Chez Batista Mahe Island

... of Seychelles, home to some of the most startling beaches in the world - beaches that were peppered some many years ago with massive granite boulders protruding from powdery white sands, all wading in a pool of impossibly varied tones of green and blue - and the people that call this place home (the Seychellois) are a rich mixture of Indian, African, French, Portuguese, and Arab ...

... pretty sure that there were not going to be any other ferry's going back (to Praslin) tonight. Since it was getting dark outside, the panic grew a little higher, and I began wondering what exactly I was going to do. Clearly I would have to postpone Praslin for a day, but now I needed to find somewhere to stay. I knew it was possible that I might not find any vacancies anywhere on La Digue without prior arrangements. The guy actually spoke very good ...

... rollercoaster ride. Depending on the condition of the driver and the mechanics of the bus, each ride (on the same road) was a unique experience. Sometimes, the driver was going so fast around the corners that I was quite certain we would be tipping over. I could actually hear (and feel) the axle underneath begging for mercy - it was much the same (clicking) sound as when a rollercoaster slowly climbs to the top of the peak. Other drivers ...

... car I had previously rented is waiting for us in the parking lot. Even better, Neal was able to arrange the rental of a local home for our last night in the Seychelles. As we say goodbye to Monkey Puzzle, we know that we still have one more day to explore the Seychelles and that we did with lunch at the ...

... The coral heads are some of the best I&#8217;ve seen on the trip, making for a fine snorkel.<br><br>Once back on the boat, we half-heartedly attempt to set a stern anchor so that we&#8217;d have our bow set into the waves which caused a substantial amount of roll our first night. Feeling we were setting it too close ...

... tips.<br><br>After lunch, we continue on, sailing to our night stop at Port Launay. We get the anchor in just to port of the cross marketing the reef on the western side of the bay and jump in for an evening snorkel. This time we snorkeled all the way to the beach, then back along the cliffs on the eastern side of the bay. The light was pretty low, but, we ...

... a small bonito caught again by Lisa. As we round the northern point of Mahe&#8217;, the wind begins to build to 30k (katabolic effect off the high mounts) coming almost due south right on our nose. We roll-up the job and reef the main as we motor sail directly into the wind to anchor in the designated area off Beau Vallon Beach.<br><br>It&#8217 ...

... bang for the bug. With that in mind, we started provisioning discussions with miles who we latter dubbed "my friend" due to his negotiation technique. In addition to Lisa&#8217;s request for sweet mangos and other vegetables, we requested octopus and whatever fish he was able to find and gave him our ice bag for a refill. He negotiated an up-front euro &#8220 ...

... and several times it felt like the ferry was going to tip over - huge swells, rocking back and forth, and at least 20 people vomiting (with the crew quickly running to get the used bags and dispose of them). I survived by deep breathing, staring at a fixed point, and basically mentally separating myself from the situation. I decided then and there that we are flying back. And the best part of the whole story is that starting next week, they are getting a new state of the art ...

... sand and crystal blue calm waters that I saw at Anse Lazio on the island of Praslin. This is by far the most beautiful stretch of beach I have ever seen. Many websites will tell you that the spectacular Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue is the most awesome beach in in Seychelles. To me it was spectacular for the long boulder lined coastline and beautiful romantic coves. But a sea which is full of slippery rocks as soon ...