Ah, the childhood memories of Seychelles. Stepping off the plane and feeling the wall of heat hitting my face as I left the air conditioned cabin. Frolicking in the sea, the hot days and the hot nights. Thunder and massive rain drops splashing in the evening and sitting out to cool off from the sweat. Climbing the rocks by the beaches, eating food. lots of it. Food, food, food. Seeing family who I didn’t know existed or their relation to me. Old, older, oldest. Young, younger, and new born. Compared to anywhere else I have travelled, Seychelles has always been an easy place to visit. Sun, sea, sand, good weather, clean drinking water and lots of family everywhere. I’ve visited it five times and so I’ve had a pretty good feel for Mahe and some of its surrounds, but I’ve never been to the Outer Islands.
It’s weird what I conjure up because of my visits to the islands. Most people when they think of the beauty and the idyllic setting. For many it is the ideal honeymoon setting. Quite the opposite for me as I do not want to bump into family every five minutes on any honeymoon I may take. Secondly people talk about the postcard settings and the wondrous wildlife, but those things past straight over my head when I was younger and ever now, the whole concept goes over my head. In a way I always think, yeah, yeah, I know.
I suppose all those childhood visits to Mahe changed what my idea of paradise is. Most people want the beach and the tropical weather (along with a bar of Bounty of glass of Malibu). I like the desert. Hot, dry and dusty. The complete opposite from the tropical paradise of Mahe island.
But that doesn’t mean I will never go back. I always go back. The family, the food and the actual relaxation of the place. And really the photos do not do it justice. When you see if for yourself you will really know what paradise actually looks like. And I if I am lucky, I may well revisit paradise later this year...
How to get there: Do, but make sure you take plenty of cash as you will need it. While currency restrictions are in place there is a thriving black market but as will all things illicit it carries its risks. For those willing to try it, you could probably get at least double the official exchange rate for your currency.
Flying into the country is the way you get to Mahe. All int'l flights touch down at the airport and there it is, you've arrived on Mahe. The capital, Victoria, is about an hours walk from the aiport or a short ride away.
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