Seychelles
Have you ever heard of Seychelles? Nope? I would be surprised if you had. It's one of the smallest countries in the world, 177 square miles with a population of 92,000. It's composed of two main islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa.
I can't recall how I first became aware of Seychelles, but once I learned it was the world's smallest country, well, “Tell me more.”
It began life as a French Colony and went on to be under the control of the British, and they surrendered it in 1976. It has evolved into a presidential republic.
95% of the people speak Seychellois Creole, but French and English are also spoken.
The islands were named after Jean Moreau de Séchelles, Louis XV's Minister of Finance.
The islands do have some charming features: beautiful beaches, rare species of birds, vibrantly green Takamaka trees, coral reefs, the coco-de-mer (the heaviest nut in the world), and the live-for-the-day lifestyle of the local people.
Hmmm…live-for-the-day lifestyle? I can catch the flavor of that by sitting on my front porch.
In my research, I, of course, looked for humor. I found one little humorous story.
The UN's interpreters translate six official languages; some unusual words or phrases get lost in translation from time to time. An English-to-French interpreter was a little confused as to why the diplomats were speaking of seashells. That was her translation of the diplomat’s pronouncements. For twenty minutes, she interpreted it as “seashells.”
The correct pronunciation of “Seychelles” is SAY-SHELZ.
If you're tempted to vacation in Seychelles, take a sandwich and a pocket full of money with you because it's a long way there from the US, and it ain't cheap…I think travel guides would call it “reasonable.”
As for me, I think the front porch is as far as I'll venture. I may even vacation there.
enough