Victoria, Seychelles

The Seychelles is a group of about 115 islands that lie 990 miles off the coast of east Africa. The three central islands, which include Mahe where Victoria is located, are granite, while the outlying islands are coral atolls. Unlike most similar islands, the Seychelles are not volcanic - they seem to be the peaks of a huge underwater plateau that fell off the edge of India about 65 million years ago. The islands are rich in vegetation including the extremely rare giant coco de mer palm. Victoria is the smallest capital city in the world and the only major port in the Seychelles. It is also the only town in the country - every other settlement is a village. The Seychelles are known for their beautiful beaches and serene waters, perfect for snorkeling or a relaxing day on the sand.

We chose to do a full day tour with HAL so we could see the island. That would leave day 2 to do what we pleased, knowing what there is to see. Our tour started at the pier. We were loaded onto small size buses and driven a few blocks to the main downtown area in Victoria. We walked past a famous silver clock tower, erected in 1903 to celebrate Seychelles' new status as a crown colony. We passed that and continued to the market. It was very crowded, as being a Saturday, it would close early. There was a second floor which held a number of small souvenir shops. We didn't have enough time to shop. I could have stayed a lot longer. My printer had died and we used up most of our time looking for new ink cartridges (we were successful!). We boarded the bus for another short ride to the Botanical Gardens. There we were able to see the coco de mer palm trees. They are not native to the island of Mahe, where Victoria is, so that is the only place to see them without visiting one of the other islands where they live. The nuts can get up to 58 pounds and are very odd looking. They sold a lot of coco de mer soap on the island, as well as coco de mer liqueur, which we failed to find.

The bus took us inland, up a winding road, past a few ambassador homes in the hills, to the Mission Lodge ruins. This was a place where the missionaries set up a school for the slave children. While interesting, the main reason to visit was a short walk to see an incredible view of Victoria. There was a covered patio at that site, built for Queen Elizabeth to have tea on one of her visits to the island. It was a lot cooler up on the mountain, Victoria was HOT. Next stop a tea plantation. They consume about 80 tons of tea per year in the Seychelles, but only produce about 55 tons, so do not export it. You can only get their tea in the Seychelles.

We continued on the winding road over the mountain to the other side of the island, not a long distance. We drove along the shore for a bit then stopped at a restaurant for lunch. The buffet was set up in a covered open area with a sand floor. We ate at picnic style tables. The food was OK, nothing to write home about (hmm, I guess I AM writing home about it!). After lunch we changed into our swim suits and hit the beach. The water was pretty churned up from the wind and waves, so snorkeling was out of the question. We did play in the waves for a while, then walked the length of the beach and back. There were NO shells on the sand, none. Not even broken ones, just no evidence of shells at all. Seems very strange since every vendor we encountered had dozens of shells for sale. It was nice to be able to swim again, this time in the Indian Ocean. Our last swim had been in the China Sea. After our swim, we were returned to the ship. We got a good night's sleep for our next day in port. The picture is of one of the beautiful resorts that are on the island.