Mauritius and Reunion, Islands

Looks like Hawaii to me!

Darwin's Pond at the Botanical Garden.

At the Waterfront Mall overlooking the mountains.

They make these on the island. Some of these take 1,000 hours to make. You too, could buy this one for  $5000!

Port Louis, Mauritius

We arrived in the capital of Mauritius under heavy clouds and drops of rain. PL is the largest city of the country and the main port. PL was already a port way back in 1638.

Since 1735, it has been under French government. The population is made up of descendants of laborers who were hired for labor from India in the 1800s. Chinese workers also came here. The Immigration Depot in PL is a World Heritage Site. Mauritius has been independent since 1968. Currently, the majority of the population, more than 75%, are Indians of mixed origins, with the rest from Africa and a minority of Chinese and Eurasian. Thanks to an enlightened policy of ecotourism and preservation, this tiny pear-shaped speck of an island smack in the middle of the Indian Ocean remains largely unspoiled. Mauritius is a 28 mile wide microcosm of European colonialism. European sunseekers flock here for its sugar-white beaches, dramatic mountains, volcanic lakes and gracious Creole speaking population.( English however, is the official language.) Many resorts are located on secluded beaches, but there are many public beaches too. 

Since it was raining and threatening to rain most of the day on our arrival day, we chose to go to the new Le Caudan Waterfront Mall (very fancy and all decorated for Christmas) and use the internet. After that, we enjoyed a meal at a tiny waterfront French Cafe. We met the owner and his young lawyer daughter who was in town from Paris for Christmas. She was helping her father at the restaurant. Earlier, taxi drivers tried to get us to go with them to various places on M, but their fares were 50 to 75 US dollars for a one-way drive! We declined. The cafe owner and daughter told us how to get to the local bus station, what bus to get on and encouraged us to go to the SSR Botanical Gardens located in an area called Pamplemousses, way up on the hillside. 

It had stopped raining for a bit, so we decided to have a local experience. We made our way to the bus station and found many many buses. Which one was ours? A young man appeared out of nowhere and we showed him our piece of paper we had with Bus #22 written on it. He waved for us to “follow him.” We walked in between many buses and there was bus #22 ready and waiting to go. He put his hand out and we gave him $2. For an hour and a half, we rode with the locals, stopping many times. Our bus fare was $3! We saw the Chinese area of the city and the Muslim area and many Hindu Temples along the route. Away from the fancy waterfront, the scenery was not so fancy. It was very hot and humid with no air conditioning on the bus. I chatted with a young Indian girl on the bus and noticed that she was not sweating at all! Bob and I were soaking wet from the heat. Our bodies are not used to such humidity. 

We spent an hour in the quiet beauty of the Botanical Gardens without any raindrops. The gardens date back to 1736 when the French Governor chose to se up his domain around the Pamplemousses. We especially loved the Charles Darwin pond. 

As we were leaving the park, a clap of thunder told us to hurry for the overhang at the bus stop. Sure enough, it poured just as we got there. A bicyclist and other locals took cover and began chatting with us. They wanted to know where we were from. They said it was their first rain in 6 months. It was our first rain of the trip so far. We caught bus # 22 back to the pier. It rained the entire way back to the waterfront. We made it back to the ship in time for departure. All in all, it was a good day. Although we didn’t get to see any of the famed beaches or the 2 natural wonders of the world (Chamarel Falls and the 7 Colored Sands) due to the weather, we enjoyed a local experience, which I always treasure. 

Pointe des Galets, Reunion Island

The day after leaving Mauritius, we sailed to Reunion Island. PdG is the principal port of this 980 sq. mile island, located 480 miles east of Madagascar and 130 miles southwest of Mauritius. The archipelago of Reunion and Mauritius formerly were named Mascarenes following their discovery in 1512 by a Portuguese navigator. The French took the initiative of settling Reunion Island in 1642. Since 1946, Reunion has been perhaps one of France’s best-kept secrets. It is considered an appointed Department of France along with Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guyana. Not many people outside of France have heard of this island. However, there is an American embassy on it, so it’s not that unknown to our gov. 

With its active volcano, Reunion is often likened to Hawaii. Two thirds of its western side is covered by mountain ranges, with a 9,200 ft. peak. It appears as one big botanical garden with fruit and vegetable crops, flowers, spices, sugar cane, palms, pines and various other vegetation growing in abundance. Although the beaches are not the top attraction, scores of visitors, mostly from France and Switzerland come to explore the mountains, the rain forests, and the unique Criques---- large volcanic valleys surrounded by mountains. 

French is the official language, but Creole is the most widely spoken language by the locals. The culture is Creole-flavored with the luxuries of downtown Paris in a tropical climate. However, the prices are high. 60% of the island’s needs are imported from France. Likewise, France buys 60% of Reunion’s products. The major source of income on the island is from agriculture, mainly sugar cane, vanilla and the production of geranium oil used in the fixative in perfumes. Reunion was the first global producer of geranium oil. The currency used is the Euro.

We had hoped to go to St. Denis, the capital of Reunion, to see the state gardens and Natural History Museum. However, the rain followed us from Mauritius, so we got to visit St. Denis (an hour from the pier where our boat landed) by local bus, but after a nice lunch in a cafe with some friends from the ship, we chose to go back to the ship due to the rain. People who ventured out in taxis (very expensive), went on tours, and/or  rented cars to drive up to the volcanos, were a bit disappointed in not being able to see much due to the weather. 

Lots of yummy fruits grow on Reunion. Our ship took on some fresh pineapple.

Everything grows big in Reunion.

I took this pic through the bus window. She was waiting for another bus. 

Flame Tree

 I’ve learned something new (never knew that geranium oil is used in perfumes for example; actually never heard of geranium oil!) about the world every day while on this voyage to discover 9 countries. Our world is truly an amazing place, full of wonders.