Traveling Disers are lost and adrift somewhere?

[suzannen]

Hi everyone,
The Seychelles are beautiful and the perfect place for me to finish my recuperation. Because of my shingles, my vacation last week wasn't much fun, but at least I caught up on some reading and correspondence.

I remember a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue once shot at the Seychelles. The women were beautiful, but the scenery was even more stunning.

castlegazer, that's great news about the potty training progress! Glad your vacation went well.

 

[goofy4tink]

Seems I'm always running around looking for you guys. While I may not be posting as much as I was, I'm still here. What with the WDW trip, and school and now maybe going to work part-time in the school, my life is crazed. Just wanted to stop by and say hi tho. Hey, btw, any of you in NE have any recommendations for good spots to stay while in Bar Harbor? Thought we might do that area and then take the 'cat ' over to Yarmouth for 3-4 days and tour around over there.

 

[castlegazer]

Hidee ho good neighbor!
I don't right off the top of my head - my father-in-law is from around there so he may - I will check with him tonight when I see him.

Oh my GOD am I having a blast here in the Seychelles! Ed, can we stay a few more days so I can spend some time looking around (time is a wee bit limited the first day back from vacation).

Here's the view from my hammock:

Seychelles

What's it really like?

Location:

14 of the 150-plus Seychelles islands have now begun to embrace tourism albeit in a subtle way. A few have become exclusive playgrounds for the very rich and famous who pay up to a thousand pounds a night to be pampered, others are not so snooty and are no less appealing.

Mahé is the largest of the islands and home to 90% of the entire population while many of its smaller neighbours are uninhabited.

Thanks to good roads car hire is the ideal way to explore the coastline or inland forests through the national park.

Victoria is the capital and epicentre of workaday life for the Seychellois although it still proceeds at a leisurely pace.

It is divided into the old and new with the former beginning to look rather decrepit in places. Beyond the town most activity centres around the modern hotels.

Beau Vallon is the closest the Seychelles has to a 'resort' which is home to a couple of hotels and a public beach.

What all the islands have in abundance is dramatic unspoilt scenery on the doorstep of every hotel, unique wildlife and majestic beaches. Note: Very few of the islands have airstrips, some have limited amenities and many are occupied by just one hotel. Check with your tour operator

Health: Mahé, Praslin and La Dique all have hospitals. .

Beaches:

Voted the best in the world, the beaches of the Seychelles typify most people's vision of paradise hence they are repeatedly used for glamour photo-shoots or exotic film locations.

If solitude and truly stunning scenery are your heart's desire look no further - a combination of sand, palm trees and the crystal-clear Indian ocean creates the perfect location.

Most hotels provide Watersports.

Days out:

Island hopping is a major pastime fueled by legends of buried pirate treasure and deserted beaches.

Some novices hire boats to explore but unless you are a complete adventurer it is advisable to take an organized excursion - you wouldn't want to stray onto the prison colony or run into rats on a desert island.

Guided nature walks and snorkeling are great ways to get closer to nature and witness the exotic creatures on land or the colourful sea life which inhabits the coral reefs.

The capital, Victoria is good for shopping trips and a handful of museums which preserve the culture and natural history of the islands.

Golf: Mahé has a nine-hole course. There's an 18-hole course on Praslin.

Nights out:

Mainly hotel-based entertainment. On police advice it is best not to walk out at night.

Most hotels provide their own discreet security patrols.

Bucket and Spade Brigade:

For active youngsters ensure your accommodation provides entertainment and children's facilities. Also, consider staying on Mahé which has better amenities and involves less traveling.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

Mane is the place we can set up base for traveling around I'm trying to find a nice house to get us off the boat for a week

Mahe, the largest of the Seychelles islands, 27 km long by up to 8 km wide, is the political and commercial centre of the Seychelles. Up to 90% of all Seychelles inhabitants live on Mahe. It is this island that first greets all visitors, since the only International Airport exists here, built by the English in 1971 and opened by Queen Elisabeth of England in 1972. It is the pride and joy of the Seychelles, a centre for contact with the outside world. Also on the island are the two main ports, allowing deep-sea vessels to dock.



The Government has its seat within the capital Victoria, where most of the business takes place. The first people arrived in 1778, during the French colonial period, they were police sent from Mauritius to bring law and order. They built their houses at Victoria, which was then named L’Establissement du Roi. The city received its current name in 1841, named after the Queen of England at the time, Victoria.






At the centre of Victoria is the famous clock tower, a present from England in 1903. It is a copy of the clock tower in the Vauxhall Bridge Road in London. The present was given to symbolise the separation away from Mauritius and the building of a new separate colony for the Seychelles.





Mahe is a granite island, rising out of the sea with her mountain tops often obscured from view by a blanket of clouds. Morne Seychellois rises to a height of 905 meters above sea level. Rich vegetation covers the whole island, in the lower regions mainly coconut palms grow, in the mountainous areas tropical forests with their own unique species of plants. Coconuts, cinnamon and vanilla are cultivated on Mahe, with tea being cultivated at altitudes above 600 meters.




