The Cloud Forest

Its been a long time sice I visited horton plains national park,one of the most beautiful places on earth. The forest always looks prehistoric, reminds me of the times when dinosaurs roamed the world.Maybe because of the prehistoric palm trees & dense fog. The whole plain is covered with less than 2 feet's of dark soils rich with minerals formed by continuous bush fires for thousands of years. Its truely amazing. It could have been more amazing if there were elephants . They were poached to extiction 100 years ago but you could still be lucky to see Leopard and Sambhur & wild boar.Endemic Bear Monkey, Rusty- Spotted and Fishing cats, Otter, Black napped hare and Giant Squirrel are among other mammals. Many species of endemic & threatened plants and animals are found in the park. The trees in the forests are continuously in war with each other just to get some light. Its a unique and fragile ecosystem ,some of the plants survive absorbing water only from the misty air. The plain ends suddenly forming a vista called Worlds End,its a place where you can stand above the clouds and let go of yourself. Remember one thing, its not a place that you can visit in a hurry, take your time and enjoy the true nature of a truly unique tropical forest.

Walking Across Mahe

The day that I leave Seychelles is coming closer and desire to discover more of Seychelles is getting higher. I decided to take the path starting from Danzil and to the beach of Port Launay. The path was set across the Morne Seychelles national park, actually its a series of interconnected paths. I obtained some maps to decided which paths that we should take to get the best experience, obviously it was the longest path. There were 13 of us (some one said it was a bad number,but he was wrong) . We got on board a truck and set out for the starting point of our walk. The driver took the wrong turn and we asked instructions from some local boys. They show us the path and told us that the vehicle wont be able to climb up to the starting point. So we started climbing along the steep road towards the starting point of the trail, but we started noticing strange things,things like vehicles? Those boys were messing with us by saying that vehicles won't be able to climb the hill, local jokes I suppose. So we climbed, and climbed , and climbed, it was not even the starting point of the trail, some even guessed that we would be finished by then. Finally we reached the starting point, out of breath, full of sweat, cursing the fuckers.

Life is a lone journey, originally uploaded by poojitha.

After climbing virtually ninety degree path through the thick vegitation we reached a plane which was a good resting place. Cinnamon plants to be seen every where reminding us about the days of slavery.There was a small hut at the beginning of the plane, mist was starting to form around it, I was able to capture it in my camera. We walked past the hut to find some ruins of the Seychelles past , map said it to be a distillery, obviously run by slaves. It made me think of the hardship they went on during that days, it took us lot of effort for us just to climb up here. These paths must be soaked with their blood & sweat.I looked at the path and imagined people with legs and necks chained carrying heavy loads, not even having time to gasp fearing their masters whips.I could feel them still walking right behind us through the jungle, dreaming of freedom,dreaming if their loved ones, it made me really sad.

swiss Bridge, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Swiss Fathers were responsible for the beautiful stone bridge built in the middle of the valley. The arched bridge was so beautiful that it took us considerable amount of time to take pictures. Then we reached the beautiful panorama of Mare aux Cochons. We were standing on a valley surrounded by mountains, on one side there was the endless sea. The only thought occurred to me was that, "Why can't they build a 3D camera to capture something like this on film". Then we reached the fresh water marsh in the valley, the water was so pure that it reflected the whole mountain on its surface. The journey was only half way through. Finally we started descending downhill,through the jungle, over the rocks, under the fallen trees.It took us 6 hours to complete the trail,we were tired until some one suggested on having a swim in the sea. Don't feel like writing a lot today, enjoy the pictures.

port launay beach, originally uploaded by poojitha.

In Search Of A Hidden Beach

Last Sunday I decided to visit another beach in Seychelles called Anse Majore. It was a lovely morning, I packed water and food in to my bag . This beach is not easy to reach, its about 2 hours walk through the rocky jungle and the village. We started our walk through the village and came to the starting point of path through the jungles.We saw a huge rock spanning out to sea like a black velvet carpet. I decided to take some pictures, the rock was about 100 feets above the sea level. The sea was amazingly blue and clear, scenery was breath taking, then I saw some splashes, brownish objects disappeared in to the sea below me. It was a group of dolphins , there were three of them,this was the first time I saw dolphins in Seychelles, they were hunting for fish. We could observe huge groups of fishes running here and there like moving ink spots to escape from them.

Then we set our journey towards the beach through the jungle, path was clear but dangerous. Some places were directly above the sea, one slip could make you tumble down 200 feet's on the rock surface in to the sea. There was a group of frigate birds soaring in the sky waiting to steal fishes from other birds, thats how they live, they are the worlds second largest birds if you measure the wing span,they reminded me of our politicians. The sun was already up and burning, we were tired, luckyly we saw a small stream crossing our path, water was cool and tasty. Finally we reached our destination the view was breathtaking and It was a great place to swim.

