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maytheoddshq · 10 months

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134th BIANNUAL HUNGER GAMES ARENA: 18th CENTURY CARIBBEAN ISLANDS

You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here, there be monsters. — Hector Barbossa

Description below the cut

Arena

The Arena is not very large, modeled after the Caribbean island chains. There are white-sand beaches, palm trees, thick jungles, and lots of flora and fauna. But the tributes have also been blasted back in time, to the era when pirates ruled the seas, sailing from port to port, attacking ships and each other, and searching for lost treasure.

There are four main locations: three islands and a shipwreck. All are very small, and tributes can either swim or take rowboats between them. They will need to move from one place to another to avoid a variety of threats — and each other.

The weather is hot and muggy with thick humidity that doesn’t dissipate overnight. The average temperature during the day, when the sun is high and bright, is 90°F/30°C. At night, it dips only to about 75°F/23°C.

Island 1: Jungle

This island greets tributes with glimmering white sand beaches and palm trees with high-up, hard-to-reach coconuts waving cheerfully at them in the breeze. Just beyond the beach is dense, verdant jungle in full tropical bloom of fruit blossoms and hibiscus. Some tree branches bend under plump, bright fruits, each a novel variety that come in Gamemaker-engineered flavors — some delectable, others despicable, though all are edible. Vibrant birds sing brightly in the treetops, and the shade beneath the canopies promises cool reprieve. The island is deceiving and packed with threats. Any tribute who stands still for too long on the sand on the West shores will feel something shift and give under them. Without warning, large pincers clamp down on tributes’ toes, and the heads of large, scarlet centipedes poke from the sand. If a tribute manages, their four-foot bodies can be pulled free from the sand, but not without a fight and agonizing pain from the bite. Quickly, they will swarm. The only thing that will curb their attack is fire, which will send them skittering back into their underground nests.

The notorious box jellyfish inhabit the waters of the East shore, a creature infamous for its sting so painful that victims beg for death. The Gamemakers only chose to alter the usual size of its population (higher, of course).

Tributes may choose to swim in safe waters along the technicolor reefs in search of prey or seaweed, but while many of the fish are perfectly edible, the stonefish, master of camouflage and completely still, lurks along the ocean floor and will sting even if brushed against. This too will cause immense pain.

In the jungles lie new threats: tributes will have to hack through thick underbrush and attempt to make sense of direction; sight of the beach is quickly lost. There is the usual fare of tropical Caribbean wildlife: ants, beetles, snakes, mongoose, crabs, birds, and a few crocodiles. Each pose their common dangers, but a few stand out with Gamemaker alterations.

Tributes may find that the colorful parrots that inhabit the island chains are more than they might have bargained for — the Gamemakers have them listening in on every conversation, and they are liable to fly to another part of the Arena and repeat particularly inconvenient information to other tributes in a stunning impersonation of the speaker’s voice. They are unreliable on what they’ll echo, however, and tributes should beware pieces of conversation taken out of context.

Emerald green anacondas twist through the trees and brush by night, seeking to incapacitate with their many rows of backward-facing teeth and squeeze the life from their prey of any size. Giant snails slog through the dirt and up plants — but their mucus is infected with a bacteria that will spread an infection into a tribute’s brain and spinal column within twelve hours.

A canoe is tethered to a weathered dock to the South, encrusted in barnacles and wood going to rot, but usable for now if tributes can fashion a makeshift oar. The only things in the boat are three dirty, empty green-glass bottles that presumably once held an alcoholic drink, and a pair of well-worn, tall, leather boots.

Pros: Hiding, food, shelter, canoe

Cons: Lots of dangerous animals including mutts, no drinkable water (except coconuts, which are hard to get)

Food: Gamemaker fruits, coconuts, crabs, hibiscus flowers

Water: Coconuts only

Shipwreck & Atoll

In between the first and second islands is an atoll, a small ring-shaped coral reef that encircles a blue lagoon. On it are sandy beaches and a thin line of trees and shrubs, and it is at its widest just forty meters across. It’s enough, though, that the Poseidon’s Jewel, an eighteenth-century brig, has washed up on it, right in the center, having been swept into the lagoon and run aground during a storm. The hull of the ship cracked in half on the reef and over time, the back part of the ship which was in the lagoon has been broken down and swept away, leaving an exposed half of the ship on the sandy shore.

