Then I got on a plane and headed for the Seychelles. Met Wanna in Dubai transit hall she coming from Thailand and me from Kazakhstan, then jumped on a plane to Mahe. Plan was to have 2 weeks on La Digue, relax and just enjoy and catch up with Sarah and Vivi.
It had been nearly 3 years since we had been back. The place has moved on and developed in good ways. Most noticeable was the change in people’s attitudes. Generally much more welcoming and we found this made for a great time. Nothing seemed like a hard time and even in Government offices the people we dealt with all had time to be pleasant and helpful.
This started with my going to the bank to get a statement and renew my Pin number. “But Sir your bank account is closed. You have not used it for 2 years. Please when you get to La Digue visit the branch there and reopen an account.” (Which we did. Easy and simple)
Renewing my driving license. “Sir your old one out of date since 2007. There are high fees for long overdue renewals. But if you ask the Ministry if Immigration to give me a letter confirming I have been working outside the country during this time then they can waive the fees.” All so helpful.
Went to the pension office. Same again. “Sir love to help but you need to be 63 to get a pension!!! Please come back in 2 years time” … No problem there.
Great start with so much support. Next stop was the ferry office to book a trip to La Digue. Once booked we proceeded to the local Victoria market. Again great place loads of fish, veggies and stuff. We stocked up on bits to keep us going on La Digue. Then off we went to La Digue. Met on arrival by Babi who is looking after the place. As we walked to our house “Hello Wanna” was shouted across at us. Old friends made it all seem like really had come home. House looked OK, but the garden a mess with most of the bushes, banana plants and small trees gone. Blame of course on the local dogs making themselves at home and digging holes everywhere. Add in the kids using the area as a football pitch. Could not expect much more.
What did we do? As little as possible. Drank litres of tea, ate lots of good food and relaxed.
Well, we did do a few small activities. Found time for a little fishing and swimming. A few walks round the roads followed by a cold beer and again relax…. Lovely.
The timing of our trip placed us in the middle of the SE monsoon so some rain and heavy winds. Not that this made much difference as when you’re doing nothing you can stay in or sit on the beach. I’ll leave you with some pictures of the place. Nothing special, but actually it was all very special. Enjoy. Pictures to follow.
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