And since the souvenirs consist not only of a fridge magnet and a shell but also include coffee and coconuts, Roli already dreaded the outcome. (See results on Day 14)

Egg dishes, yogurt, toast with jam, and a fruit platter with delicious pineapple, melon, and papaya.

The weather, however, did not taste as good to us, presenting itself today not in the best light.

Oh well.

The plan was to hike to the beach

'Anse Major' and since we were actually expecting to get completely soaked, we packed so lightly that a downpour wouldn't have consequences.

Along the coastal trail, past our friends the palm spiders, who are now somewhat accepted, we reached the beach after 45 minutes.

Although we were a bit skeptical due to the waves, we donned our snorkels and fins and plunged into the chaos.

The visibility, due to the stirred-up sand, resembled that of an airplane cabin from the 80s, where you couldn't even see the seat in front of you because of the smokers, and then a large, breaking wave knocked Tanjas mask off her face.

At that point, it was clear that snorkeling wasn't going to happen here.

So we might as well work on our tan....

Haha, the overcast sky didn't help much with that either, so we decided to try our luck somewhere else.

Not so fast. Since the tide reached its peak in the early afternoon, many beaches were un-swimmable because they were far too shallow.

Since it was already mid-afternoon and predators also need to be fed, Roli had a snack before the hangry mode kicked in.

Since the beach at this tavern looked quite good, we decided to give it a shot there.

What can I say - lucky find.

In less than 3 minutes in the water, we encountered a sea turtle, blissfully fighting its hangry mode.

A little later, a stingray made its rounds, and we swam with it for a while.

Suddenly, we noticed a roundhead batfish, which we had met intermittently, following us. The roundhead batfish is aptly named. About 40cm long and 40cm high, quite narrow with its fins at the bottom, this swimming disk looks quite amusing. In any case, it followed every fin kick for the entire hour we spent in the water.

When we then observed the 2nd sea turtle, it thrust itself in front of our masks as if to say, I'm the attraction here.

Somehow cute.

Meanwhile, the sky was mostly blue and the sun was heating us up.

After we had soaked up enough Vitamin D, it was time to think about dinner.

We found an Indian restaurant on the beach, where the food, as is usually the case with any Indian place, was excellent, and you could sit not only by the sea but almost in the sea.

With our full bellies, our racing Kia had a hard time getting us back up the steep street to the hotel, where we comfortably reflected on the day once again.

We could have saved our hiking shoes, as the path was practically a highway after yesterday's outing, and within a few minutes of walking, the waterfall was already in sight.

Due to the heavy rains of the past few days, the water was pouring down into the pond, but the rusty brown water was not very inviting for swimming.

Since we were already there and it was somehow appealing, we decided to give it a chance. Roli was itching not only from his mosquito bites from yesterday but also from the stones at the edge for a jump into the water. But, safety first, so Tanja had to go in first to check if the pond was deep enough for that.
3,2,1.. and Roli was already in the water with a splash.
Splashing around alone was of course not enough for Tanja; she climbed a bit and ended up showering right in the waterfall.

We really needed that cool down, as it was getting hot again in the rainforest on the 'Copolia Trail'. High root steps, dense forest, and tropical climate awaited us. After just a few meters, we were already sweating in places we didn’t even know we could sweat.
Unfortunately, the reward for our efforts didn’t come, as once we reached the viewpoint, fog and clouds obscured the view of the capital Victoria, the neighboring islands, and the sea. Luckily we were not there for the view. Between the fog clouds, we managed to catch a few glimpses down and discovered carnivorous plants on the way down.

