Chris Holmes & Alba Newmann

Chris & Alba

June 15, 2008

Chris Holmes & Alba Newmann

Chris & Alba

June 15, 2008

Dearest Family and Friends,

Jim and Cheryl have gifted us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to the Seychelle Islands, in the Indian Ocean (about 1000 miles east of Kenya). <a href="http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=62297&rendTypeId=4"> [See map]</a>

As we join our households together, we find that we are well provided for in terms of domestic necessities (in fact, we need to reduce in that area: two microwaves, two blenders, a bevy of utensils . . . ). Rather than registering for these traditional wedding gifts, we’ve set up this honeymoon registry. If you would like to share a gift with us, we invite you to consider sharing in our exploration of the Islands.

A love of travel is one of the things that brought us together. While in the Seychelles, we hope to take advantage of the many miraculous natural environments the islands have to offer, as well as the Creole culture, and the history of pirates!

We are so pleased to be able to celebrate our marriage with you, and we greet you at the outset of a memorable journey,

Love,
Alba and Chris

We're going to The Seychelle Islands (and London!)!

Our visit will begin on the main island of Mahé%u2014the largest island in the Seychelles, and home to its capital, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria,_Seychelles">Victoria</a>. In addition to enjoying the town, and the beaches of Eastern Mahé, from the nearby Ile au Cerf, we will be able snorkel in <a href="http://www.env.gov.sc/html/marine_national_parks.html">Sainte Anne National Marine Park</a>.

From Mahé we will go by ferry to <a href="http://www.kirikou.com/seychelles/ladigue2.htm">La Digue</a>. Here, bicycles and ox-driven carts are the principal conveyances (apparently the island has four taxis, but walking is recommended). La Digue is known for its relaxed atmosphere and the Creole communities who have inhabited the island for hundreds of years. It is also home to the <a href="http://www.natureseychelles.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=78"> black paradise flycatcher</a>, along with many other endemic species.

After several days exploring La Digue, we%u2019ll find our way by boat to Praslin, where we will hike into the <a href="http://www.env.gov.sc/html/valle_de_mai.html">Valle de Mai</a>, a Unesco World Heritage Site%u2014one of only two places on earth where the rare Coco de Mer (or double coconut) flourishes. From Praslin we can also access the island of <a href="http://www.pbase.com/nola/image/70155005">Curieuse</a>%u2014home to <a href="http://72.41.202.163/pictures/zes/wwf85setrep.JPG">Aldabra Giant Tortoises</a>. Off of Praslin, we%u2019ll put our scuba certifications to use: swimming with the sea turtles, manta rays, giant wrasses and giant clams!

Before departing the Seychelles from Mahé, we will visit the island%u2019s Northwest Coast, where the diving in June is at its best, paying a special visit to <a href="http://www.scmrt-mpa.sc/parks.htm"> Port Launay Marine National Park</a>, where, with a real stroke of luck, we may get to witness a <a href="http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=65314&rendTypeId=4">whale shark</a>! (No worries, these guys don%u2019t have teeth.)

If you would like to see more images of the Seychelles, please click <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/seychelles/images?imgNum=0">here</a> (and yes, we will be bringing sunblock).

One of the very few routes to the Seychelles from the United States is via Great Britain. So, on our way home, we will have the additional pleasure of three days in London! While there we hope to visit the two Tate Museums, the Royal Geographical Society, <a href="http://www.drjohnsonshouse.org/">Samuel Johnson%u2019s house</a>, and go to a theater production. We%u2019d also love to visit the Portobello Market%u2014to see how it compares to Beijing%u2019s %u201CDirt Market,%u201D where we shopped for bargains two summers ago.

All in all, this promises to be an extraordinary trip. We will take photos and share them with those of you who would like to see our adventures on the far side of the world.

