A paradise for men, then?
Not really because women seem to manage their life as they please. They often change partners at the rhythm of the births. “People don't get married that much here" told us the priest when we met him at Franky and Nella's home.
For the readers of the newspaper (in french only, sorry) "Le Journal de Minuit" Nr 6, Franky was the manager of Poivre Island in 1999 and Nella, his wife, can be seen in the movie "Le Soleil de Munuit" (available in english).
We met them again in Victoria, on Mahé, known as "the Major Island". This is where most of the inhabitants of the total archipelago live. We were stunned to discover that they remembered us well and really enjoyed our stay on Poivre. We thought they would have forgotten us by now. To find them there was for us an excellent opportunity to live closer to the "locals" as the Yachties call the local population. That's what we like best: to discover the life of the inhabitants on the island, their culture, their habits, to join them in their happiness to live on these paradise islands. Even if they are suffering from a major economic recession preventing them from purchasing raw material or even the major basic goods, the Seychellois is a optimist by nature. After all, tomorrow is another day.
They just live according to the seasons (they suffer from major water shortages at the end of the dry season, in October) and they also live according to the arrival of the tourists, their major source of revenue.
And they welcome young couples for their honeymoons and tourists looking for an exceptional holiday. The government has implemented a very "elite" policy to make sure they welcome "rich" tourists. No multi-story hotels and no camping grounds allowed.
The result is there: The Seychelles remain exclusive. You don't come accross large groups of tourists everywhere. Even Yachties are sure they will not come accross douzens of boats as they cruise the islands. Well, there is a price for that: a daily tax for yachties to cruise throughout the Seychelles. That says it all.
When leaving Victoria, the port of entry in the Seychelles, it's only a few hours cruising to Praslin where "La Vallée de Mai", a nature reserve, is well worth visiting. Then, it's La Digue, where the bicycle is the most convenient way to visit the island.
There is 3 things that we noticed everywhere we went:
- A sense of total safety. We usually left the boat open, which is not the case in some other countries.
- The Seychellois is, by nature, an optimist. It's always a pleasure to meet them. They always smile, they always try to be helpful.
- They speak 3 languages: english, french and creole. It's quite remarkable and you very quickly notice that creole is a happy "mixture" of french with some english words here and there.
We came to the Seychelles for the second time and we love it. We can only do one thing here: to recommend to others to come and see what Eden would have looked like.
Port Launay
Meeting again
Isabelle and her aquarium
Water shortage
Return from a visit of "Minuit"
Exceptional meal at La Sirène
