After 4 days at sea, we had two days in Seychelles, (pronounced Sa Shells). The country comprises 115 islands, 42 are granite and 73 are coral creating a protective outer ring. The granite came from the African continent in the plate movements.
Due to it’s remote location in the Indian Ocean, it was uninhabited until it was discovered in 1609 by the British East India Company. It was claimed in 1756 by France. During the war of 1810 between Britain and France, the area was ceded at part of the Treaty of 1812, and officially became a British territory. Slavery was abolished by the British empire in 1833, so the European colonists changed the less labor intensive crops of cotton and grain to vanilla and coconuts which are not native to the islands. The islands received their independence from Britain in 1976. After an unpopular socialist government, they are now considered a democracy, with a president and 26 parliament members. It is considered to be the smallest African country in size and population (100,00).
Our first port was in La Digue, which is the 4th largest island. In 2021, tourism became the focus on La Digue, so in a short time the population doubled to it’s current size of 4000 residents. The island is still catching up to modern infrastructure, with most roads being dirt and limited internet service.
Being a newer port to cruise tourism, we had to use tenders to access the pier.
We met our tour guide and took a bus to a coconut plantation. Until 2000, the main mode of transportation was bicycles (which are still popular) and oxen-pulled wagons.
Coconuts are husked and then dried, with their shells used for ear rings, bowls, and wood crafts. The husks are fibrous and used for cleaning as pot scrubbers. They are also used as lantern/stove fuel as well as toilet paper, not sure about that one.
The trees that produce green coconuts came from India and when dried and ground, produce coconut oil. The remnants from the grinding are used as chicken and cow feed.
Orange coconuts came from Malaysia. They are ground fresh and produce coconut milk.
Nearby there is a restored plantation house that is considered a national monument
Dried coconut husks are used to buff the wood floors
Along our walk, we had a very good view of the ship and the beach.
We walked through a vanilla farm. The plants are pollinated by hand twice a year. Pods are harvested and dried.
La Digue is home to a tortoise sanctuary. There are tortoises that are over 100 years old. The tortoises are native to the island and lay 8-12 golf ball sized eggs, which are then buried. The temperature in the ground determines the sex.
We walked passed an example of the granite that many of the islands are made of.
We continued our walk to Anse Source D’Argent beach which is a favorite due to it’s granite formations.
We had to include our travel companions…Spuddy and Willy P
The water was very shallow with lots of big rocks just under the surface, so not good for swimming, but it gave us amazing pictures.
Along the beach, there were vendors selling crafts, a cute girl helping hand out water to our our tour group, and Christmas decorations.
There were several small bars that were selling coconut rum drinks. We were fortunate enough to spot the Seychelles Paradise-Flycatcher. A bird native to La Digue.
a last look from the pier at La Digue and from the ship
It was a very nice visit to La Digue!!
