Victoria, Mahe (ma-HEY), Seychelles Islands off the coast of east Africa and quite close to Somalia…unbelievably gorgeous. We can understand why people pay big bucks to come here to chill out. We had a day here and if it was not so far to travel, we would not hesitate to return. The beaches are better than anything we saw in French Polynesia and even in Naples, FL… The people are beautiful and life is slow enough to appreciate what they have.

Our day started with a slow walk around the center of the capital city, Victoria – it was 95° at 10:00 AM when we started our walk and it didn't get any cooler all day. The interesting thing was that because of a light breeze, it didn't seem that warm.

A view back toward Victoria on our way to Beau Vallon beach. Our ship is at the dock in the harbor.

Silhouette Island as seen from Beau Vallon beach Silhouette lies due north of Mahe.

Our walk took us to the market, which was in full operation: produce; spices; fish; plants; clothing; you-name-it. We found that if there is a fish that is not easily recognizable as a tuna, a grouper, or some such common fish, then it is a “jack.” Most of the fish we asked about were, we were told with absolute sincerity, jacks, even though it was obvious that they were of wildly varying species. We did our requisite retail therapy – kitchen magnet time again.

Several shots around the market, from upper left: fish; more fish; even more fish; produce; spices; the egg man - he has to package them every time he makes a sale.

We then walked to a craft market and saw a lot of the genuine Seychelles products that were made locally in villages with names like Thailand, China, Vietnam, etc. There was one shop that did have some exquisite wooden and coconut jewelry made in Seychelles, but we didn't really want to shop for jeweler today.

After all that walking we decided to get a taxi and take a short tour around the island. The taxis are not metered and there was a sign posted by the Tourist Board listing the “typical” prices for typical journeys. Bargaining is not only expected, but appears to be a way of like here – except in the shops and restaurants. We found a driver who had very good English and bargained our way into an hour’s trip out to a beach and back. It turned out to be well over an hour and more than just a ride to the beach.

We began by going up the side of a mountain to get to the beach side of the island. The views were terrific and many of the homes and resorts were quite nice. We expected that they might be given the idea of cost that the ship’s travel consultant mentioned in his lecture. We would through several small “towns” along the way – really only a few small stores and an occasional school or church. We wound up at Beau Vallon beach on the northwest side of Mahe. I think that is where they take all those beach shots you see in the ads in travel magazines…wide, white sand, very low rolling surf, trees almost to the edge of the sand, several small islands on the horizon, a few small fluffy pure whiter clouds in the sky, people in as little as there law allows (some even less). What’s not to like??

Beau Vallon beach looking both ways

Bonnie and me at Beau Vallon and then at "the rocks." The rocks was where we saw the beautifully clear water up close.

Bonnie and George, with George's "baby." 

We had a short beach walk, took a few pictures, and returned to the Taxi. Our driver, George, asked us if we wanted to see a couple of things before we returned to the ship. Naturally, we said yes. So he took us on a different route to return to the city. We would along the coast and stopped again at another even more iconic beach with huge rocks and water that looked as if it had just come out of a tap, it was so clear. We then would through several picturesque villages and past a few large resorts. George then took us to see a new government housing project for poorer families. We were amazed at the quality of the dwellings, the cleanliness, and the amenities provided. Apparently, the government is well-liked and has been good to the people. This is not usual for many of these small island nations.

We then returned to the ship, paid George (including a healthy tip for the extras), went aboard, had lunch, checked the weather. The temperature was now 102°. OK, with that information it was time to stay aboard and catch up on correspondence.

We now have two sea days and then we wind up this leg of the trip in Mombasa, Kenya. We won’t see much of Mombasa. We will head immediately to the airport for our charter flight into the Kenyan outback for a three-day safari. Stay tuned…