Monthly Archives: April 2017

As I dip my feet in the warm waters of the Grand Anse beach in Seychelles, I am reminded for the millionth time how versatile the country has become for avid travellers like myself. Gone are the days when one only visits Seychelles for honeymoon. In fact, I was surprised at how many families are now choosing the destination for their holidays. I have learned that Seychelles can be explored in just three days, five if you add in flights.It's paradise, something that a person should experience at least once I their lifetime.Its history is pretty informative and insightful, and it's more than sun, sea and sand.Here is how I spent my three days in Seychelles:

Getting there:

Thanks to the new Air Seychelles route to Durban, Seychelles is now only a 5-hour flight away. The airline is currently running a special to celebrate their launch. For an economy ticket, one will pay around R5000 while business class will set you back for around R16 000. The special ends on May 12 for travel up to December 5.

Day 1:Getting familiar with the largest Island in Seychelles: Mahe

I am awoken by the sound of soft crashing of waves at Beau Vallon, one of the many beaches situated in Mahe. I open my hotel room and am met with the gorgeous clear blue pool. Not so far lies the beach, the sea sounding happy. It's a clear day in Seychelles, approximately 29 degrees Celsius and humid.

After a filling breakfast, we check out of our hotel. Our driver, Christopher, takes us around Mahe for the day. Gretel from Seychelles Tourism Board tells us as we pass the clean and lush green streets filled with small shops and vendors that the northern part of Seychelles, including Mahe, has become a tourist attraction.

Many hotels and self catering venues have now emerged, leaving hope for anyone who wants to visit this idyllic county on a budget. The southern part of Seychelles attracts those who want a quiet relaxing holiday. Mountain slopes similar to Signal Hill in Cape Town pave the way.

Quaint houses with banana trees are along the route.

Seychelles and Mauritius are different, says Gretel, as Christopher pumps up Creole music.

Some of us in the car can't help but stomp our feet and tap to the beat.

Our first stop was Mission Lodge, situated below the summit of San Soucis. It is known as the most famous vantage point in Seychelles. The site was once a place for a farm and boarding school for liberated slave children. Opened in 1876, it was previously known as Venn's Town. The ruins where the buildings stood are still visible.While watching the mountain and sea views, I notice Marie Valmont, a small shop owner who travels an hour by bus every day to sell snacks to arriving tourists. Her smile is warm and she has been running the shop for four years.

Also on our itinerary was the colourful Victoria Market.A visit to the market gives a glimpse of Seychelles living and its inhabitants.You have to see the liberation movement monument of a man breaking the chains. It is along the route to the market. The market was built in 1840 and renovated in 1999.

The streets are busy, school children in their brown shorts and crisp white shirts parade along the streets. Some are seen wearing flops. Immediately I am met with a smile from one of the local vendors. Rosemarie Uzice is an upcoming businesswomen who visits Thailand and South Africa regularly to stock up on clothes for her stall. She sells scarves, dresses and t-shirts.

A few meters away lies the fish and vegetable market.There is a demand for fish in Seychelles. Mackerel sells for 25 rupees for a dozen. Flies surround the packed fish tables and there is a strong floating about. Coconuts and other green fruit are on display.

Stall owners are excited to see us.They do not force us to buy their products, but a little support puts a smile on their faces.

Opposite the car park of the market is the only Hindu Temple in Seychelles. Named the Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar Temple, it was built in1992. It's beautiful bright colours makes it stands out, attracting visitors from all walks of life.On our trip to Eden Island, a manmade island in Mahe, we are told that it is cheaper to hire a car than take a taxi. Locals usually travel by bus that costs five Seychelles rupees per a trip.

Tonight, we spend our time at the Eden Bleu Hotel. We were treated to a three course dinner of octopus salad, red snapper and a dreamy coconut dessert. All meals were prepared by Chef Ricky Madeleine.When I asked about where he drew his inspiration for the dish, he said he learned the techniques from a French pastry chef back in 2002.

Earlier, for lunch, we tried out some Creole cuisine to get familiar with its food and tastes.Curries are big in Seychelles, but not as spicy as what you would find in India or Durban.

The red snapper and prawn curry was beautifully prepared with enough spice to help me finish it all. There are also specialty curries in Seychelles like octopus or bat. Speaking of food, there is a legend that if one tries the breadfruit, one will visit again.

Day 2:Early flight to Praslin

Cycling is the Khanna family from Punjab is Deepa, Manish and Dhruv.

The sunset on Long Beach.

The next day we get up early and head to the airport for Praslin. It is home to Anse Lazio, one of the top five beaches in the world.For around 200 Seychelle rupees, one can take a 15 minute flight from the island of Mahe.

