The Seychelles seas shimmer in fluorescent blue   Travel enthusiasts Wei Yi and Hero: So stunning it hurts!

Reporter Zhu t?幔?ǚ帽ǖ技/p>

Even at the airport, the name of this small island nation “Seychelles” may not be familiar to many, but for travel enthusiasts Wei Yi and Hero, who have visited islands big and small and traveled all over the world, it’s their No. 1 pick — they rave that it’s the dream holiday island: “I’ve never seen the sea in so many colors, the white sand is so clean it reflects light, and the people truly enjoy life — it’s the kind of place you won’t want to leave after visiting!”

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Seychelles is located southeast of the African continent and is an archipelagic nation in the central-western Indian Ocean. Perhaps many don’t know it, but this small island is a super resort destination that even football superstar David Beckham and Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton chose for their honeymoons. It’s only one-eightieth the size of Taiwan, yet seems to have captured the essence of beautiful islands from around the world. La Digue Island boasts the most beautiful sea in first place, while Praslin Island ranks third, with waters sparkling in Tiffany blue and various shades of blue — so clear you can see fish swimming beneath from high above, leaving Wei Yi exclaiming, “So stunning it hurts!”

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Although the Seychelles archipelago is already incredibly beautiful, Wei Yi and Hero both agree that the most beautiful ecological island in their hearts is none other than Alphonse Island, the northernmost in the Seychelles. Also known as Bird Island, Wei Yi says, “It’s really not an exaggeration to call it Bird Island — there are only 25 people on the island, but 4 million birds. It’s okay during the day, but when they fly back in the evening, the sky instantly turns pitch black and they make loud noises, making it almost impossible to sleep at night.” Hero also shared, “The birds here are super unafraid of people — even during the day, they brazenly fly into restaurants and land right on plates. You have to watch out for them when walking, it’s quite something.”

Aside from the tens of thousands of fearless birds, another creature to watch out for on Alphonse Island is the giant tortoise. Seychelles is home to the world’s oldest tortoises — one is 242 years old and weighs 400 kilograms. Hero’s foot suffered quite a bit just from being brushed by a tortoise’s front leg. There are 24 tortoises on Alphonse Island. “Each tortoise on the island has its own territory. Sometimes when walking, you hear rustling nearby, and before long a tortoise will poke its head out. And they’re super bold — we saw one slowly strolling across the island’s only airstrip. It wasn’t nervous, but we were biting our nails on its behalf.”

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