Blogs from Praslin, Seychelles, Africa

Here we are, our last entry about our 13 months stay in Seychelles. We are boarding our first flight in 7 months. You know me, honeymoon, need to have something special...something like one more round-the-world maybe. But here we are, this is 2020, the year of Covid-19! So we went on honeymoon, less than 80 kilometers from home. I never thought this could even happen one day, but here we are, it's 2020! Tourists have been allowed back in Seychelles. So we encounter few there and there. Our early morning flight is actually pretty full, with some 2/3 of locals on the plane. We are out for a long week-end, one night at Le Lemuria and two nights at Duc de Praslin. We get into Praslin and jump on a taxi for the 3-4 kilometers to ... read more

(CJ writes) Things we have learned about the Seychelles: * the islands have a chequered history: occupied by freed slaves, colonised by France and then gained independence, then the British took over - and they eventually gained independence again. Consequently the first language is Kreol, the official language is English and place names, businesses etc tend to be in French, which nearly everybody speaks. Prices for locals are in Seychelles rupees, tourist prices are in euros; * drivers are almost all lunatics. They’ll pull out of a turning - looking right at you - when you’re only a couple of yards away. They’ll routinely drive hanging half way over the centre line (and the roads are barely wide enough for two vehicles). They’ll overtake on blind corners. And the bus drivers are worse than that! * ... read more

July 22, 2017 - Alarm set for 6:30, up by 6:15. So, a normal day of "unlikely to relax". Today I had a day trip to Curiuese Island and then snorkeling around Ile St. Pierre. I ate my boring cereal and this time added a pear to it. It did not get better. I had to be in Cote d'Or for the 9:30 am boat departure, so I left at 8am to catch the bus. Does it take over an hour to get there? No. But the bus times are unknown, they are not frequent, and I didn't feel like starting my day with an hour walk to get there. As I waited, Carlos, the Spanish guy staying in the house, walked by to wait for the bus to Valle de Mai. After 15 minutes he ... read more

July 20, 2017 - I set my alarm for 6 am, so of course I was up by 5:30. Used the internet, finished my bag of granola, finished packing. I said good bye to the dogs and Claude and walked to the bus stop. Ten minutes later we were off to Victoria. Being so early in the morning, I was worried about the bus being crowded with my luggage, but it wasn't. It was the first time I'd seen traffic, though, and there was a line waiting to get into the town. But it didn't take too long and I still had plenty of time to walk over to the ferry. It was raining when I got in the bus and overcast when I got out, so I wasn't too sweaty when I arrived at the ... read more

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