In our next accommodation, we received a warm welcome, and after a brief cool down in the pool, we enjoyed dinner right on the beach in the nearby town of Beau Vallon, with fish on the plate again today.
The stroll along the promenade afterward was quite brisk, as it started to rain just as we left the restaurants. But only for a short while, as it quickly turned to pouring rain. We felt a few hours back in time and were no longer sure if we were sitting under the waterfall or not. Soaking wet, we returned to our accommodation.
Roli usually does not shower as often in a week as he did here in one day. (Note: This sentence was only deemed good by 50% of the blog writers!)]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/adventures-of-tanja-and-roli/seychellen-tag-4-weiterfahrt-vom-sueden-in-den-norden-der-insel-mahehttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/adventures-of-tanja-and-roli/seychellen-tag-4-weiterfahrt-vom-sueden-in-den-norden-der-insel-maheFri, 09 Jan 2026 10:13:00 GMT-4.658441755.4146659
Highly motivated for the planned hike today, we woke up a bit earlier than usual and enjoyed the always very good breakfast.
Just before departure, a heavy downpour hit us from above. Rain, quite heavy rain.
Tanja took this opportunity to take a nap while Roli kept an eye out for the next patch of blue sky.
An hour later we set off, always heading south.
Destination: the southernmost point and beach of the island.

The hike - mind you, an official trail - resembled a jungle expedition straight out of Indiana Jones. We climbed steeply on barely recognizable and densely overgrown paths. We had to avoid the thorns on the palm trunks, overcome fallen palms with their huge leaves, and maneuver through vines. The sun was peeking out from the sky, and every steam bath would wish for such humidity.

Whoever came up with the idea to use white dots on rocks and trees as trail markers, which of course are almost indistinguishable from white lichens or similar, is invited to contact Roli for an exclusive, free trail marking course!

Suddenly, a loud scream startled even the folks in the southernmost village of Mahe in Quatre Bornes, about 3km away in a straight line.

'Aaahhhhhhh!!'
Tanja ran and stomped back, wildly waving her hands in front of her face.
She had walked into a spider web that was painstakingly created by a palm spider through laborious teamwork.
Admittedly, the hand-sized spider is truly not a 'I-definitely-want-to-pet-that' creature, and walking into a 1m² sticky web is not exactly fun. This also happened to Roli, who from now on had to lead the way, though he could not hide his shock and disgust after laughing at Tanja, but at least a major operation involving a search dog team from Seychelles was not triggered.
Basically, the spider is harmless; much 'more dangerous' were the hungry killer mosquitoes that drained us from head to toe, leaving so many prominent memories on our bodies that we had to use our toes to count them, as it was impossible to manage with four hands alone (over 20 bites per leg).

We shortened the hike significantly as, like I said, navigating + heat + humidity contributed their share to it.

In the end, however, we were rewarded with a dream-like, picture-perfect Adam and Eve beach that, although not particularly inviting for swimming due to the waves, was beautiful to look at. No idea why, but it was completely deserted.
The coconut found in the jungle was then laboriously cracked open and consumed with full-body effort on the beach.

Delicious.

Mahé Island / Seychelles: sunny 35 degrees

Mahé is not only the largest of the islands in the Seychelles archipelago, but is also known for its diverse landscapes. On our bus tour, we saw the natural beauty in the interior and the north of Mahé. We witnessed lush green landscapes, imposing granite peaks, charming villages, unspoiled beaches, and the ever-present blue of the sea. In the Botanical Garden in Mont Fleuri on the outskirts of Victoria, we admired the Seychelles palm for the first time, which is found only here and whose distinctive shape is known worldwide. The turtles were busy with lunch, reminding us of the feeding trough of cows back home. In the afternoon, we went to Beau Vallon Beach, where we could swim in the Indian Ocean for 90 minutes. However, the water was not a big refreshment; 25 degrees is quite warm. Later in the afternoon, we leisurely walked through Victoria.

For our last day, snorkeling is of course on the program again. For this, we go to Anse Soleil, which appears in all its glory in the sunshine. We explore the underwater world on the right and left of the bay, which enchants us one last time. At one point, we come across another snorkeling couple, both wearing fins on their feet, which seem to attract a small school of fish - the little fish seem to nibble at the couple's feet - simply cool. I consciously decide not to bring the underwater camera, I just want to enjoy the natural spectacle and store it deep in my mind for the next few weeks.

We stay at the beach for a short while, warm up a bit, and then go back to Victoria, where I pay a final visit to the deserted swimming pool.

After a stopover at our home, we head back to Anse Soleil for a last (or rather our second real) sunset, where we snorkeled in the morning. We look back on 2 fantastic vacation weeks that we were able to experience here. On the way home, we see the horizon glowing from the car, which forces us to stop again - wow! The island couldn't make the farewell tomorrow any harder.

