La Digue

I dragged my suitcase down the dock, and on to the muddy street for a 10 minute walk to my lodgings.  I was pleasantly surprised to have a room upgrade waiting for me.  

I checked in, and by 2pm, i was on a bike on my way to explore the island!

La Digue, is very small and can be traversed by bike.  It is the third largest inhabited island in terms of population (only about 2,000 people).  La Digue was first sighted by French navigator and explorer Lazare Picault in 1742.  The first people settled on the island in 1789, when French colonists arrived with their African slaves. The first Catholic chapel was built in 1854.

Since I only had a few hours until sunset, I decided to ride up to the north 1/2 of the island.

This was my little lodge on the right half.

My nice room waiting for me.

I hopped on a bike and was on my way.

It was kind of a rainy, crappy day, but the rain held out long enough for me to enjoy some beaches on La Digue.

These were hideous "palm" spiders.  Harmless, but huge.

Now that's talent.  This lady was balancing her kid and groceries while biking.

Here is a random tortoise I spotted.

Another tortoise on top of a hill.  This poor guy was missing a leg in front.

The sunlight was starting to fade.  Here is the main cemetery on La Digue.