“Mauritius, Maldives, Seychelles.”Do you know the three major resorts in the Indian Ocean? It is an island country mainly visited by honeymooners who want to enjoy a private time in an unfamiliar world. Among the three, Seychelles is the least frequented by Koreans, so it is the most secret place. In 2019, before the corona crisis, 515 people visited. Even in nearby Southeast Asia, resorts called paradise on earth are numerous. But why do I have to go all the way to Seychelles? As we flew through the entire day, including the layover time, I kept asking questions. After staying for a week in Seychelles, the question marks turned into three thick exclamation marks. From the indescribable color of the sea to the natural environment that cannot be seen anywhere on earth, to the unique culture of France, England and Africa. It was clear that it was different from other tropical island countries. It conveys the charm of Seychelles in three episodes. First, go to Praslin Island.
Island born 150 million years ago
Most people do not know where Seychelles is or even the name of the country. So did the journalists. Let’s look at the map. Seychelles is a small island country in the Indian Ocean in eastern Africa. It is about 1600 km in a straight line from Mombasa, Kenya. Up about 4000 km to the north comes the Arabian Peninsula. It is an archipelago consisting of more than 150 islands, with a combined area of 400 square kilometers. It is two-thirds of Seoul. The population is 100,000.
At the end of July, I arrived in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, via Dubai. Her destination was not Victoria. She took a 20-seater light plane again and crossed over to Praslin Island. There is a reason. This is because Praslin is the island where you can feel the unique ecology of the Seychelles most vividly. The history of the Seychelles is short. short but very short Seychelles became independent from the Commonwealth in 1976. It was occupied by France in the 18th and 19th centuries and then by Britain. The first people to find it were traders and pirates in the 15th century. There are no traces of people living there before. The origin of the island dates back a long time. About 150 million years ago, when the southern hemisphere, which was one supercontinent, split apart, it fell apart like fragments and became an archipelago. It has been floating alone in the Indian Ocean for eons of time, and because it has been isolated for a long time without human touch, it has been able to maintain an ecology that can not be seen anywhere else on earth.
sexiest seed on earthThe Praslin ‘ Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve’ is like a Garden of Eden. It looks like a common tropical jungle, but when you go inside, a different world unfolds. UNESCO explains about this World Natural Heritage. “Natural palm forests that have not been메이저사이트 damaged remain almost pristine. Legend has it that it grew in the deep sea, and its seeds are the largest and heaviest in the plant world.”Indeed, from the entrance, coco mer, which only lives in the Seychelles in the world, is displayed. Seeds weighing 20 kg were not only surprising in size. Female tree seeds resemble female buttocks, and male tree seeds resemble male genitals. UNESCO described it as ‘nature in a pristine state with less evolution’, but it was embarrassing that the primitive plants were so primitive. Female tree seeds are sometimes called ‘the sexiest seeds on earth’. I wonder if the Garden of Eden was like this when Adam and Eve lived naked.
It is not difficult to see the Ballet de Me. You can walk along the promenade, go in as deep as you want, and come out. From the entrance to the inside, the scenery hardly changes. It is a jungle with six types of palm trees, colorful broad-leaved trees, and tropical plants that are endemic to the Seychelles, including coco de mer. Some palm leaves are so large that they look like large parasols. Chirping birds, lizards that look like cartoon characters, and snails the size of fists appear out of nowhere.
most beautiful beach in the world
In fact, except for the Valle de Mai, the Seychelles is the sea. Most of the tourists rest and play in the sea. They come from Europe and North America all the way to the Seychelles just to see the color of the sea. One thing to note. When the southeast trade wind blows from May to October, there are occasional fierce waves. Even though the islands are small, the sea can be calm or rough, depending on the beach. This is why I took a light plane rather than a ferry when I came to Praslin from Mahe.
The northwest beach of the island, ‘ Anse Lazio ‘ was calm. It is the sea chosen as the most beautiful beach in the world by various media outlets such as Condé Nast Traveler. Serbian couple Zelika and Doosan were also among the people who enjoyed playing in the water or tanned themselves. They visited the Seychelles with friends to commemorate the wedding. Doosan said, “It is like a paradise on earth for those of us who do not have the sea.” For reference, there are countless ‘Anse ‘ in Seychelles. Anse means beach, small bay. Most Seychelles place names are French.There are many small islands around Praslin that are great for snorkeling and scuba diving. I rode a boat for about 40 minutes and jumped into the sea off the island of ‘ Grande Soeur ‘. I didn’t see any green sea turtles or whale sharks, but I had a lot of fun walking among the swarming tropical fish. There were many horse mackerel and snapper, including the Namyang mouse snapper, the main character of the animation ‘Finding Dory’. Slowly, tumbling, tumbling. Even though they are the same fish, they seemed to be much more relaxed and less wary of people than the guys I met in Southeast Asian waters. Is the sea speed the same as it was eons ago?