Africa & India 2006: 10 - Mauritius

Saturday, February 25, 2006

There was a major storm during the night, starting just before dinner, so we huddled under umbrellas for the walk to and from the restaurant, where the food was not worth the walk! The roof in our room leaked in various places, but fortunately not over the bed, so we snuggled in to the sounds of pounding rain and howling wind.

By morning it had cleared. We were at the restaurant by 7 AM, but hotel staff didn't arrive by bus until 7:10, so not much was done before 7:30. I tried to get an email away, but the phone lines were out. After breakfast we checked out, then drove through swollen streams and over rocks and dirt that had been washed onto the road to the airport. The small airport is comfortably laid out, with sofas and groupings of easy chairs in the waiting area.

The flight back the Mauritius was on time. Passports were checked upon departure and on arrival, and after a bit of running around we found Mr. Monet, who had our rental car. This time I had to produce a driver's license, but the paperwork was still minimal. When finished with the car we are to leave it in the airport parking lot with the key in the trunk and that's all there is to it!

We decided to see some country on the way to the hotel, so took secondary roads leading along the south coast of the island. There were some truly beautiful areas, with towering mountain peaks, forest and miles of deserted golden sand beach. Lots of rivers crossed the road on their was to the sea. There were a couple of clusters of hotels, but otherwise this coast is unspoiled. We made one stop for a light lunch, and then got back onto the expressway at Port Louis for the rest of the trip north.

Today and tomorrow are big days for the Hindu population, as it is the Shiva Festival. Pilgrims walk for miles along the highways and byways, sometimes carrying huge ornate creations built on platforms carried on the shoulders of several men. They are amazing to see, but cause some equally amazing traffic jams. The police are out in force at intersections giving the parades of pilgrims the right of way.

There is a major shopping mall at Grand Bay, near where we are staying. I was able to get an update away at the internet café, Marilynn made an appointment for Monday at the hair salon, and we loaded up on drinks, mix and some snacks at the huge supermarket. Ocean Beauty Villas, where we are staying, is only a few minutes from the mall, so we were swimming in the ocean by 4 PM.

The keys that had been sent to the guard would not work in our room, so while we were swimming new keys were to be delivered. When we returned after an hour, no keys, so we raised hell with the poor guard, who phoned the main hotel and got a non-committal answer. There was no way the guard was about to let me speak to the manager, but when I told him we were finding another hotel and would be demanding a refund if the right keys did not show up within 5 minutes, he made another call and suddenly a hotel master key was made available to us. Our own correctly coded keys showed up the next day.

Once again we had dinner at Sea Lovers, the restaurant we dined in a few days ago. It was not as great as the first time, but we did have a superb seafood plate for two with lobster, crab, prawns and many other dead denizens of the deep. After dinner we went to the pub in the same building and met up with an English couple that are staying in the same complex as we are. They were watching the England vs Scotland rugby game, so we joined them and downed a few more drinks. When we got back to the villas we topped the night off with gin tonics on their balcony, hitting bed by about 2 AM.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

The breakfast routine here is to order from the menu by phone, causing it to be served at a table on our patio. Breakfast was followed by a swim, and then we drove to the largest city in Mauritius, Saint Louis, picking Sunday to avoid weekday traffic. We spent the rest of the morning strolling the beautifully done waterfront area. This collection of boutiques, hotels and restaurants is also the cruise ship port, and is world class. There were not a lot of people around, and many shops were closed for the Shiva Festival, but it was definitely worth seeing.

After a lunch of "bangers and mash" at a harbour side English pub, we drove to the botanical garden at Pamplemouses. This huge park of paved, tree shaded walkways and beautifully landscaped grounds is full of surprises, from big tortoises from an atoll in the Seychelles, to ponds full of giant Amazon water lilies or of lotus flowers. Entry is free, and guides are available at a reasonable rate, but we chose to wander on our own.

By this time it was late afternoon, so we drove back to the villas for another swim and a sundowner drink with Carl Green & Jane Hampton, the British couple we met yesterday. They leave tomorrow, so we all piled into the car and drove to a Japanese restaurant where we shared a good farewell dinner with ample sake & wine.

Monday, February 27, 2006

I didn't sleep well - too hot, so went for a long walk on the next beach at about 6 AM. There are many expensive houses lining the beach, with lawns running down to the sand. Most were not fenced, but some have bars on the windows even though crime levels in Mauritius are very low. That was hot work in spite of the early hour, so I went for a drive around the north end of the island with the air-conditioning on to cool down. There is a lot more development on this coast than there was in the south.

Although schools teach in English, Mauritius is much more French than English. The local people speak Creole, and most people speak English, but do better in French. The literacy rate for those over 15 years old is 86%. There are about 1,231,000 inhabitants on the 2,040 sq. km. island, of which 68% are Indo Mauritian and 27% Creole. 48% of the population is Hindu, 24% Catholic and 17% Muslim, and everyone seems to get along well. There is a wide spread difference in life expectancy - women average 76 years and men 68 years. Medical care is free, although private hospitals and clinics charge. The free medical care includes visitors to the island as well as residents.

This island, like others in the area, was discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, then was held by the Dutch, then the French and finally the British. It became independent in 1968. Geographically it is included with Africa, and as such has the highest per capital income in Africa. There is stable government, free elections and a positive human rights record. A law I find interesting is that it is illegal to possess or import papers for the rolling of tobacco.

Today will be pretty laid back. The standard morning and afternoon swims, and a visit to the mall where Marilynn has an appointment at the beauty salon and I'll catch up on email. Tomorrow we must be out of the hotel by noon, but don't need to be at the airport until 3:30 PM, so I'm planning on driving down the northwest coast on back roads. Our flight will leave here for Bombay at 5:30 PM; arrive there at 1 AM, then we wait in the terminal for our Air India flight to New Delhi at 4:30 AM. It'll be a long night!