Warriorbern on the Move

The last day of work went really well and we finished at 2 pm. It was decided that we would all have afternoon tea at 3 pm and then go to the Victoria Bazaar for me to experience some Seychellois culture. At 3 pm though it was raining and Juliette, Jan and I went to a bar called Marine Charter something or other. The others decided to give it a skip in favour of waiting for their boss (Jan) to leave and then they could duck early. Danny joined us at the bar a little later. Well one beer led to another and all ideas of going to the bazaar, that was only 150m away, were forgotten. It was a pleasant time there sitting at the water’s edge chatting away until Jan and Juliette both had to pick up children and go home. Some of the Seychelles working group - laughing at having to pose for the photo. After being dropped off at ill de Roses, I quickly got into my swimmers and headed off to the beach for one last swim at 4°S. The water is so warm and relaxing although it was much rougher than pr...

Last night was the weekly market at Beau Vallon so for a bit of entertainment I went along to see what was on offer. It is mostly local foods cooked there and then some jewelery and souvenir stalls. The market attracts both locals and tourists a like and it was a beautiful evening to be roaming around near the beach. There was not a sunset as such because clouds were obscuring the actual place where the sun went down but the sky was still beautiful a little to the north. The market area - on the left are some local musicians entertaining everyone. I did not succumb to anything for sale except for a slice of carrot cake which there is not much chance of me passing by without having some. I think I like carrot cake more than chocolate cake which is saying something! The night out also provided an opportunity to try out a bit of night photography although I was limited by only having my little Canon compact camera and no tripod. Below though is my best effort of ...

Yesterday I left you with what decisions I had to make regarding swimming, photographing the sunset or both after work and my decision ... both! I went to the beach straight after I got home and had a good wallow in the very calm water. You can't really call what I did swimming because all I did was float around in the water until I had had enough and then got out. It certainly could not be considered exercise in any form. I had enough time to walk back to the guest house to collect my camera and return to the beach to watch the sunset and take the photo below. When I returned to the guest house after the sunset, I, very excitedly, discovered that I now have hot water. This is the first time that I have had hot water at Villa de Roses ever. So of course I just had to have a shower. What a pleasure not having to psych myself up to get into a freezing cold shower and also what a pleasure to not get out of the shower shivering. So below is the annex where I stay. I am in the bottom...

Yesterday was a bad day for me. I think the humidity just caught up and I had a day of really feeling uncomfortable. It didn't help that the room we were working in had very little ventilation so it was humid and stuffy - not a great combination. It was a relief when the work day came to an end. After work, I went down to the beach for a long walk and was really hoping to get yet another sunset photo but the clouds were just to much and so it was not to be. So this was the best I could do. Today the sun is out (well most of the time) and at least the humidity is not so bad. Also we have moved to the training room at SFA which is large and really well air conditioned so I am back to being my normal ridiculously healthy self. So now my biggest decision for today is whether to go swimming this afternoon or lie in wait for the sunset or try to do both.

My flight from Mauritius to Seychelles ranks among the most enjoyable ever. The aircraft was a 767-200 and was practically empty which meant that I could curl up on two seats and sleep for the duration of the flight. We took off from Mauritius just after sunset and the sky was really beautiful. The flight was much shorter than originally stated on the ticket and we left Mauritius a little early - this must be the first time I have been on an Air Seychelles flight that was not delayed. Arrival in Seychelles was uneventful which was a relief as it was a very horrifying attempted landing here that resulted in my fear of flying. As usual immigration processing was slow - this is the slowest place to get into a country but thankfully  my lift was waiting for me and he had the key to my accommodation with him so getting settled for the night did not take too long. I am staying in a guest lodge here and it is a huge relief to not be staying in a hotel. Although I am staying on a bed an...

My last work day in Mauritius went really well despite the failure of one participant to show up at all. It was a really good experience incorporating another country into my project and now there are two others that need to be approached for inclusion. Knut Korsbrekke, from IMR in Norway,  arrived at the research centre in the afternoon and we made plans to meet in Flic en Flac for dinner. It was really great to get out of the hotel for a change and have some conversation about things other than fisheries - although we did discuss this too. It was a pleasant evening with a bit too much food and a lot too much alcohol but nothing too drastic. In among all the other topics that were discussed at length, he also gave me some really good advice for my PhD which was very kind of him. A good night out indeed. Today I am having a slow day. I need to check out of the hotel at 11 am but my ride to the airport is only at 3 pm. So I am moving out of my room at the very last minute and then...

There are just two fisheries left to profile tomorrow and then I need to show everyone how the reporting side of the database works. It was a frustrating morning though and eventually I threw my toys out of my cot because we were down to one participant who did not know anything about the fisheries that we were supposed to be profiling. After that though, the work got done and it got done well and still with quite some laughter, what a pity it had to get to that though. After work I quickly went back to my hotel room to drop off my things and then headed down to the market. This market is really something else. It changes everyday - yesterday it was a fruit and vegetable market and today it was a clothes market. The stalls are elaborately setup and I don't know how long it takes the sellers to setup and dismantle their stalls for their particular market day but it is crazy. Anyway I just wandered through the makeshift building (see photo below) looking at what was available. But a...

Not too much news today. We have reached the halfway mark in the work which is good. I also heard that the lecturer from last year's stock assessment course that I attended here in Mauritius is arriving on Friday. We have tentative plans to meet for drinks/dinner so at least my social life may improve. Today we went back for Chinese lunch but this time we walked there. The route is via the beach so below are some photos of the beach in front of the research centre. I was told that I should bring my swimming costume to have a little dip at lunchtime but then I saw a huge sign that said "Dangerous bathing". Turns out there is a really strong rip current there - I wonder if they are trying to get rid of me :-) I also got to see some Mauritian wildlife - a monkey tightrope walking on the telephone lines ... sorry no photo Jo. The view to the north The view to the south - the buildings in amongst the trees belong to Club Med The view straight out to sea And below is anothe...

Albion Fisheries Research Centre, where I am based this week, is in the most beautiful setting. It is on a huge piece of land next to the beach that is filled with trees and bushes - a piece of paradise. In the mornings it is such a pleasure to arrive there out of the convolution of narrow alleys into this shady park. Unfortunately though the government has sold off part of the land and a hotel development is going in next year. I guess it is understandable because it is prime property but it still will be a shame to loose part of that garden. Part of the garden on the land side of the research centre The section of the research centre where I am working I find it really strange how popular Chinese food is here considering the Indian background. Everywhere there are little Chinese restaurants and they are really great. The food is good and inexpensive too - everything I ask for in a restaurant! So yesterday we had Chinese food for lunch (chicken fried noodles) and today again (poule...

The only similarity between this trip and the one I did last year, is the stamp in my passport! This year I am in a different hotel, in a different town, working in a different place and on a different project. The only similarity is that one of the participants in this workshop was with me on the Nansis workshop - but he wasn't there much so I'm not really counting that as a similarity. What a pleasure to have a direct flight from Durban to Mauritius yesterday. I really wish I had the same routing home but alas will have to go through  Jo'burg. For my father: the aircraft was an Airbus A319 - next time you can just believe me (ha ha). And the flight was directly over the ocean to Mauritius and we flew 2885km - more or less in three and a half hours. Anything else? Oh it was very bumpy and now I have to see the movie New Moon because we landed before the end of the movie and I need to know what happens! The hotel I am staying at is okay but to access the wireless Internet...