I can finally say I made it to Seychelles. Not everyone can make it there, and most don’t even know where it is, including my mom and she’s Nigerian. LOL. Seychelles is located in East Africa off the Indian Ocean. Traveling to Seychelles isn’t for the weak. It literally takes 2 days to get there. I suggest flying first or business class for comfort. My flight was 15hrs to Doha (capital of Qatar), with a layover time of 7hrs, and then another 5hr flight to Seychelles. What did I do with my layover time. I found a lounge to take a shower and just relax. Doha airport is a setup for people who love to shop! That’s me! Harold’s, Gucci, Fendi, Pandora, perfume stands, Burberry, Bottega Veneta are some of the stores in the airport. I’m pretty sure it was setup this way because everyone tends to have a lengthy layover time, so why not shop like crazy while you wait? I totally get it lol.
The reason for going to Seychelles, also known for a honeymoon destination was to attend YachtWeekEA (EA stands for East Africa). The dates was from Sept 3-12. I had to leave on the 1st in order to get to Seychelles on the 3rd. This would be my second YachtWeek. I been to YachtWeek in Croatia. I enjoyed myself but the only complaint I had was the music choice. It was a lot of edm music. That music I feel like I have to be high on drugs to enjoy it. It’s a bit much for me. Being that I’m a veteran with Yachtweek, I emailed all my boat mates asking for their numbers to start a chat so we can discuss decorations, outfit wear, and liquor situations. Only two people replied to my email which was strange, and I sent the email 2x. Any who my boat never had a stunt day theme or decorated the boat.
The main language in Seychelles is Creole and their currency is rupees.
Sept 1&2- Traveling to Seychelles. With my layover in Doha, I found a lounge, took a shower, ate some food and relaxed.
Sept 3- Arrival
I finally arrived in Seychelles at 815am. YAY! A few passengers and I get picked up and then head to the hotel. The hotel we stayed at was Savoy Hotel. Very nice establishment that was near the beach and other restaurants close by. Check in process was smooth thank God. I want to say by 11am I was in my room. The welcome dinner started by 730pm, so pretty much had the day to do whatever I pleased, shower and get some sleep. Dinner time rolls up and it’s time to meet everyone partaking on this adventure. There was a mix of older people (no disrespect) and young people. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits which is good because we all had a long journey to Seychelles. We ate, drank, chatted and took plenty of pictures. The food was good. Lovely spread of different kind of meats, fish, rices, salad and sweets. The bar is a cash bar. We also met Kelsey the owner of YachtWeekEA and the people who works with him. His speech was kind of dry. Let me add this here, everyone isn’t a DJ and everyone can not run a business. I forgot the Dj’s name but he’s not a real DJ. My personal opinion. The music choice of the night was a bit dry for my liking. I even sent him a mix to play, and he never played it (he said something about the internet connection). For me music is everything. It sets my mood.
Sept 4- Victoria Street Market/ All white day party
I love shopping, so this activity was up my alley. I always say time is taken very seriously in other countries. We was told the buses would arrive by 10am, and so they did. The market is about 30mins from Savoy. Please wear your mask. I love the market energy. Everyone shopping, haggling, and inspecting products. The market consisted of shops and grocery items. The food items looked so fresh, even the eggs looked fresh. I purchased a clutch and some lemongrass spray (used for mosquito bites). After an hr and half Kita, Camille and I were ready to go. The original plan was for the buses to come back by 130, but majority wanted to leave sooner. We found a Baskin Robbins, indulged in some ice cream as we wait for the bus to come get us. We all assumed the bus would pick us up from the same location it dropped us off at. That would’ve made sense. Nope. It was a 6min walk from the drop off location. We was all confused. I felt like Dora the explorer looking for the Alsalam bank and mosque.
Arrived back at the hotel and had lunch. Fresh lobster with roasted vegetables. Yum! Day Party started at 430. I didn’t make my way down till 7pm. I was napping. I love an all white party. The vibes was cool. I just love seeing people enjoying themselves. Dinner and drinks you had to pay for. They did give out free champagne for the toast. Lovely. Once again the DJ isn’t being a DJ. He doesn’t know how to mix properly. Any who, party was over by 930pm and of course I’m hungry. We ended up at Mahek Restaurant, Indian cuisine. The food was to die for. The flavors was bussing. I usually write down what I had or take pictures. I didn’t do neither, one because I was hungry and started to eat immediately and two when I did remember the food was half way gone lol.
Sept 5- Yacht Boarding
A mess this was. Well not really, but needed to be more organized. I think the problem is improper communication. YachtWeekEA acted as if this was their first rodeo. You’ve been in business for 5years BUT yet can’t communicate properly with your customers. Checkout from Savoy was 12pm. Before checking out I went to the liquor store to get some bottles of liquor and wine. The problem I have here is checking out so early and having to wait till 6pm to check in to our boats. The whole day was wasted, and I hate my time to be wasted. I spent the afternoon in the lobby waiting (I had lunch here. Pizza and french fries), and spent the rest of the afternoon at Gecko Bar. When my boat was called I was too happy sheesh lol. I get on the boat and found out I’ll be sleeping on a bunk bed. I don’t like bunk beds. They give me anxiety, especially the bottom bunk. My boat mate Portia called the top bunk. Great I’m on the bottom. The first two nights I couldn’t sleep at all. All I kept thinking was that top bunk falling down on me.