The ship is tilted on its side, but one mast still sticks up in the air at an angle with a tattered sail hanging on and blowing in the breeze. The crow’s nest is on this mast and is accessible to tributes who are able to shimmy up or perhaps use a weapon or tool to climb it. This creates a great advantage to look out at the other islands and perhaps spot smoke from fires or even other tributes on the beaches.

Tributes can get onto the ship either by climbing the rope ladder that dangles off its side or by climbing up into the broken part of the hull, though the latter method is likely to get you splinters or worse. On the ship, everything is tilted to the side, but the items on board remain mostly untouched since the wreck.

On the main deck are thick ropes and wooden boxes. Most of the boxes are empty or simply contain more rope and cloth. Some of the boards are loose and if a tribute isn’t careful on deck, they may step in the wrong place and have the floor fall out from under them.

Below deck, which is accessed through a staircase from the main deck or by climbing up into the broken hull, there are treasures galore, though few will be of use to the tributes. Barrels and boxes containing jewels will be less interesting for hungry tributes just trying to survive, but if they find the barrels that contain ropes, cloth, or even looted weapons, they’re in luck. A few barrels contain potable water and tributes will find a few canteens floating around below deck as well in the sleeping quarters, which is in a corner of the ship and is very simple, just several hammocks draped from wall to post.

As for the looted weapons on the ship, tributes will find eighteenth-century muskets and pistols. They’ll also find cartridge and bullet boxes nearby, and particularly savvy tributes who can figure out what the black powder inside the cartridges is will be able to load their guns with it by pouring it down the barrel and then dropping in the bullet, tamping it down with the ramrod attached to the gun, and pulling the trigger to fire. (Some Gamemaker intervention has made these guns easier for tributes to figure out than real-life eighteenth-century guns.) Beware, though — these guns have exceedingly poor aim, and the bullet hardly ever hits what the user is aiming at.

Tucked away below deck is also the Captain’s Cabin. The door will swing open to reveal a reasonably ornate space with a large oak desk and chair, a chest, and red velvet curtains across the back windows. Next to the desk is a bed with ornate covers, clearly pilfered somewhere along the way from a much finer ship. On top of the chest is a model of a ship, and in the chest are more jewels and fine fabrics.

On the desk is a journal, only partly filled. The first few pages detail a journey, setting out from port on calm seas. The last page, though, written in cursive ink, reads:

I fear the Curse may have caught up with us. We had faith that it was nothing but a tale created to stop others from searching for the treasure, but today a mighty storm whipped up. The ship’s hull has been bashed on a sand spit. We have provisions for another fortnight, but beyond that, I fear what fate may have in store for us.

In the corner of the Captain’s Cabin is a wooden chest embellished with gold. Tributes who open it have a 50/50 shot of getting either an item your tribute identified in task 7 or having a dangerous mutt from one of the islands crawl out — send an ask to the main for a random drawing. A positive item will remove your tribute from the draw once and a negative item will add them once.

Pros: Hiding, shelter, weapons, supplies

Cons: Difficult to escape if cornered, no food

Food: none

Water: Canteens & water barrels

Island 2: Mountains & Oasis

This island can be traveled to and from via rowboats attached to an old, dilapidated dock on the island’s south side. However, tributes should be wary of the mangrove forest that grows against the east side of the island, which can easily cause small boats to capsize. If a tribute were to attempt swimming to the island through the mangrove forest, they would find plenty of places to hide among the roots. However, dangerous piranha mutts have also made homes among the mangrove roots, and these aggressive mutts will take nasty bites out of tributes if given the chance.