Accommodation exists all over the island, during the 70s and 80s many modern hotel complexes were built offering luxury and comfort. Tourism and nature go hand in hand here. The number of hotels and tourists are restricted to ensure the natural beauty of the land is not spoilt. The hotels offer luxury standard, all modern comforts are taken care of, the welcome is warm and friendly. Sporting facilities are plenty, from golf to horse riding, not to mention the water sport facilities where deep-sea fishing, sailing and diving are but a few of what are available. For the more adventurous, try paragliding, a chance to see the beauty of the island from a birds perspective.


For those who wish to see the whole island, should rent a car, an open air Mini Moke or even a Jeep. The roads here are good, almost circling the whole island. It is not recommended to hire a bicycle due to the traffic, except in the south of the island where it is somewhat quieter. There are many places of interest to visit and a car will allow you to see them all.

 

[castlegazer]

Hey ED!!!! In honor of your penchant for yelling "fins to the left - fins to the right!" Here's some photos from Boston.com to keep the feeling alive even though I know you're not going to Fenway.

Dec. 25, 1946

James Delaney Buffett, Jr. and Mary Loriane (Peets) bring James William Buffett into the world at Jackson County Memorial Hospital in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

This is awesome! They run down his life history - probbaly taken from margaritaville.com, but its cool nonetheless: http://www.boston.com/ae/music/buffett/

 

[deadheadbelle]

Hey guys! So glad Ed is finding a house. I'm ready to get off the boat for a few days.

castlegazer, your vacation sounds great! I can't wait for our vacation. I just hope all the hurricanes are finished by the time we go & the parks are still standing.

Alright, I'm off to check out this place I've never heard of.

Oh Ed, my mom went to see Jimmy Buffet last week in Cincinnati. If you ever get a chance to see him in Cincy, you should. Cincinnati has a very large Parrothead population.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

Yes Cinci has the largest amount I dont think Boston is far behind they must be 2 or 3 on the list.

 

[deadheadbelle]

Originally posted by deadheadbelle
Hey guys! So glad Ed is finding a house. I'm ready to get off the boat for a few days.

Ok, now this is just ridiculous. I've been sitting here waiting for Ed to find us a house for A WEEK!!!!! I've been all over this damn place & I'm ready to move on. Where do we go from here?????

 

[edcrbnsoul]

LOL I thought everyone had left me I've been sitting here in this hammock soaking up rays

I've been in this house all by myself the staff is great

 

[castlegazer]

Oy - you're funny. Ed and I were just discussing this very issue behind the scenes today!!!!

Um, we both felt noone cared anymore. But since the great DHB still cares - here's what I suggested to him, I suggested that we take the ship over to the east coast of America and do a color tour in the next few weeks. He would like to do the Phillipines.

Where would you like to go? Oh and if any of our other passengers are still with us - bronzed though they may be from the African sunshine, please pipe up and we will set sail. I can't promise too much over the next week or so as I will be traveling, but we can set sail in a little bit.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

We can fly back and do a foliage tour

 

[castlegazer]

Oh man - Ed you stink!!!! That house rocks!!!! What the heck - you just didn't want us women messing it up for you with those beautiful maids now idd you?

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm here. I know, I know. I haven't been very reliable but I'll try to do better. House looks great Ed. Nice.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

That wasnt you on the massage table SORRY LADY !

 

[ibouncetoo]

Did you miss me? I flew down the continent and did a SAFARI!!
A photographic one, of course!

Isn't it too soon for a 'foilage' tour? Don't we need to wait a couple more weeks for that? (Sorry, been living in the desert too long to remember exactly when the leaves start turning.)

 

[suzannen]

Ed, our house is gorgeous!! (Are we still in the Seychelles?)

I lost this thread for a while...my search function wasn't working and I went back like 6 pages and STILL couldn't find it, so I'm glad DHB did.

Fall foliage sounds great once we're all rested up - this is a really busy time at my office so I'm not so reliable, but promise to try to keep up with all of the great work that Ed and castlegazer do to keep this thread so fascinating.

Will you guys forgive all us deadbeats now and stamp our passports to our next destination?

PS-Friends of mine are getting ready to go on a Fall Foliage tour in 2 weeks on Silverseas Cruises. Ed, does that sound like something for us to investigate?

 

[edcrbnsoul]

Nope your right we will start leaf peepeing around here the last week of Sept first couple of weeks of Oct. But a safari sounds fun we can start this week or next (ah the benefits of our own privitae plane).

 

[castlegazer]

Sorry, should have said that I meant for a folliage tour ot start in the coming weeks, not right now. I am going to be unreliable for a while.

If ibouncetoo! doesn't mind going to see the lions twice, I think a sarfari sounds awesome!!!

 

[castlegazer]

Oh hey!!!! If I don't say so myself, that last post of mine turned ou awesome!! How cool is that gif?

 

[ibouncetoo]

Good job castlegazer! And no, I have no objection to another safari!! The last one inspired me to make a little gift for some friends of mine who are staying at AKL (shhhh, don't tell them Deadheadbelle........