Pudding Revenge, Big Nuts and Beaching

What Was I Thinking?

The black pudding I ate yesterday morning was delicious. It didn’t taste so great when it came back up at 3am and again at 5am. Black pudding is made from pigs blood, grains, lard and spices and shaped into a sausage. One of those ingredients was battling my stomach all night. Moral of the story: do not subject your tourist tummy to black pudding from street vendors selling out of plastic tubs.

All day I am weak and can’t eat. John cancels our snorkel trip and places the couch where I have a clear view of the ocean and passing bats and birds. I spend most of the day sleeping, reading and drinking clear fluids.

The owner of Mango Lodge pops over with some packets of peppermint tea. She is very kind.

John’s Visit to Anse Volbert Beach

John goes into town in the afternoon where he walks the whole of Anse Volbert beach and looks for bananas, popcorn and rice for me. He tries the takeout place for rice but they won’t sell it on its own.  He tries two grocery stores that have neither popcorn or bananas. He finds some breakfast biscuits.

Diwali Celebrations

Once he returns there is a strong but brief rain storm. Click here for a short video. In the evening we hear Diwali celebrations from the village below with singing and drums. There are many people of Indian ancestry in the Seychelles and Diwali is the biggest Hindu festival of the year.

Vallee de Mai

Despite sleeping on and off all day, I sleep through the night. Next morning I am able to eat yogurt and cereal for breakfast. I rank myself at  about 7/10 in the wellness scale.

It is overcast this morning which is perfect because we are heading to the Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its rare fauna.

The Reserve’s most famous plant is the Coco de Mer palm tree which has the world’s largest seed that just happens to look like a woman’s privates…both front and back. The tree takes 25 years to mature and the seed (resembling a double coconut), take 7 years to grow. This forest is one of the few places in the world where this palm grows. There are a couple of other places on this island and the nearby island of Curieuse. This tree has the world’s heaviest nuts, reaching up to 42 kg. There are female and male Coco de Mer palms.

Legend has it that Vallee de Mer is the original Garden of Eden with the Coco de Mer being the forbidden fruit.

It really is a beautiful almost unreal place. At the start of our walk it is raining lightly and the forest is filled with the sound of dripping water. There are lots of bird calls but alas, the ancient forest makes it hard to see them. Click here for a short video. I hear the call of the Seychelles Black Parrot. I see lots of Seychelles Skinks which are also endemic to the islands. 

I am glad that we arrived right at opening because as we are leaving, bus loads of tourists are arriving.

Anse Georgette

We next head to another beautiful beach called Anse Georgette. The beach is on the west side of the island. To access the beach you must walk along side the golf course of the luxurious  Constance Lemuria Resort. If we wanted to book a room there today it would only cost us $3,400 CAD for the night. 

The beach is public but you need to book your visit with the resort since you walk through their property. It is a very hilly walk through the golf course using the golf cart paths. 

We spend the rest of the day relaxing (ok, I snooze) on the small but beautiful white sand beach. Anse Georgette is another Seychelles beach that has ranked in the top ten lists of best beaches in the world. All the beaches here have beautiful powdery sand, the kind that does not get hot in the sun. But the sand at Anse Georgette is particularly fine, you do not even feel a single pebble or piece of coral as you walk the beach. Its like walking on talcum powder.

As the afternoon grows late we head back to the car and return to the east side of Praslin driving  through the lush rainforest that runs down the middle of the mountainous island.