The beach on this island makes up only a narrow strip along the edge. The sand is very coarse, quickly turning into rocky soil at the tree line. A layer of dense trees and thick vegetation make it very difficult for tributes to venture deeper into the island. There are no brightly colored flowers or fruit bearing trees here. Tributes must navigate densely twisted vines connecting a forest of trees, and thick, slippery moss is abundant. Within this vegetation, light barely reaches the ground.

It makes a wonderful hiding spot for a tribute looking to come in off the beaches of the islands, but it also makes a wonderful hiding spot for dangerous, lurking mutts. Venomous spiders are eager to crawl out from under stones or down from treetops. Paper Wasp nests are hidden among the trees and shrubs. Neither are aggressive or deadly, but if disturbed, they will leave tributes with red, swollen bites or stings and an excruciating burning pain that will last for several hours without an antidote. The dangerous boa constrictors inhabit this island as well, ready to make their own meal out of unsuspecting tributes.

If a tribute makes it past the thick vegetation, they are met with an even more difficult challenge. Steep mountains cover the majority of this island. At lower elevations, there is some vegetation, but the higher you go, the more rocky it is. A skilled tribute may choose to climb the face of the mountain. While potentially faster, tributes should be aware that this will take enormous strength and endurance, and falls can easily prove deadly. Should a tribute opt for a safer route, they will have to go in search of one of the few paths carved into the mountains’ sides. These paths are narrow and winding, and they will take several hours to traverse.

Within the mountains, tributes may find caves — a few of which serve as potential short cuts through the mountains. Some of these caves are tunnels that pass completely through to the other side of the mountains, while others are deep dead ends. Tributes have no way of knowing which type of cave they’ve entered until they reach the other side, or else, find they can travel no farther. The mountain caves also quickly become pitch black as tributes make their way deeper. These caves can act as a shelter for tributes needing a place to hide, but they are not without dangers of their own. Colonies of bats hang from the ceilings of some caves and will dive at tributes who disturb them. A tribute can survive a few bites, but within hours they will experience fever, headache, and fatigue. A tribute who has sustained several bites will have symptoms that progress to paranoia, aggression, and hydrophobia. If a tribute receives enough of the bites, it will be fatal.

Inside a shallow cave on the northern face of the island is a dead-end. There are no bats, and inside is a lone skeleton — a sailor from long ago who tried to take shelter in the cave before meeting his demise. In his hand, he clutches a note. A tribute who finds the note will read:

On this quest for buried gold We ignored the tales we have been told And searched every cranny, nook, and bend Now surely, we shall meet our end For though we searched with all our might Our reward was only blackest night Be warned, be wary of these lands No good comes to greedy hands

Beyond the mountainous rings of the outer island, tributes will find the small middle to be very hospitable. At the very center of the island, the gamemakers have hidden a beautiful oasis. The oasis is wide open and gets plenty of sunlight. The island’s mutts do not venture into the oasis, and instead, tributes will be met with small pools full of edible fish and low-hanging trees that bear an abundance of tasty fruits. The largest pool at the center of the oasis is crystal clear and perfectly cool, and a towering, hundred-foot waterfall pours down the side of the lush mountain into it. The water in this pool is fresh and safe for drinking. Tributes will also find that after spending time in this pool injuries and ailments seem to improve. Bites and stings that would otherwise require a gifted antidote are soothed in its waters, and wounds become smaller. While the oasis has much to offer tributes, it can be a risk to spend too much time there. The abundance of resources may serve as a big draw to crowds, and there is no shelter and nowhere to hide within the oasis, leaving tributes exposed.

Pros: Plenty of shelter and places to hide on the outer rings of the island, oasis area in the middle that provides food and water, as well as healing properties

Cons: Difficult to navigate, dangerous mutts around the outside of the island, dark and dead-end caves that may contain bat mutts, no food or water outside of the oasis

Food: Fish and fruit at the oasis

Water: Fresh, potable water in the center pool of the oasis

Island 3: Dead Island

In stark contrast to the other portions of the Arena, this island is a desolate landscape devoid of any signs of life or natural elements. Once a tribute reaches the shoreline, there is a distinct silence, as if all natural sound has been sucked into a vacuum, save the distant mournful sound of the wind. Waves no longer lap at the shoreline and tribute-made waves are cut short right on the edge of the shore.

