"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.&quo...
"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric." Bertrand Russell ***I am now living a hectic life down under***
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It's time to dispel the myth about the Seychelles. When people think of Seychelles, even those who have been there, they conjure up images reminiscent of a Bounty commercial, all indulgent wealth and luxury. And this dream can be fulfilled by heading to one of the outer islands, where tourists can cocoon themselves in a resort just expending enough effort to adjust the straw in their alarmingly expensive cocktail and direct their masseuse to that aggravating knot of stress. These visitors will leave suntanned and happy, regaling tales from their superficial experience about perfect beaches and the helpful pool boy, but without the first idea of the real people, the politics and the culture. And for the Seychellois, life isn't such a beach.
Seychelles has a history of social and political unrest, and there are many tales of forced exiles and assasination attempts. Even the complex I used to live in had allegedly once been a camp for Socialist re-education, where parents were forced to send their children to avoid a prison term. So, basically there is two worlds - sundowners and pampering for wealthy tourists, tin shacks, a struggle to make ends meet, and a lot of uncertainty about the future for locals. If visitors look below the surface and spend some time in Victoria, then the promised "Seychelles Experience" will be much more complete.
THE HISTORY
Victoria is the capital of Seychelles, a collection of several groups of islands east of Kenya spread over a large area of the Indian Ocean. Victoria is located in the north east of the largest island Mahe, home to 90% of the country's inhabitants. The town nestles between the port and the forested mountain ranges that run down the centre of the island. The original settlement was founded as a military base by the French in 1778, and was known simply as L'Establissement. When the English took over, 1841 they renamed the tiny, slow-developing town Victoria to honour the new queen. Now the capital is a cultural melting pot of mainly French and British colonial influence, with dashes of Chinese, Indian and African thrown in. It is a tiny place and can easily be looked around in one day.
MUST-SEES
Clock Tower - the most photographed object in Victoria is an ornate silver clock erected in 1903 to celebrate Seychelles'
new status as a crown colony. It stands proudly in the crossroads of the two main streets, surrounded by the post office, the colonial style courthouse, and Queen Victoria fountain, with the verdant mountains in the background.
Botanical Gardens - these small gardens on the Mont Fleuri Rd. were designed in 1901 and are an underused haven of peace. For visitors who are not moving on to Praslin to see the Vallee de Mai, this is the only opportunity to see the massive coco de mer - the symbol of Seychelles, a species now extinct from Mahe, along with other endemic palms, flowers and fruit trees. There is a small giant tortoise park, a limited café and a rainforest walk which crosses babbling streams. The atmosphere is relaxed and there are plenty of benches to pass time on - it is the perfect place to spend the afternoon after a morning in the centre of town. Entry fee is US$5.
Victoria Market - officially known as the Sir Selwyn Clarke Market, this is the hub of Victoria in the mornings. Upstairs, the brightly painted boutique units are mainly aimed at tourists, selling clothes, jewellery and mementos. Most of the souvenirs are plastic tat made in China with a Seychelles sticker attached, but there are a few locally crafted items here, the best buys being goods made from coconut products, jewellery, hand-dyed pareos and silk paintings. Local foods such as Hellfire chilli sauce, whole spices and citronella tea can be bought downstairs in the concrete courtyard which houses small stalls selling fruit, vegetables and spices, and a large fresh fish market, including many colourful species which aren't normally associated with eating. However, self-catering visitors better cross their fingers, because whatever is present depends on iwhether the supply boat has come in. Sometimes there will be a bountiful variety of shockingly expensive produce (for example a box of 40 oranges costs £60), other times just piles of tiny green mangoes. Another great place to illustrate this is the government run SMB supermarket nearby on Albert Street. Take a look at your hotelrestaurant menu, then see if you can find any of that in SMB…. I doubt it. Hotels get first pickings of whatever arrives on the island and the rest is left for residents. It really made me appreciate "just popping to Tesco's" after weeks waiting for the salt boat to arrive, or the flour, or carrots etc. You know when there's a national sugar shortage, because the locally bottled Coke and Fanta go a very strange colour. I don't want to give the impression of an Ethiopia crises - noone is starving, there is always something to eat, be it just local fish and coconuts, but the prices are extortionate, and it is the case of 'how the other half eat' regarding the tourists. OK enough, this is the kind of ranting months of hunger reduces someone to!
OTHER SITES
Kaz Zanana - the "Pineapple House" on Revolution Ave. is a wooden gallery of local art, including works by my favourite George Camille, who uses a wide variety of media, including silk painting, watercolour, and collage to produce wonderful scenes depicting everyday Kreol life. There is also a café, but like other small places in Victoria, there is occasionally no food available.
Fiennes Esplanade - the stalls on this shady avenue stock the worst of tacky souvenirs. It's a good place to come to see the dodgy salesman at work on the sunburned European. The stalls jam-packed with collected dyed-pink coral, shells and shark jaws should be avoided at all costs by anyone with an environmental conscience.
Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception - this is the centre of religious life for most Seychellois, and many of them reverently cross themselves in passing. The huge French colonial style church, built in 1874, peers down on the capital from the top of a flight of stone steps. When I visited here, the Pope had just passed away and there were huge memorial banners both inside and out. If you are not religious, this is a nice cool place to come for a sit down, but I probably shouldn't say that. Outside the side entrance is a lovely small garden with a graceful statue of the Virgin Mary, in front of the ornately sinister Capuchin House seminary built in 1933.
Cathedral - this modern cathedral was built in 2003, incorporating its 150 year old predecessor. Inside there is a fresh, contemporary feel, with plain whitewashed walls, and lovely stained glass windows depicting dolphins and local fish, (but I was looked at suspiciously when I attempted a restful sit down).Camion Hall - a tourist trap 'artisans centre' set up by the government on Albert St. to promote local craftsmen. Many items are a lot more expensive here than elsewhere, but it's a good place to see what is on offer, and some of the boutiques are only found here.
Rubbish Bins - from the side they are shaped like fregate birds!!
RESTAURANTS AND ACCOMMODATION
Seychellois cuisine revolves around fish and rice, and there is nothing tastier than a whole marinated red snapper or jackfish grilled on the barbie. Like everything else, meals in Seychelles are expensive.
The Pirates Arms (Independence Ave.) is the most popular place in town, and is a huge, busy room with screens showing satellite music channels . The food is a bit hit and miss - the pizzas (from £8) float in grease, but the toasted sandwiches (around£6) are good.
Rendezvous is a wooden jungle decored restaurant overlooking the Clock Tower with an extensive menu, with main courses starting from around £12. I was a little financially challenged when I came here, so I just chose an ice cream from the huge sundaes menu, and a cocktail which is served in a massive plastic cactus, both of which were very good. The sides of the restaurant are open air, and a window table gives a good view point to watch Victoria life passing by.
For cheaper snacks I used to love the tasty fish samoosas which can be bought early in the day in the tiny bakeries on Revolution Ave. for 30p.
A better bet for eating is found a ten minute bus journey away in Beau Vallon, such as the excellent Boathouse, which specialises in a substantial Kreol buffet (SR160/£17 for two courses and all drinks), and the good Italian Al Mare. Beau Vallon is also the best place for accommodation, as there are only small guesthouses in Victoria, some of which are particularly nasty, and still charge £40 per night, and all of which are located some way out of the centre in the suburbs. I would recommend The Coral Strand Hotel in Beau Vallon, which has everything a visitor could require whilst still retaining a lot of character, and only costs a few pounds more (I've written a full review under Seychelles Hotels).
PRACTICALITIES AND TIPS
For financial transactions in Victoria there are two European banks, Barclays and Nouvobanq, of which the latter is definitely the most efficient, and a deserted MCB with a vaguely functioning ATM. The ATMs are choosy about which cards they will give money to, despite what is listed as acceptable next to them. I found using a teller inside was the only way to access my account. The banks offer the government regulated exchange rate, but all tourists will find themselves continually propositioned to change money on the street, at a rate up to twice as beneficial as that in the bank. This is a crime worthy of deportation, but is the choice of the visitor. Bartering is essential in tourist shops and with taxi drivers, and the best way to achieve a low price is by paying in foreign exchange (US$ or Euros), and then accepting a healthy wad of rupees in change, which kills two birds with one stone. At the internet café I used in Beau Vallon, they used to technically pay me for visiting!
Getting news from and contacting the outside world is not all that easy in Seychelles. The newspapers are run by the political parties, so don't expect anything very impartial, or much international news, but they are a good port of call for notification of the next food shortage (I like to eat so it became an obsession!). There is a local television channel, which I never saw, but I expect it would be very much the same. Therefore, the best means are the internet cafés, which have a surprisingly fast connection and cost around SR40 per hour (£4.50). There is one in Victoria on Palm St. which is quite unusual for Seychelles, being that it is a) modern, and b) actually is also a café, and another in Beau Vallon, which is the front porch of someone's house, but is functional and cheaper.
The Tourist office is on Independence Ave. and is sometimes very efficient for providing leaflets and finding a rental car at the last minute, but at other times feign indifferent ignorance and claim not to know anything about tourist information!
I was surprised by the high crime rate. Like any small isolated island nation, there is not a great deal for people to occupy themselves with, which along with the difficulty of obtaining anything from abroad has led to a gang culture springing up, and increasing incidence of muggings in broad daylight. It is necessary to be vigilant, careful after dark and use the safe in hotels.
Sunday is still observed in the traditional way, and shops only open for Saturday mornings at weekends.
TRANSPORT
Victoria is miniscule and where all the island's vehicles seem to congregate, so it is best not to bring a car into town. Walking is the best way around, but if necessary buses are cheap at only SR3 (£0.30) per journey, and are locally the most popular form of transport. The bus station in Palm St. is the hub of the island's network, and all buses end up here at some point. The services are mildly sporadic, but I found if I sat there long enough something eventually turned up. Unless it's after 5pm when the only hope is a taxi.
CONCLUSION
When I arrived in Victoria, it was very different than I had expected, but then so was Seychelles in general. It is not a quaint little tropical capital where life is easy, but it does have some charm and a unique character, and a visit is essential for anyone who wants to get to know the real Seychelles.
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