Seychelles

We feel unbelievably fortunate to be able to travel to so many exotic places, be they a tropical paradise or a rocky get-away from the frenetic life we live day-to-day. Yet again I’ll be sharing snapshots of our latest, greatest, traipsing around the world.

This time we headed for another island country…the Seychelles, located north of Madagascar and south of the equator. Arrived at the islands, and, after a bit of haggling, found a taxi to take us to our hotel, located in an idyllic rocky location. First, the drivers had to figure out WHERE the place was – bit of discussion on that – and then the price – more discussion. Finally found us on our way south, Japanese style; they drive on the left and the roads are very twisty and narrow with drop-offs and rain gutters. We wind our way around the rocky coastline until we come to our right turn…STRAIGHT up the hill. 

Relaxing on the verandah...

They don’t seem to believe in switchbacks, at least not for driveways – probably cheaper to build a short road so…it was up. The driver took one look at the road and decided to back up on the main road (thank goodness there was no traffic) and take a running start. We still fishtailed a bit but made it to the top…and then wondered exactly where the top was!

The residence was perched on top a rather large granite outcrop with a stunning view of the coastline. The main home, with a wide porch that served as the breakfast dining room, was completely open with a spectacular view of beach and tropical vegetation. The breeze wafting through the tables made it a wonderful and calming place to sit, sipping tea, and taking pictures. The larger cabins were in a chalet type building with stunning views and roomy accommodations...next time...

Warm water - perfect for lounging!

Our cabin was a bit further down the hill, without the complete view but still the horizon was dominated by the water and lush vegetation. The night view, however, was gorgeous. With so few neighbors and little ambient light, the sky was alive with shooting stars. It was delightful to sit out in the warm breezes, sipping tea, or stronger stuff in Jeff’s case, and watching the nightly display. 

Fortunately the island of Mahe is small – we circumnavigated the thing a number of times! We explored numerous beaches, walking along some of them, getting soaked on others, sunbathing at times and frequently dining overlooking them. 

The ocean in this area has a lot of limestone, giving the water here a distinctive and intense turquoise blue color, setting off the landscape to create gorgeous scenic shots – my pictures hardly do them justice. The ocean, the flowers, the scents - all gorgeous!