Monday, November 7, 2011

07/11/11 The Final Banquet on Curieuse

The last day of our momentous 5 week expedition is upon us. Final packing and tidying up has taken place in preparation for the voyage back to ‘civilisation’ tomorrow. Our time on Curieuse has been a wonderful experience and we have appreciated the chance to live on an almost uninhabited island; watching spectacular sunsets, walking along white sand beaches first thing in the morning, and witnessing sea turtles pop their heads up and glide ashore.

Over the past few weeks we have seen the largest nuts and catkins in the world (on Coco de Mer Palms), experienced the thrill of watching a Hawks Bill Turtle lay her eggs and diligently cover her tracks, and trekked through squelching mud and lemon shark nurseries in the mangroves (recording the diversity and density or the tree types growing in the area). All of our hard work is rewarded with the knowledge that the information collected will be used by the Seychelles National Park Authority to help in the protection of this unique environment and all of the beautiful wildlife that lives here.

We leave Curieuse with many happy memories of our experiences and accomplishments. Although our return ‘home’ reunites us with all the luxuries left behind 5 weeks ago, we will truly miss the luxuries we have become accustomed to here in our home on Curieuse. Fresh Mangos plucked from the tree for breakfast, waking to the morning call of birds and warming sunlight slipping through the windows, watching skins and geckos play at our feet as we eat handcrafted breadfruit chips, watching fruit bats fly overhead whilst reading in a hammock and overlooking the crystal clear water and white sandy beach, the gentle sound of waves lulling us to sleep, and of course our spectacular paradise surroundings. We could go on forever, but with less than a full day remaining here, we would rather go out and enjoy it.

…The Intrepid Duo


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