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Our Honeymoon in Seychelles Islands, located in the Indian Ocean was the ultimate romantic trip of our lives. We flew Air Seychelles from Bombay airport with a stopover in Mauritius and arrived in Victoria, the exotic capital of the island Mahe. We took a cab to our hotel, The Coral Strand where we were staying for a week. Coral Strand Hotel is nestled in the Beau Vallon Bay, the most famous beach on Mahe. I was glad that our room had no TV; it was our honeymoon after all and who needs TV ; ). We had a sea facing room with a cute little balcony. It was the perfect spot to share a bottle of champagne which we did on our first night there!
Mahé boasts 65 silver beaches, plus an array of restaurants, cafés, bars and casinos in the tiny capital, Victoria. Creole is the main language, but English and French are widely spoken. We took the shuttle into Victoria couple of times and strolled around on foot. It’s a very small place and is the business and cultural hub. At its center sits the Victoria Clock tower, a national monument reminiscent of London's "Big Ben" that has
kept ticking since 1903, unaffected by the modern glass and concrete development around it. We walked into local shops and boutiques and visited the local art galleries and craft markets to soak up the city's friendly charm. We walked into an Indian grocery store and chatted up the Tamil guy there. He was very friendly and told us many Indians lived in Seychelles and even showed us a small temple in the area.
Each morning, we enjoyed an excellent breakfast buffet with eggs to order, fresh tropical fruits and a variety of bread and pastries as well as some Creole dishes. The hotel also had an Indian Restaurant featuring a "show cooking kitchen" where guests had the opportunity to watch their chefs at work. The bar by the pool was the best; it was located directly next to the swimming pool and the beach; offering views of the ocean and a majestic sunset view as well. We sat there each night, drinking exotic drinks, listening to Creole live music and letting the waves come and splash our feet. Rajesh loved vodka served with coconut water in the tender coconut shell itself with some salt sprinkled around the rim. We
got quite drunk each night and laughed a lot. It was the best times of our lives.
After breakfast, we lounged on the beach, swam in the pool, people-watched and just talked and talked. There are no private beaches in Seychelles; they were all public. The Indian Ocean was very inviting; warm and translucent. We booked a Glass-bottom boat trip around to Silhouette Island. The boat took us past breathtaking scenery and stopped at a place where there were lots of fish and marine life and brightly colored coral. Rajesh did some snorkeling; a piranha scratched him and he was bleeding a bit. The Seychelles are home to some of the world’s last sea turtles, who were saved from near extinction by the conservation efforts undertaken in the area. The boat operator stopped at an isolated island and we got out to explore; while he climbed up a coconut tree, cut out fresh coconuts and offered us tender coconut water.
Rajesh booked a local car and driver who served as our tour guide to take us on a tour of the Islands. The driver was very friendly and chatty; he drove us around, answered all our questions and joked a lot. He spoke a lot about his son in Switzerland whom he was visiting soon. We saw some of the exotic flora and fauna of Seychelles; our driver plucked some bay leaves for us to take back home and we reveled in the pungent smell of some of the spices grown in the area. Driver told us that there are 115 islands in Seychelles; the islands are of two types, granite and coral.
This is a gentle world, where the insects are strictly non-poisonous, there are no snakes, and even the fish are unafraid of men. Everything on these unspoilt islands is friendly, courteous and clean. The land gives generously with coconuts, mangoes, bananas, breadfruit, pineapples, and an equally bountiful sea yields up tuna, snapper, barracuda and kingfish. With the collective ethnic sways of the African slaves, Indian, Chinese and Arab immigrants and European settlers, a culture that is distinct from any other has emerged, and has been quite well-preserved for future generations. This is where I want to retire!
On our last evening we strolled beyond our hotel and found this little snack shop that sold samosas, beer and some Creole drinks that we bought to take home as souvenirs. We sat on the rocks in a private cove that we stumbled upon, drinking beer and biting into the crispy samosas that were absolutely delicious. We talked long into the dusk about our amazing vacation in Seychelles, until the tide rose. We were forced to leave, because no one would send out a search party to look for us. It was one of the most romantic moments that we would remember forever.
When in Seychelles, time seemed to stop and the setting sun played its magic with colors in the heavenly skies while we sat on the beach, both feet up, wishing that our drinks lasted longer. Down the mountain side, the sunlight played its magic by reflecting the greenery of the island into the ocean causing the color to converge from white to green then blue. Sigh!
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