Mahe is the main island. We spent most of our time at the Wharf Marina in top photo, and explored the island by bus. The manager of the marina wanted an Obama for President sticker for his car, and Blair mailed one from the USA. (Thanks, Blair!)Seychelles is a beautiful country but a troubled little country - it is ironic to be here when the USA is suffering such financial problems because you look at this country and wonder what is ahead for our own - Seychelles had a boom period when it had everything, and gave a lot to its people - health care, education, transportation on lots of buses that cost 25 cents, social security for those who could not work, housing assistance, etc....but it spent beyond its means and borrowed money on the international market to do so...Now those other nations will not extend credit. There are shortages of food and other materials. (See photo of people standing outside the market before it opens in the morning - they will rush to find staples.)
Soaring fuel and commodity prices have worsened the problem, and the country is in trouble. The country generates all its power from diesel powered generators - fueled by imported oil. For the first time in our travels, we could not buy flour. The price of wheat has gone up on the international market, the country has bad credit, and it can't buy flour. We arrived at the same time as IMF advisors who are seeking a way to solve the country's economic problems. Seychelles is also the site of the largest tuna canning factory in the Indian Ocean. (See massive tuna nets drying in the sun, in photo above.) Lehman Brothers owned a stake in the tuna factory! We were here when Lehman went bankrupt, and the congress had a special session to discuss what it all means for Seychelles....the ripple effect of American economic problems felt throughout the world. 
