Well, this week Henrie turns his hand to travel writing, as he tells us about a past visit to the Seychelles along with the love of his life, Penny (who features frequently in his cookery articles as official taster and critic!).

One hundred and fifteen islands make up the archipelago that is Seychelles, like a cluster of pearls scattered in the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, thousands of miles from any continental landmass.

In the heart of the second largest island, Praslin, lies a deep and dark forest of rare palms; a place of serenity and quiet beauty, believed by many to be the site of the biblical Garden of Eden. And it is on this island, close to this forest called Vallee de Mai, where my wife Penny and I recently spent seven of the finest days of our lives in the aptly-named Paradise Sun.

And if there is heaven on earth, then Seychelles must be it.

The islands are breathtakingly beautiful, generously decked with lush green palm trees, hardly moving in the gentlest of breezes as they cast their welcome shadows on mile upon mile of snow-white, deserted beaches.

Praslin boasts a myriad of birds, including the extremely rare black parrot, and in the early morning and at sunset the feathery fellows serenaded us with their loud and cheerful songs to the background of gently lapping waves. The birds are generally unbelievably tame and friendly. We had a selection of at least five different species who shared our sundowners on the balcony of our wooden chalet every evening and who were quite boisterous in the mornings as they insisted on pecking at our toast and drinking from the milk jug on our breakfast table.

The sea is clear, safe, sensual and as warm as a bath and with an underwater wonderland that almost defies description. There is an abundance of marine life, from brightly coloured striped fish, to silvery blue sailfish, huge turtles, graceful manta rays, inquisitive parrot fish, yellow and turquoise trumpet fish, plenty of octopus, dart-like silver fish which skim the surface of the sea faster than our boat could travel, to yellow-fin tuna, wahoo, Job fish, Captain Whoosh, bright red snappers and rotund groupers.

During our stay we feasted on succulent prawns pan-friend in butter and lemon, red snapper grilled to perfection on an open fire, a superb shark stew and a gently spiced Creole octopus curry. The food reflects the influences of the French settlers, their African slaves, the British colonialists and the traders from China and India - rich in spices, varied side dishes of rice and pasta, chicken and pork roasted on open grids, all accompanied by a wide selection of island-grown fruits and salads.

CLICK HERE to visit the UK Seychelles Tourism office for all the information you need!

Dinner is usually a festive occasion and generally does not commence until quite late. Because it stays warm and humid for most of the night, buffet meals are popular. But there is always a cauldron of bubbling soup, plus fresh fish and meat being prepared on the open grid. And the curries and Creole stews and other delightful concoctions are never far away. Rice is very popular and there are generally at least two or three different varieties on offer.

Music is very much part of the dining ritual. Violin and accordion blend with the beat of the tomtom, guitar, the makalapo( a stringed instrument with a tin for a sound box), a bom (a local bowed instrument) and the zez (a monochord sitar). A typical dance of the islands is the moutia, which usually takes place at night around a large bonfire on the beach, with sparks spiralling skywards.

Praslin is the second largest island in the group and it has a population of about 5000 people who speak mainly English, French and Creole. They are warm and friendly and as laid-back as you will find anywhere in the world. Friendly, chatty and extremely service-orientated, they seem to go out of their way to live up to the slogan of the Seychelles - "Treasure every moment."

What to do? Praslin is superb for diving, snorkelling, swimming, fishing, walking , cycling, birding and photography. There are a number restaurants scattered about the place, some good, some not so good, and most of them quite expensive. You can fly to other islands; you can go on a sunset cruise on a yacht, you can go fishing and you can visit the island's only casino where you can play slots for 1 or 5 rupees, poker with 25 rupee chips, or roulette with chips of 10 rupees and more.

Tipping is not expected anywhere on the island and the service, generally, is outstanding. We hired a boat to take us from Praslin to the island of La Dique, about 30 minutes away, and when we asked about tipping, the owner said: "Your skipper earns a salary - he does not expect a tip."

Getting around on Praslin is very much the same as on most of the other larger islands - you can hire a boat to go island-hopping, cruising, diving or fishing; you can hire a car or a bicycle, or you can book half-day or full day trips on a small tourist bus, or you can walk. But if you really want an adrenaline buzz, you can jump on one of the local buses for a 3 rupee ride to anywhere. But be warned - one or two of our bus trips made the roller coaster ride at the Ratanga Junction seem like a kiddies' ride!

A special trip

One of the highlights of our trip was a 30-minute boat trip from Praslin to La Digue where we spent the best part of the day exploring the delightful island on bicycles. The pace of life is slow, about the same speed as its traditional way of transport - the ox-cart. Beautiful old traditional planters' homes, a serene graveyard with rows and rows of snow-white crosses and neat graves decked with bright flowers, lush green palm groves, deserted beaches and a fine prawn luncheon, washed down with a couple of ice-cold Seybrew beers, made the day exceptional.

Warning!

Exercise caution when exchanging foreign money in the Seychelles, because it is virtually impossible to get rid of their rupees when you want to leave, or once you are back in South Africa. When you change travellers' cheques for rupees on the island, make sure you keep the receipts. You will have to produce them on departure, otherwise you don't have a hope in hell of changing rupees for any other currency.

Having spent the last night of my stay at the local casino, I left the island with a fistful of rupees (because I did not keep my receipts, so the banks at the airport refused to change them), only to be told by a foreign exchange agency in Cape Town that they would not exchange rupees for rands - or any other currency, for that matter. It was only after I pointed out (rather vehemently) that I had bought my travellers' cheques from them prior to my departure and that they had not warned me that I would not be able to swop rupees for rands on my return, that they agreed to make "special arrangements" to cash in the rupees.

How to get there? Getting to the Seychelles takes time, especially if you start your journey 5100 miles away in Cape Town. Air Seychelles fly between Johannesburg and Mahe on Saturdays and the flight lasts just under 5 hours. From the main island of Mahe it is another 15 minute flight to Praslin and from the airport it is another 30 minutes by road to the resort where we stayed.