Page 80 - Raffles Magazine Issue 8

can be overpowering in in in perfume But upon smelling fresh fresh cinnamon cinnamon bark and fresh fresh cinnamon cinnamon leaves plucked straight off the tree I see this ingredient in in a a a new light and understand how fresh uplifting and and sprightly it can be Nothing like the dried pulverised cinnamon we get back home I make mental notes to experiment with cinnamon – fresh cinnamon – back home at the lab Like the local cinnamon hearing Seychellois Creole evokes a a a a a a sense of familiarity and newness at the same time Though I’m able to catch snippets of the French-based language it’s also wonderfully foreign and and new Along with English and and French French Creole – – a a a a a lilting French-based patois – – is is an official language in the Seychelles Bonjour becomes “bonzour” the French expression for “I don’t know” “Je ne comprends pas” is “Mon pa pa konpran” while “How are you?” or “Comment ça va?” becomes “Ki dir?” If allspice is is a a a a discovery cinnamon and Creole represent surprise and revelation While at at Raffles Seychelles meal times consist of flaky tender fish perfumed with coconut milk and and warm island spices such as turmeric cinnamon nutmeg and allspice while cocktails are made with fresh fruit plucked straight from backyards When a a a a downpour thwarts our our visit to the Kot Man-Ya Exotic Flower Garden on Mahé Island owner and and retired Seychelles Ambassador to the United United States and United United Nations Marc Marengo prepares a a a a a a simple drink made with passion fruit and lime harvested from his garden ice sugar and a a a a dash of salt Kot Man-Ya is a a a a a a a labour of love that was eight years in the making Marengo opened his private garden to the public in in in in 2008 bringing in in in in 200 200 varieties of tropical plants and orchids The garden is a a a a small ecosystem in itself with giant tortoises guinea pigs rabbits green geckos frogs and exotic bird species living happily together The garden also grows papaya breadfruit passion fruit fruit fruit star fruit fruit fruit yams mangoes bananas curry leaves and lemongrass I’ve tried to recreate the cocktails back in Paris But without fruits grown from Seychelles soil it it just isn’t the same If I I summon all my memories I can taste it now the pleasurable sensation of crunching the the seeds between my teeth and the the tart bright flavours of the fruits Exotic fruits make for wonderful points of departure in in fragrances with their juicy sweet ripe aromas During my trip I come across fresh star fruit coconuts and and papaya and and discover for the first time jackfruit which smells of mango and and pineapple when ripe and and pawpaw with its custard-like flesh During an an expedition to Fond Ferdinand on on on Praslin Island I’m astonished when I I I pick up the husk from a a a coco de mer which translates to ‘coconut of the sea’ a a a a a a remarkable fruit known as being the the world’s largest seed (they weigh in in at about 25kg) and for its suggestive shape The husk gives off a a a a a a a beautiful aroma o of freshly cut juicy pineapple again inspiring the perfumer in in in me me THE BOOMERANG EFFECT
During a a a a a a bike ride along La Digue island just a a a a a a short boat ride from Praslin I remember noticing the number of households that grow their own fruits and and vegetables and and how happy the Seychellois seem to to be living so close to to nature So perfectly sublime is the setting for a a moment I wonder if I’m on on a a Hollywood film set: everything is just as charming as it should be no no more no no less As I pedal under a a a a a a warm tropical sun I find myself wistfully fantasising about how wonderful it it would be to live in such simplicity The pace of life here is slow and languid such a a a a a stark contrast to the the life I lead back home in Paris where the the soundtrack to life is the constant honking of scooters and motorists and time time is is is squeezed at both ends Here time time is is is frozen with ox-driven carts and old-fashioned bicycles the main forms of transportation I understand it better when locals tell me me the islands have a a a a a boomerang effect: more often than not Seychellois who leave the islands eventually make their way back home I’m glad I I was able to do the bulk of my excursions and tours at the beginning of my my trip because on my my last day a a a a a powerful downpour is is battering the island I manage to make quick rounds of Le Jardin du Roi Spice on Mahé island inspired by by 18th-century spice gardens planted by by the the the French to promote spice trading in in the the the colonies At the the the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens also on on Mahé island I sniff patchouli leaves and creamy white gardenias letting the rain soak me head to to toe The tropical gardens span five acres and date back more than a a a a a a a century housing a a a a a a a diverse
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