The Seychelles Diaries - Day 4 - Praslin + Ladigue + Emmanuelle house + Anse Volbert +Coco De Mer + Anse Lazio +Baobab Pizza

for me, day 4 was the most memorable from our entire Seychelles trip. thats coz we got to do so much and see so much and meet a lot of people.

Catamaran from Mahe to Praslin and Ladigue : 

another early breakfast and Paul our designated driver dropped us from our lodge to the harbour where our tour operator Sultanne was waiting for ur with our catamaran pass.

Mahe was the main island with a population of about 75000 people while Praslin (pronounced Praa-Lean) and Ladigue were the other 2 important and big islands , with a combined population of not more than 4000 people.

everyone depended on catamaran for transport from one island to another and it was really expensive! our each ticket cost ur around SRs 3000/- and i was told the locals have a monthly pass to make commuting easier.



the journey was roughly 1 hour from Mahe to Praslin and the sight of pristine beaches with crystal blue waters was breathtaking. the entire journey was pretty 'jumpy' so if u are sea sick, well , tough luck.

from Praslin to ladigue, we used local ferry to take us island hopping.

port at Mahe

tourists

Praslin

Praslin

we had our tour car pick is up and take us to a coconut farm, where we were given a welcome drink, and our tour guide took us around the farm , explaining the local agriculture and small scale industry scene.
since the population is tiny, whatever food they produce is insufficient and so they are totally dependent on imports for food. most of the food that comes here is packed and processed with India, the Gulf and Africa being top markets.

and thats a carambola or star fruit which is very popular on the island

welcome drink

neatly placed coconut shells in farming

tourist

local produce mostly picked by tourists

Emmanuelle house -

this brought back a lot of fine memories :) i knew i had seen the house before and when the tour guide told us this was the exact house and location , used in filming the very popular erotic "Emmanuelle series" movies i felt all nostalgic!

if u still dont know Emmanuelle series or Sylvia Kristel, then i can assume you have had a very boring normal up bringing :)

also got to meet one of the oldest inhabitants of the island. Giant Tortoise , some of which also acted in the Emmanuelle movies too!

emmanuelle house

tortoise loves star fruit

coconut tree giving directions?

locally produced vegetables

green house

mulching to conserve water

gardener with his work

the beach!

The Beach! - cant comment a lot, just breathtaking!

Next stop - Lunch at Pirogue Restaurant, Anse Volbert, Praslin
most of the restaurants here have a fixed menu which includes chicken curry, fruit bat (on order), mango or pumpkin chutneys, , grilled fish, veggies, etc. its like Kerala food without minus the spice.

tourist

local fruits sold at Anse Volbert

anse volbert

Vallee De Mai and Coco De Mer :

Vallee De Mai is a UNESCO world heritage site and nature park and propably the pnly place in the world where u will get to see the marvel of nature The Coco De Mer.

The Coco De Mer translates to coconut of the ocean, as early people used to think the weird torso shaped nuts came from Madagascar (they were wrong) and later concluded it probably came from the ocean as there were no trees which bore funny shaped female butt looking nuts!

there is NO SMOKING allowed at the site and our German lady tourist friend got to know that the hard way as they wouldnt let her in the valley until she was done with the nicotine stick.

The Coco De Mer is only found in Seychelles, and if u are planning to take one back home, then u need to break your fixed deposit or rob a bank, as each NUT costs from $1000/- onwards

pics from the vallee

coco de mer

coco de mer with shell can weigh nearly 15 kgs!

male part of the tree

vellee de mai

Anse Lazio, La Digue - one of the most dangerous beaches, where its all open waters. the rest of Seychelles is mostly coral islands and is safe for swimming or scuba diving, but Anse Lazio is pretty infamous due to the rough waters and the fact that it is shark infested. a few years ago a honeymoon couple died in a horrible shark attack and even though the beach has tourists now, people are told not to venture into the open waters.

we had a coffee at the local cafe run by an Australian who recalled that fateful day when the shark attacked and killed the couple. we had a minor attack ourselves at the cafe on knowing the coffee there costs 5 Euros!!!

we met a Swiss couple who have been dating for over 40 years  and they too were complaining  how expensive the place really is and were wondering if we really were Indians holidaying in Seychelles! 

tourist from Switzerland who doesnt know Coroner or Celtic Frost but knows AC/DC and Motorhead! 

Anse Lazio

BaoBab Pizza - heading back home after a really long day, we were tired and hungry and fortunately for us, Baobab Pizzeria was on the way to our Lodge at Beau valon beach.

the place is always packed! the tables are permanent fixtures and the floor is sand! the beer is expensive, costs SRs 30 onwards and the pizzas are expensive but totally worth every penny!

Baobab Pizzeria

Baobab Pizzeria

and FYI Baobab pizzeria is an institution in itself , some locals calling it a Landmark or Must visit for tourists along with Marie Antoinette restaurant. we couldn't agree more .