On the island there is a decrepit port-town; once a bustling hub, promising maritime activity, now stands a ghostly reminder of an era long past. The facades of the houses are all rotting away, the wood covered by the salty sea air one too many times. Notably, each house is empty — the doors creak ominously in the wind, an occasional loose shutter flaps or wind may whistle between the shattered glass of the houses and the empty village streets. The docks of this port town are waterlogged and so weak that they creak under the pressure of any weight on them.

Amidst the already unsettling energy ebbing off of the island, there are dolls of varying eras strewn about the island, tied to the walls of homes, wrapped around the legs of the docks, and so on. Some of the dolls are modern, some appear to be from an era long passed with cracked porcelain and barnacles growing over their small frames. The eyes of the dolls seem to follow anyone who walks by. If a tribute looks away from the dolls for too long, they will notice that they, in fact, are being followed around the island by them. If the tribute stops to look back and catches the dolls, they will freeze in whatever position they were found in.

A more attentive tribute may be able to catch sight of an outline of blue ghostly figures known as sea sprites. The sea sprites don’t seem to care one way or another about any singular passerby unless they are provoked. When provoked the sprites will begin to fly at whoever has attacked them and chase their attacker off the island. More and more sea sprites appear as another tribute dies. At the stroke of midnight, echoes of mournful sea shanties echo throughout the island, though the origins of the voices are not clear. One can only presume that it is the sea sprites, the chorus growing louder and louder as more deaths pile up.

Pros: Shelter, no physical threats

Cons: No food, no water, creepy dolls watch you sleep, hard to sleep with the singing

Food: none

Water: none

#134 #arena

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willowrunes · 5 years

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Destiny Island stuff

It was asked for so I shall deliver!

Willow’s Weirdly In Depth Headcanons About the Food Industry and Economy of the Destiny Islands

First thing’s first, I should mention a LOT of this is based on old RP sessions from the post KH2 time period. I often roleplayed Sora with a friend who played Riku, and we did childhood events for them more than anything else! So this meant a lot of speculation and collaborative ideas for how the islands worked as a believable setting. Most of the economy and food culture is inspired by my home region (South Florida) with lots of Polynesian/Hawaiian and Japanese influence. Some stuff I’ll include here is also from more recent ideas too! I’ll talk in this post as if it’s all canon, that way I’m not constantly having to say stuff like “I speculate that- I headcanon that-” etc.

Paopu Trees

So the first big thing that people associate with the Destiny Islands is the Paopu fruit tree! It’s about as versatile as a regular palm tree, but almost exclusively grows on the chain of the Destiny Islands. If I could compare their growth rates and environmental needs to a real tree, they would best resemble a mix between a coconut palm and a date palm. It takes about 5-6 years of growth for a Paopu tree to reach fruiting age, and produces cute tiny white flowers with five petals before said fruiting. The fruits themselves are hard to export due to how fragile they are (Bruise and puncture easily, go bad within 2 days of being harvested) and it’s very hard to make them grow from seeds/sprouts in other climates. There’s probably a scientific reason for this, but most locals would rather say the trees only like the islands for a supernatural reason. The fruits have a waxy thin skin, soft texture inside, and a hard to describe taste. They’re best compared to dragonfruit and (of course) carambola/star fruit.

Other Crops

Since the Destiny Islands chain is small, there isn’t much room for large crops and farms. In fact, all of the crops and farms only produce food for the islands exclusively, nothing is exported. Most of them are also located on the big island (Where Sora and the rest of the native characters live) The biggest crops are sugar cane, pineapple, banana, papaya, tomato, corn, taro, rice, and coffee bean. Most other types of vegetables and fruit are imported. Many islanders also have their own private gardens where they grow some more specialized foods. For example, Sora’s family in particular have a garden with green beans, lettuce, taro, cherries, and an apple tree. (This is based on RP sessions!)