In the evening at home, the less pleasant part of the day then follows, the suitcases want to be packed. Well, but we are already experienced and so it goes very quickly. The whole time I wait for a visit from my very special vacation friend, the white cat ('Cloud'). The tuna has been waiting in front of our door for a while now, but somehow she doesn't come. But then at 11:00 p.m., Mom spots her through the window, of course, who would miss out on the delicious tuna...? And it's funny, but I've become incredibly attached to this animal, she has become very trusting by now, lets me stroke her, rubs against my legs, and somehow seems to want to thank me for this 'midnight snack'. Finally, she lies down in front of our front door, all 4 legs stretched out, and her eyes close - she couldn't make the farewell any harder for me. But maybe the next guests will spoil her just as much as we did - at least I hope so. And this wishful thinking makes this very special farewell somehow more bearable.

And so, after the eventful, beautiful day of vacation, we simply fall into bed, before the alarm clock signals the start of the journey home at 5:00 a.m. But all good things come to an end, and the next vacation will definitely come...

On Friday, we were treated to a sunny breakfast on our terrace, and our grandpa waved at us happily. The second-to-last day of our vacation couldn't have started better.

Today, we want to try out a new snorkeling beach - Bay Ternay, which is another nature reserve in the north of Seychelles. Our guide from the boat tour yesterday told us about it and said that you can reach this bay with a car, although it is a bit difficult. If he didn't have to work today, he would have driven us there himself - that's just how hospitable Seychellois people are. But he did contact a friend who works as a park manager at Bay Ternay and arranged for him to take us out to the reef in his boat, as it is too far to swim.

The journey is already a bit adventurous, as the road for the last 2-3 km is only one lane, curvy, and typical of Seychelles roads, close to the abyss. The 2 cars that pass us on the way make us break into a sweat. But eventually, we arrive and find an almost deserted bay. We spend some time on the beach, enjoying the tranquility, until the park manager arrives in his boat at the agreed time. We weren't completely sure if he would actually come, as the motto here on the islands is more "Hang Loose" and less "German punctuality". But in this case, we can rely on the locals - or at least we think so, because it turns out that the park manager didn't know anything about our visit - but that's not a problem, he still takes us to the reef - completely naturally. It must have been a pretty big coincidence that he showed up at the beach at the exact agreed time. But we are simply amazed by the openness of this man, especially since he doesn't even want to be paid for his effort - he does it out of hospitality and love for the underwater world. So we motor out and finally jump into the cool water when we reach the reef. We quickly arrange a time for the park manager to pick us up for the ride back to the beach, and then we get to enjoy the underwater world. And once again, it feels like being in an aquarium. Time flies until our "pick-up" and on the way back to the beach, we have a nice chat with our private boat driver.

In the evening, we watch the first real sunset of our vacation at Anse Interdace, sitting on a few granite rocks, and with mixed feelings about tomorrow - our last day in paradise.

Today we have another excursion planned, we have booked a boat tour to the St. Anne Marine National Park! For this, we will be woken up by the 'nature alarm clock', at 6:30 the rain is pounding on our roof so hard that we are ripped out of our sweet dreams. Well, actually pure sunshine was forecasted for today, let's hope it will improve by the time our boat tour starts at 9:00 a.m.

On the way to the starting point of the tour, the harbor in Victoria, we are stuck in morning rush hour traffic - there is busy stop and go on the single-lane main road - but we are on vacation, so we take it easy. It takes us about 45 minutes for the short 20 km.

Arriving at the harbor, at least the rain has stopped, the sun is still scarce, but we are happy with that. Let's go out to sea, together with our local guide Ritval, who will choose the best underwater spots for us. Through the glass bottom of the boat, I spot a sea turtle in the middle of the trip, already the first highlight for us. The first stop is in the middle of the Marine National Park, where we are spoiled by a colorful variety of fish. Next, we go to a reef in front of Cerf Island, our personal highlight. Here, a coral restoration project is also carried out, and it has made great progress in the past two years. Even within the short period of time since our last vacation, we feel that the Seychellois underwater world has regenerated significantly. So we snorkel along the entire reef and are picked up by our boat again at the end of the coral road. We are particularly impressed by a kind of coral cage, where the colorful underwater plants show their magnificent colors (see photo). From here, we go to two more snorkeling spots, where we also discover a sea turtle in the seagrass. Unfortunately, these creatures are quite fast and so I mostly only see them from behind. Following Ritval's advice that the beautiful things of the underwater world are usually hidden below in the stone caves, I also dive deep from time to time and I am rewarded: I get to admire two lobsters in the depths. Once again, we are simply blown away, and the photos only give a small glimpse into all our shared experiences. And the weather also cooperated perfectly, just a few minutes after we arrived back at the harbor, it started raining heavily again, but we had a true weather guardian angel for our tour.

