Praslin and La Digue, Seychelle Islands

Well, I think we've truly found a piece of paradise here in the Seychelle islands! Wow – stunning blue and turquoise waters, white sugary sandy beaches, green lush hillsides, and quiet lifestyle. We arrived in Praislin early this morning and tendered ashore with a few friends. We hired a taxi driver who took us across the island to the most beautiful beach. Only 8,000 people live here – one of only five of the 200 Seychelle Islands that is inhabited. The languages are Creole, French and English. There's a single lane, hilly road that winds itself along the coast past coconut and vanilla plantations and cute simple (yet super expensive) resorts. The island government won't allow foreigners to own land nor build homes, so the integrity of the island remains simple and quaint. We then visited another spectacular beach known as Cote D'or and had the chance to walk along – although no time for a swim here.

We returned to the island jetty and boarded a ferry boat over to La Digue, a neighboring island. It was only a 15 minute ride over – and wow – another “pinch yourself” destination. The island of 3,000 people has no cars. Cobblestone streets only have bicycle riders and wagons pulled by bulls. The main square had the bank, post office, general store and souvenir stand – that's it! We stopped for lunch near the tiny jetty of fishing boats overlooking the bright blue waters. After renting bicycles, we rode a little over a mile along the quiet streets into plantation grounds, past rows of coconut trees. On the grounds we came across a holding area of giant (and I mean giant) tortoises. They were so tame that you could feed them by hand and pet their heads. When standing they were probably two feet tall – amazing. Further on we came across the most stunning and beautiful beach called L'Anse Source D'argent. The sandy path took us around enormous granite boulders and rock formations. They were smooth, obscure shapes perched one on another. Here we swam and snorkeled for a couple of hours, before riding our bikes back to the tender. On our way back we had to slow down and follow a funeral procession, with mourners riding their bikes behind the casket.

That night we sailed to Mahe, Seychelles, and we'll go ashore tomorrow. A local dance troupe boarded the ship to perform native (Creole) dances for the passengers.