Small but beautiful: The Seychelles

Entering Port Victoria already showed the beauty of this small island paradise: Many small islands with white sandy beaches and tropical vegetation formed a kind of guard of honor before the QE docked in the harbor. It looked almost like a commercial for 'Bacardi' or 'Bounty'. Overall, this little paradise, located just 4 degrees south of the equator, consists of over 73 flat little coral islands spread out over the Indian Ocean. The largest island with the capital Victoria is Mahé, that was our destination. The reception was not spectacular, but at least there was a music band and two dancers, and the obligatory souvenir shops offered something. I took the opportunity to explore on my own since my booked tour was not until early afternoon. Victoria, named after the English queen in the 19th century, is one of the smallest capitals in the world with just under 27,000 inhabitants and the only real city in the Seychelles.

Everything is very clear, but newly and modernly built, mainly planted with beautiful flowers and flowering bushes. Street names and memorials show how proud the Seychellois are of the independence they achieved in 1976 (the islands were previously French and then British colonies). Since then, the country has developed well, with good economic growth and a certain prosperity, and has the highest per capita income in the population in all of Africa, at about 10,000 US dollars. The Seychelles has an estimated population of 88,000. The money comes from fishing, tourism, and foreign exchange transfers (hence the many banks in the city). The population is well provided for with good education, healthcare for all, and anyone in need receives a small house as part of social housing. The unemployment rate is only 2.5%. Three languages are spoken: English, French, and Creole. The majority of the population is Catholic, but other religions as well as various ethnic groups live peacefully and tolerantly side by side. Almost paradise-like conditions.

Unfortunately, my visit fell on a Sunday, so the 'center' seemed rather sleepy, and all the shops were closed. Sundays and public holidays are taken very seriously here. The young man from the tourist office on the ship had already told me that I only had the choice between going to church or visiting the botanical garden. So I actually ended up in a small Anglican church, where I initially just wanted to take a look, but was kindly invited to stay. Especially the women and children were very well dressed in their Sunday best, and Palm Sunday was celebrated with gospel music. So church plays a central role in the lives of the islanders here, similar to Samoa.

The landmark of the city is the Clock Tower, a replica of the British clock tower on London's Vauxhall Bridge, erected in 1903. During my walk, I saw the colorful flag of the Seychelles several times, which is supposed to represent the colors of the country with its stripes. The state coat of arms shows the 'symbols' of the Seychelles: the giant tortoise, the special palm 'coco de mer palm', and the swordfish.

During my visit to the Botanical Garden, I was able to admire this special palm and the turtles in nature. The palm species 'coco de mer' forms a coconut with a special shape that looks like a butt. It has become the symbol of the Seychelles because the palm only grows here. The giant tortoises (Aldabra tortoises) are also at home here and looked very impressive with their 150-250 kg. The rest of my exploration led along the coastal road, past beautiful beaches and tropical palm trees, and in between there were always smooth large rocks, which are also typical of the Seychelles. The beaches are public, so there was a lot going on on this Sunday, and everyone enjoyed the warm water and the gentle breeze at over 30 degrees and 85% humidity. Currently, April is the hottest month here. However, the heat subsided somewhat in the late afternoon, and you could take a long beach walk or enjoy a drink by the pool of the hotel where we had been taken. On the way back, the driver stopped on the hill so that we had a nice view of the evening atmosphere and our ship in the harbor. It is always nice to see 'home' from a distance and return in the evening.

However, the days on board are decreasing, and I am approaching the 100th day of the journey. But there are still interesting stops ahead with Mauritius and Réunion as well as South Africa and Namibia.

As of today, the QE is out of the dangerous zone again, and all measures on board have been dismantled. Everyone was happy to have this part behind us. Unfortunately, our captain left us yesterday because he urgently needed to return to England. But a new captain immediately came on board, so that everything can continue to run smoothly.

Many lovely greetings from the colorful Seychelles to all of you!

Eva