Travel in the time of Covid: Seychelles has opened its doors to international tourists – Moneycontrol.com

The Aldabra Giant Tortoise on Curieuse Island, Seychelles. (Photo: Chris Close)

Pack linen, straw hat, flip-flops, a bucket of sunscreen, and proof that you got the second/final Covid-19 vaccine shot at least two weeks prior (for children under 18, an RT-PCR negative report will do) and head to the Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 granite and coralline islands that has just opened its doors to international tourists.

Too many islands?

Ignore the count, because only four are inhabited (Mahe, Praslin, La Digue and Silhouette).

You could hike, dive, eat a fruit bat, dip your toes in silken sand, gape at the worlds largest species of coconut - and tortoise. And hear stories about Marie Antoinette (last queen of France) escaping the guillotine and shacking in a Seychelles island. Of writer Ian Fleming waiting for the muse to write the Bond adventure For Your Eyes Only. Of Prince William and Kate Middleton picking a Robinson Crusoe-type island for their honeymoon. So many stories, so many to-do things on an island that if you believe the myth was the Garden of Eden.

Heres a quick look at must-see, must-do, must-eat in Seychelles:

Victoria: Nothing screams Small is Beautiful better than Victoria, the capital of Seychelles. One of the smallest capitals in the world, it is so small that you could walk around it in anhour and spin around in 20 minutes by car.An old church stands as a reminder of the colonial era, a Hindu temple painted bright shimmers by the arcade, and the weekly market buzzes with hawkers and buyers. The crown jewel of the central roundabout is the Big Ben. The Little Big Ben, actually. A tiny silver replica of Londons Vauxhall Clock Tower that was erected to mark Seychelles new status as the Crown Colony. This Big Ben is small but do not call it Little Ben. It has a proper name: IHorloge (literally, painted silver).

La Digue: With a population of 1,500, La Digue seems to be sitting on another planet. For long, cars were not allowed on the island. Rent a bicycle and pedal around. Laze on white beaches and gape at rocks carved exquisitely by lashing waves over millions of years. Anse Source dArgent on La Digue is said to be the most photographed beach in the world. Spare half a day for Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to get up close with the Aldabra Giant Tortoises that can live for centuries. Do not miss LUnion Estate, a former coconut and vanilla plantation that offers a peep into the islands colonial history.

Praslin Island: If legends are to be believed, Valle De Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Praslin, was the original site of the Garden of Eden. Not many talk of Adamand Eve, though. All chatter is around Coco de Mer, an

Female Coco De Mer nut. (Photo: Gerald Larose)

Tip: Take Cat Cocos Ferry from Mahe to Praslin and Praslin to La Digue. Operational twice daily every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdayand Friday; once on Sunday. Do not think of bringing home the Coco de Mer - it is strictly prohibited.

Fruit batsandshark chutney: Pwason Sale (salt fish) chutney with green mango; grilled red snapper basted with garlic and ginger; red lentil stew; snake gourd curry; breadfruit or cassava chips or daube, a sweet/salty staple soup. In Seychelles, Creole meals meld local flavours with French flair. But wait, you have not heard of the unusual lunch delicacy: thefruit bat. Thats what Sundayare for -the bat meal. Fruit bats are dressed, diced, marinated overnight in garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and vinegar, then sauted and slathered with tamarind juice. Four bats are enough for a hearty meal for three people! If bats are not enough to fill a plate, theres satini reken. That is, shark chutney. Skinned, boiled shark meat finely mashed and cooked in lime and bilimbi juice and garnished with fried onions.

Vanilla tourandtreat: You cannotcome away from Seychelles without hearing its vanilla story, a pod that turned the fate of the African island and its people. In 1877, the archipelago exported the first batch of vanilla for a puny 1,195 Seychelles Rupees. Almost 60 kilograms of cured vanilla derived from 48,000 green pods! Today, vanilla is an economy and culinary essential. Visit a vanilla plantation; dig a spoon into Ladob (made of sweet potato and plantain boiled in coconut milk, nutmeg, sugar and vanilla) and Carotte Bananas (bananas wrapped in banana leaves with honey and vanilla).

Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue. (Photo: Michel Denousse)

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Travel in the time of Covid: Seychelles has opened its doors to international tourists - Moneycontrol.com