Seychelles - Welcome to the paradise

25th Jan - 2nd Feb: A five-hour flight brings us closer to the equator to the tropical island group of the Seychelles. We land in Victoria, the smallest capital city in the world, on the island of Mahe. The Seychelles consists of about 115 islands and Mahe is the largest island in this chain, measuring 27 km in length and about 8 km in width at its widest point. We are greeted by tropical temperatures and immediately feel like we're in the South Seas.

A week of sun, beach, and sea is on the agenda. Lots of time for swimming and relaxing. We visit the small bay with a picture-perfect beach several times a day and swim in the turquoise water. Several stingrays, a turtle, and numerous crabs and fish keep us company. Even the youngest one, Le, who has just learned to swim, goes swimming in the sea and builds sandcastles. The saltwater does wonders for his eczema, which heals wonderfully. He splashes around with the utmost joy in the water and of course also tries the white fine sand here. In comparison to South Africa, this one might taste good. By the pool, there is a diving contest and Fa learns to do a headfirst dive into the water, which she didn't dare to do before.

My husband and I plan to play tennis every day, but the daily tropical rain showers ruin our plans. It's rainy season in the Seychelles and it rains every day. On one day, it even pours down completely. So, we rent a car and explore Mahe while the kids prefer to stay at the hotel with their grandparents.

We can finally pursue our great passion - diving - together after many years. The kids are taken care of by their grandparents. The last time we went underwater together was 8 years ago, just before I got pregnant with Fa. Accordingly, the excitement and anticipation for the two days of diving in paradise are high. Unfortunately, I only get to dive for half a day because I get so seasick due to the meter-high waves on that day that I am no longer fit for diving. What a shame, because one dive makes you crave for more. Bo finds another buddy as a replacement and dives with turtles the next day. Unfortunately, we don't see the whale sharks that are touted in all the travel guides. However, Fa discovers a small reef shark and an eagle ray in the sea near our resort. She is as proud as can be. The week flies by quickly and we continue our journey to Abu Dhabi with a heavy heart.