Schnorcheling, Eden Island, and Takamaka Beach

Waking up on Mahé for the first time, we slept wonderfully after the numerous experiences and impressions of the first day of vacation.

And how better to start the day than with a breakfast with a sea view, the sound of waves in the background, and radiant sun on the horizon. The scrambled eggs made from eggs that we bought on the roadside yesterday (this method of selling is common here) taste better than any we have eaten in Germany for a long time - maybe it's due to the happy island life of the chickens, as who wouldn't like to brood by the sea in paradise?

Afterwards, we start another snorkeling attempt, this time only a short distance from our accommodation. There is a small island about 400 meters from the shore that is supposed to be our snorkeling destination. On the way to the sea, a snorkeler returning to the beach enthusiastically tells us about the 'beautiful underwater world', which sounds promising, so let's go...

There is definitely a lot of seagrass and we can see a few fish, but somehow we expected something else. It may be that we are a bit spoiled by the colorful underwater world of Hawaii, or maybe we just didn't find the right spot - either way, we don't give up, as there are still plenty of vacation days for more snorkeling spots.

We continue to Eden Island, a small artificially created island right in front of Victoria, where we take a coffee break. This island has more of an 'international touch', you could think you are somewhere in Dubai or Miami, but it is still worth a visit. To our delight, there is even a large supermarket here, which has a bit more variety than the small grocery stores in Grand Anse. :)

At the harbor of the small island, there are numerous luxury yachts available for a photo shoot - I have already chosen one in case we win the lottery someday :)

After a stop at the swimming pool, which is once again completely available to me, we head back towards home.

But the short stop at home is only temporary, after all, we want to make the most of the day before the sun sets at 6:00 pm and it becomes difficult to travel on the unlit roads.

This time our destination is the 'Anse Takamaka' in the west of the island for the sunset in less than an hour (the Anse Royal is in the east and therefore unsuitable for the sunset). If someone had asked me earlier if 45 minutes are enough to get from the east to the west of the island, I would probably have answered 'Never' and you will probably be amazed to hear that such a distance takes only 15 minutes here. And this 15 minutes already includes our snail's pace on the Seychellois roads (30 km/h). To Mom's delight, we go over a winding pass - up first, then down again - during this time, not only do we have to pay attention to our own driving skills in left-hand traffic (as if that wasn't enough with the lack of a center line and 180-degree turns), but we are often forced to stop by oncoming traffic, which sometimes claims the entire road for itself without a second thought. An experience, and once again I am glad that I am only the passenger and navigator :)

At around 6:00 pm, we arrive at Anse Takamaka - by the way, Takamaka is a Seychellois tree species and at the same time a famous local rum - however, the tree and rum strangely have nothing to do with each other. The bay is truly a dream, the travel guide did not promise too much, and the few minutes until the sunset at 6:15 pm pass far too quickly. We are enchanted and enjoy the moment.

If the drive there in the daylight was an event, then the return journey in the twilight is definitely one too, but we slowly and safely arrive back home, cook, and let the evening come to an end.