At 11.15 am, the ferry docks at La Digue island harbor. It is a small harbor connecting La Digue with other islands in Seychelles. The weather was hot and humid- hotter than Mahe Island.
Once we disembarked, we are received by several men and women trying to hire out their bicycles. I wondered why there was no one promoting car hire businesses.
Well, there are no cars to be hired out; no vehicles providing public means of transport except a few open vans the size of TukTuks often used and owned by the few hotels and guest houses.
You either use a bicycle, tricycle, or walk. Yes, if you can’t ride a bike, then WALK. That was the case with me. I must have been the only person on the whole island at that time who didn’t know how to bike.
On the 3rd day of my stay in La Digue, we decided to take a walk around the island. We planned to complete the full circuit. After ¾ of our walk, we encountered a challenge, it started drizzling, the tide was high, and the waves were strong. I wasn’t brave enough for it, so I turned back. Remember, I could not ride a bicycle- I walked alone.
I felt challenged, stretched to the limit. I had only one option. How is life like when you have no many options left? How does it feel?
I meditated and decided to learn how to ride a bike. That is what I am doing at the moment. This was a learning experience for me; as a traveler, you need to be prepared. I did not imagine a place with no vehicles nor even a public means of transport.
I think vehicles have been restricted because the island is small, and Seychelles is trying to protect its environment. People live along the sea. More cars and infrastructure means the forests will be destroyed.
The decision is of environmental good: reduced air pollutants, no traffic. The air is fresh.
The world will be a better place if all countries embraced carless situations; if more people adopted walking or cycling instead of self-driving. It is a complex reality, right!
Such decisions influence the amounts of carbon being emitted and trapped in the atmosphere- one of the ways of addressing global warming and climate change.
I hope my experience can ring a bell and that you can reconsider your mobility decisions.
you can read more about Seychelles here Seychelles Adventure
