Back to Paradise

As our last trip of 2008, we chose to go back to the Seychelles over the Thanksgiving holiday to relax and decompress after such a busy year. The first half of the trip was spent on the main island of Mahe. We wanted to take the opportunity to explore the main island more since our last trip was focused on the secondary islands of Praslin and La Digue.

After an overnight flight from Dubai on Emirates using the air miles we hoarded all year long we were on the ground in the Seychelles in four hours. It is hard to believe that you can go from such an unpleasant region of the world to paradise so quickly! We stayed at the Hilton again as we did last time. It really is a very nice place as the pictures here show.

The beaches at the Hilton are not the best, however, just a short bike ride away is Beau Vallon beach with its perfect sand, sun, and waves. Biking the quarter mile was the hard part given that the bikes were not in the best condition and the fact that there were no sidewalk so you are relegated to fighting for space on narrow winding roads with the island buses.

Our first couple of days revolved around hitting the beach at Beau Vallon and relaxing back at the hotel. A routine that I think both of us could get used to!

After downshifting from the pace of life in Dubai to the pace of life in the Seychelles, we decided to venture out to Victoria, the capitol of the Seychelles.

Victoria is the worlds smallest capitol city and is an eclectic mix of cultures. It has much of the feel of New Orleans with its heavy Creole influence. Most of the population is of African descent with a mix of French and Indian nationalities. The British ruled the Seychelles for longer than anyone before independence, however, there influence is far less than the French.

Unfortunatley all is not well in the Seychelles. Recently the government allowed their currency, the Seychelles Rupee, to float which has created some real financial hardship. With so few exports to bring in foreign currency its difficult for the islanders to afford basic commodities. Exacerbating the situation is the sheer remoteness of the islands which drives up the cost of virtually everything which must be imported.

So we did our part in town by spending those US dollars (for whatever they are worth now) to

pick up some souvenirs. The markets in town are really interesting with fish, fruit, and spices among other things all being sold in colorful settings with the typical Creole flair.







On the last day on Mahe, we had the opportunity to take a sunset cruise out on the Indian Ocean. We pulled into a secluded cove on the island as we awaited the sunset and were able to do some snorkeling which in the clear waters was incredibly fun.






















As the sun began to sink below the horizon, one of the crew broke out his guitar to sing a few local songs while we watched the sky illuminate with the final firey orange rays of the day.

























The second half of our visit was spent on Sainte Anne Island. This island is a 15 minute boat road away from Mahe and is situated within a marine national park.


Overall, Sainte Anne was a bit of disappointment, however, we made the most of it. We spent most of our time around the island on the beaches or taking out the resorts boats to do some exploring.



































We did feel very safe during our visit here as a US war ship pulled into harbor upon our arrival and remaind in port for the duration of our stay. Why they were not out chasing Somali pirates is anyone's guess.


So with that it was back home to Dubai to finish out 2008 and prepare for Christmas back Stateside!