a small but comfortable house by the sea, listening to the waves crashing against the shore, and staring up at night at a star-filled sky.

Fuck the coronavirus:

Coping with the coronavirus, seeing the Seychelles: Mahe, Day 3

Idyllic...

Monday, another day temporarily removed from COVID-19, though not for long. But the crises of the world seemed far away as we had breakfast at The Palms Seychelles, seated outdoors next to a freshwater stream:

Following the tropical fruit fest that was breakfast, we headed south in our rental car to the country's capital and largest city, Victoria. Unfortunately, the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market wasn't open that morning, so we continued in a southeasterly direction down the coast. Our next intended shopping destination, the Domaine de Val de Prés arts and crafts complex, was also shuttered, but the stunning coastline was definitely open:

One establishment that was willing to take in customers was the Takamaka Bay distillery. In operation since 2002, it's the first (and only) commercial rum producer and exporter in the Seychelles. We took a walk around the grounds, checking out the giant Aldabra giant tortoises and the ruins of a kitchen from the early 1800's:

We also learned (by eavesdropping on a guided tour that was taking place when we drove up) that the rum is made from locally grown sugar cane, crushed on site at the distillery and aged and matured in oak barrels:

The highlight of our visit, of course, was the taste tasting, followed by the inevitable purchasing of a couple of bottles:

From the distillery we cut across the island to the west coast and our beach of the day, Anse Soleil. Accurately described by my guidebook as a "pocket-sized paradise", Shu-E relaxed in the shade while Amber and I plunged into the warm, and surprisingly deep in places, waters. I spent most of my time exploring the rocks at the southwest corner of the beach, swimming among the fish congregating there:

Doing my best Ursula Andress impersonation:

After several hours in the water, it was time for a late-afternoon lunch, with the Anchor Café - Islander Restaurant being the lucky winner of our patronage (truth in advertising - a huge anchor sits in the front garden):

While waiting for the food to arrive, I had a look at the scenery behind the restaurant and across the road:

I had the Creole chicken curry while a curious local stopped by to check us out:

We stopped in Victoria again on the way back to the Palms. The Seychelles has a small Indian community, and a Hindu temple is situated in the downtown area:

The mountains form a dramatic backdrop:

The focal point of Victoria's city center is the Clock Tower (1903), a small scale replica of the clock tower on the Vauxhall Bridge in London:

Having finally learned our lesson, we picked up some food from a stand on Beau Vallon beach and dined in our apartment, taking a moment to take in the setting sun:

 

The next day we would bid a temporary farewell to Mahé and make our way over to Praslin island for the next couple of days...

Not exactly my idea of electronics, but...