At one time reported as the newly discovered Garden of Eden, Seychelles is about as close to paradise as an island nation can be.

The inner islands are made up of ancient granite, so old there are no fossils, vestiges of the ancient super-continent that eventually broke up to become Africa, Asia, Australia and beyond. These, the only mid-ocean granitic islands in the world, sit four degrees below the Equator. The outer islands – there are more than 100 islands all together making up the country – are coral atolls. The most famous, Aldabra, is a world heritage site, one of two in Seychelles.

The Indian Ocean surrounds us, and its pristine azure waters on many days are as calm as a swimming pool. Our air is clean, our stars are bright (very little light pollution 1000 miles from the nearest continent), our mountains are impressive, our forests are lush and our beaches are glorious.

We have a stable government, very little crime, free healthcare and education, no freeways and only a couple of traffic lights.

Our society is multi-ethnic, multi-racial in an effortless sort of way, and most families are mixed. Mark’s family is typical. His mother is English, his father, Seychellois, grandmother is Creole (her mother was Black, her father, mixed), cousins are the Black/White/South Asian/ East Asian adding up to Creole mix that makes up so many families here. People are frequently described by their color and looks, but never defined by them.

I’ve been living here for ten years, and this is certainly home. We live on an acre of land surrounded by bush with 5 dogs, 3 cats, a young Aldabra giant tortoise (not giant yet, but working on it) and numerous birds, fruit bats and geckos.

Sam, at three, enjoys nature hikes, the beach and anything to do with animals. Cj, 10 months, is far to fond of eating sand and loves splashing in tide pools.

Yes, it’s a very nice life.

But there is no heaven on Earth, and like everywhere else, this place has its problems.