VICTORIA, MAHE, SEYCHELLES
There are 86 islands in the archipelago of Seychelles. The French claimed the islands in 1770 and the British took charge of the Seychelles after the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. In 1976 the Seychelles gained their independence from the British and became a multi-system republic. The main language is Creole French, but most people speak English.
We spent the day at a spectacular beach, Beau Vallon at a lovely resort. The water is so clear and turquoise, the sand is white and clean and the temperature was 86F and so was the water. We rode the waves and played like children! We were there on a Saturday so we were able to see the weekly market where the Seychellois bargain for fresh fish and vegetables. The people were very friendly and I was able to use my French! Tourism is the main resource followed by fishing, spices and wood carving.
The huge coco de mer is a double-sided nut which grows on palm trees and can weigh up to 40 pounds. It is a native plant of the Seychelles and the shells are polished and made into platters, bowls and art crafts. A fragrant soap is made from the oil of the coco de mer.
A dark cloud loomed over us on this paradise island and that was the frequency of hijackings of ships in this area.According to CNN, there have been 5 hijackings in the past 48 hours. A private yacht with 8 British & US divers was hijacked the day we were there. The divers had just been dropped off on one of the islands and pirates seized the ship and crew and sailed it to Somalia. The cargo ship Maersk which was hijacked yesterday was docked next to us in the Seychelles and left 2 hours before we did and was hijacked several hours later. We are presently in the piracy area but our captain assures us that they are monitoring the waters and are in touch with the US Navy and the Indian Navy constantly. Due to this and political unrest, we had to cancel our stops in Madagascar and the Comoros Islands.
Tomorrow we dock in Mombasa, Kenya where we will be for 3 days. Many passengers are going on 2-3 day safaris in Kenya, including Svata and Dick. Since I have been on a safari before, I chose to take a land excursion which I will tell you about next posting.
There are 86 islands in the archipelago of Seychelles. The French claimed the islands in 1770 and the British took charge of the Seychelles after the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. In 1976 the Seychelles gained their independence from the British and became a multi-system republic. The main language is Creole French, but most people speak English.
We spent the day at a spectacular beach, Beau Vallon at a lovely resort. The water is so clear and turquoise, the sand is white and clean and the temperature was 86F and so was the water. We rode the waves and played like children! We were there on a Saturday so we were able to see the weekly market where the Seychellois bargain for fresh fish and vegetables. The people were very friendly and I was able to use my French! Tourism is the main resource followed by fishing, spices and wood carving.
The huge coco de mer is a double-sided nut which grows on palm trees and can weigh up to 40 pounds. It is a native plant of the Seychelles and the shells are polished and made into platters, bowls and art crafts. A fragrant soap is made from the oil of the coco de mer.
A dark cloud loomed over us on this paradise island and that was the frequency of hijackings of ships in this area.According to CNN, there have been 5 hijackings in the past 48 hours. A private yacht with 8 British & US divers was hijacked the day we were there. The divers had just been dropped off on one of the islands and pirates seized the ship and crew and sailed it to Somalia. The cargo ship Maersk which was hijacked yesterday was docked next to us in the Seychelles and left 2 hours before we did and was hijacked several hours later. We are presently in the piracy area but our captain assures us that they are monitoring the waters and are in touch with the US Navy and the Indian Navy constantly. Due to this and political unrest, we had to cancel our stops in Madagascar and the Comoros Islands.
Tomorrow we dock in Mombasa, Kenya where we will be for 3 days. Many passengers are going on 2-3 day safaris in Kenya, including Svata and Dick. Since I have been on a safari before, I chose to take a land excursion which I will tell you about next posting.
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