Mahe, Seychelles – December 7, 2014
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| Green hillsides - Mahe |
The first thing we noticed approaching the
Seychelles is their mountainous silhouettes and green terrain. These islands have larger hills than previous
ports and they are covered with trees. The
ship docked in the city of Victoria, which is the capital city of this
Republic. There are over 116 islands
with 45 of them granitic (the oldest and hardest granite in the world), having
broken off from both India and Madagascar as the ancient Gondwana continent
broke apart leaving a major part migrating north to collide with Asia. The rest are coral islands. The majority of the islands are uninhabited
and many are dedicated nature reserves. Lying
only a few degrees south of the equator, the islands are very humid and
classified as tropical rain forest (my favorite kind of island).
Environmental legislation is very strict and we
were not allowed to take any fruits or food ashore. We also stepped on a disinfecting mat for our
shoes exiting and entering the ship. The
islands are home to a number of unique plants, birds and marine life –
evolution taking its own branch down here.
Creole (same as New Orleans), English and
French are the official languages that are spoken, with most of the children
only learning Creole when they go to school as most of their parents were
taught French in school. Education is
free and the literacy rate is more than 90%.
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| Female Coco de Mer Palm |
Seychelles is a member of the African Union and
with a population of just over 90,000 and it is the smallest African state. The islands have no indigenous population and
the largest ethnic groups are those of African, French, Indian and Chinese
descent. 82% of the population is Roman
Catholic and there are small groups of other religions. They have a matriarchal society and unwed
mothers are the norm. However, the law
requires fathers to support their children.
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| Coco de Mer |
We arrived at Mahe late morning and went on our
“Northern Highlights” tour after lunch.
The tour included a windy drive around the northern part of the island
and a walk through town but as it was Sunday, all of the stores were closed.
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| Fruit Bat |
The highlight for me was a visit to the
botanical gardens where we saw Coco de Mer, a species of palm that grows ONLY
on two islands here in the Seychelles.
The male and female trees are quite distinctive and it is sometimes
called the “love nut” due to its buttocks-shaped double coconut. It produces the world’s heaviest seedpods. Although I was never able to view the rare
Seychelles Black parrot, I did love seeing the large fruit bats soaring above the
gardens and feasting on the plentiful fruit.
The botanical gardens are also home to a population of giant tortoises.
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| Tortoises |
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