Dangerously Balanced

Dangerously Balanced, originally uploaded by poojitha.

This picture is amazing, see how this rock stay balanced over another rock,i kind of felt like not leaning over that rock. This picture was taken by a friend of mine while hiking on Trois Freres [ read top of Seychelles post for more pictures]. And the next picture shows the tip of the mountain we climbed (red arrow), the tip of the mountain is covered by thick clouds most of the time. I have seen hundreds of these kinds of leaning boulders , i have 2 theories, island may have gradually raised up from the sea bed slowly raising these rocks to thousands of feet's, or the rocks may have decayed form wind and rain for eons to leave these remnants. What do you think?

Trois Freres, originally uploaded by poojitha.

TOP OF SEYCHELLES

I climbed one of the highest mountains in Seychelles today and this is how it all got started. The day I landed in Seychelles (2005), I saw a giant, standing magnificently over the small town of Victoria, Trois Freres a second highest mountain in Mahe, which reaches a height of 2293 ft. /699 m, the highest point is Morne Seychellois, 2993 ft. It took my breath away. Since then, when ever I go to town, I would look at her and hoped that if I could ever climb up to the top, because climbing mountain is one of my favorite hobbies. I did climb many mountains in Seychelles, even in other islands, but this one always stood there, avoiding many close encounters of me invading her territory. But I was always determined to conquer her and enjoy the breathtaking scenery and of course sharing it with you.

I woke up early today, remembering the hike that we have planed. I was bit uneasy about it, the government had informed the public not to climb the path leading to the Trois Frères Cross (The cross at the top of morne Seychelles), saying it’s precarious, since many deaths were reported. I like taking risks, many times I did and I’m still alive, but I was worried about others, if they refused to climb and I would loose my last chance of going there. Danilo and I reached the town before others, there were 11 of us, Zahid, Nishan, Abeyakumara, Mangala, Kamil, Sanjaya & his sister, & another guy (his name slipped my mind).

Inside the jungle, originally uploaded by poojitha.

We took the bus and got down at the starting point of the path, actually the path has two parts, there is a kiosk (small hut) after climbing up to about 300m, you can rest there and come back or you can climb to the top. We entered in to the jungles, the light was low, and the trees were dark green with thick under growth, huge boulders were scattered all over the place, some trees grow on them with falling creepers giving a feeling of a hanging garden. Suddenly, we heard a huge roar coming towards us, it was the sound of rain, soon it caught us, and we started getting soaked up really fast. Some tried to take cover under big trees, failed miserably; eventually they all started to accept the truth, its time to get wet. So we started to climb up again, cloths heavy, shoes full of water. It was not that bad, after some time I started liking the rain, actually its fun getting wet, its nature after all, all the animals in this earth get caught in rain and get wet, and they don’t mind that, except human, how foolish.

Raining cats and Dogs, originally uploaded by poojitha.

There were numerous streams crossing the path, we walked wiping eye from the pouring rain, squinting our eyes to see ahead, we were approaching the first stage when thick mist encapsulated us reducing the visibility to about 20 meters. My heart sank, thick mist and rain is not very good for steep climbs, we moved on .I observed some pitcher plants on the way, its a carnivorous plant which traps insects in its pitcher like apparatus, good way of surviving in rocky environments. I took my camera and captured my self in this soaked up situation, others were afraid to take theirs fearing water may ruin their cameras. I value these situations than the camera; I can buy a camera but not this type of experience.

very steep, originally uploaded by poojitha.

We reached the flat plain and reached the stage one, the kiosk, it was raining more heavily now, cold wind and mist swept past us. We started eating the stuff we brought, I was too windy and cold, I was shivering, one disadvantage of being skinny, I need some fat. Dr Zahid, Mangala and others kept our spirit high by making us laugh; it kept us away from thinking about rain and stuff. Eventually others started getting cold, some were not sure if they could climb to the top. Zahid, Danilo & I decided to check if the path ahead is still good to climb, I secretly prayed it to be. The path was not that over grown, one by one everybody agreed to continue. This time it was tougher, the path was dangerously steep and muddy, slight loose of concentration could make your head bang on a tree branch or make you slip. The tree canopy was thicker making the sky barely visible, it was dark and damp, lichens were hanging on tree trunks, and I felt like going through a tunnel that never ends. The steepness of the mountain was always 60-70 degrees; I could always see people climbing directly above or below me. I took out my camera to take a picture, sad, the lens was covered with vapor, not from out side but from inside, hoped it would be ok after some time.

i didn't lift it up, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Suddenly we stepped on a flat land; we were closer to the top, the path turned right and suddenly we were climbing huge granite rocks. This time it got bit trickier, it was hard to maneuver around rocks specially when there is a huge drop; fear makes you dangerously clumsy when it comes to rock climbing. After some time we manage to bring ourselves to the top of those huge boulders, scenery around us was amazing. Picture your self standing on top of a mountain which rise up to 2000fts and on both sides you can see the sea. That was what we saw, the scenery was breathtaking. All of us felt proud of being there, looking at ships skimming the blue sea like tiny insects, houses resembling miniature toys. Suddenly the whole scenery vanished as thick mist surrounded us, I felt like soaring in the sky sitting on a tiny island.

