Switzerland & Seychelles

Since Bangladesh is considered a hardship post, we are allowed to take two R&R trips during our tour.  Flights are paid for so that opens up a plethora of destination options for us.  For our first R&R, we decided on the Saas Fee ski resort in Switzerland and La Digue, Seychelles for the beaches, of course.

As much as we're enjoying our time in Bangladesh so far, this R&R was just what we needed to recharge.  My skin even cleared up and appeared brighter after spending 9 days in the beautiful Swiss Alps.  Since moving to Dhaka, I've developed what I think is milia on my face.  Could be from the water or the air, I don't know.  But it has something to do with Dhaka for sure because the milia just vanished while I was Switzerland!  Must've been the fresh alpine air.  Plus, this was the longest stretch without fungal infections on my body.  Yep, I also get recurring fungal infections on my legs and stomach.......thanks to Dhaka.  But I'm not the only one with ailments.  Cadyn's all-over body itch stopped as soon as we left Dhaka.  And because breathing was easier, our Dhaka cough disappeared.  Now, was this all a coincidence?  Perhaps.  But let me add that it's a good thing I stocked up on Fungidal cream before I left for R&R because now I have an infection on my arms....ugh!

Switzerland is by far the most kid friendliest, dog friendliest, eco-conscious country I've been to.  The people are nice, the air is clean, getting around is easy, and you can get the freshest fruits and veggies from farmers markets every day.  No need to worry about pesticides, formalin, or arsenic.  The children fell in love with Switzerland, particularly Cadyn.  Even when we were in Seychelles, she whined almost everyday about wanting to go back.  Seriously, the girl cried for an hour straight one night because she missed everything about Switzerland.  So we did what any parent would do......promise them we will try to get a job there so we can move there permanently.  Oh the things we do for our kids............

Seychelles is simply paradise.  The beaches on La Digue are some of the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen.  Robbie and I have never been ones to just lay around on the beach doing nothing.  We're usually looking to do something active.  But this time, we actually enjoyed doing just that......nothing.  The water was calm and shallow enough for the kids to go out alone while we laid back and took in the beauty of crystal clear turquoise waters and incredible rock formations.  The only downside to La Digue is the mosquitoes.  But that's just my opinion since I tend to be a blood feast for them.  Fortunately, they don't like to hang around the beach.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip:

Our first time sledging.....once we got over the initial fear
that we were going to fly off the mountain and kill our own
children, it was actually a lot of fun.  The run is 3 miles long
and you're going what felt like at least 50 mph!

The kids had ski camp in the mornings and then joined Mom
& Dad on the slopes in the afternoons.  They were amazing!

Saas Fee Ski Resort - known for their Spring snow.  It
snowed every day while we were there!

Mason bombs down the hill in a ski race.

And the winner is.....number 51!

Ready to ride

The view from the top of the mountain where we ate
lunch in a rotating restaurant.

Bodmen Restaurant - the only restaurant that we know of
where you can eat dinner and play with farm animals!

A lot of chocolate was consumed on this trip.  We
especially liked how anywhere you go, hot cocoa is
served with a piece of chocolate.

A look back at the village and the Swiss Alps one last time
before we head back to Geneva.

Bois d'Amour Guesthouse,  La Digue - bicycles are the
primary mode of transportation on the island!

The famous Point Source d'Argent Beach - the pictures
don't do this place justice.  It truly is paradise.

Exploring Point Source d'Argent Beach - lots of crevices
and caves to crawl through.

Beautiful rock formations

Can you see Robbie hiding in the cave?  Mason and Cadyn
are swimming, of course.

We fed the sea turtles dinner every day before heading
home from the beach.

Time to go home.

The kids snorkeled every day and saw lots of colorful fish
and sea turtles!

No Photoshopping here......it really does
look like this.

Coconut boy

Anse Severe Beach

Two tired travelers