August 6, 2009 - Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles

Sten, raising the courtesy flag

As first impressions go, the Seychelles makes a hell of a good one. From the disembodied voice on the radio welcoming us to the Seychelles, to the whirlwind of smiling officials that boarded Mata'irea and cleared us into the country in fewer than 20 minutes, to the CEO of the Port Authority inviting us to stop by for a cup of tea, everyone has made us feel most welcome here.

As we always are after a long passage, we were looking forward to having a meal out (and especially to someone else washing up afterwards), but we were delayed in our quest by the need to repair the dinghy outboard. After three months in Chagos, it was especially challenging to come up with something tasty to make for lunch, when all either of us wanted was to dig into a big plate of salad and a pile of fries. By the time we got ashore, it was closer to dinner time, so we made our way to the nearest bar. Imagine our surprise and pleasure in finding a giant TV showing a Red Sox game on it! A very welcoming place, indeed.