Blogs from Praslin, Seychelles, Africa
October 21st 2011
The Seychelles. A place name that conjures up pictures of paradise; and it didn’t disappoint. Of all our travels around the world and I believe this is our 80th (ish!) country... this is the most stunningly beautiful we’ve ever visited. The spectacular granitic islands that make up the Seychelles archipealogical area are simply awe-inspiring. After an 11.5 hour journey from London via Milan we arrived on the island of Mahe on Saturday morning. Next up we entered the balmy tropical outside temperatures, walked across the tarmac and boarded a small plane for the first island of our visit – Praslin. When we say small, it was one of the smallest we’d been on excusing scenic flights across places like the Okavanga Delta or The Grand Canyon. It took us a little by surprise but was very ... read more
August 20th 2011
When I was in Egypt the club I dived with were passionate about preserving the sea for the future and have set up a Marine Conservation group on facebook called The Tank Bangers . Anyone on this amazing site who loves the sea and wants it to help conserve it click on the link and request to join. WE NEED YOU! Now I know this is a blog site to update people on exciting travels around the world but I am going to use right now to save Sharks! For those that haven't heard two people where attacked in the Seychelles in the last month. This has driven St Ange (the CEO of the Seychelles tourism board) to start a mass killing of all sharks in the nearby area. People seem to forget that sharks LIVE ... read more
January 6th 2011
“Mesdames et Messieurs, 10 seconds to 2011...5,4,3,2,1 – Bonne Annee!!!”. A romantic restaurant by the beach, champagne, good company, great conversation... New Year’s eves don’t come much better than this. And not for the first time since my arrival on the Seychelles did I feel I had landed in paradise. A few years ago I saw a picture of Praslin in a travel magazine – huge boulders strewn on a white sandy beach, turquoise water, gently leaning palm trees... Ever since then I had dreamt of coming here. But who would have thought that one day I would actually be living and working in this picture postcard? I am going to be a volunteer for a marine conservation project based on Mahe, and we were told that with all the diving and studying there wouldn’t be ... read more
December 20th 2010
We wake up with the noise of familiar sound of birds. They are everywhere. Today's plan is to catch the local bus to Valle De Mai. The bus journey takes forty five minutes to run around the entire island. The bus services are regular and the ticket price is fixed to 5 rupees, regardless of where you get off. My first experience was not that much pleasant in terms of taking buses. They drive off the road. You feel it. When the bus reaches a sloppy hill, or sharp bends the drive accelerator and drive crazily. All you can do is, hang on to a seat and pray that you don't end up 100 meters below in the sea. (Such a painful death could be unlucky indeed) Today's sky was clear and the atmosphere was hot. ... read more
April 3rd 2010
Well, today started out like every other day when we were in a port, except when the captain came on the ship’s intercom and announced that because of the seriousness of the pirate situation, including information he was receiving from the US State Department, the recent attack a couple days ago involving a US Navy frigate in the Seychelles, that for the safety of the passengers and ship, that we would be changing course and not going west to Mombasa, Kenya. He said we would depart the Seychelles and sail south to Mauritius and Reunion, and go around the southern tip of Madagascar to Richard’s Bay, South Africa, where we would pick up our normal schedule. Thus, we would miss Mombasa and Zanzibar. But wait…that’s where we are supposed to get the flight for our 4-day ... read more
August 14th 2009
Janet has been nagging for years for a trip to the Seychelles, so finally I relented and she got to go for her birthday. Air Seychelles had a great special, and after a bit of nagging they finally issued the tickets. The plan was to spend a few days on Mahe somewhere really luxurious, such as Banyan Tree, and then go self catering. Our dates though coincided with the European and French holidays, so most places were full. Eventually I got the Hilton Northolme Resort and Spa for the second part. The first weekend was a lot more difficult, and we ended up leaving Johannesburg without a confirmation. The flight is to Mahe, then an inter island flight on an eight seat Otter to Praslin. At Praslin airport I finally got the confirmation from Masons Travel ... read more
November 8th 2008
As you read this, we should be on our way back to Shanghai...or already in Shanghai. Back to some reality, and to the stressful world. But before this, here are 3 more days of wonderful happiness. After the Banyan Tree on Mahe, we made our way to the Lemuria Resort on Praslin Island...you can get there by helicopter, flight or boat...we took the slow way, with the fast boat. The Lemuria has two very attractive point...the first, it is a member of Relais & Chateaux...which means we should eat pretty well. The second is a very nice and wellknown golf course. We enjoy both of these. Praslin is also the place where you can reach the dive site "Marianne"....more on this later. Thanks to Maxime, the front desk Manager, we enjoyed a truly VIP and exclusive ... read more
February 18th 2008
Well, we are in the beautiful Seychelles! We arrived yesterday at 8 am and I was on the beach by 10! I had planned to do research all day but there was not a single internet cafe open on a Sunday! I swam and enjoyed the sunshine for a couple of hours and then it was back to the boat to study for midterms! The island is really beautiful. The water is crystal clear and we're surrounded by mountains. Surprisingly, the area is not touristy at all. In fact, we had trouble finding something for lunch yesterday. We had our equator crossing party on the boat two days ago. We were all lined up and had 'fish guts' (flour and water) dumped on us. We then had to kiss a dead fish and kiss the ring ... read more
July 27th 2007
It’s hard to believe that I’m in the final month of my three month placement here in the Seychelles. Time has passed quickly especially since my family, Guylaine, Jonathan and Michelle joined me here one month ago. My time off is time on for them as we tour the beautiful beaches, forests and waters of these wonderful islands together. We are now living on the island of Praslin, 40 km from the main island of Mahe, where I am replacing the rector of the parish, Rev. Bryan, who is in England on a training course for three weeks. For over a year, I have been assisting various incumbents in the course of internships in Canada and on Mahe. Now I’m on my own to lead worship on a rotating basis in four congregations, using English, French ... read more
