Through my eyes

It's a fact.

South Africa is still the most incredible place on earth. Take my word for it.

Having just spent three weeks island hoping in the Seychelles, I can tell you with all honesty that, even with Jacob at the forefront, we are still an incredible nation with an incredible country.

Ask any Seychellois.

The minute you tell them that you come from South Africa their faces light up and they continue to tell you how much they love our country.

The Air Seychelles' flight can vouch for how relevant we are. Last Sunday it was filled to the brim with Seychellois, coming to do their shopping mainly in the many shopping centres in Johannesburg.

Oh, the Seychellois do love to shop here, most of them visited our country on more than one occasion and many of them would love to relocate here.

And I am not surprised about that; life in Seychelles is very expensive. Therefore for Seychellois people, the prices in SA are ridiculously cheap, compered to Seychelles and they regularly come to SA to buy clothes and other personal items.

We were so humbled to be invited to the annual Carnaval International de Victoria. Nearly a hundred journalists from all over the world were invited to come and experience Creole hospitality and the carnival. Only three from SA.

This was our second time in Seychelles, however this time it was more impactful, more exciting and much more stimulating. Not just because of the carnival, it was truly the whole package.

The journalists that arrived at the carnival were from all over the world and we were able to hang out together, share our views and celebrate! We were all blown awaythe carnival festivities were out of this world.

For a nation of just 90 000 people, the Seychellois really do know how to throw a party and they know how to jive and they are really hospitable. It is not unusual for them to invite you home to stay with them.

Yes, I am not talking about a dinner invitationthey invite you home to stay in their spare bedroom.

For most people the name Seychelles alone conjures up images of hidden treasure and tropical paradise. The myths still exist; tales of the pirates treasure can be heard on this island wherever you go and we consistently come across locals, as well as visitors, who believe they know where the treasure has been hidden.

The attitude of the inhabitants is very relaxed; enjoying life in paradise to the full, the way life was intended to be spent. Feel free to stop and get to know the locals, you will be amazed how friendly everybody is, and you will wish you could stay longer.

It doesn't matter which island within the Seychelles archipelago you choose, one thing is assured and that is the warm and friendly welcome you will receive from the local people. The people of the Seychelles are the same as their lifestyle, warm and friendly. 200 years ago the islands were still uninhabited, and were the staging ground for pirates.

From next week we will start our Seychelles travel feature, we will share our experiences with you and hopefully inspire you to go and adventure into a real Garden of Eden.

Have a fabulous week until next time.