FIrst Week Seychelles

Me and all my things


April 25, 2008

Say, Shells

Day 1
Hours of travel finally passed
Flights were delayed,
a new girl friend Hazel
a surprise trip to Dubai airport with lights as bright as day in the middle of the night
Full of culture and head dresses sleeping everywhere.

Arrived in the beautiful wet and green island .
Full of healthy enchanted plant life.
Gavin there to greet me with a warm smile.
My new home, Erica welcomed me with a gentle breeze and bird songs every where.

Plans changing as lives form in different ways.
Madagascar may be farther away then I had thought
But the plans bring me closer to my boyfriend,
and Gavin closer to his family,
and new prospects for both of us.

Two lives from different sides of the world developed conversations of opinions and ideas and thoughts unheard.

Dinner and a beer and a dingy ride home
and off to bed
with the stars shining through my hatch hole and a gentle rocking like a baby in a crib.


Erica, and my reflection through my hatch window


Our kitchen and living space


April 26, 2008
Day 2

Morning sunrise peaking through my hatch,
More conversations of possibilities,
Learning 2 birds a day, herren and egret for today,

Exloration, being slowed by rain,
Hiding from showers in playgrounds,
An old boat for children to pretend on,
A market and flowers and birds and more rain,
A coffee full of nature and oppertunity,
A new job for Gavin,
tTwo years on an undisurbed island,
Possiblities of me joining on this exploration,
Project politics holding us back,
Madagasgar is now an mass I can no longer see,
BUt many islands have opened up on my herizion,
And literally endless diving possibilities,
Over seas converstions
About future of travels with a boy,
Africa is an open book for us to explore,

Running into my travel friend Hazel in the streets, a happy suprise.
Home for the afternoon, with more talk, rest, email, and exercise.
A dingy ride for a beer and the end of a fishing competition,
A marlin bigger then me, and children poking fingers in it eye,
Local friendly drunks at the yatch club,
And home to Erica, with Gavin and Hazel,
Cooking dinner,
Looking into our differnet worlds,
Google earth, for a view into everything.
And off to bed listening to rain falling on my hatch.



Marlin from fishing competition

April 27, 2008
Day 3

Another sunrise from my hatch,
Coffee, conversations, and fruit salad,
Stretching and exercise on the bow trampoline,
Bus stop waiting, too long,
Everything stops for Sunday,

Skype video and a long distance beer with my boy,
Talks of our future together,
Honesty, fear and happiness.

A quiet walk alone towards the sea,
And random wondering to nowhere particular but somewhere special,
In the silence of Sunday,
Church bells and songs,
A beautiful hindu temple of statues and colors,
A local boys cat calls,
And walking on to more photos of fountains and flowers unknown,

A cold shower and glass of wine.
And off to Erica,
Just in time for a magnificent rain shower
Breaking through the sun,
Crating 2 fabulous rainbows.

A salad dinner and some southern comfort,
In bed by eight,
Falling asleep gazing at stars through my hatch.


Mahe Church

Clock Tower in town

Indian Temple


My first Rainbow, in Victoria Harbor


April 28
Day 4

Awake before sunrise,
Stars with a stare to put me back to sleep,
Awake in time to say sweet dreams across the world
And enjoy the last pinks of the sun rise,
More exercise in the sun,
Waving good morning to neighbors in boats passing by,
To town for errands,
Grocery stores with little food,
And conversation with a very knowledgeable man named Gee,

Gathering water and toilet paper for many days at sea,
Closing up hatches and putting things away,
Finally pulling up anchor,
Off to sea,
Looking back at the gigantic island,
Full of eye sores partially hidden by its beauty
And onward to islands with only nature.
Smooth sailing and lessons of safety,
Worst case scenarios discussed and planned.