My boat mates Latrelle, Portia, Tenicka, Pacquita, Narkita, Eddie, Damika, Nicole, and Segried were so cool. The Lord knew I needed to be on that boat with them. Everyone seemed to have something in common. I learned a lot from each and everyone of them. They will always hold a special place in my heart. Also shoutout to Eddie for being the only male amongst all the women.
Our skipper name was Alan and our cook name was Jean aka Shabba Ranks lol. First stop was Port Launay, Mahe Island. It is a 2hr sail from Savoy hotel. Jack made curry chicken, stir fry jack fish, white rice, lentils, and a salad. Dessert was caramelized bananas. Listen here I LOVE to eat. The portion was too small for me. I did mention to Jack that I like to EAT, and I only eat fish. Oh let me mention here we did not dock anywhere. We literally was in the middle of the Indian Ocean just chilling lol. We was suppose to have movie night but it rained. I don’t know what movie we was suppose to watch because admins never told us. I mean are we children? Just tell us what movie we will be watching. I would hate to watch a movie I already seen.
Sept 6- Anse Major, Mahe Island/ Yacht hopping at night
Rise and Shine! First things first: BREAKFAST. Pancakes, eggs, and fruits. Jean made some organic ginger tea. It was tasty. This morning was rough. I barely slept just looking at the top bunk hoping it didn’t fall on me. That bunk room was small for two people. A little claustrophobic. The sail time to Anse Major is 1hr. Today’s activities consisted of hiking and beach time. Every time I thought about hiking it would rain. Thank God the group sent pics of the hike. September is rainy season in Seychelles. I didn’t plan on hiking. Matter of a fact I did not plan on doing any activities. I just wanted to chill, take good pics and soak up the beauty Seychelles has to offer. I did get off the boat to get some pics on the beach of course. Shout out to Kita for understanding the assignment. The pictures came out wonderful. She is my designated photographer for the remaining of the trip. The water was sooo warm and so blue. I did hear Seychelles water is to die for and I understand why now. Lunch consisted of some fancy stir fry noodles. Dinner was jack fish, curry beef, boiled plantain (I love plantain), lentils, and rice. Once again, food was delicious. Yacht hopping started around 8pm. It was fun hopping from boat to boat. Every boat had a different vibe. Shoutout goes to Armani for helping me hop the yachts safely. Our boat was on the very end of the formation. No one hopped on over lol.
OK. LET ME ADD THIS HERE! The wifi situation was a damn mess. It seems that almost every boat did not have wifi. I wonder if Kesley’s (owner) boat had wifi. Guess what the kicker is, we all paid for wifi service. EVERY SINGLE PERSON paid $23 for wifi. When the wifi was mentioned, no one would really addressed it. Just gets shoved under the rug, or tell us oh we are looking into it. The communication was horrible when anyone had a concern. Let’s not act like wifi isn’t important. We are in the middle of the ocean for 7 WHOLE DAYS. People have businesses, families/loved ones, school work (me), that are relying on the wifi we paid for. Some of us even mentioned receiving our money back, and of course no one acknowledge that. I even messaged Irene on the side about the wifi situation, and she had the nerve to ask me how was I messaging her. Ma’am don’t get me started! How dare you ask me such a thing. I’m using my service that T-mobile luckily provides. It’s only 2G but I must be grateful for it because my mom would have a field day if she didn’t hear from me lol. That was so rude on her end, BEYOND rude. After that I was disgusted. Not everyone can run a business. Also where the hell was Kelsey (the owner)? I know he was reading all the messages in the WhatsApp group. Why not speak up? What kind of business are you running my guy? Improper communication just makes everything worse.
Another concern was the docking situation. I dont think Seychelles have too many options for docking areas. I mean it’s surrounded by water. Docking in the middle of the ocean was not it. The waters was rough! People were getting sick. I too felt a little queasy. Since September is rainy season, why not pick a different month to sail the yachts? That would make some sense.
Sept 7- Anse Lazio, Praslin Island
Everyday seems to be the same at this point. Wake up have breakfast, get off the boat to do an activity, back on the boat to sleep. The sail to Praslin Island was about 3.5hrs. That sail was rough. I was not going to get off the boat because I didn’t feel well, but I decided to go anyway. Glad I did. I took some very nice pictures. Shout out to Segried for taking my photos. I even had a coconut. Fun fact: I don’t like coconuts, but I drank mine. Everyone keeps saying coconut water is good for you. It was a nice vibe all around.
Later on in the evening I did not want to get off the boat to go to Cote D’Or Beach. It was a night party. I was over the whole dingy situation. Remember I can’t swim, so I was always nervous getting on and off the dingy, BUT yes I went. I needed to feel the vibes out. Once again it was the dj dj’n. The music isn’t to my standard, but people seemed to be loving it. The vibes was cool. I ordered a pizza and two drinks. The establishment makes you pay every time you place an order. Or maybe because it’s a large group they want to make sure they get their money?