Livestock and Fishing

The three main varieties of livestock are cattle, pig, and chicken. (We can also have some fun and say there’s a Chocobo farm somewhere on the islands too!) All meat processing is done on the main island, exclusively for locals. The fishing industry vastly outranks livestock however, considering the islands are a paradise for several varieties of edible fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Pink snapper and yellowfin tuna are the most abundant edible fish, and make up the majority of most fish based dishes served on the islands. Other popular choices include wahoo/ono, mahi mahi, marlin, octopus, squid, scallops, lobster, sharks, and kona crab.

Local Dishes

The most popular type of dish on the islands is poke bowl, and is almost exclusively made with fish or mollusks. The meat can be substituted with beef/pork/chicken instead.

Since the paopu fruit is so special to local traditions, it’s very rarely used in food recipes, and often saved for special occasions (Mostly in school graduations and weddings)

Other common dishes are typical islander varieties. Fish and rice, barbecued meats, veggie bowls, grilled meats with grilled fruits/vegetables, etc.

Economy and Tourism

The economy on the Destiny Islands truly is an island itself. It’s very self sufficient since not many people move out or in on a regular basis, and is mostly based on trade rather than money. Tourism is almost non-existent despite the extremely favorable climate and location of the islands.

And just as an aside to prove why I think this, you can actually see good evidence of a lack of proper tourism in game screenshots from 2.

Even close to the beach, there are very few huge buildings that could be hotels or resorts. I think it’s safe to say that tourism must be kept to a minimum on the islands, most likely to preserve the culture and nature. Some places irl are doing this actually! (The Galapagos islands, Bhutan, and Lord Howe island for example)

Going back to the headcanons, tourism is confined to a few months in the summer, and attendance numbers are limited. Tourist season is in summer mostly so the older kids can take up proper summer jobs that would otherwise not exist during school months. The jobs not only help to build their experience, but also help the adults during the busy time of the year.

Popular activities and destinations in the summer include mountain hikes, beach camping, and surfing (On the windward side of the island, basically the side we never got to see in the games so far) Summertime temperatures can reach over 100°F/37°C, so the beaches are often the place to be. Tourists are also limited on the places they are allowed to be to keep the natural areas of the islands safe from destruction. The smaller sets of islands surrounding the big one are strictly off limits to non-natives because of this rule, so the small islands that Sora and co. visit are preserved.

The Paopu Festival

Okay so this section is PURELY headcanon territory, but I felt it deserved a mention because it’s a cute detail I came up with and love to write about!

The festival itself is a celebration of the connections people share with each other. Be it romantic, platonic, or even between enemies/rivals, connections are very important to islanders. The event is held in the early summer, during the first week of the tourist season. If you could compare it to an irl holiday, it would be a mix of modern Valentine’s Day and traditional May Day/Beltane. The festival traditionally was much smaller, and earlier in the year, but has been changed in recent decades to allow for visiting tourists to partake in activities. (This is often frowned upon by older residents of the island)

The big event itself is an open market with vendors selling anything from food, to crafts, as well as nightly musical performances and dances. The paopu fruit is the centerpiece of the festival for obvious reasons with it’s legend and significance. This is one of the only times anyone will use it in special foods and drinks.

As expected, proposals and weddings are extremely popular during this week of celebration. Of course there’s only so much space for said weddings, so people planning to have one during the festival are greatly encouraged to book up to two years in advance.

The festival lasts a week, and is typically ended with a fireworks show and ceremony, with a speech delivered by the mayor.

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Anyway I might add onto this later if folks are interested. I just really love talking about the Destiny Islands a lot and I wish there was more development for them in the games!

#kingdom hearts #destiny islands

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weird-kiwi-blog · 6 years

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Beqa Island (pronounced like Bengal, without the L) is about an hour off the southern coast of Viti Levu, and is very well known for shark-diving. Even though we didn’t get to scuba diving, we had a great time there. The Island is the origin if the fire-walking tribes of Fiji, and has fantastic reefs right off the beach.