Balancing Rocks, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Without warning the mist cleared to give us an opportunity capture the breath taking view on our cameras, one guy(don’t ask the name) approached me and started pinpointing his house giving various references, I pretended that I exactly follow his instructions by vigorously shaking my head while saying “yes, yes”, then he said “Ok now take a picture of me with my house at the back ground”, I was like “WHAT?”, thought of explaining that the viewfinder of the camera is too small to identify his house but gave up, no point of disappointing the kid, I took the picture anyway, hope I got it right .

They were holding me, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Some of the rocks at the top were unbelievably balanced on top of each other; Seychelles is famous for not having any earthquakes for thousands of years, now I believe that, even a small earthquake could have topple a huge amount of rocks the size of a building. I was bit afraid to lean against some rocks (I know its stupid) fearing it could fall. We drifted in to our own worlds, some passing jokes, some dozing off, some trying to identify the islands far away. After some time the things started to get bit cold and windy, we decided to head back home . All of us who reached the top learned about their courage, endurance, fears & team work, and above all how much you can enjoy if you could take some time to explore nature. Next, Morne Seychellois, here we come!

top of Trois Freres, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Surf Island

Surf Island, originally uploaded by poojitha.

This is a small island near the main island Mahe,mountains in the background covered in green foliage is the main island.Special thing about Seychelles is that sometimes you can be the only one,enjoying a scenery like this.Seychelles is not yet polluted by over tourism,hope it remains like that for many years to come.The reason to post this picture today is that I'm about to go on another trip to some of rarely visited beaches like this soon,So stay tuned for more pictures.

When you visit a place like this you really understand the value of nature & the reason to preserve it.I hear lots of talk about global warming & climate change in the news,global warming could easily destroy an ecology like this in merely few years , beyond any repair.I think George Bush and Tony Blair should be brought to a place like this to explain them about the importance of nature because they keep refusing to take steps against global warming.Its hard to comprehend how politicians can't see anything thing beyond money and war.

Trip To Water Falls

waterfall, originally uploaded by poojitha.

birds, originally uploaded by poojitha.

streams of water fall, originally uploaded by poojitha.

bat, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Waterfall, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Today a friend of mine called Asmin, arranged a hike to see the one and only waterfall in Main island of Seychelles. There is one more waterfall in Praslin Island, but small in size. We arrived at the starting point around 11 pm; it was not far from the main road, had to walk around 20 min to reach the waterfall. Then we sat down on the rocks to consume the food we have brought along. Unfortunately, my wife couldn’t join the journey because she was not very well. The natural environment around the waterfall was very well preserved which reminded me of Jurassic period. Some of the plants in Seychelles have hardly changed since The Jurassic age. One dinosaur still lives, the giant tortoise. Waterfall was around 100 ft high, water was flawing on the slanted rock surface making it look snow white. It looks easy to climb the waterfall but that’s not a very wise decision, because if you slip in the middle there are so many rocky steps waiting to break your neck, and it had happened before, some even died. Smart climbers never climb through a waterfall unless it’s unavoidable.

Afterwards we decided to walk to the nearest beach “Port Launay” to have our lunch, on the way back I found this fruit bat hanging in cage but the cage door was open, maybe they keep him as a pet. People in Seychelles eat these bats, some even close to extinction due to this fact. When I poke my camera at the Bat it looked at me wearily to see if I was a possible threat, realizing I was not, it closed its eyes and drifted into its own batty dreams. Have you ever wondered how they urinate? They hang head up using the hooks (claws technically) on their wings. Otherwise it would be really messy.

On the way to the beach I manage to capture these mangroves forest in my camera, mangroves forest helps to clean the water flawing from mainland to sea, it acts as a giant filter between the sea and the main land. Me, Asmin and Feros decided to check on the rocky formation near the beach. So we climbed the rocks and I was lucky enough to capture these birds sitting in line on top of the rock. These rocks are called granatics rocks and they dissolve for millions of years to create beautiful and unique rock formations.