Sept 8- Curieuse Island
The sail from Anse Lazio to Curieuse is 30 minutes. Today’s adventure was the Marine National Park to visit the Aldabra giant tortoises. I saw giant tortoises in Tanzania, so I didn’t mind seeing them again. It’s something to do. The tortoises are very aggressive especially during meal times. They do bite so becareful. After seeing the tortoises I spotted a section where to have a photoshoot. I’m aways looking for camera worthy shots. Shout out to Kita for getting these amazing shots. The next thing I wanted to do was to go back on the boat. Instead Kita and the captain forced me to go hiking. As mentioned before I didn’t plan on doing any excursions. Just relax and have a good time. I didn’t even pack properly lol. I had on my Valentino’s because remember I’m just here to relax. Whew that hike wasn’t bad, it was just hot! It took about an hr to reach the other side of the island. The views at the top were lovely.
Next on the itinerary was the beach bbq. The area which the bbq was held had poor lighting. Very poor lighting. It was still dark with the little light we had. The bbq was prepared by the cooks from every boat. Whoever made the joke fish was definitely a joke. It had no flavor whatsoever! Overall the food was good. I ended up taking a snapper fish back to the boat. Jean (our cook) said he can make some nice fish soup for lunch the next day (it was delicious).
Sept 9- La Digue
The sail to La Digue was approximately 2hrs. The island where they are known for bike riding. I feel like this island is a very secluded island. I wanted to rent a bike but never had the chance too which sucks because we was on this island for 2 days. Before getting off the boats, every boat had to take pics for stunt day. Stunt day is a day you get to stunt your group theme. Example when I went to Croatia, our theme was power puff girls. We didn’t have a theme because I couldn’t get in contact with all my boat mates, but we ended up doing an all white theme. Yayy we still participated. Loved it.
After the photo shoot, Kita and I got off the boat and did some shopping. Later on in the evening there was a party at Baccus. It was pouring rain so I did not go. Jean made a wonderful dinner. It was curry tuna, ribs, and a salad. Dessert was a cake with chocolate syrup. Later on the evening, me and my boat mates got to know each other better. This night I knew why I was meant to be on this boat.
Sept 10- La Digue
Today was my photoshoot day. La Digue is also know for the clear kayaks and I wanted to take a picture in one of them. The photographer YachtWeekEA used was @ossegrecasinare. He’s pretty good. In the morning it rained so I prayed for the sun to come out, and it did. The cost to rent a kayak is 35euros. My appointment time was 430. So before meeting with Osse me and Kita decided to do a photoshoot. Not even 15mins later it started to pour rain. Sheesh Seychelles and this rainy season boy lol. The sun cleared up and I was able to take my pictures. I don’t like how they came out. I didn’t know that I would be the one to sail myself to the picture worthy spot. Even though the water was calm and low I was freaking out. By the time I got the hang of using the kayak, it started to rain again. I wanted to come the next day before departure but they open at 10am. Sucks. Well my own photoshoot pics with Kita came out lovely.
Later on that evening, we had dinner as usual, but this night was special because we was celebrating a birthday. Latrelle’s birthday. She’s so dope. It was hard to stay up till 12am to wish her a happy birthday but I did it. I love birthdays. Well I love celebrating any milestone. Before going back to the boats, I brought her a nice slice of cake; I also got one for myself. It was delicious.
Sept 11- Eden Island
OMGOSH the end is near. So thankful. The sail time to Eden Island was 4hrs. This was the worst sail ever. I felt sick the whole time. I read in the WhatsApp group chat how the waters look scary. That the water came up as high as the boats. I’m glad I was not up to see such a thing.
After the sail, we finally arrived at a proper dock! Yay no more dingy. I wish we arrived a little bit earlier because there is a mall by the docks and the stores closed by 7pm and they aren’t open on Sundays. I love shopping. Majority of the boat crew went to have dinner at a restaurant called The boardwalk bar and grill. Food was yummy. I was over having dinner on the boat. Felt good to actually sit down and have a proper dinner.
It hit me that this is the last day I would be eating with these ladies and gentleman. I’m going to miss them *sad face*
Sept 12- GO HOME DAY
This day has finally come. YES! This is the longest trip I have ever taken, and more so due to travel time. The vans picked was suppose to pick us up by 12pm but we had to check out from the boat by 9am, so what were we suppose to do from 9-12 when the mall is closed? Please have the vans pick us up early, and YachtWeekEA did just that. Thank you. Riding back to the hotel we noticed we had been here before. We passed the market! If I knew we was so close to the Savoy hotel I would’ve spent the night in an actual bed and not a bunk bed. Lord.
Me and Kita shared a room because our flight was not until 11pm. We arrived at Savoy at 10am. I was grateful that Savoy was able to accommodate all of us with rooms. I know they were happy to take our money being its slow season.
We went to the pool and had some lunch. It felt good to be off the boat.
YachtWeekEA was not was I expected it to be. I just wasn’t impressed. I am thankful for the people I met. I tend to fill out the survey emailed to me and to be as honest as I can. They need improvements BADLY!
