18/07/2013 - The Truman Show
I never once thought that 7am could feel
like a real lie-in... but on Curieuse it certainly does, life begins at 5.30am
for those lucky few that are carrying out Coco De Mer surveys or inland bird
surveys known as “Tweets” in GVI’s very own language which also contains
‘Snurtles’ and ‘Wurtles’. Each jam packed and often exhausting day is
incredibly rewarding in a huge array of ways on this island from the
breath-taking scenery and the constant laughs with our temporary island family
to the cold(ish) Seybrew beer with dinner. I say “family” due to the immediate
bonds that are formed here between the like-minded volunteers and staff we
share base with (Even if I am severely outnumbered as the only Scottish person
here), something ‘Curieuse’ (terrible I know) happens to everybody here causing
a brilliant lack in almost all inhibitions that we may previously have held
before beginning our adventures here; this of course leads to a lot of sore
stomach muscles from laughing throughout the day and night. Upon mentioning how
tiring some days can be, I need to stress that each day also seems to hold enough
free time to allow a long laze in the hammock and also play multiple games of
highly intense volleyball which seems to have scared off any form of staff
participation since the first volunteer Vs. Staff match!
After we had chosen to spend the weekend in
a fantastic hotel on the opposite island, Praslin, our third week in our
Seychellois home began and I was lucky enough to be part of a ‘Tortoise
Tickling’ survey which led to the discovery of a new tortoise that had not
previously been marked and recorded, So I would like to personally welcome
Truman, the tortoise, to the team. It will never not seem incredibly strange to
me to stumble upon Giant Tortoises on steep, often dry and rocky slopes, I just
cannot imagine these cumbersome creatures hiking up to these areas. The very
next day three of us also had the chance to partake in a long Coco De Mer
survey which took us up Mount Curieuse leading to an unbelievable 360° view of
the whole island and surrounding areas, this also happened to be Flo’s last
survey as her time as a scholar here sadly comes to an end, and I’m sure her
dancing will be greatly missed around here.
This week has been a particularly busy one
in terms of sightings, as half an hour ago, immediately before beginning to
write this very blog, I was part of a snurtle which led to swimming alongside a
hawksbill turtle for a good few minutes (Which our Aussie member, Laura B,
managed to catch a great photo of), I doubt I’ve ever been as excited, nor made
a high pitched sound quite like I did upon spotting it, since Christmas ’99.
To attempt to sum up life here on Curieuse
I cannot stress enough how amazing this place really is, the beauty of this
island will never get boring, the unique personalities of each and every Giant
Tortoise you come across will never fail to amuse, the staff who lead and
manage the base are incredibly easy-going yet knowledgeable and right from day
one they seem to become a friend and finally, not to mention the fellow
volunteers which are all simply brilliant people; Curieuse is an experience in
its own right and this adventure will never be forgotten. On top of the many
conservational lessons that we learn here I’m sure everybody here will agree
that there are two incredibly important and vital lessons that are truly taken
in; the value of a warm shower and a flushing toilet!
Finally, one of our team members Nate would
like to send out a special happy birthday wish to his mom on Saturday July 20th.
Scott McDonald
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