Where in the World is Drew?: The Seychelles Islands

The Seychelles Islands: November 29- December 9 2008

Welcome to the Seychelles Islands! Like the picture says above, the Seychelles are "Another World". This becomes very apparent the moment you step off the plane and walk across the tarmac into the terminal building. For those of you who need a geography lesson to know where the Seychelles Islands are... first find the country of Tanzania on the East coast of Africa(right below Kenya) and then draw a line 1,000 miles straight out into the Indian Ocean and you will find the Seychelles. The Seychelles Islands are made of up a 115 archipelago like islands, with the largest, most populous, and capital being found on the island of Mahe. Over 1/3 of the countries population of 85,000, live in the capital city of Victoria. The Seychelles Islands are a relatively new country, having only gained their independence from England in 1976. Now you have had your geography/ history lesson for the day, let me tell you a little more about my time in this tropical paradise.

The only place that I could compare the Seychelles Islands to would be Hawaii, but with fewer tourists and a much more pristine landscape. As I drove from the airport I was awestruck with how dense the vegetation was. Everything was so green! It seemed like there was fruit growing on almost every tree. I ate some of the best papaya and mango's I have ever had in the Seychelles. When arrived at my hotel, in the Beau Villon beach area, I headed straight for the beach, and spent most of my time in the Seychelles at the beach, enjoying the great 85 degree sunny weather : ) The marine life in the Seychelles was absolutely stunning. Snorkeling and Scuba diving was really cool and I saw a lot of different marine life that I had never seen before. I saw lots of the typical tropical looking fish, lobster, sea turtles and even some small black tip reef sharks. Its much different swimming in water that is 70 degrees instead of the chilly Puget Sound!

For the first time on my trip, I felt very isolated from the outside world. My blackberry didn't work for the first time on my trip, and the once place that had computers with internet you could use; the internet worked only half the time. I mean lets face it, I was out in the middle of the India Ocean. Although I was isolated from the outside world, it quickly got use to island life and enjoyed being dis attached from the happenings of the world! I can see why people visit the Seychelles, to get away from from it all. There is something to be said about sitting on a beach and literally having no worries! While sitting on a beach one day while listening to Jimmy Buffet, Kenny Chesney and Bob Marley(all were on constant repeat on my Ipod), I realized that I was literally half way around the world from Seattle. I never thought about that before, but it was interesting to think about. If I went East or West I was about equal distance from home. Crazy to think about! The Seychelles were the last place that i thought I would meet any Americans. Boy was I wrong! It just so happened that the day I arrived, so did the American Destroyer the USS Roosevelt. There were a lot of "thirsty" American Sailors around Mahe while I was there. The Roosevelt had been out at sea for around 80 days "hunting pirates" as the sailors said. I even met some sailors who had been previously stationed at NAS Whidbey and Everett. It was nice to talk with people who knew about the Northwest.

The people in the Seychelles, the "Seychellia", are extremely friendly and nice. Their native language is Creole, but everyone speaks English which was nice.I would describe them as a free spirited people enjoying island life. The phrase "No Worries Man" is alive and well in the Seychelles!!! They would rather enjoy their cold beer on the beach then worry about making the mortgage payment. This was great to see people like that. There were definitely some who were living the 'island spirit' a little more than others! Even though the Seychellia are a relatively poor people(the average monthly income is about $600 U.S.) they take really good care of what they have. They really respect the environment that they live in, and realize that if they pollute their country, there isn't anywhere else they can go.

I spent a day touring around Mahe and saw many different beaches that I would have loved to just sit on for the whole day. At one beach we stopped at, there were sea turtles coming up and laying their eggs! Another day I took another tour to the islands of Praslin and La Digue(the second and third most populous islands in the Seychelles with 15,000 and 7,000 people) On Praslin I visited a beach that has been rated as one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. There is definitely not a shortage of beautiful beaches in the Seychelles!

Being in the Seychelles Islands really was like being in "another world". If you want to get away from it all, head to the Seychelles to experience paradise!

Port at Praslin