In the evening, as we experience the first real sunset of this vacation from the beach (despite clouds on the horizon, the sun finds its way through a small hole in the clouds - just for us), we look back on all these wonderful experiences.

After the impressive experiences yesterday, we need a day to let all the impressions sink in. So we spend the morning at Anse Soleil, where we snorkel several times, spend the breaks crocheting farewell gifts for our vacation friends, and just soak up as many Seychelles feelings as we can. It is truly impressive that the underwater world looks completely different every time, every minute, and every second, and there are always new and unique things to discover.

On the way home, we buy some fruit from the Seychellois on the roadside, as well as a few local specialties such as banana chips and coconut oil. Then we head back home. Here we are greeted with meowing, it's really amazing how quickly the two vacation cats have gotten used to us. And by now the 'predators' have become real gourmets, who wants to eat boring cat food bought especially for them when they can have delicious sausage or juicy tuna...? But we are on vacation and of course we do not skimp on gourmet food for animals :)

In the afternoon, a little trip to the Takamaka Rum Distillery before we end the day comfortably at home.

It must be said that we are truly in paradise here. As two globetrotting women, we have seen quite a few beaches outside of the Seychelles, and Silhouette can definitely compete with the best of them. It's just like the dream beach you imagine, white sand, crystal clear water, turquoise sea, coconut palms, and a few hammocks in the idyll. Simply perfect. See for yourselves.

Since you can also snorkel right in front of the hotel, we naturally decide to give it a try. But although I explore the underwater world at four different locations, it doesn't compare to what we have already seen in the past few days. So we enjoy the beach with a stroll and soak up every second - these are impressions that we will remember for a long time.

We then have a meal at the hotel's beach restaurant, fresh fish - what else... Afterwards, we explore the island a bit on our own with bicycles and come across another dream bay, simply indescribably unique. We both agree that you would actually need more time here to be able to explore the island more thoroughly. You can also go hiking here, and the pool area, a dive base, another great snorkeling location, and beaches in the north of the island, a specially designed jogging track, etc. would definitely invite you to stay longer. Maybe for another vacation - one can dream.

Unfortunately, we have to take the boat back to Mahe at around 3:00 pm and look back on these unique experiences of the past few hours.

Then we start the day, this time completely different, because I get a little tour of the 'hospital' here in town, which gives me the impression of a slightly enlarged general practitioner's practice. I am surprised how many people are sitting here in the waiting room, there seems to be enough work for the total of 3 doctors who work there, in any case. Besides an 'emergency department', there is also a small gyn department and a dentist, and that's about it. All surgical patients are probably transferred directly to the capital city Victoria, as there is no operating room here. Although it is too busy for me to take a look inside a treatment room along with the equipment, but in any case, this visit has given me some new impressions again.

Now, let's go and enjoy the good weather, so snorkeling must not be missing today either. We also visit another completely new and secluded bay, the Baie Lazare, the journey was once again adventurous, but we were rewarded with pure idyll. We are simply thrilled by the colors in which the island shines again today in the sun, everything looks even more paradisiacal. On our tour of the island, we make a stopover at one or the other beautiful place and also visit the flea market again, although it was not open, but this time we thought of taking pictures.

At home, we relax a bit, and while enjoying a snack on our terrace, a loud meow from one floor below draws attention to the fact that not only we can use a little snack. It's really amazing how quickly you can get used to these very special friends here, who gradually lose their shyness towards us. Of course, tonight the midnight snack for the four-legged friends is waiting in front of our front door again... :)

In the evening, the swimming training with the kids, which simply exhausts me completely and lets me dive into sweet paradise dreams. We are already looking forward to our adventures tomorrow...

