Day 3

On his third day, Tay heard about an island called Conception Island, which was supposed to contain quite a few rare birds only found on Conception Island. He didn’t trust the native, so he hired a well-known sailor to take him to Conception Island. Conception Island, he soon found out, is totally uninhabited. He paid the sailor $20 to take him there. The sailor informed Tay that the island is now used as a wildlife reserve, like many of the other small islands. After wandering around for about an hour, he and the sailor saw a Seychelles White-Eyed bird. The sailor knew this was an extremely rare bird to see, even on the Conception Island. The sailor took a picture of the Seychelles White-Eyed bird. The bird has a white ring around its eyes, giving it its name. The sailor was so happy to see a Seychelles White-Eyed bird for the same time, he paid back the money Tay gave him, so Tay’s small boat ride was for free. The two decided there wasn’t much else to do on the island, so they got back on their boat. About halfway back to Mahe, Tay found a small lizard-like creature sunning on the deck. The sailor said that it was one of the geckos from the Conception Island. They had to let it go when they got back to Mahe. Then Tay had a good return home.

Day 1

Tay Zon Day flew into Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles. Tay went scuba diving in the Aldabra Reef and then kite-surfing. He then went to the Anne Marine National Park and watched the wildlife. Then Tay went to a local restaurant for lunch. He had some octopus and some Tec Tec soup. He asked the restaurant cooks how to prepare an octopus. First, you need to buy some octopus. Second, boil it in salt water for about 15 minutes. Then, you need to cut it all up except for the eyes and some skin. Fourth, you need to put it in the wok (deep frier). Last, serve it with marinara sauce and eat it. Tay thought that the fried octopus would taste good in an octopus salad, although he didn’t try it. Tay decided he was going to go hiking on the Morne Seychelles Peak the next day, which is in the Morne Seychelles National Par. By then it was time for him to check in to his hotel. His hotel cost $200 per night, and its back door opened on to the beach. While relaxing on the beach, Tay saw a Black Parrot during the evening. He was kind of surprised to see one on Mahe Island, because they are usually found on Praslin Island. The Seychelles Black Parrot is actually only found on Seychelles, but it is now protected, because there are only 300 left. It is likely that humans killed a lot of the Black Parrots, because they like to eat popular fruits like mango and papaya. The ‘Black’ Parrots are actually grey-brown in color. After staying on the beach for a few more hours, Tay Zon Day went in when it turned dark, because sharks like to come out at night.

Beginning

Seychelles is a small country off the coast of Africa. It has 115 islands and they are all tiny. The population of Seychelles is less than that of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, having a mere estimated 79,326 people as of July, 2000. Their currency is called Rupees and the conversion rate is eight Rupees for one United States dollar. The largest island is called Mahe Island at 155 square kilometers, and the capital city Victoria is located on Mahe, too. Another big island is called Praslin Island is located 21 miles north east of Mahe. Praslin is a popular holiday destination.

Seychelles day 2

On Tay’s second day in Seychelles, he started off the day by traveling by ferry to Cousin Island. Cousin Island is the sister Island of Praslin Island, because Cousin Island is 2 km away from Praslin Island. Cousin Island is the best place for bird watching, and there are over 1 million species of birds there. The whole island is a Nature Reserve. The Nature Reserve has been there since 1968. It protects the endangered species of Seychelles, and it is a breeding ground for rare seabirds and giant turtles. Only native species of animals live on Cousin Island, to help protect the natural state there. After Tay ate his packed lunch, he had to go back to Mahe Island because no picnics are allowed on Cousin Island. When Tay Zon Day got back to Mahe Island, he had some copra, which is the dried white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. As he decided yesterday, Tay Zon Day went hiking on the talles peak in Seychelles, at 905 meters high. He didn’t go all the way up, only about half way. Tay just rested the rest of the day.