Seychelles Thoughts, Events & Musings

I haven't done one of these in a while and my little notebook is filling up with little ideas, so I'll share some little bits with you.

Day to day, even though we keep really busy here on the expedition, I still have some random thoughts and funny things that happen to me. I try to write them down when I can, but I’m sure the best of them just slip away before I get around to it. So these will have to do.

Sharing An Earbud
What is it that is so cool about sharing an earbud with somebody? It just gives me a tremendously warm feeling, and I’m not sure why. I have a splitter, but I left it at home so when I say share, I mean two people with one ear on the music apiece. I've done it a bunch of times, on local buses, on a plane, taking a nap, while reading a book and at the beach. Is it the secret sharedness of being the only two who can hear what’s playing? Could it be the conspiratorial way you have to lean in a bit to keep it from popping out of your ear? Maybe it’s sharing with someone a song or singer you think is cool, or a chance to discover some new music you’ve never heard of. Coming from a culture that looks at a car as a reflection of the personality of its owner, I always feel like what’s on my iPod offers an even deeper look into who I really am. So it’s a little scary to open up and share it, especially on shuffle, when any of those guilty pleasure songs you are embarrassed to love might pop up on shuffle. Ricky Martin, anyone?

Goldfish care package
One of the volunteers here, a girl from California named Hilary, gets care packages from her Mom. The other week, it contained a package of Cheddar Goldfish. Not the big milk carton shaped size unfortunately, just the normal bag, and they were gone in minutes. I got my share;) but had to fight the English volunteers for it after they got to try them for the first time - they don’t have them in the UK! Sometimes it is the little things that make you re-realize we are actually from different countries. Just another taste of home I’d been missing without realizing it.

Hurtin’ Flip-Flops
I was walking around Victoria, the Capitol City of the Seychelles a weekend or two back and was feeling some serious pain between my big and first toes. Both feet. Now what could be causing that? I took them off and looked. No rocks, twigs, glass or thorns. Nothing caught in there at all. Just two angry looking red spots deep down in between the toes. What the…? Then it hit me. I haven’t worn shoes in about two and a half weeks, duh. Then I thought, "Wow, that's pretty cool..."

Bats
There are some serious fruit bats living in the Seychelles. But they are different than the bats I’m used to and not scary at all. First of all, they come out in the daytime so you can see them a whole lot better. They don’t flit and dart around in that sneaky scary way, but just cruise along, coasting on updrafts and just flapping every so often, kind of like seagulls in a good breeze. They have big light brown bodies and black wings and in the daylight, actually look kind of like little foxes – they’re pretty cute. At least until you walk under a tree and there’s one hanging upside down there, just staring at you from a foot or two over your head. Then I jump.

Nightlife
The group here is definitely not afraid to whoop it up. When we get time off, any excuse will do to have a party or run off to town to the local bars. I've raised a glass cheering on the Rugby World Cup semi's and final game (S. Africa won over England - no surprise I was rooting for the underdogs,) dressed up as a Caesar Salad for a Halloween party, and shutdown the local nightclub at 5AM. Funniest of all, I've been playing all kinds of drinking games when we hang around the base on nights that a taxi into town just seems like too much trouble and expense. Who remembers Thumper, Asshole & President, (even the Brits call it that - shouldn't it be Asshole & Prime Minister?) and Truth or Dare? I've dug into my memory and introduced some wildly popular games to the group - remember these classics: Flipcup, Spoons, and Mexican? Viking didn't catch on though. We;ve played a couple hands of 99, too, we'll see how it goes..

Blackout peeing
We’ve had some blackouts here, maybe once or twice a week for a couple of hours. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the weather, it actually seems much more likely to happen on clear sunny days than other times. When it happens at night it’s really fun, we break out the candles and flashlights (torches for the UKers,) and act like nothing is different. Until bedtime, when the lack of ceiling fans while you’re lying under mosquito netting is a sweltering unpleasant combo. In the middle of the night, I had to take a leak, so still half-asleep, I quietly felt my way to the boy’s bathroom, carefully checked that the seat was open and then peed guided only by sound. Straight into the water would make some loud and echoing sounds, so I politely tried to find the quieter range above the waterline, but not peeing on the bowl where it would splash all over my shins and the floor. Guided only by my ears, I found that almost silent sweet spot and did my business, correcting my point of aim slightly to stay there as I finished. Then I washed up and tip-toed back into my dorm, very proud of being such a good quiet roommate,… until I tripped over someone’s suitcase in the dark.

Coconut kicking
I was walking home from the bus stop in Port Launay this week after a trip to town to check some emails. It’s about a half hour stroll and very pretty, nice high ridges and sheer drops with wonderful views of the jungle, mountains, beaches and islands as it winds up and down some pretty good hills back to camp. Well, it would have had good views if I’d gotten on an earlier bus, one that arrived before sunset. Picking my way along on a moonless night trying to avoid those sheer drops was a bit trickier. The starlight was strong enough in many spots to make out the edges of the road, but when it cut under the thick green foliage, I was practically feeling my way along in the pitch dark. I had the bright idea to take off my flip flops (they were hurting anyway,) and get a better feel for the road barefoot. The pavement was rough in the middle, with a smoother groove on either side where most people drove down the center of the narrow lane, then at the edge was some grittier, pebbles and sand before the rocks went up on the high side, or dropped down on the low side. I figured if I stayed in the rougher center strip, easily detected by the soles of my feet, I’d be safe. And if I stepped into a smooth part, whichever foot felt it first would tell me which way to veer to get back in the middle. Makes sense, right? It worked well, with only a couple of moments of confusion and fear of the drop, and I was very glad that I’ve been barefoot so much otherwise the bottoms of my poor feet would have really been sore. When the road flattened out and the canopy spread back as I came through the gates to the base, I was feeling really good and my stride picked up a little as my confidence got a boost. After conquering such a long walk in the pitch dark without a problem, I was kind of proud too. Until I kicked that coconut lying in the middle of the road.

Thanks for reading, I miss you all and can't wait to hear from you!

Love & Stay Wet,

Clement