This morning started with a glorious ray of sunshine piercing through the scattered rain clouds that soon parted and made way for a beautiful day. Boats bounced on the water like toys in a bath, the swell from the Indian Ocean being dampened by the outlying reefs. Diving boats headed out for a morning dip. The atmosphere set for new discoveries.

Michael James, Andreas, Ludger and I headed ashore to take a look around the small island of La Digue. Some eight years ago Michael visited the islands and was surprised somewhat by how things had changed. Buildings where once a beach path lead and an influx of tourists absorbing the delight of beautiful white beaches. Just imagine turquoise lagoons surrounded by coral reefs fringing a deep blue abysses, coconut palms mirrored in the gin waters along the shore, towered by granite rock carefully shaped over years and years of natural erosion. The artistic work of Mother Nature simply magnificent.

Also during our travels we met with some locals with particularly Seychelles flair and character, Frankie entertained us with his presence and wispy dreadlocks as he spoke in a somewhat French accent. He told us of the islands with beautiful reefs and where we might encounter good shark action, all sounds promising. Pierre, a scuba diving instructor at one of the local dive stores spoke a little about the state of the reef and where might be the best places to go to see the best of the biological diversity we have read about; lots of fish, sharks, turtles, morays, whale sharks and rays, sounds too good to be true but time will tell.

Giant land tortoises find shelter in the shade of the overhanging trees. While taking the chance to take a closer look at these magnificent animals, I for a moment felt saddened by the consequences of the past, which is one of the reasons they are kept in pens now. however it is a compliment to the country that they have in some way been able to increase the awareness of these animals and teach a little of their history. Michael commented on the size. Surprisingly many were quite large; in natural environments it may have taken many more years to reach the same stage. They moved very slowly and with an air of grace only bestowed on their species.

Life on the island is peaceful and travels at a pace desirable to most. Families gather while men work in the boat shed on their latest project, children play in the sand, making sand soup, so they told us, and swimming in the shallows of the lagoon. Bonjour rolling off the tips of their tongues along with I love you. Adorable curls frame their sun browned faces, which are beaming with a smile from ear to ear.

The beaches are just like you imagine them to be, crystal white sand so fine that it slips between your toes like honey off a spoon and the coconut palms beat in the wind, fronds catching the chocolate glow of the morning sun against a charcoal rock canvas which later in the day develops a moody rose pink, highlights of the quartz and feldspars present in the granite.

An older man walks a bull under the shade of a frond-roofed pergola, grinding coconut using traditional wooden mill techniques. The sand shifts under the hoof of the bull while the aroma of coconut shavings fills the air. In the distance the sound of working people coming from a small copra house.

Not too far from La Digue by boat you have one of the most intriguing formations of granite in the Seychelles. Cocos Island is a mass of palms, granite and water. The surrounding sea is crystal clear and hosts a variety of tropical fish. It is heavenly to dip beneath the surface and escape into the wonders of the marine world. To provide visitors to the island with a tropical paradise in which to explore and keep the best interest of the environment at hand, the government has placed moorings. The aim of this is to reduce anchor damage and allow the existing coral to regenerate as it suffered some marginal coral bleaching during the warming in 1998, however it appears the damage from anchoring might also be responsible.

So far it has been extremely pleasing to see how aware of their environment the local people are and the will they demonstrate to conserve it. I hope I can only discover more of this tomorrow.

So for now I will say adeiu,

Lou