Blue Water, Fast Bikes, Soft Sand, Can't Lose

On the "road" from Praslin to La Digue

Ah, the Seychelles.

Waiting for the ferry

 No, really. This place was paradise.

Settling in at Grand Anse

We've been wanting to go to the Seychelles for years, but it's so far away from the States that it was not possible. Once we got to Abu Dhabi, it was first on Hubs' list and after we checked India off, it was his turn to pick. 

Heading to the north side

 I didn't put up a fight.

Tiny church just off the road

 The Seychelles are a group of 115 granite islands in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Kenya and Tanzania. Just a short flight from the UAE, a hop in a twin otter, and a ferry ride to La Digue, our small island home for a few days.

Takeaway, Seybrew, and the World Cup

La Digue is the third largest (inhabited) island in the country, but it's only 4 square miles and a few thousand people live there year round. The Seychelles are home to some of the world's most beautiful and photographed beaches, and La Digue gets to brag about having Anse Source d'Argent, a spectacular stretch of white sand and impressive granite boulders. We spent an incredible late afternoon and sunset on the beach, which we had to ourselves (it pays to go during the off season!). Still, the other beaches on the island were as wonderful and gorgeous. La Digue is heaven!

Hiking from Grand Anse to Petite Anse

This way

 La Digue is a sleepy little place with a handful of takeaway restaurants, some fabulous fruit stands, one big grocery store, a block with a few shops, and one port. There are paved roads and a few trucks and cars, but everyone rides bicycles around. I initially thought that perhaps it'd be too quiet, that we would want to ferry to either Praslin or Mahe for a day to wander around a town. 

My new little love

Definitely not- La Digue was so relaxing, so peaceful and I never wanted to leave.

Petite Anse, all to ourselves

Each morning we ate breakfast on our veranda - fresh, local fruit and eggs and juice and coffee with a side of The New Yorker - before deciding which part of the island we wanted to explore. Biking around was just as fun as sitting on the beaches. The island is so green and, although humid, it was much cooler than current temps in the UAE.

Simon's Fruit Shop

Our first morning we ran up to Nid d’Aigle, the highest point on the island. It was so nice to be able to run outside after miles and miles on the treadmill. One of the best discoveries on that first day was Simon's Fruit Shop, a tiny stand just before the last hill on the road to Grand Anse. We stopped every day were were there to get whatever fruit shake Simon was whirling up and his take on the previous night's World Cup matches. On one of our stops, he sent us off with a whole fresh coconut, sliced for us to eat on Anse Cocos, which ended up being our favorite beach. His shop was decorated with drawings he'd done with his daughter, who helped serve when things got really busy. If you're ever on La Digue, make sure you visit Simon - time spent in his quiet presence will be one of your favorite island memories.

The famous Anse Source d'Argent at sunset

It wasn't very busy when we were there, which was so nice. On Grand Anse, Petite Anse, and Anse Cocos - beaches on the southeast side of the island - each a bay about half mile long, we saw at most 30 people. We spent two afternoons on Anse Cocos with no one else in sight. I swear there is nothing better than the sound of the ocean, swaying in the hammock, reading a page turner (side note: go read Shantaram).

Anse Cocos

Granite-lined Anse Cocos

The water was a bit rough and we heard numerous warnings about currents. Each bay was definitely swimmable, though, and perfect for a dip to cool off after biking the island's hills.

Breakfast in the garden

We spent one morning snorkeling off the shores of a private island currently under development. We saw a ton of beautiful jellyfish, some huge rays, a tiny shark, and, of course, a million colorful fish. I scare easily in the water (but love the beach and the shallow shore...) but Hubs could snorkel and swim for hours, and often does. We carted our snorkel gear all around the island for days (including one slightly dangerous scramble over some rather large boulders with me in flip flops and a sundress - not our best move) but it was worth it for that one morning.

After I called it a day

La Digue has quite a few places to stay, mostly family-run guest houses. We chose a charming place with several new rooms and couldn't have been happier. One of the highlights was having the matriarch cook us dinner one night - a perfectly done catch-of-the-day and eggplant.

Rush hour in La Passe, La Digue

The Seychellois are friendly and fun to speak with. The vast majority of tourists are European and, increasingly, Russian. Everyone was interested in how and why two Americans had landed in La Digue. It was so interesting to talk about the changes that have happened in the country recently.

Out for the morning catch

On our last day, we retraced our steps from La Digue to Praslin to Mahe. We had hours before our flight back to Abu Dhabi so we stored our bags, hopped a bus, and wandered around town for a bit. After a few days on La Digue, Victoria seemed positively bustling. We found the market, had a snack, then made a beeline for Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinyagar Temple.

Detail of the inner doors

I was completely blown away - the Temple was stunning. 

I walked around in awe and felt so lucky to be there.

In the market

One for the books, for sure. 

Thanks, La Digue.

The last sunset