Astove is an island in the Seychelles archipelago, two and a half hours flight from the main island. I was blessed with the opportunity to go there a couple of weeks ago. An atoll of about 10km with a shallow lagoon in the center. Barely 15 persons live there. Complete isolation. I took the opportunity to keep silent and speak only when absolutely necessary. By the second night there, I became the island. Or I was no more, the Reality of the island was. The feeling of being an island is simultaneously light and heavy. I wrote a small poem as tribute.
I went to a place that was no place
I ended up nowhere but everywhere
And I was only here
It appeared out of the blue of my surrender
Was it my death that gave birth to it?
In any case there it was
afloat
Where sunbirds pop green
Fairy-terns flashed white
And fregates stilled…
Grey herons tore the Stillness into Jurassic fear.
Instincts scream. Predators! What, where?
Oh..me..
Come on guys, it was only crab curry.
There was a smell that tasted of sea
Trees that flamed gloriously
Tortoises hissed, unfriendly
And a sun that set reluctantly
I understand what you’re getting at. There is something special about being on an island in silence. A couple years ago I spent nine days backpacking on a remote island in Lake Superior by myself, and it was a profound experience. After a couple days, time seemed to blur and my identity melded with the island just like you’re describing. You’re inspiring me to maybe share more of that trip in the future.
Also, my geographic curiosity is piqued, and I’m now researching Astove Atoll. How beautiful!
There is a shallow lagoon filling the center of island, reaching below the knees. I walked barefoot through it for about 1 km and then stopped and looked around. It was surreal. It felt like walking on water with no land in sight. The island is coralline and flat, so you could barely see it from a kilometer or so away.
David - the lagoon would be a perfect location for one of your rings.
Oh yeah, my wife and me spend 2 long summers on such an island - desert, great beaches, around 15 people camping/living there…
the “boredom” of this desert, this nothingness… felt so true!
We were only eating vegan, cooking in the evening with gascookers…
And really: we had to poop into the sand, and our poop was incredibly healthy looking, like 80cm long! greenish, not brown… I mean, I don’t want to troll you or something, but this was such a proof of a very… spiritual or healed life…
Well, that island’s closed for ever… for enviromental reasons.
But yeah, now with our young daughter, we should check for another island.
That sounds perfect, Sey! It’d be like the vastness of the salt flats but with water. I’ve already been thinking about how to make a waterproof ring so I can take underwater shots.
I’m imagining a future where my dream of sharing the adventures of the light ring on social media has become my occupation, and I have a chance to bring it to Astove Atoll for this amazing shot. There’s one problem: I’m terrified of underwater things and would never be able to wade out 1km alone! Would you join me for this adventure!?
As long as I was focused on walking, it was fine but when I stopped and looked around, I was in awe but then I started to feel the edges of fear. Thoughts like what if the tide rushes in, what if there are sharks… The mind is often a barrier to simply enjoying the beauty.
