Sep 12, 20233 min read

Did something I PROMISED myself I wasn’t going to do…

Updated: Oct 19, 2023

Well folks, I did something I promised myself I was NOT going to do this year. In my year of "yes", driving in a foreign country was a hard no...until yesterday.

I survived, even had fun.

The taxi from the airport to the hotel was ~$75 USD for all of a 20 minute ride. There is no Uber or Lyft, and the bus system didn't go where I needed to go and on top of that I didn't have a way to purchase a transit card without another $100+ taxi to the city center, so rental car it was.

The rental service brought it to the hotel, where we did all of the paperwork in the hotel lobby. $75 US for the entire day...it was an economical choice.

Thankfully it all went well.

The Seychelles were officially colonized by the Brit's, so you guessed it, they drive on the left with the controls on the right-side of the car. There was only one moment that I got slightly confused after making a turn, but it was a remote area with no oncoming traffic and I quickly realized I was on the wrong side of the road...the rest of the day went perfectly. The max speed on most of the island is 40 kph and generally little traffic. Driving in Victoria, the capital city was a bit more stressful. A fair amount of stop and go traffic but the biggest issues is the lack of data included in cell phone packages here. So GPS/Maps doesn't work so I was left relying on a map of the paper variety which made navigating the streets of the capital a bit hectic. The rest of the island has very few roads so navigation is simple. But I made it where I wanted to go, not exactly on the path I was planning but one thing leads to another and I made it!

I toured the entire north and central part of the island. Leaving the hotel around 10:45a after a lovely Oceanside breakfast here at the Mango House Seychelles, a LXR Hotel + Resort by Hilton.

The sights, and again like every area of the world I have visited thus far, the people, were truly magical. I had a total of 3 people ASK for their photo to be taken today. It's only happened 3 times in the entire trek around the globe thus far, so being doubled in a single day was memorable, and I feel speaks to the kind and curious nature of the Seychellois people.

I swam in the Indian Ocean for the first time. It was noticeably LESS salty than other oceans I have visited. You didn't have that gritty feeling after drying off. I had ever really given any thought to it until yesterday when I started to google and do some reading. The Atlantic is saltier than both the Pacific and Indian Ocean. It was warm, but not bath water like, and a comfortable + refreshing combo that made the swim enjoyable.

The granite islands are simply stunning. The Seychelles are not made of coral or volcanic matter like so many other islands. The cliffs and boulders make it a unique sight and it's why people flock here from around the world.

The People in Places series got some great additions.

Oh, and I ate an entire fish for lunch. It was served whole, grilled. Local grouper. No photos as I was in the middle of a photo transfer and once that starts I can't stop it but it came out head and all on the platter, it was delicious and fresh, as one would expect. Another first for me. I usually don't love to see what I am eating in its living form... 🤷🏻‍♂️

This morning is a snorkeling tour. GoPro in hand...ready to explore the underwater world after a day of the surface and above sights.

Cole from Colorado

Oh, and if you needed ANY proof that the world is indeed a small place. Let me take you to the hotel bar, perched on the ocean on the 2nd floor of the hotel directly above the lobby, where I met Edel. Close friend of Ta'Lor from Grand Junction. She moved to the islands 3 months ago to become bar manager of the hotel. So out of all of the hotels that I could have picked, and a random chance "y'all" that lead to a "where are you from" conversation...we determined that we both had a common friend. How is that possible?