Infected with the Seychelles virus

Today we are once again awakened by the radiant sunshine and start the day with breakfast and a sea view.

Our plan for today is a small tour of the western part of the island, so we pack our car and off we go. After a few difficulties finding the right route (because somehow the streets here have names on the map, but you rarely find corresponding road signs), we finally locate the mountain pass from east to west and reach the 'Anse a la Mouche' on the west coast after about 15 minutes. A truly dreamy bay with many small fishing boats on the beach - an incredibly peaceful and enchanting atmosphere. The color of the water is particularly impressive - turquoise like in a picture book.

Continuing north, we pass a large fruit stand on the roadside. The various colorful fruits and vegetables present a great image and we buy a few things. By the way, they really keep chickens and other animals at the roadside stands here, so the egg-laying with a sea view from the day before seems to be true. For example, we buy a coconut here, which the Seychellois opens for us with a very special technique (we would never have been able to do it ourselves at home) and extracts the fruit for later consumption.

With our coconuts and other items in tow, we continue north. As expected, the roads are quite curvy, unpaved, and mostly right next to the sea, making the drive breathtaking. Passing by 'Anse Boileau' and numerous other small dreamy coves, we finally reach Port Launay Marine National Park. This is supposed to be one of the best snorkeling spots in Mahé, but we approach this claim cautiously - after the promises of the last few days. The bay itself is definitely worth seeing, and protected by Takamaka trees, we set up our basecamp there and armed with our snorkeling gear, we head straight into the water. No other snorkelers in sight, which is actually not a good sign, but it's still early in the day and maybe all the tourists are just sleeping in :)

The bay is divided into three sections, with a strip for boats in the middle and snorkeling allowed on the left and right. We decide to explore the left side first. We quickly remember the snorkeling experiences of the previous days - a few fish, seagrass, and the two of us in the middle. But something is not right, this cannot be advertised in the guidebook as one of the best snorkeling spots on the island...?!?

But this time, we don't give up easily and our perseverance actually pays off. Quite far out, we finally come across the first coral reefs, which then lead us to a large reef with incredible fish diversity. Finally, there it is, the enchanting underwater world of the Seychelles... And we are instantly infected with the Seychelles virus! Small neon blue fish, rainbow fish, and countless others are particularly abundant. There are also some large and flat specimens, unfortunately, I'm not an expert on all the names, but I will share some photos soon. Unfortunately, we didn't bring the underwater camera for this snorkeling spot.

After a short break on the beach, the right side of the bay awaits us for underwater exploration, and this time, we are greeted by corals just a few meters in. It's amazing, not only are the fish impressive, but the colorful corals (which are completely destroyed by coral bleaching in places like Hawaii) are also very impressive. We feel like we're in an aquarium. It's indescribable, you just have to see it. We are amazed and spend quite some time discussing the different fish and underwater experiences on land. We will definitely visit Port Launay again!

By now it's noon and we take the 'Le Misere' pass back to Victoria. The name suggests worse road conditions than what we actually find there, fortunately, the roads are quite wide and well-built. 

In Victoria itself, we enjoy a delicious coffee in a cute café, right above one of the city's main streets. It's fun to observe the traffic and the hustle and bustle from the balcony. Afterwards, we pay a visit to the weekly market, where you can find everything you need for culinary delights from Monday to Saturday - fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and in the midst of it all, souvenir stands, bakeries, and more. It's nice that as a tourist, you can buy cooking ingredients here, just like the Seychellois do every day. It's very authentic, just the way we like it.

We also visit the recommended 'Cadman Hall' mentioned in the guidebook, where locals offer various handmade artworks. We instantly fall in love with a small handicraft store, and the saleswoman there is super nice and even agrees to paint a bookmark with a native bird especially for us, which we can pick up as a gift on our next visit - and we will definitely come back and let you know if she keeps her promise. :)

By now it's afternoon and we start our journey back home. It's raining heavily from time to time, which is understandable - a green island needs plenty of rain. When we arrive home, we change into our running clothes and go for a short jog before it gets dark. However, the Seychellois weather gods are not on my side today, and shortly after we start, it starts pouring rain. But let's look on the bright side, at least it's a nice cooling off in the tropical heat. Since there are hardly any paths here other than the main road, and I don't know my way around here very well without a GPS or map, we jog along the road, next to the rush hour traffic that doesn't seem to take much consideration for active people on the side of the road. Why slow down when driving through the puddles on the roadside? After all, I'm already completely drenched. But the best are the bus drivers, who almost force me to jump into the roadside ditch every time to avoid being run over. Truly an experience... :))

Back home, we have a delicious dinner, unfortunately, in the rain and strong wind. So we spend the rest of the evening indoors and hope for sunshine again the next morning...