This morning it's dry and our dear Grandpa actually appears on the horizon again - we almost filed a missing person report.

And of course, we want to take advantage of this dry phase immediately, so off we go - as always - snorkeling. For this, we have chosen Port Launey again, maybe you remember - here there were many colorful corals.

Arriving there, we go straight into the water and after a few meters, we end up in the middle of the aquarium again. Although the water is a bit more turbid today than during our first visit, we are no less excited. This time we snorkel a bit further out and are rewarded with an even greater variety of corals and fish. In addition to the countless small fish babies, there is also a huge school of fish, who are trying to avoid the new underwater residents scared - in the process, we are surrounded from all sides a few times. Incredible!!! We completely forget about the time, I think the pictures speak for themselves - even we have looked at them several times this evening and are excitedly looking back on this day. Definitely a lot of positive energy for the last few weeks in radiology, where in some situations we would have loved to just dive off like today :)...

Back out of the water, it starts raining heavily, and for the first time it's a bit chilly here in the tropics - who would have thought. Quickly change clothes in the car and off home. And even the entire drive back, the sky is crying, but we don't care with these unique pictures in our heads. 

In the afternoon, we plan a bit for the activities of the next few days, because from tomorrow onwards the sun will shine on us more again (we gladly send the rain back to Germany for now) and that has to be taken advantage of....

Shopping, organizing a visit to the local hospital for next week, taking a walk on the beach, and cooking - all of that is still on the agenda until evening and now we look forward to tomorrow - with definitely a lot of sunshine...

Where has our 'good weather grandpa' disappeared to, this question is written all over our faces as we wake up this morning with storm and pouring rain against our ocean view window pane. If it were up to our kittens, who always clean up their food bowl overnight, there should be pure sunshine, but it seems like we didn't take the Seychellois weather god into account.

So after breakfast, we stay here in our accommodation for a while, it's pouring and windy so strongly that we wouldn't even dare to walk the 20 meters to our car with an umbrella. As soon as the rain eases up a bit, we head to Victoria. Here we visit an old acquaintance - Estelli - maybe you remember, she owns a small souvenir shop in town and gave me a hand-painted bookmark back then. This time we have a little handmade souvenir for her, which she appreciates just as much as our reunion...

Since I'm already wet from the rain, I also make a stop at the swimming pool, actually the rain here provides a nice cooling of the water temperature.

But today our good weather grandpa is simply missing, the sky does not want to clear up at all. When it stays at least somewhat dry, we go to a small beach that is almost right outside our door and put on the snorkeling gear. There is nothing spectacular to see here, but at least today we were able to briefly enjoy the sea water.

Even today we are not granted sunshine at breakfast - but that doesn't mean anything, as we have learned in the last few days, even if Grandpa doesn't perform a weather dance today (maybe he has left...?)

So we head to another snorkeling spot, Anse Soleil - the sunny beach. After about 20 minutes drive, we park the car and walk the last few meters up a steep slope to the bay. Once we arrive here, it starts raining, good thing we left our belongings in the car. So let's get into the water, this time we have to swim out a bit before the water gets clearer. But then we are rewarded with a variety of fish and simply enjoy these underwater impressions. Afterwards, we enjoy the beach a little, observe other vacationers and finally the beach lives up to its name and the sun comes out. Therefore, we cannot resist enjoying the underwater world again in better lighting conditions, and we venture into the waves once again.... Fantastic!!!

On the way home, we make a stop at Anse Interdance, which is touted in the travel guide as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Without a doubt, the beach has its charm, with the big waves breaking white and foamy on the shore and framed by granite rocks on the right and left. Nevertheless, we both agree that we have already seen and experienced more paradise-like bays, especially since you can not swim, let alone snorkel, here due to the strong waves. So we take some photos and decide to come back here for a sunset. Now it's back to our apartment.

