Mum comes to visit!

With volunteering over we had the agonizing ordeal of having only each others company for a while. It was strange being back in a hotel with all the amenities we’d grown used to living without… A shower, what’s that? Meat was back on the menu and 6am risings were the first things to go. By normal standards, the hotel we were staying in was pretty poor but after a month of living on camp, it seemed like luxury… until Jay arrived that is.

Jay – Kerry’s mum, for those who don’t know – came out to meet us for several days before we headed off to our next stop. On the morning of her arrival, we headed to the hotel that she had booked for us. This hotel made our previous look like a bus shelter! With only 10 rooms it felt like we were getting exclusive VIP treatment from the staff, the rooms all had incredible views across the ocean. The restaurant served amazing Creole dishes and cocktails which Jay treated us to whilst we watched the sun set behind the hotels private infinity pool. The rooms had beds you couldn’t wake up from, huge TV’s, bath/showers (with hot water! Our first hot shower in 6 weeks), balcony’s and espresso coffee machines.

The hotel was a stone’s throw away from crystal clear waters, so clear that on several occasions we saw eagle and manta rays from our balconies! Despite Jay only being with us for 5 days, we packed loads in. We visited the botanical gardens and tea factory where we got to learn how tea is made – probably the most British thing that you can do in the Seychelles. We visted Anse Major – one of the top beaches in the world; it was a tough hike to get there but our perseverance paid off when we arrived at a stunning private beach with the sea one side, and a fresh water lake on the other. We snorkelled there for a while, the currents were quite strong and on several occasions I looked up to see Jay getting flipped over backwards by huge waves but I’m sure she still enjoyed it.

Our last trip was a big one. We went on trip back to Curieuse! Jay wanted to see where we had spent our last month and we were more than happy to go back there. We travelled by catamaran that toured a few smaller islands before arriving back on Curieuse. We landed and within seconds Jay was face to face with her first wild tortoise. Selfie time! After a BBQ just off the beach, we trekked over the familiar paths back to camp. We were really lucky and managed to see everybody who’d stayed behind after we left. It was amazing seeing everyone again and to show Jay our ‘home’ for the last month.

The 5 days went by fast and all-too-soon we were saying goodbye. We were off to Singapore, and Jay back to England. We want to thank Jay for everything during her visit; the cocktails, meals and home comforts are massively appreciated. But above all, thanks for the company and coming to see us!