The Vallee de Mai, on Praslin Island, the second-largest island in the Seychelles archipelago, is a heavenly spot. But for some, it is also a glimpse of hell or, as Milton put it, "Paradise Lost."
It is certainly the birthplace of a botanical monster.
Before British Gen. Charles Gordon got speared and chopped up into lots of small pieces in Khartoum by the Sudanese dervish followers of the Grand Mahdi, he paid a visit to Mai Valley.