15/03/2013 Cast away on Curieuse: Our postcard perfect paradise
Landing in the Seychelles was always going
to be special, but it’s hard to put down on paper just how beautiful the
islands really are. Everything about the Seychelles is a sensory delight! And
Curieuse is our own little world away from reality. Words cannot truly express
how amazing this little granitic island is, but I will give it a go...
It might be easier to get a few quirks out
of the way first: everything is named – from the boat (Dexter) to the computer
(Shakira); there is a resident neckerchief-wearing guard dog (Digby) and a
mischievous resident ghost (Maria). The staff (Reggie, Pat, Noel and Zach) are
all lovely and have gone out of their way to make us welcome as well as to ensure
camp is more than habitable.
We have our own stunning beach complete
with tree-house that leads out onto numerous bommies filled with colourful fish
and the occasional ray or turtle if we are lucky! There are two dorms: Shark
Shack and Leper Lodge. Everyone eats and has their social time at ‘The Bommie’,
our communal area – the delicious food being cooked by two volunteers each day
from scratch (whether that means husking and grating coconuts for cookies, or
baking the bread-base of a pizza!) It’s surprising how creative the cooking can
get with a limited set of ingredients...
Our ‘commute to work’ each day is just
spectacular. If it wasn’t enough that the scenery is better than a postcard
picture, the sea is lovely and warm. It is also unbelievably clear and that
green-blue colour that you want to bottle up for a bad day back home. And we
almost always come across our giant tortoise neighbours, giving them a quick
rub on their neck and some coco-plums if we have them to hand. The giant
tortoises far outnumber the people on the island, so it’s no wonder that the
volunteers get to know each of them and their personalities so well. The rocks
are so perfectly formed that they don’t look real, and the array of plants and
wildlife are something to marvel at (which we do daily...) Yes the walk is
difficult: climbing up a never-ending path of treacherous rock-steps with the
sun’s rays beating down hard overhead is tiring work but it’s definitely all
worth it to arrive at one of our exciting destinations to start work.
Our first week has flown by so quickly with
lots of information and introductory sessions being given. But EFR is a million
times more fun when practised on a beach in 30 degree heat. We’ve so far done
fun snorkels, wurtles, snurtles, mangrove monitoring, tweets and challenging
hikes to find the famous Coco de Mer for half of camp. The rest have been
delving deep into the mangroves in search of birds (but secretly dreaming of
the ice-cream in Praslin!!)
We are all super excited about getting out
into the field properly to gain experience and aid the vital conservation of
Curieuse. Hopefully we will see more live hatchlings (Sven was our first), find
out what A-One (the tortoise) did with that pencil, and be able to name all of
the mangrove species and birds by the end of the expedition (or pass the tests
anyways...)
And the weekend is coming up (already?!?).
This will include an amusing ‘pirate’ themed barbeque put on by the staff, a
trip to Praslin to finally contact our families, enjoy some relaxation by the
pool at Paradise hotel, and lots of lazing around on Anse Jose (did I mention
that we have our own beach?!!)
I’m sure there will be much more to report
on in the next few weeks, but at the moment everyone’s just loving life,
learning as much as we can, and hoping it doesn’t all go too quickly!
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