Until June!
love, Alba and Chris

Our Registry

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Help us begin our journey on the right foot--by offsetting the carbon emissions from our flight to the Seychelles. We'll be using NativeEnergy as our offset provider.
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A romantic introduction to our honeymoon: a champagne brunch with a view of the Indian Ocean.
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A traditional Kreol restaurant, Marie-Antoinette is located in a refurbished plantation house and offers a good introduction to Seychelles cuisine, including tec tec (a shellfish) soup and Kreol fish curry.
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Entrance for two to Mount Fleuri Botanical Gardens and lunch at the Gardens' Le Sapin Cafeteria, which specializes in "hot and cold drinks made especially from local fruits and herbs . . . green salads and ice cream all to cool you down on a hot day.
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We'd like to have our own snorkels, masks, neoprene booties, and fins for our scuba and snorkle expeditions--that way (as our scuba instructor explained) we'll know how to use them, what to expect, and have them for years to come.
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Entrance for two into Sainte Anne National Marine Park--where the snorkeling is reputed to be outstanding. Please see the link above (in our description section) for more information about this Marine Park.
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Help us catch a glimpse of the Seychelles' Fruit Bat, the Fairy Tern, the Black Paradise Flycathcer . . . with a pair of high power, compact binoculars.
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Dinner for two at Auberge Louis XVII. Rumor has it that the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette escaped from France to the Seychelles, where he lived out his days (eating well) under an assumed name. This restaurant overlooks Ste. Anne Marine Park.
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Some of the best dive sites in the Seychelles (and the world) are off of Mahe. This day trip includes an AM dive at Grouper Point (with sea turtles and mantas), lunch, and a PM dive in Baie Ternay (with Morays and pelagics)!
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Dinner for two at Le Corsaire. This Mahe restaurant is praised for its romantic atmosphere (Dinner in a pirate ship? What could be better?!) and seafood specialties, including local lobster.
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When we go camping, we like to take a long a mushroom field guide, an insect field guide, the bird book . . . When we go diving, we'd like to take along The Indian Ocean Reef Guide.
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. . . And the cheat sheet version that can actually go in the water.
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In order to protect ourselves from the equitorial rays, we'll be investing in UV-protective hoodies. (Ask Sialia about the beach tent Alba made for herself on Crete . . .)
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On Beau Vallon beach, we can rent a small catamaran for two. Chris can refresh his sailing skills, while helping Alba acquire them.
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Our second scuba outing will take us to Twin Barges Wreck in the morning and the "Aquarium" coral reef after lunch. Want to see some of the local denizens? Follow the link below:
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Help us adopt a whaleshark! The Marine Conservation Society of the Seychelles has conducted important research on these huge animals for over a decade--effectively lobbying for their protection. Adopted sharks are tagged and monitored for one year.
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Night Dive! This trip will take us to the granitic formations at L'Ilot--off the eastern tip of Beau Vallon, on Mahe. At night (with a "torch" of course) we can view the night blooming corals and other nocturnal life.
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Crossing from Mahe to La Digue by boat, we'll get our first glimpse of the granitic formations and coral reefs that characterize the inner islands of the Seychelles. Passage for two.
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For three of the days we are on La Digue, we'll rent bikes to get around the island (when we're not being drawn by Oxen, of course). This will give us access to remote portions of the island, and little visited beaches.
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With fresh caught mackerel for the barbque, fresh fruit from the market, and "Seybrew," the local lager--we'll be dining in, in tropical style.
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Off of Anse Severe (north of La Digue) we'll dive alongside a granite outcropping that now hosts colorful coral reefs and schools of fish, exploring the underwater overhangs and crevices.
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So . . . the image shows one of those aggressive site-seeing guides. Don't be fooled! Our tour of the Union Plantation on La Digue will be far more leisurely--as we’ll go by ox cart through the vanilla plantation, down to the beach at Anse Source d'Argent
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Once at Anse Source d'Argent (see ox-cart ride above) we'll picnic on the beach--with a basket full of local flavors, which could include "Millionaire's Salad" (made from hearts of palm), passion fruit, or custard apples . . .
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Restaurants on La Digue are rare, mostly we'll be cooking for ourselves (or "self-catering" as they call it). One night, though, we'll step out for dinner to Zerof Restaurant, in the center of the island.
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The water in the Seychelles is warm enough that we may not need wetsuits, but swimshirts are recommended--for protection from the sun and from our "bcd's" (or bouyancy control vests)--now that we are certified divers we know the lingo.
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A day-long boat excursion from La Digue to snorkle around the nearby islands of Ile Cocos, Felicite, and Grande Soeur will be, according to our guidebooks, "one of the main highlights of [our] visit to the Seychelles." Includes beach barbque.
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We'll go by schooner from La Digue to Baie Stainte Anne Jetty in Praslin. Want to see what the ride looks like? Follow the link below:
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Lunch at Le Bon Bon Plume, on Praslin. Set on the beach of Anse Lazio, this restaurant specializes in seafoods and sorbets. After our meal we can stroll along this exquisite beach (see link below).
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Massages for two . . . mmmm.
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Praslin's World Heritage Site, Valle de Mai is home to many endemic species. We have been assured that though the cost of entrance is steep, a chance to hike through this "slice of paradise" is well worth it.
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The small island of Ave Maria, between Praslin and La Digue, is one of the best dive sites in the inner islands--home to small sharks, turtles, rays, eels and coral reef fish. A half-day trip from Praslin.
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A day tour of Curieuse--a granite island 1 km off the north coast of Praslin. Cost includes a visit with the Giant Tortoises, snorkeling in a Marine Reserve, and lunch (near a former leper colony, what could be more curieuse . . . )
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Passage for two on the Catamaran "Cat Cocos" from Praslin to Mahe. With any luck, dolphins will keep us company along the way.
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Entrance for two into Port Launay Marine National Park--where we can "laze on the immaculate beaches" after snorkling amidst granitic formations and two coral reefs.
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We can watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean from Beau Vallon beach, while sampling a cocktail served in a green coconut husk, from the Beach Bar at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Hotel.
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The last time Alba traveled in the tropics she was 13, and she took a lot of fuzzy photographs of lizards, spiders, flowers . . . this time, those close-ups should be clear--with a Nikon S600 camera. The shoreline vistas should be clear, too.
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We say goodbye to the islands and hello to the Thames--with River Roamer Day Passes from the Thames Clipper service. From the Tate to the Tate Modern by boat and lunch at a local eatery.
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Entrance for two to Dr. Johnson's House. We'll visit the 18th century dwelling of Samuel Johnson--where he compiled the first dictionary of the English language! (yeah, geeky, we know.)
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Fish and Chips (not eggs and bacon) for two at Fryer's Delight. Voted London's best "chippie" by London cabbies (and readers of TimeOut London). The name pretty much says it all.
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The city will be ours with London Travel Passes: unlimited tube and bus rides throughout our stay(including those cool doubledeckers!) .
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Afternoon tea at the Orangery, Kensington Palace. O scones, o clotted cream, o cucumber sandwiches . . . o palace grounds . . .
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Dinner at Rasa Samudra, where we can do as Londoners do, and have a "nice curry." According to our guidebook, this restaurant specializes in the "exquisite cuisine of the Kerala region" in India.
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An evening at the Globe! Tickets to "A Midsummer's Night Dream" on a midsummer's night in London
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