Afroglobetrotter's Diary

Sunset at Beau Vallon Beach Seychelles Quick facts: Capital : Victoria  Known for : beautiful beaches, unspoiled nature and biodiversity, Coco de mer, Aldabra tortoises. Islands : 100+; the three largest are Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. Languages : Seychellois Creole, English and French Currency : Seychellois Rupee, SCR (the Euro is widely accepted). 1€=~15 SCR (July 2019) Visa policy : Visa-free but evidence of return flight and accommodation booking will be required. Aldabra Giant Tortoise  When you think of Seychelles, images of endless miles of Idyllic beaches immediately spring to mind but my trip to this country made me realise that there is much more to this country than beautiful beaches. This island country situated in the Indian Ocean about 1500km off the East Coast of Africa, has the smallest population of any independent African nation and the highest Human Development Index  (HDI). Having exchanged hands between French and Briti...

Toronto's Caribbean Carnival, popularly known as Caribana, involves a series of events culminating in the Grand Parade on the first weekend of August. Attracting well over 1 million visitors to Canada's biggest city, the carnival is officially North America's biggest street party. The Parade starts around midday until dusk and follows a course around Exhibition Place and Lakeshore Boulevard in Downtown Toronto. While there is an entrance fee of $25 to watch the parade at the main judging stage, one can watch the parade on the rest of the route absolutely free of charge. As you would normally expect for a Caribbean carnival, the atmosphere was truly electric; happy people of various ethnic backgrounds dressed in colourful costumes dancing to the latest soca anthems, endless kiosks selling tasty Caribbean-inspired meals and so on. The thing I find most thrilling about these carnivals is how people of various backgrounds put their differences aside and ju...