A bumpy ride
Georgina Ellis, Destination Expert.
We've always recommended that clients travel around the Seychelles by plane or helicopter and now I know why. Having flown to Praslin from Mahe we decided we would brave a boat ride to Cousine Island even though there were warnings of very choppy sea. I soon discovered this was a serious understatement.
I found myself sitting in a tiny little boat surrounded by a very moody, blue ocean clinging with all my strength on to the side as were engulfed by some serious waves. I held on so tightly I pulled a muscle in my hand! Talking was impossible because every time you opened your mouth, a large portion of the sea seemed to enter it as we went over the next wave. I soon discovered that even keeping your eyes open was a serious feat. We then had a very exciting beach landing as we were all told to brace ourselves as our skilled boatman ‘beached' our little boat, while my mother and I landed on our backs from the thud.
I always try and look smart and tidy when going on site inspections, but here I arrived in what looked like an all in one space suit, soaked to the bone with hair matted across my face and red eyes which were now missing their contact lenses. However our smiles were still firmly on our faces. The moral of this story - helicopters are the best mode of transport here!
