Blogs from Praslin, Seychelles, Africa - page 2

“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

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

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

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