The Seychelles

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We spent 13 nights total in The Seychelles, a nation comprised of 118 islands. Eight of those nights were spent on the major island, Mahe. Our time in Mahe was spent primarily near the country’s capital – Victoria. We were able to use local buses (very cheap) to access the small capital city. We also visited several of the beautiful, white beaches found on the island.

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	Albert Street in the lovely, quaint town of Victoria
	The "Big Bend" clock in Victoria (we walked past it twice before realizing this was "Big Bend")
	The beach at Anse Aux Pins
	Looking in the other direction at the Anse Aux Pins beach
	Looking down at Eden Island, an upscale community (look at the blue color of the sea; wow!)

The balance of our time was spent on the lovely island of Praslin. We found Praslin to be far more interesting and less touristy than Mahe. It was impressive to find pristine white beaches with no people in sight. Also, the island is very diverse so we could do hiking in uninhabited areas as well as enjoy time in the Valle de Mai World Heritage Site. We enjoyed excellent accommodations at Ocean Jewels Resort (you'll see a few photographs of our lovely "home away from home" below). Also, due to the convenient location of Ocean Jewels Resort, we were able to use local buses to travel throughout the small island. Our hosts, Paul and Brenda, provided lots of helpful information to assist us with touring, shopping, etc. both prior to and during our visit. You can contact then directly via their website: www.seychelles-oceanjewel.com We know you'll enjoy a wonderful escape just as we did! One hint.... stay as long as you possibly can; it's truly wonderful!

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	Our Air Seychelles transport to Praslin
	VIews of the ocean and other islands in transit
	Our home at Ocean Jewels Resort - a truly lovely complex
	Ed had everything he needed in this open kitchen
	Our private outdoor patio and garden
	Ed standing by one of the Praslin public buses before we go hiking near Mt. Plesir
	A view while hiking near Mt. Plesir; talk about an isolated, unpopulated beach!
	The lovely, pristine beach at Ocean Jewels Resort rarely gets much more crowded
	A fishing boat parked a short distance from the beach
	A giant land tortoise
	A closer view as it comes to eat some greens

The touring highlight of Praslin is the amazing UNESCO World Heritage site, Valle de Mai. Valle de Mai is a preserved palm forest with the key species being the Coco de Mer palm. The Coco de Mer has the largest seed of any living plant (a double nut seed – that looks like two coconuts tied together). It’s amazing to see! There are also other palm species found in the site as well as a variety of birds and lizards (as one would expect to live in a tropical preserve).

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	Ed holding a Coco de Mer seed while we're attending an orientation about Valle de Mai
	Our lovely guide, Sarah, holding the male flower pod of the Coco de Mer palm tree
	A view of a Coco de Mer female palm tree; the fruit on the left has been fertilized by male pollen; the tiny black fruits on the right have not been fertilized
	In the center you'll see the male flower pod on a male Coco de Mer palm tree
	A Green Gecko on a male Coco de Mer palm tree
	Ed & Lindy in the lush Vallee de Mai site
	A view within the Vallee de Mai World Heritage Site
	If you look carefully, you see a Seychelles Blue Pigeon sitting in the center of this photograph
	This Bronze-Eyed Gecko is easier to spot (of course, without Sarah pointing it out, we probably would not have seen it)
	Ed standing next to a fallen fan from a Coco de Mer palm; it gives you an idea of how HUGE these massive trees are
	A colorful Skink living in Vallee de Mai