At the airport, a group of school children are all excitement as they prepare for an overnight excursion. Other foreigners filled the seats.Being so early, we get to see the sunrise.The plane itself feels like a private jet, just with more people.

Once at Praslin, pronounced Pralin, we went straight into the exploring. One thing Seychelles is proud of is the coco de mer.The coco de mer has a female and male tree, which can live up to 200 to 400 years. They can only be found at Vallee DE Mai Nature Reserve.

According to our guide at the reserve, it can take up to 25 years to develop.Getting a coco de mer can be hard as a permit is required.Valle de Mai Nature Reserve is a nature park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.Birding is quite popular for tourists.At the reserve is species of six endemic birds, including the Seychelles Bulbul, blue pigeon and black parrot.

We meet many locals, including Phillip Dorby, a labourer who has grown his hair for the past 30 years and wears them in dreadlocks. He is often seen walking the beach after doing some hard manual labour.Elsewhere on Grand Anse in La Digue is Louis Gillert, who has a food and beverage stall on the beach front. His specialty is coconut drinks.

La Digue is a very laid back part of the country where thousands of day visitors flock to every month. It is the fourth biggest island in Seychelles and can be accessed by boat or ferry. Among the popular activities are watersport, cycling and some just come to enjoy lazing on its beaches. The very tropical town exudes elegance with a string of hotels and self catering joints at every corner. There are only 2900 people living on the island

Dania Morel, information officer for La Digue, said it is the only island to use ox carts and bicycles as their mode of transportation.

"We get day trips and returning guests. Some love it so much, they rent a house for three monthsWe are a small community, everyone knows each other, and we encourage tourists to walk, hike and go out, " she said.

Most of our day was spent at La Digue having to chart back by boat.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the sunset and taking pictures to capture the moment.By night, after dinner, we decided to watch the stars while on a beach walk on Grand Anse. Crabs were on their way, snipping past us as we were looking towards the sky.

Day 3:Out at sea

It was another early morning, departing from Praslin to Mahe. Today we spend a full day at the Marine Park, consisting of six islands.On board the Odezir catamaran, we blended in with French and Dubai tourists. We were the only South Africans on board, and it showed as the French kept looking at us strangely when some of the group members spoke in IsiZulu.

Before we explored the islands, we anchored at a famous fishing spot to feed fish.Our tour guide Jacqueline gave us some bread and in seconds the fish battled with each other to get their breakfast. Their agility intrigued me.

Moyenne Islands was one of the stops of the tour. The excursion gave new meaning to the word "out at sea" as we took a speedboat to watch the ocean life through a submarine. Afterwards, we enjoyed a hike in Moyenne where we fed turtles. A Russian couple with their three children caught my eye. Their friendliness made talking to them easy. They were on holiday for 10 days.

Some of us dipped our feet in the warm ocean, washing off the white sand off our feet.The tour itself is fascinating as one peers through islands and hear of their rich history. Those who wanted to snorkel had the opportunity to do so, while others chose to tan on board. Prepared on the boat is a fine buffet of Creole food, so rich in taste you want seconds. Despite the long haul on the catamaran, its luxury and comfort helped make it much more easier.

-Clinton Moodley was hosted by Air Seychelles and Seychelles Tourism Board.

Link:

Seychelles part 2: How to spend 3 days in the country - Independent Online

Seychelles evening

On Wednesday (5 April) Searcys, a collection of restaurants, bars and venues throughout the UK, showcased one of its newest acquisitions, the St Pauls Cathedral, to 200 corporate buyers at an exclusive event. The evening demonstrated the services and creative catering skills that are available at the historical venue, as well as its links to the rest of the Searcys Collection.

Searcys, which operates St Pauls with catering and event management, served up a range of canaps and champagne and the evening was made even more special with a unique, private organ recital. The evening was also supported by Lavender Green, who dressed the venue with stunning flowers, and Wise Productions, who provided the lighting and AV for the evening.

The Seychelles- A Taste of Bliss evening was hosted on Thursday (6 April) in partnership with The Seychelles Tourism Board, Etihad Airways, Savoy Resort & Spa and Avenue Sales & Marketing in an exclusive roof top of the Penthouse at the Cheval Residences, overlooking Tower Bridge and The Shard. Agencies in attendance included Black Tomato, Banks Sadler, CWT Meetings & Events, Adding Value,Green Pleasant Events, Inception Global, Red Eye Events, AOK, CMM andHigh Commissioner of the Republic of Seychelles Mr Derrick Ally.

The exclusive preview evening included an interactive presentation and a Discover Seychelles island quiz, during which guests learnt about the wide variety of group incentive activities available in The Seychelles. Authentic Seychelles Creole food and beverages were served up by Seychelles Pop-Up Kitchen Vinn Goute.