Marina

Heading to Beqa

Arriving at Beqa Lagoon

Bula!

Beqa selfie 🙂

Island life

Beqa Lagoon

Island life

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Snorkeling the Star reef

Beqa Lagoon

Beqa Lagoon selfie

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Beqa Lagoon

Evening torch lighting

South Pacific culture

Setting up the fire-walking pit

Beqa fire walker

Locals are always smiling!

South Pacific culture

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Island life

Local kids

Fire acrobats

Yes!!!

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Sunset Beqa Lagoon

Bananas

Breadfruit tree

Noni plant

Not edible, but leaves used for weaving

Flame tree flowers

Water lily pond

Water lily

Koi fish

Crab taking a night-time stroll across the lawn

Little critter

Island life

Hermit crab

Lizard or gecko?

Sunset Beqa Lagoon

Fish in the shallows at low tide

Island life!

One of the highlights of our stay at Beqa has to be the ‘Secret Island’ trip – its a small coral island that only appears at low tide and has the whitest sand I’ve ever seen. And of course there are gorgeous reefs to snorkel!

Heading out from Beqa Lagoon

on the way to ‘Secret Island’

Charley

Aboard Charley

Check this out!

Almost at the ‘Secret Island’

Secret Island

Getting ready to drop anchor

Secret Island selfie!

Secret Island

Shipwreck at the Beqa Barrier Reef

Snorkeling Beqa Barrier Reef

We saw a school of cuttlefish

Snorkeling Beqa Barrier Reef

We saw a shark!

Snorkeling Beqa Barrier Reef

Secret Island

Returning to Beqa Lagoon

Beqa Lagoon

Beqa was great fun – we met some great people (locals and tourists), experienced the Fijian culture, ate delicious food, saw the most wonderful night skies, and had close encounters with amazing marine life. – F

Its raining cats and dogs!

Beqa Lagoon

Island life

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Beqa Lagoon

Local feline

Visible constellations

Collecting coconuts

Prepping coconuts

Island life

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Lunch time!

Kayaking Beqa Lagoon

Beqa Lagoon

Sunset

Friendly kitty

Kokoda (ceviche in coconut milk) is a local delicacy

Snorkeling at Star Reef

Beqa Lagoon

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Nearly full moon at dusk

Flame trees and coconut palms

Kava ceremony

Island life

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Full moon

Friendly kitty

Sunset at Beqa Lagoon

Island life

Good bye Beqa

Beqa Island Beqa Island (pronounced like Bengal, without the L) is about an hour off the southern coast of Viti Levu, and is very well known for shark-diving.

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gingeroranj-blog · 7 years

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A Week in the Seychelles

Kelly here with an observation, Ven and I are poor bloggers. I think that I have mentioned this previously but I can’t recall which is just another indication that my view is true. It has been months since we last had an entry. In that time, we have moved from Kilimanjaro to Dar es Salaam, traveled to South Africa, visited the United States and started working as Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders. We should really write about these adventures. Until then Ven will get you caught up with something from just a week ago--our fantastic trip to the Seychelles.

Kelly and I left Dar es Salaam on Ethiopian Airlines with a layover in Addis Adaba, arriving on Mahe Island and at our bungalow Alha Villa late afternoon. We found out later that the name Alha is made up of the first two letters of Alex and Hannah, the children of owner Pascalina. The scenery was beautiful, with beaches seemingly everywhere. I was surprised at how hilly and steep the terrain was. If you drove through the cross-section of the island, you will experience persistent switchbacks.

We stayed in Anse la Mouche on the southwestern end of Mahe Island, the biggest and most populated island of the Seychelles. Our beach, a mini-market and a restaurant was 5-10 minutes away from our lodging. We checked out The Anchor Restaurant for an early dinner. After doing the mental currency conversion on the menu, we realized how expensive the entrees were. Shrimp entrees were 400 rupees, or 28 USD; fish and chips close to 20 USD. Their local beer, Seybrew, was 5 USD for what seems like less than 12 ounces. We live in Tanzania, where a good 16 oz beer costs about a dollar and an “expensive” entrée is 10-15 USD. We ended up ordering their seafood plate, with the understanding that we’ll be doing some cooking for the week. Our bungalow, like most rentals on the island, comes with a fully-equipped kitchen.

