Today, I had planned on doing a snorkeling excursion to a few nearby islands. Unfortunately, the weather was too crappy and the boat captain decided it would be better to postpone the trip until the next day. Fine with me, but what to do today in this crappy weather?
I decided to head over to Praslin to the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve. The reserve is located in the heart of Praslin. The famous coco de mer comes from a palm-tree once believed to grow in the depths of the sea.
In the 19th century, the British Generla Gordon produced detailed "proof" that the Vallée de Mai was the Garden of Eden, and that the coco de mer was the tree of knowledge.
The coco de mer has the largest seeds in the plant kingdom. The fruit requires 6-7 years to mature and an additional 2 years to germinate. It is one of the most universally well-known plants and holds three botanical records: 1) Largest fruit ever recorded (42kg), 2) World's heaviest mature seeds (up to 17kg,) 3) Female flowers are the largest of any palm.
Later that afternoon, I got a ride from a nice taxi guy, over to the north end for some snorkeling. It was still a bit rainy, but not too bad.
I decided to head over to Praslin to the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve. The reserve is located in the heart of Praslin. The famous coco de mer comes from a palm-tree once believed to grow in the depths of the sea.
In the 19th century, the British Generla Gordon produced detailed "proof" that the Vallée de Mai was the Garden of Eden, and that the coco de mer was the tree of knowledge.
The coco de mer has the largest seeds in the plant kingdom. The fruit requires 6-7 years to mature and an additional 2 years to germinate. It is one of the most universally well-known plants and holds three botanical records: 1) Largest fruit ever recorded (42kg), 2) World's heaviest mature seeds (up to 17kg,) 3) Female flowers are the largest of any palm.
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| Dude explaining about the coco de mer aka "sea coconut, love nut, double coconut, coco fresse or Seychelles nut." |
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| Yes, the nut looks like a woman's buttocks... |
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| ...and the seed looks like a man's....tee hee! |
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| Walking through the Vallée de Mai on a rainy day. |
Later that afternoon, I got a ride from a nice taxi guy, over to the north end for some snorkeling. It was still a bit rainy, but not too bad.
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| A banner fish. One of my faves, |
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| I went back to La Digue. This was a weird advertisement for a nearby internet cafe. Creepy. |
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| Some random German Sheperd came to hang out with me that evening. |
Loved reading this blog - great adventures and some brilliant underwater photos.
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