Breathtaking beaches Our Curieuse tour finished at Anse St. Joseph, one of many pristine beaches in the Seychelles. (The main island of Mahé alone has 68 beaches.)The country’s Garden of Eden reputation and dazzling beaches have enticed many honeymooners, including such celebrities as Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and Prince William and Duchess Kate. Our favourite Seychelles beach is Anse Source d’Argent on the southwest coast of La Digue, the country’s fourth-largest island, near Praslin. On the way to the beach, our tour from Mahé stopped at the Union Estate & Copra Factory’s museum. We learned how islanders – until the 1980s – used a bull-powered mill to process copra (dried coconut meat). Crushing 35 kilograms of copra produced 10 litres of coconut oil daily. Union Estate is also a sanctuary for several century-old giant tortoises. One of them bore an uncanny resemblance to E.T. in the 1982 film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Another tortoise appeared to be crying. “Tortoises can’t sweat through pores like humans do,” explained our guide. “Instead, they excrete excess salt from their tear ducts.” Tall coconut palms and wispy casuarina trees towered over us as we walked to Anse Source d’Argent. Soaring granite boulders, scattered like house-sized Henry Moore sculptures, framed the beach. Shallow, bathtub-warm water tickled our ankles as we strolled along the sand and through the gentle surf. The water’s colour varied from peacock blue to cat’s-eye green. We left our footprints in the talcum powder sand of La Digue’s seductive beach, just as cast members did during the filming of theCrusoe and Castaway movies. It was a memorable way to spend our final day in the Seychelles. Back at the airport, it was our turn to smile as the Immigration & Customs official stamped our passports. This time, the provocative coco-de-mer images conveyed memories of an amazing trip. Granite boulders and talcum powder sand at Anse Source d’Argent, La Digue Viewing giant tortoise at Union Estate Granite rocks tower over green palm at Anse Source d’Argent, La Digue For information, visit the Seychelles Tourism Board at www.seychelles.travel Travel CSANews | WINTER 2018 | 21
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