Our hosts had some bikes that they graciously lent out to us. We braved the narrow 2-lane winding roads to visit beaches at Anse Takamaka and Anse Intendance. Imagine white, sandy beaches and clear blue water stretching out on the horizon. We decided to do a loop around the southern end of the island, which sometimes involved getting off and pushing our bikes up steep hills. (The experience brought flashbacks of our biking adventure with Craig and Lucy in Ecuador, when we biked in the highlands there.) On other days, we biked to Anse Boileau and Anse Soleil to hang out at the beach and swim. Mostly, we relaxed and floated in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

Lucky for us, there was a diving center right by our beach. Kelly signed us up for the next day. Unfortunately, it rained and I backed out while Kelly went ahead. We both made the right decision for each of us. We signed up to go snorkeling on Friday again, but there was a swell causing the ocean floor to churn up sand. With poor visibility, the guides at the diving center discouraged us from going (you know it must be bad if they are cancelling the trip.) They suggested that we go to the other side of the island to Anse Royale and snorkeled to the nearby island. We went forward with this plan, which involved taking a bus. I read in an old Lonely Planet guidebook to the Seychelles that you could stick your head in the water anywhere in the Seychelles and see fish. It’s more or less true.

On Tuesday, we visited Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles. We saw their Hindu temple, markets and botanical gardens. The Coco de Mer palm tree is a special of the island, with male and female parts. The city was fine, but it reaffirmed that we made the right decision for ourselves by choosing the quieter part of the island.

Midway through our week, we walked about 10 miles on scenic and winding roads to Espoir, where there was a path to a viewpoint. I loved it! We were the only two people on this huge expanse of rock, overlooking the sea coast and the vertical mountain face.

Some of the meals we ate in restaurants were prawns in garlic sauce, crab in garlic sauce, grilled fish and rice, meatballs and chips, none of which was amazing. We kept searching for local Creole food, but never seemed to order the right dish. Our last night, we asked the server at the Anchor Restaurant to recommend two local dishes for us. So, we tried blackened fish and fish curry. Who would have ordered blackened fish on their own? It turned out to be our favorite, seasoned with a variety of spices. We also tried their pina colada, with fresh coconut. Mmmm… Tasty, the best that Kelly has had, and he would know…

Primarily, we cooked at our bungalow. There was a tiny store packed with a little of everything near us. We tried chicken luncheon meat (spam-like) for the first time and re-acquainted ourselves with pork luncheon meat. I grew up with canned pork spam, so it tasted really good to me. Also within minutes near the beach, we found a vegetable stand with organic fruits and vegetables. I was thrilled to see water spinach, also known as pak bung in Thai or rau muon in Vietnamese. We also found red-fleshed papaya, which is firm and crunchy, unlike the soft, yellow-fleshed papaya readily available in Tanzania. My curiosity was aroused when I spotted some marinated chicken, beef and pork, sold without any refrigeration. Can marinated meats be out all day like this? They told me that it is salted meat. When I touched the chicken, it was hard. I bought some to try. Boy, it was a mess! I fried it and tried cutting it up to make sure that it cooked thoroughly. I took a bite and it tasted saltier than salt! They weren’t kidding about the salt part! I felt, it was inedible! Poor Kelly actually ate some of it. I double downed on it and decided to cook it with some rice, reasoning that the salt will leach out of the chicken and season the rice. It turned out all right, with the chicken and rice salty, but edible. Bottom line: I wouldn’t buy salted chicken again.

Would we recommend the Seychelles? Definitely, for those who enjoy the lazy beach life.

#peacecorpslife travel seychelles pcv wanderlust paradise

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