Day 101 - The Seychelles

The Seychelles are a set of 155 islands way off the coast of Africa. 42 of these
islands are chunks of granite, and the rest are coralline. They are old rocks, as the Seychelles were joined with both Madagascar and India until 90 million years ago. First they rifted apart from Madagascar, and then 66 million years ago, sharply rotated and left India. Considering they are not of volcanic origin, the islands have a few impressive hills/mountains, with Morne Seychellois (2,969 feet) being the highest elevation, overlooking the capital of Victoria.

They are officially part of Africa, so with a population of 100,000, they are the smallest (but also most prosperous on a per capita basis) country in the continent. Vasco de Gamo discovered the islands in 1503, but no one lived here until 1770 when a French ship landed on St. Anne island with 28 men and 1 woman. A British frigate arrived in 1794, and the islands became part of the Napoleonic Wars. The Brits won, although they allowed the French nobles to stay. The islands formally joined the British Empire in 1810 and gained independence in 1976.

After two decades of flirting with socialism and even communism, a form of democracy prevailed. The Seychelles president, who is head of state and head of government, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term of office. The president presides over and appoints the cabinet, subject to the approval of a majority of the legislature. As of 2023, the president is Wavel Ramkalawan. The unicameral Seychellois parliament, the National Assembly or Assemblée Nationale, consists of 35 members, 26 of whom are elected directly by popular vote, while the remaining nine seats are appointed proportionally according to the percentage of votes received by each party. 

Meanwhile, surrounded by all this beauty, we took a catamaran cruise (yes, we have a habit of getting off a large boat and getting onto a smaller one), a submersible ride, and a snorkeling trip. Then, we capped that off with a very hot and sweaty trip into Victoria, Mahe—the capital of the Seychelles. Victoria, surprise, surprise, is named after Queen Victoria of England. 

This was, much like Oman, a pleasant surprise and something we considered as a bonus stop. The catamaran was a whole 50 years from the Mariner, and we had a short 20-minute sail out into the bay between a half dozen islands. Then we climbed into a glass-bottomed boat (air-conditioned!!) and saw the waters from about 5-6 feet under. Lots of fish! Once we rejoined the cat, the crew had us chuck a bunch of bread into the waters, and we were instantly surrounded by fish. (I'm not sure that's a great diet for them, but ..) Then we went snorkeling. This was the first time Allison had put on fins and a mask since her knee operation. Everything went smoothly and she had a wonderful time - no issues!!

We were surrounded by fish, especially the black-and-white-striped "Sargeant
Major" fish. They came right up to you and looked into your face mask from about two inches away, searching for signs of intelligent life. The true name of this species is píntano (Abudefduf saxatilis), a type of damselfish. We also saw parrot fish and dozens of small neon-blue fusiliers. 

After returning to the Mariner, I decided to take the shuttle into town. That may not have been the smartest move as, although the temperature was 87F, the true temperature with humidity was 104F. Incredibly hot and sweaty. Nevertheless, I took a 60-minute around downtown Victoria. 

Major sights include the Victoria Clock Tower. This clock tower is an exact replica of one that was placed at the entrance of the Victoria Station on Vauxhall Bridge Road in London in 1892 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.

Plus, the Bicentennial Monument—that's the pic up top. It was erected in 1978 to commemorate Victoria's 200th anniversary. The monument symbolizes the African, European, and Asian cultures. And the Cathedral of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.

The last shots are of The Sir Selwin Selwyn Clarke Market. That’s not a typo, that's apparently his name. And then, of course, the obligatory "love" signage.

Overall, I liked The Seychelles. It's the most prosperous African nation (judged by GDP) and it showed. At lunchtime, the streets were filled with office workers, filling coffee shops and restaurants or strolling through local markets.