22nd February 1998

A new series on Indian Ocean islands

Victoria: lazy charm amidst the smiles

Victoria, Seychelles:

There were two cruise liners tied up to the wharf of the deep water harbour at Victoria when the Caledonia Star edged its way alongside to moor between them. Passenger ships bringing tourists to spend a day in this, one of the smallest capital cities in the world, are a common sight in the port.

From the deck of a ship as it approaches Mahe, the main island in the Seychelles, the skyline with modest mountains swathed in lush greenery is so delightfully pretty, it has passengers smiling with pleasure. The mood is maintained by the clean and low-key atmosphere of the port. While coaches and taxis are on hand for guided tours, it is easy to walk the short distance either to the nearby botanical garden or into the town.

Victoria's botanical garden is typical of the island; well-kept but infused with a certain lazy charm. The garden's abundance of tropical plants includes the famous coco de mer whose double nut, when dry, resembles the choicest part of the female anatomy. Its shape forms the core of the souvenir products of the island: reproduced as plastic keyring tags, bars of soap and on T-shirts of excruciating vulgarity.

Victoria is the capital of the Seychelles, a republic of 115 islands four degrees south of the Equator.

A puzzle about Victoria is how such a small town of only 23,000 inhabitants in a country with 76,000 people, could appear so prosperous. The traditional wooden Creole houses with hipped roofs and breezy verandahs are being replaced with low-rise office blocks. Several are devoted to government offices and the Ministry of Tourism has a bright shop in the main street offering a generous amount of expensively produced literature.

The impression is of prosperity, of a capital confident of its place in world affairs even though it retains monuments of the past like the mini clock tower in the town's centre. There are branches of British, Indian, French and Pakistani banks, as well as some indigenous ones.

There is a brand new bus station with an enormous cantilevered roof to shelter commuters from sun and rain. Buses run to a timetable in loops around the island. There are several taxi parks in the town, with drivers who cheerfully admit their fares are expensive, but so is everything else in the Seychelles.

Smiles have become the currency of these islands which are publicised as being over a thousand miles from anywhere else. They are exchanged generously, complete strangers benefiting from the feeling of happiness bestowed by a broad sunbeam of greeting. Victoria seems to be a very jolly place indeed. The exuberance comes from the refreshingly unrestrained attitude to life of the Seychellois. Until 230 years ago, no one lived on the islands, so there are no ancient roots of convention and culture grounding the people. The Seychellois have descended from pirates, freed slaves from Africa, French colonists and, later, from Indian and Chinese settlers.

The islands' image in recent times has undergone a surprising change. Under the former president, James Machan, they were renowned as islands of romance, where the Seychellois' smile led to what was promised.

Now, under President Albert Rene, the smile means business. The country is being keenly promoted worldwide as "Seychelles Incorporated" offering " Opportunities Unlimited."

One opportunity seized on by the Seychelles Marketing Board as long ago as 1962, was the planting of tea seedlings on the slopes of Morne Blanc, a short bus ride from the port. A factory was opened, using machinery imported from Sri Lanka, four years later and now the output has risen from 200 kg to 5,000 kg a month. Much of its success is due to the two managers from Sri Lanka who run it, and to tea from Nuwara Eliya imported to boost the blend.

The factory is small with token amounts of locally grown tea being fed in at one end, and tea bags issuing from the other end. Products include "SeyTe Good Earth Bio Tea" - which is marketed with the claim that what you drink is absolutely untouched by chemicals - as well as tea doused in vanilla oil. Good Earth Citronelle tea bags have the slogan; "a refreshing and vitalising infusing drink made from the leaves of the lemon grass plant, a caffeine free herb that grows abundantly on the upper slopes of Morne Blanc."

Victoria is ideally located for exploring the whole island of Mahe which is drenched in the prettiness of nature. The Jardin Du Roi at Anse Royale is hilltop spice plantation, aviary and reptilarium where visitors can wander at leisure through a tropical garden before enjoying an exquisite lunch of local produce.

Bolder fare is to be had at Le Reduit Restaurant at Takamaka, south of the island, where owner Ravinia Gerry greets guests at her hillside retreat with country-style Creole food. Octopus brochette and fruit bat, served as a curry or roasted and accompanied by breadfruit and local pickles, are typical favourites.

Victoria and the island of Mahe are easy to explore in a day before boarding ship to sail away.

And instead of taking the tacky and expensive souvenirs, the visitor will have a memory of a place rich in nature's bounty and many, many smiles.

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