Praslin in the distance,
Cheveier bay, behind the wind,
Boulders coming from the water
Separating the blue from the luscious green of the forrest,

A nice spot to anchor,
A snorkel,
And I am free,
So many fish I have never seen,
beautiful and colorful and so different,
A turtle, barracuda, crocodile needle fish,
A lion fish with so intricate,

My first African sunset with no disappointments,
Wine and wahoo,
And millions more stars.


Fish at the market


Our first sail


Islands on our first sail


Our first island sunset

April 29
Day 4

Another beautiful morning,
Many boats through my hatch,
All hiding here from the wind,

The day brightened
By the sweet sound of the air compressor,
Today we dive,
Off to the rocks in the distance,
A reef only dove by few,
Scattered with diversity.
Drop down into the warmth,
No wetsuit or weights,
Just the feel of the water rushing past my body,
I found Nemo's cousin, playing in an anemone,
And a octopus,
A massive school of king fish,
Each 2 feet long
Circling me,
Wondering why I am there,
Soon they are off,
As suddenly as they arrived,
So many fish I have never seen,
I am in awe.

Back to Erica,
Lunch, a nap and a swim,
A guitar fish several feet long surprise me,
And a baby white tip reef shark.

Scrambled eggs and irish coffee for dinner,
Then off to the hammock,
To sleep under the stars.



Nemo's cousin


Gavin watching the king fish circle me


Fishy




Relaxing after a hard day

April 30
Day 5

I awaken to rain drops,
As I realize I miss my bed and my hatch,
An unexpected shower,
And everything must be closed,
Soon back to sleep.

A morning swim to shore and a run across the beach,
A snorkel across the bay, looking for lost treasure,
No goods,
But a large turtle and a ray and some baby squid.

Scrubbing Erica,
Making her shine,
Then off for another dive,
Low visibility but still diversity,
A lion fish, octopus, stone fish,
And so many different angels.

Home for abs,
Reading in the hammock,
And a spectacular sunset,
Another hard day at sea.

Focusing on memories,
Looking at pictures,
Trying to embrace the nature and solitude.
Missing you,

Dinner a drink and off to bed,
Looking at stars though my hatch.



Lion Fish


Beautiful Erica


Chevalier Beach

Another sunset

Erica

Day 6, I think, I am starting to lose track
April 30,

A quiet morning,
Coffee and a book in the hammock,
More scrubbing Erica,
And then off to sail,
Passing through islands,
To a small rock pile island,
With a couple of trees,

An giant stride off Erica,
Into perfect visibility,
Coral piles dead from bleaching,
Then around the corner,
Baby white tip sharks,
Then another octopus, and a turtle,
All of a sudden several baby spotted eagle rays,
Low on air, and a massive current to fight,
And then two giant rays,
Like butterflies,
And Erica the distance.

Into La Digue Bay,
Lunch and a rest,
And to town for supplies,
Bicycles everywhere,
Carrying hundreds of fish.

Home to Erica,
To relax from a "hard day,"
Still no clue
Where the next weeks will lead,
But still dreaming of you in the distance,
A whole new life together,
In dreams of Zanzibar. . .

A bottle of wine,
Sunset,
A spicy dinner,
And off to bed,



An island to dive around

Pretty Fishy

A bat fish


Under the sea

Beautiful Spotted Eagle Rays


Transporting a hard days work



La Digue


Nice Sunset


Water ski

Day 7
May 2, 2008

Awake to sounds of the anchor coming up,
Off sailing already,
Breakfast, sunbathing, music,
Even dolphins for a second.

Back to Mahe,
A long awaited video with my boy,
A surprise meeting for Gavin,
And Aldabra is no longer in my future,
I feel a slight bit of relief,

Zanzibar is looking closer,
Calendars, charts and conversations,
Lots of planning,
Will stay here for a few days,
Then off for a couple weeks,
Then in no time I will fly away,
Back to somewhat reality,
My man, and work, and a home.

A book in the hammock and off to bed,
More planning tomorrow
And maybe even tickets,
Looking forward to counting the days.
But still enjoying every second of this reality.


Me again