Here we spend the afternoon in a relaxed way, before we explore our hometown 'Anse Royal' and its numerous 'supermarkets' (or rather Aunt Emma shops), a few souvenir shops&Co. By the way, there is one of the island's few 'hospitals' here in town - I would be interested to see what it looks like inside. The ambulance outside the door definitely looks a bit worn out - and would probably be considered highly modern by local standards. At this point, we are once again aware of the high standards prevailing in Germany and appreciate them even more. But who knows, maybe we can arrange a little tour of the local clinic in the next few days.

We set off for another snorkeling spot - Port Launey National Park - a small bay in the north of the island, where we have been once on our previous vacation. It is raining heavily on the way there, but it is at least dry when we arrive, only the sun still refuses to show up. This time we have to swim a bit further out to be rewarded with a real coral park, we rarely see so many living corals in one place and it is truly impressive. Even without the sun, the underwater world shines for us and we spend a while in the waters. We are actually the only ones snorkeling here and we enjoy having this paradise all to ourselves. Many small fish babies among the corals make us feel like we are in an aquarium - you could linger here for hours. As soon as we get out of the water, it starts pouring again, so we quickly change clothes in the car and slowly head back home...

On the way back, we make a short stop at the Port Glaud Waterfalls - even we 'hiking experts' find the little hiking trail to get there and the whole rain must have at least one advantage, the waterfalls are filled.

When we arrive home, the sun is shining again and we spontaneously decide to take a small tour with the house's kayaks, actually we were planning to go snorkeling to an island about - I would estimate maybe 1500m away - but somehow the kayak starts moving on its own and we have a hard time making progress. If we weren't convinced of our Hawaiian kayaking skills, we would have doubted our abilities, so we blame the wind and strong waves for the turns in circles. Well, we finally turn around and enjoy the afternoon at home. With good reading, the sound of waves, and a sea view, it's wonderful to relax and another unique day in paradise comes to an end.

This morning we have to move breakfast indoors for the first time because it must have rained heavily last night, our terrace is quite wet and since you can also enjoy a beautiful sea view from indoors, we'll go indoors today. However, our grandfather doesn't seem ready to take another break from his early morning exercise and bravely ventures into the water again. For us, this is a sign that the sun will definitely come out at some point today - after all, grandpa is a 'fair-weather swimmer'...

With cloudy skies, we decide to go for a hike not far from our accommodation. In the far south of the island, we want to hike to Anse Capucins - according to our landlady, it should take about 30 minutes - so off we go. Despite the clouds, we start sweating quite quickly, and somehow we always follow the signs - but after walking uphill for almost 1 hour (the sea is usually somewhere below :P) and no bay in sight, we finally turn back somewhat frustrated. But we still learned something new - we both saw for the first time how the pineapple fruit grows. We had to look three times when we discovered the spectacle in the jungle. If our friends Sonja and Andreas, whom we met on our last trip here, hadn't told us about these pineapple plants back then, we would probably have just kept walking. Just take a look at the pictures for yourselves - have you ever seen anything like it?Dear Sonja, dear Andreas, a special greeting to both of you at this point.

Back at home, our landlady also thinks that we probably took the wrong hiking trail - well, now the sun is finally shining. Clearly, grandpa was right.

In the afternoon, we actually go snorkeling again in the sunshine, this time in the far north of the island, at Sunset Beach. Here, you feel like you're in an aquarium again - just enjoy it, so without a camera and no photos. On the way back, we drive around the entire northern tip of the island by car, the road mostly runs directly along the water, and you really have to be careful not to lose sight of the road with the scenery. When we get home, it's already dark and it starts pouring heavily again, so not even our new four-legged friends (for whom we are still looking for a name, by the way) come by for a snack.

This time no awakening with summer, sun, but at least the sea - that would be boring. So today the breakfast table had to be moved under the roof, and despite that we got a few raindrops with the occasional gust of wind - the nice thing is that the rain here is completely warm. And our grandpa from the previous days also seems to be a good weather swimmer, today no trace of him in sight and consequently no cheerful waving from afar. So the weather forecast was actually right and we decide to take a leisurely walk through the capital Victoria. There we visit some well-known shops and stroll leisurely through the streets, where we discover a few nice spots. A visit to the weekly market should of course not be missed.

On the way back we make a little stop at the Takamaka Rum distillery, which we already know from our first trip. But this time we explore the huge grounds around the distillery for the first time and also get to know the two giant tortoises 'Taka' and 'Maka' there - who of them is probably the male or female?

