We were informed to have our luggage ready to go around 7am, but the flight wouldn’t be expected to depart until closer to 8. Evidently due to the storms, it got stuck somewhere else overnight, so the people who were meant to arrive last night had a bit of bad luck. We ate breakfast under threatening skies before checking out and heading to the seaplane dock.
After about ten minutes, our twin-otter arrived and we picked our seats in the front of the plane so I could watch the pilots and see the flight deck. We made a firm stop at the Radisson Blu resort enroute back to Malé. It was bobbing a bit in the waves, and the cabin was a bit airless. I think everyone was getting a bit nauseous as it got rather quiet. Fortunately once we were back in the air (and got some air), things went a bit smoother. Twenty minutes later we were back on the main island. A representative from the Conrad helped us get checked in for our Air Seychelles flight. Whereas there were thousands of people checking in for flights to Dubai, Frankfurt, or Moscow, the Air Seychelles line consisted of just us.
Though the lines for security and customs were long, they moved fairly quickly and we all emptied into the chaos of an aging airport terminal. They are building a new one, and it is sorely needed. There was a lot of gate lice queuing up for the Moscow flight, though it hadn’t even begun boarding. We heard an announcement that Air Seychelles would begin boarding and one minute later we heard our names called along with two others. There were a total of four people on a brand-new A320-NEO bound for the Seychelles. There had been more people on our float plane.
Shockingly everyone took their assigned seats, though Nicole and I eventually moved up one row to have more leg room. I had intended to have some commentary about the Maldives earlier, but I was saving that for a rainy day. We never had any total washouts, so I shall share some factoids with you now.
The Maldives is a unique country in that its tallest point above sea level is like 20 feet. That’s practically less than the height of the driveway that Nicole and I use to get in and out of our apartment. As a result of this, things like rising water levels are of great concern to its government and people. Most of the population in the Maldives lives on the main island of Malé. Just next to it, an elevated landmass is being created in preparation for the day when the Maldives are underwater and people will have to abandon their homes for a new location.
Many estimates have that date happening in less than twenty years. The waters have been consistently rising and some resorts have already been abandoned for this reason. Erosion from the sea is another major issue plaguing the islands and atolls. The resorts use hidden sandbags to shore up the waterline and preserve the beach, but even at the Conrad, many of these sandbags are already exposed. We weren’t able to walk around the entire island on the beach because at certain spots, the beach just isn’t there, just some exposed sandbags.
Sri Lanka and Australia have already been approached as possible new homelands for the entire Maldivian population when the country disappears beneath the turquoise blue. Sri Lanka chosen because it is most culturally similar and Australia because there’s just a lot of space. For obvious reasons, the Maldives takes climate change and environmental issues more seriously than most other countries of the world. There were no plastics at the Conrad at all. Straws were from biodegradable materials and bottles of water were in refillable glass containers. These are initiatives that California had instituted, but Covid kind of jacked everything up especially with the plastic bag rules at supermarkets. The point is that hopefully these simple changes can spread to other countries before we are twenty years from sinking into the ocean.
Now we are off to Mahé in the Seychelles after departing Malé in the Maldives…confusing. The Seychelles do not face the same immediate environmental threats. For one, there is topography. There are hills, valleys, and shorelines with giant boulders. As we have learned from the empty Air Seychelles flight, however, those going to the Maldives don’t seem to think that a flight to the Seychelles is different enough to warrant a joint visit. For a couple California kids, though, we are really far from home. So we can fly for three days again to get here, or we can take a 3 hour flight from the Maldives.
Once touching down in Mahé, it was an easy trip through customs despite having to show all of our extensive health forms and paperwork. Our bags were waiting for us when we got to baggage claim. We then paid a nominal fee to get an earlier flight to Praslin island (pronounced Praw-Lynn). It was another Twin-Otter, but this one was wearing regular ol’ tires on its feet instead of water skis.
With just thirty minutes notice, our local car rental was able to adjust their car drop off time at the airport for us. For “island time,” everything actually worked out surprisingly smoothly. We then drove our tiny hatchback to our hotel at Acajou beach, which was about a twenty minute drive. Fun fact! The Seychelles drive on the left in right-hand drive cars. Perhaps this is something that you would have expected us to know ahead of time, but given that it was a former French territory, we assumed they would drive like the French…on the right, or while smoking cigarettes and eating cheese if you like.
We settled into the Acajou, which is no Conrad, but sometimes a personal butler just isn’t necessary. The Conrad was at times a bit extra, as the kids might say. We briefly checked out the beach next to our hotel, which was meh. It was a standard beach. We came to the Seychelles for boulders, and we found them at Anse Lanzio on the western coast. We did, however, also find a lot of people — tourists and locals alike.
While it was no Jersey Shore, it was far too many people for our liking. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a Sunday or what is going on, but we weren’t keen on the vibe. Music was playing, selfies were being taken, and we just felt like a couple of old people wanting everyone to go away. Upon our return to the Acajou, Nicole phoned a resort that requires prior permission to access their beach. It is supposed to be one of the nicest on the island and limits the number of people that can visit it per day. We had to schedule ahead for Wednesday, so brace yourself! But that’s all for now. We are bushed from a long day of travel. We had four takeoffs and landings today (five if you count that bounced landing at the Radisson), so we could use a good sleep.
passports & pepto bismol 