AN ICON MAKES A RETURN TO THE SEYCHELLES
(Posted 22nd July 2015)
No it is not a celebrity, not one on two feet anyway, which is currently making a comeback in the Seychelles. It is an icon of a different kind, the four wheeled kind to be precise.
On my first ever visit to the archipelago in the late 1970’s, and after doing the air safaris to Bird Island and to Praslin and of course the boat trip from Praslin to La Digue – back then without a single motor but oxen drawn carts and bicycles – did I rent a car and of course it had to be an open top Mini Moke. That little beast took me around the island’s winding roads, drive literally on to the beaches where it was permitted back then and explore the different resorts on Mahe in search of night time entertainment.
When returning to the Seychelles the fleet of Mini Mokes had visibly downsized and more recently literally none were left for hire and the few seen on the roads clearly their owner’s pride, lovingly kept in shape and raising very sentimental memories of ‘navigators’ in my rented Moke, hair flying in the breeze …
Now however has a newly launched franchise on Mahe made it possible to bring the successor model of the once most famous beach buggy back when Gregory Albert and Nichol Jetty earlier this week pulled out all the stops and presented to the Seychelles’ public their Mini Moke Reloaded 2.0.
It is not at this stage known how many of the Mini Mokes the dealership has imported for sale, at a princely sum of US Dollars 23.800 by the way, but one thing is for certain that car hire firms will be swift to accede to demands from their clients to order some of them for their fleet and once the first of them roam the streets of Beau Vallon Bay or of the capital Victoria, more and more tourists will ask to rent these little four seaters which have such an iconic reputation from the olden days.
This correspondent may well plan for some extra days after the next official visit to the island, rent a Mini Moke and once again roam the winding roads of Mahe, with a thermos of tea strapped to the co-driver’s seat rather than a companion whose hair will be flying in the wind. How times have changed but that said, at least one valued companion of the old days has now made a comeback on Mahe, and no doubt soon on Praslin too.
For added information on Destination Seychelles click on www.seychelles.travel
2 Responses
After reading the above article, I can only agree to consider the Mokes as Iconic. I believe one cannot visit the Island without having gone through this unforgettable and unique experience of cruising in these little convertible beach cars. So based on these principles, we have decided my wife and I to launch a car hire (rootscars) with a unique touch, hence the name “Roots” which is to rent only Mini Mokes. We have started with only a few, however we intend to increase our fleets and become a reference in the rental of these unique vehicles.
Johny
facebook.com/RootsCarsSeychelles
Well done and thank you for such a splendid initiative.
Happy New Year!