Finally, we decided to come home, I decided to take the bus because others were going on a longer root. Unfortunately, I took the wrong bus and went on an even longer root which made me take two buses to come home. More than enough to end one week break, tomorrow I start working again.

Home sweet home

nest, originally uploaded by poojitha.

I found this beautifully crafted birds nest hanging on a small tree in my back yard few weeks ago,wondering what type of birds live in a cozy home like this,i inserted my finger gently in to the nest,I could find few eggs in side(i only felt).Then i heard angry voice of a small bird,probably saying all sorts of nasty things about me in what ever language they spoke ("They speak Bird i guess?"),anyway, i got the message and walked away from the nest.It was a Seychelles Sunbird.They can live fairly easily with invasive species like rats & cats because of their hanging nest.

I really wanted to take a picture after the eggs hatched but i was too late,they have already left,not too far though,they still come to suck nectar from flowers in the garden.Today i managed to take a picture of the adult bird,not a very beautiful bird but has a beautiful voice.Its amazing how nature provides everybody some special thing, as for me its big EARS.

boat to ladigue, originally uploaded by poojitha.

i risked my camera for this shot

risk takers

On the way to ladigue, originally uploaded by poojitha.

hey, if you happen to travel in sea by a catamaran or a sail boat, if the sea is rough and if you don't want to throw your breakfast,lunch etc...back on to your lap,follow my advice don't stay inside the boat sitting like my wife did when we were traveling to another island by a sail boat.I was lucky enough to stay out side the ship watching the scenery ,never stay in an enclosed environment while traveling in a boat and try to keep your eyes on the horizon it reduce the sea sickness.

If you really want to enjoy stay in front of the boat (where both sides of the boat joins together,what do you call that place ,keel?),if the sea is rough you can enjoy a real roller coaster ride.When the boat falls from one wave crest to the bottom of another wave you start to feel butterflies in your stomach.Do this if you are willing to take the risk of toppling over the railing and crashing with a huge boat before you drawn to death.I'm serious folks,this is for the risk takers only.

Where slaves Lived

Where slaves Lived, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Once freed slaves lived here

where freed slaves lived, originally uploaded by poojitha.

This place is called san souice (pronounced like Sun sussy),a place where freed slaves used to live, you can still find ruins of the old town. It was raining, thick fog was every where avoiding us from seeing this breath taking view, within an instance mist cleared and i took this shot, It was still raining though. Good place to come, relax take your time to rediscover yourself.A good location for a freed slave to live too.

Green Lizard

Green Lizard, originally uploaded by poojitha.

This gecko is not a normal house type gecko,It live in forests or bushes,Well, its color tells the story.Some times they sneak in to our house looking for easy prey.I captured this guy on my camera while hiking in a small island called La Digue.The distinctive Seychelles green gecko is a bright lime-green with a scaly skin that appears to be almost iridescent. Their eyes are also vividly colored, and they have no eyelids.The green gecko is, unusually, active during the day, most gecko species are nocturnal. Geckos are the only type of lizard that can produce sounds other than hisses. They are able to click, bark and squeak and croak.This one rests on a banana tree

hiking

Morn Blank mountain, originally uploaded by poojitha.

For those (Boring people) who doesn't like hiking i would like to say,You must try it.I started hiking when i was small.I lived in a small village in Sri Lanka.It was totally wonderful place with mountains,streams & rivers giving us lots of strange environments to explore.Mountain climbing is my favorite,It gives you a goal hard to reach ,with satisfaction when you reach it.I climbed this mountain called Morn Blank in Seychelles,the trek was about 3 hours with steep rocks to climb.We were out of breath when we reached the top but as you can see, it was worth to the last drop of sweat.The crystal blue sea,Dark green foliage,heavenly white beaches,with cool breezed tingling your skin.I love it.........

Me & my Wife

Me & my Wife, originally uploaded by poojitha.

The view point is used for para gliding as well, since its directly above the sea.We could see many smaller islands around mahe like Surf,St Ann,Long ,Round and Mayonee island.You can see all the islands i mentioned in the background.

Chameleon

chamelion, originally uploaded by poojitha.

Yesterday i went to this place where you can have a great view of Seychelles islands.This is 4 th time i visited that place. On the way i found this cute Chameleons which was hanging on a small tree.Chameleons can rotate their eyes in 360, both eyes works independently.This guy was worried a bit,all those weird looking animals going around and taking pictures,so he decided to stumble hastily in to the jungle.

Pitcher Plant

I saw this plant when i was hiking on a Seychelles mountain.This plant is a carnivorous plant.Unsuspecting insects which rests on the brim of this pitcher like part slips inside,drowns and digested by the juice inside. an efficient way of absorbing nitrates in a rocky environment like this.This plant could be found in many parts of the world.This plant is very sensitive to the changes in the environment.