On the 26th of December 2004 I was on holidays visiting the Seychelles. It was early in the morning and by now you are all well aware of the events which unfolded causing massive loss of life and havoc spanning many countries. The tsunami which had struck Indonesia was slowly having its way and was as well about to strike the small islands of the Seychelles.
That morning after speaking to one of my employers about the status of a company owned facility which was located at the port area on the big island of Mahe, I made my way rather in a non hurried manner along the coast intent on a good morning swim. I was at the time totally unaware like many that morning that shortly we too would feel just a bit of what our friends in Indonesia had felt. The horrid news on the extent of damage suffered had still not filtered to me. The worst we thought would be some unusual tidal movements if that!
I can recall the lazy drive that morning with the sky quite blue and the sun shining brightly above. Nothing dawned on me really until I reached Anse Aux Pins and was on a road which ran low and along the beach. It was at that time that I remarked at the amount of people running out of their homes to go by the beach and look out to sea.
As I drove I was thinking to myself, " how it must be a very slow day indeed for all these folks to be 'amused' at the sights on a beach!"
It was not until I was driving down the hill in an area called 'Fairy Land' that I finally stopped the car to look and gaze at water which was quickly moving over the surface of the road. To me it looked as if a river had broken over and was making an easy exit to the sea. Up ahead I noticed what appeared to be some tourists running towards me with their suitcases on the road and when reaching the retreating water, slowly but carefully wading through.
Seeing that they had come from the Fairyland Hotel I decided to pull the car into the hotel parking lot and see what the matter was. Having a friend at the hotel I felt rather comfortable and at ease as I came up to the bar area and met with him. Standing at the bar Charles invited me in and offered a cold SeyBrew which I gladly accepted.
It was at the bar at that moment enjoying a cold beer that I fully understood what was happening and why his guests from the hotel were taking flight.
Seychelles at the moment, Mahe in particular was about to experience a bit of the very same tsunami which had struck hours earlier in Indonesia.
As we stood at the beach bar looking at the ocean one could see just over the reef, water churning and bubbling. Fortunately for us and where the hotel was situated much of the effects of the oncoming water from the ocean was deflected by a huge granite rock which lay just ahead and to the side of the hotel.
It was an awe inspiring sight and moment. I decided to quickly finish my beer and to thank Charles for his hospitality making my way up to higher ground. No swimming for us that day.
Now Please join me in revisiting this splendid story about the Hippo & The Tortoise!
A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong
bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animalfacility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said
The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down SabakiRiver into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shorewhen tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.
"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted amale tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu,who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.
"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized.It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother.Fortunately , it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond.They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.
If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive,as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.
"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age andby nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with theirmothers for four years," he explained.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that take our breath away."
This is a real story that shows that our differences don't mattermuch when we need the comfort of another.
We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures."Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."
" Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed" - Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
From Raymond! "I trust that you found the above story which was widely reported about this baby hippo and the older giant tortoise to be of interest for you. As I was going through my files I came across the story again and thought it appropriate to repost it. The tortoise in question is of the 'Aldabran' variety and comes from the island of Aldabra in the Seychelles island group. Within the next few months, early 2011, we will be launching our latest website for travel, tours, gifts and services from
Kenya! So seeing this story again I decided to update the Blog accordingly with this story and my slight adventure during the tsunami of 2004. Little did I know then that a few years later that the events of that day would come back to me albeit in a different manner, a joint Seychelles / Kenya venture. Although the report of the special bond between the hippo and the tortoise is far more interesting! Please do stay tuned for further updates on our Kenya venture. I will of course be posting updates about progress made and along with our partner for this project be providing their updates as well. For information about our partners in Kenya please visit them @
BigFootImmersionsAfrica!
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