SEYCHELLES ISLANDS (visited 12/99; written circa 10/00)

Aaahhh, the Seychelles!! What a wonderful place! Located way out in the Indian Ocean, far away from anywhere, the Seychelles are the closest thing to an ideal tropical paradise I have ever seen. I think that the Seychelles are what a lot of the Caribbean islands wish they could be!

Lush, green, immaculately clean, with very healthy-looking and happy people, it's no wonder that this is one of the most expensive places to visit on earth. Everyone speaks English, although the French influence predominates most everything here. Definitely among the top 5 travel destinations on my list.

Our first stop was at a tiny deserted beach called Curiese Bay, where there was nothing to do except laze out in the sun on the pristine beach. Down at the end of the beach, there are signs warning people to be careful of the freshly laid sea turtle eggs in the sand. I was told that some of the first crew members from our ship to arrive ashore earlier in the morning saw some turtle hatchlings making their way to the sea. The Seychelles Islands are very environmentally conscious, with harsh penalties for violators of environmental protection laws.

The next day we stopped at a very cool little island called La Digue, where the primary mode of transportation is the bicycle, and there are a number of artists in residence. There is a national park with an old cemetary and incredibly large land turtles that you can feed. It must have been mating season while we were there. It was funny watching this humongous reptile trying to mount itself up on the back of another one! He was also making some really hilarious grunting sounds!

I rode my rented bike around the island a little, and suddenly the chain popped off. There happened to be a group of nice looking people standing nearby that offered to help me put the chain back on. Lo and behold, they were Jehovah's Witnesses. I couldn't get over the irony of this - it seems you just can't get away from Jehovah's Witnesses no matter how far away you travel! They were really nice to help me with the bicycle chain, and I thanked them, but then they started to put the "hard sell" on me (it never matters to them if you already have a spiritual path or religion) so I politely said "thanks but no thanks" and excused myself.

Later that evening I had some time off, and was able to go walking on the moonlit beach with a friend. It was absolutely beautiful, tranquil, and peaceful, and I felt very rejuvenated upon my return to the ship. One of my fondest memories from the whole voyage.

Our last stop in the Seychelles was the capital city of Victoria which is located on the island of Mahe. It's a beautiful island that the people of La Digue consider too "overcrowded and noisy". They are so spoiled! The first thing I saw was a lush green mountain with clouds overhanging it at the peak, and I realized where they get their drinking water - from the rain that comes down the mountain. Maybe that's why everyone looks so healthy.

Unfortunately I was having a dental problem and spent a large amount of my time in Mahe having a temporary filling put in. I was really scared, not knowing what kind of dentist they would have, but Dr. Samsoodin turned out to be excellent. Very nice, he explained everything, and most importantly he relieved the problem, which is more than I can say for a lot of the dentists I've seen at home in New Jersey. Plus he was a big jazz fan!

That night a bunch of the crew members went out to the only local bar that was open, and suffice it to say that Mahe is not known for it's nightlife. It was just another excuse for most everyone on the ship's crew except me (I don't drink) to get trashed.

The next day there was some type of expo happening down the street from where the ship docked, which was nice because it showcased a lot of the work of local artists.

The Seychelles is not the most trendy place in the world to live, but if you ever want to get away from everything, and retreat to a place with clean air, pure water, happy people, and a very high quality of life, then I highly recommend the Seychelles Islands.

MALDIVES (visited 12/99; written circa 10/00)

The nearest land mass to the island of Maldives is India, so naturally the people are mostly of Indian descent, I believe. I know that this is starting to sound like a broken record, but I was only able to spend a total of about one hour ashore. All I did was check my e-mail! That's life working on a worldwide cruise ship. Some of the crew members almost never have time to go ashore. Believe me, it's not easy for them to keep their sanity.

From what I could tell, Maldives is a very modern and wealthy place with a conservative Islamic bent to it. I think it is a vacation spot for India's elite ruling class, but I'm not really sure. Sorry I don't have more to report about Maldives.