Since in the afternoon the weather god doesn't seem to have much mercy on us either, we explore the island a bit by car. We pass by some beautiful bays, which still have their charm despite the clouds. And we also pass the 'Pig Rock' - can you recognize the pig in the photo? Apparently until today it is not exactly known how this rock formation, which was declared a national monument in 2006, was formed...

We still buy coconuts and pineapples at a fruit stand before we start the journey home. Back home, we make a special friendship (see photo) and end the evening with a delicious dinner...

Today, our water aerobics grandpa greets us again at breakfast (see photo) and we start the day leisurely. Since the weather report shows sun again today, and we will probably have clouds in the following days (although you can never rely on the weather report on an island), we want to spend another morning at the beach snorkeling. At Petite Anse, where we were yesterday, we conquer the underwater world again. By the way, there is an organization here that promotes the rebuilding of the coral reef destroyed by coral bleaching. Divers have placed metal poles under water, on which small new pieces of coral are supposed to grow into a new reef (see photos), there is a small video here for a better understanding:

https://www.facebook.com/WiseOceans/?ref=page_internal

On the way back, we make a small stop at a local flea market, which sells a lot of collected bric-a-brac as well as some handmade souvenirs, including hand-carved turtles, painted keychains, paintings, etc. A crazy little place that was definitely worth a stop. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the shop, but I will surely do so at another location.

The afternoon is enjoyed at home before I join the local swimming club in Mahe in the evening. A completely new experience that challenges me but also provides a lot of fun. The Seychellois kiddies are super nice and open - you immediately feel familiar with each other and from the first second, you simply belong to the team. I'm already looking forward to the next time...

Birthday breakfast on our terrace overlooking palm trees, the ocean, and two colorful fishing boats, with a grandpa doing his morning water exercises in the midst of the waves - simply perfect.

Afterwards, we make ourselves comfortable and head to 'Petite Anse', our favorite beach here on Mahe. It is just as dreamy as our last trip, with a few tourists here and there, huge granite rocks on both sides of the bay, and coconut trees under which we set up our retreat. And then, of course, I get a 'Happy Birthday' serenade from the Seychellois underwater world, which treats us to clear water and colorful fish during our first snorkeling trip.

We enjoy the morning in paradise, later we pack up our beach gear and drive along the coastal road, passing by several other nice beaches (see route photos), heading back home. From here, I go for a birthday run along the coastal road, much warmer than in the fields of Finthen, but with a unique backdrop.

The appropriate conclusion for this day is a delicious dinner at a Seychellois restaurant. It's amazing that we even found the place, as it is located in a remote area. We were about to give up when the restaurant owner personally picked us up in the middle of nowhere and delivered us there on the bed of his truck. The fast ride with Seychellois driving style was a real adventure, cost Mom her reading glasses, and made us even richer in holiday experiences. And the journey was worth it, as we are served delicious fish dishes and end the evening in style.

After many people approached me and asked if there would be a travel blog for our second trip to Seychelles, which I hadn't planned initially, I am now coming back to it after this first day of vacation. The time here in paradise is simply too beautiful not to share it with you. This time, the blog might not be updated daily, and it will be a bit shorter, but I will try to let you participate in the most beautiful and new experiences.

After a stopover in Dubai, we landed here in Seychelles at around 6:30 a.m. local time, and soon after, we arrived at our accommodation. The view from our apartment directly to the sea and a delicious breakfast with a warm breeze make the first hours of vacation perfect.

We enjoy the sea view, the warm temperatures, and the strong sea breeze, which is more pronounced at this time of year than in October. Immediately, we feel at home again as if we had never left. And so, we spend the first day of vacation in a relaxed way, enjoying every second, and still can't quite realize that we have landed in such a paradise again.

The evening sunset is watched from the west coast of the island at Anse Takamaka. In the meantime, the sun is replaced by strong rain clouds and a summer shower, only to finally kiss the horizon for us.

Tired, filled with vacation impressions, and simply happy, we make our way home from the beach, cook a delicious Seychellois fish curry, and look forward to another day full of new experiences.