See the article here:

Week in Pictures: Searcys' showcase and Seychelles: A Taste of Bliss - CIT Magazine

Kenya and the Seychelles on Monday entered into an agreement to expand their ties in trade and security. In addition, President Danny Faure and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta agreed that Kenya will continue to export human resource to the island country. Labour that it increasingly need.

This was during the Seychelles Presidents three-day state visit to Kenya. Their meeting also resulted in a broad-based agreement that will see more Kenyan agricultural products exports to the Seychelles.They are consuming more.

President Faure said it made more economic sense for his country to import beef and poultry from Kenya instead of countries such as Brazil. As reported by local media, the Seychelles will, on their part, support Kenya in developing its maritime sector especially the fishing industry, which Kenya has paid little attention to since independence. President Faure announced that his country would support Kenya to make the port of Mombasa develop the capacity to act as a fish transshipment port.

Other areas of partnership are in tourism development and cooperation in processing information and intelligence sharing in fisheries and marine security. This is the inter-African trade arrangement that we have always been pushing for. In 2012, trade between Kenya and Seychelles was worth Sh550 million - low but increasing every year. Kenya exported goods worth Sh183.3 million the Seychelles and imported goods worth Sh367 million. Kenyas main exports to the Seychelles include agricultural and medical products. Their exports to Kenya include fish products. In March 24, the two countries signed a double taxation avoidance agreement.

With the tax treaty, reinforced with the current visa exemption, trade experts estimated trade flows between the two countries would increase up to tenfold. This would also give Kenya and opportunity to do business with the wider Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa countries.

After Independence in 1976, the Seychelles developed from a largely agricultural society to a market-based diversified economy. This is the direction that we should take as a country.

We need to undertake fiscal consolidation and initiate economic reforms to adequately respond to the magnitude and persistence of the climate change and population growth that have adversely affected our agricultural sector. We have less land to cultivate and the environment is no longer favourable for farming, leading to persistent drought every now and then. We need alternatives.

For instance, French plantations were the main industry of the Seychelles until 1971, when the international airport opened. Overnight, tourism became a serious industry, basically dividing the economy into plantations and tourism. The tourism sector paid better, and the plantation economy could only expand so far. It is no surprise that President Faure had to leave his hotel as early as 5am on Wednesday to visit the Nairobi National Park.

The plantation sector of the economy declined in prominence, and tourism and fishing became the primary industries of the Seychelles. In the 1960s, about 33 per cent of the working population worked on plantations, but by 2006 it was less than three per cent.

Lets learn from their systems. We must not be short-sighted by the deals we signed with the Seychelles, lets look at the bigger picture. We could have learnt something from the Asian Tigers, we didnt.

Kibii comments on international and current affairs

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Let's take lessons from Seychelles and divesify economy - The Star, Kenya

National carrier Kenya Airways has secured unlimited flights to Seychelles, boosting its turnaround strategy.

KQ has signed an MoU with the Seychelles Tourism Board which will allow the airline to increase its weekly flights to five from the current four.

But Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Seychelles tourism, civil aviation, ports and marines minister, said Kenya Airways is free to increase its flights to any number depending on capacity.

"Kenya Airways is not restricted. It can go to seven or more. This is an open agreement," Lalanne said during the signing at the Transport ministry.

Read: Seychelles to import beef, poultry from Kenya, says it will bolster fishing industry

The agreement is expected to promote tourism and boost intra Africa trade.

It is also anchored on aspiration to strengthen the airline presence in Seychelles.

Increased frequency will increase KQs revenues, a boost to its ongoing recovery strategy as it strives to return to profitability.

"This partnership will also underscore the important role that Kenya Airways plays in the African economy development, specifically creating vital linkages between the continent and the international market, on which tourism and other key sectors depend on and thrive, " Kenya Airways CEO Mbuvi Ngunze said.

Lalanne also challenged KQ to ensure it has cargo capacity to handle exports and imports between the two countries, in the renewed bilateral trade agreements.

Sychelleses targets to export hundreds of tonnes of fish to Kenya, while import flowers, vegetables and meat products which they import from New Zealand Australia and Brazil.

Transport CS James Macharia affirmed the government's commitment to supporting Kenya Airways Operations. He said the government was also keen on securing more bilateral agreements

The deal comes a day after Seychelles President Danny Faure arrived in the country on a three-day state visit.

He signed bilateral agreements with the Kenyan government to increase trade, share skills and experience, by coming up with new marketing strategies.

Read: Seychelles President Danny Faure gets full honours on first visit to Kenya

See the rest here:

Boost for KQ as open sky deal with Seychelles secured - The Star, Kenya