A fisherman returns from the high seas holding a big tuna.

The turquoise waters are a joy for swimmers. Photos by Mu Qian / China Daily

The Carnaval International de Victoria showcases Seychelles as a melting pot of cultures.

The group of islands in the Indian Ocean has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists, Mu Qian discovers, especially when it's carnival time.

When I texted "Happy Chinese New Year from Seychelles" to a friend in China, he asked me if Seychelles was the name of the compound I live in. I explained to him that it was a country in the Indian Ocean comprising more than 100 islands, some 1,500 km east of mainland Africa. The country's population of about 86,000 is actually smaller than some compounds in Beijing.

Spring Festival in Seychelles was an enjoyable experience, especially when the Carnaval International de Victoria was kicking off on Lunar New Year's Eve.

Billed as "carnival of carnivals", the Carnaval International de Victoria is one of the most exciting events in this otherwise placid country.

People crowded the streets to watch the parade of floats representing various Seychellois organizations and countries like Mauritius, Brazil, United Kingdom and China.

The carnival showcases Seychelles as a melting pot of cultures.

The majority of Seychellois are Creole people, principally of African and Malagasy origin. However, Seychellois also includes a mix of French, British, Indian and Chinese origins. James Mancham, the first president of Seychelles, from 1976 to 1977, is a descendant of a Chinese immigrant grandfather.

We actually bumped into Mancham as we strolled along the streets of Victoria, capital of Seychelles. It was no big surprise in this town, which is one of the smallest capital cities in the world. Mancham was happy to learn that we came from China and wished us a happy Chinese New Year.

Seychelles is no longer a strange destination to savvy Chinese travelers, especially those who have traveled in Southeast Asia and want to explore further in the Indian Ocean.

On the Emirates flight we took from Dubai to Seychelles, most of the passengers were Chinese, on their Spring Festival vacation. Chinese guests also dominated the Constance Ephelia Resort where we stayed.

January and February, traditionally a low season for tourism to Seychelles, has been filled by Chinese travelers.

More Chinese tourists are expected to arrive in Seychelles after March 24, when Air Seychelles opens its new flight from Hong Kong to Seychelles.

We met a guy from Sanya, Hainan province, a tropical beach resort destination in China. He said although Sanya has good beaches, they can't compare to those in Seychelles.

Indeed, Anse Source d'Argent, on La Digue Island, was rated by National Geographic, in 2011, as the world's No 1 beach. Huge towering granite boulders, which appear to change color throughout the day, form the backdrop of this beautiful beach. The waters are shallow and calm and lap gently on the salt-white and flamingo-pink sand.

It's an ideal playground for children and adults who enjoy sitting in the pretty coves and idling away a few hours. But for swimming, you are better off at Anse Lazio.

Overlooking the scenic and calm waters of Chevalier Bay on the northwest side of Praslin island, the crescent-shaped Anse Lazio is backed by dense vegetation and rising hills.

The trees backing the beach provide shade from the strong Seychelles sun, though you should beware of falling coconuts.

The natural boundaries formed by boulders on both sides, as well as the beach's curving shape, help provide Anse Lazio with an atmosphere of seclusion.

It was a shame that we had only two hours for Anse Lazio. While my companions were all busy posing for photos (something Chinese tourists are famed for) I couldn't resist the allure of the turquoise water and jumped into the sea.

The water was not at its calmest, but I relaxed and enjoyed being pushed by the gentle waves time after time. That night, when I lay in bed, I could still feel the waves.

Seychelles was uninhabited until the 18th century. The relatively short history of human activity has helped protect the endemic flora and fauna.

The Coco de Mer is a palm only found in Seychelles. Vallee de Mai, a World Heritage site on Praslin island, is one of the only two places in Seychelles where you can see Coco de Mer palms growing in their natural state (the other being nearby Curieuse island).

The Coco de Mer nut has a reputation for being the sexiest fruit on earth, as its shape looks like a woman's buttocks. Only female trees produce the erotically shaped nuts, but the male tree possesses a phallic flower stem.

Local legend has it that if you walk into Vallee de Mai at night, you might see a male tree make love to a female tree, but you mustn't tell anyone. Those who violate the rule will metamorphose into black parrots. The many black parrots we saw at Vallee de Mai provided anecdotal evidence, perhaps, of the tale's veracity.

Another local species we saw was the megabat - but on a plate rather than in its natural habitat.

Civet de chauve souris (bat curry) is a famous Creole dish served at the Marie-Antoinette, one of Seychelles's oldest restaurants and housed in a colonial mansion more than 100 years old.

Worth mentioning is that the megabat eats fruit rather than insects, which made it easier for us to try this dish. We all tasted a little. Not bad actually, but I wouldn't order it again.

Besides serving food, the Marie-Antoinette restaurant runs a small zoo of giant tortoises, which feature on the Seychelles' coat of arms.

A notice board in the restaurant told us that in January 2001, after days of continuous heavy rainfall that caused numerous landslides across the country, a retaining wall collapsed on top of all the tortoises whilst they were resting beneath.

Buried under the weight of over a ton of concrete, they were initially thought to have all died. However, despite heavy bleeding and fractured shells, all 11 tortoises survived after heavy vehicle jacks were used to remove the weight.

Abraham, the largest, is around 60 years old and continues to be the stud of the pack despite the indentation on his back. His sexual appetite does, however, provide cause for concern, as he takes no heed of the females' fractured backs and feelings when mating. He has since sired a number of young ones.

In Seychelles, one thing that you have to try is fresh fish, such as bourgeois, capitaine, shark, job, parrotfish, caranx, grouper, and many others.

At dusk we met a fisherman who had just returned from work and we bought a big tuna from him, which cost less than one fourth of the price we'd pay in Beijing.

We decided to eat the tuna raw. We set up a table and chairs on the beach in front of our hotel, and opened two bottles of wine. From a nearby supermarket, we bought wasabi and soy sauce, and dipped the fish in them.

The fish was so fresh that the meat melted in my mouth. With wine, the taste became even better.

In the moonshine, accompanied by the sound of the waves, we had a special dinner. It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing we would have to leave Seychelles soon, but wishing we did not have to go.

Contact the writer at muqian@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 03/17/2013 page16)