1st March 2016

We had two thunderstorms last night, neither of which woke Sue, and I was too comfortable in bed to get up and watch the fireworks. When the alarm went off at 8 am, we sleepily showered and made our way to breakfast. After loading up on fruit, cheese, ham, and bread, I discovered to my dismay that there were four hot trays with sausages, baked beans, bacon, and fried potatoes. Too late, no room left! Never mind, I do feel better for sticking to a “continental” diet, but tomorrow, my tummy deserves a treat.

Unable to decide where to go today, we compromised and turned left outside the gate, heading south along the coast.

We hadn’t gone far when we came across a promising-looking beach, accessed through some cooling pine trees. A few cars were dotted about, two of which belonged to the Coastguard, but otherwise, the place was deserted. I set off to explore a small group of rocks on the headland, but when I reached my goal, I found I was alone. Sue had stopped on the shore near the car and was in her element, foraging along the shoreline, her forte. This spot was a treasure trove of coral, shells, and dead sea-life. After I’d finished clambering around, I joined her to peruse the booty. Looks like Lucas will have quite a few new additions to his seaside collection!

Moving on, we stopped and wandered along yet more beaches. The binoculars were put to use again, as the coast is fringed by a coral reef about a mile offshore. You could clearly see the breaking waves, the little boats carrying divers, snorkellers, glass-bottomed boats, and probably a few fishing smacks. Through the binoculars, we also spotted line after line of fish farms.

Wherever we go, locals of all ages and sexes enjoy fishing. You can see them on all the beaches, usually quite close to the rocks, up to their waists (and often deeper), flicking out long, thin, bent bamboo canes with short lines and hooks. The fish are abundant, and while not large, none are thrown back. The strike rate seems to be every second cast. It’s fascinating to watch their steady, rhythmic movements, a simple yet effective way of fishing.

Our route took us very close to the mountains, and as they are volcanic (extinct), they form quite exotic pillars reaching upwards, covered in lush green foliage. I imagine some of the photos we took today, with the mountains in the background, will be worth keeping.

We came across a museum dedicated to the first settlers on the island. We were surprised to learn that it was the Dutch who first settled in 1598, though it’s understood that the Arabs had known of its location long before that. The Dutch left it to the French after twice attempting to establish a foothold, but gave up due to disease, rats, pirates, and crop failures, all of which convinced them life was easier back in Holland. We arrived late in the island’s history, and it seems that the French lost their influence because they weren’t very good at fighting the British. No change there then!

We had lunch today at somewhere quite special. We had spotted a sign for the restaurant a little way down the road, claiming to offer fresh food and sea views. Turning off the main road and driving down through sugar-cane fields, flanked by picturesque palms that could grace any travel magazine, I had a feeling the sea view would be fantastic, and we were not disappointed.

We parked the car under the shade of some convenient fir trees and walked in the heat to the veranda restaurant, which was perched on top of a high cliff overlooking the most beautiful bay. To top it off, across the bay was a perfect view of Lion Mountain. Three other couples were enjoying the scenery and food, and we were shown to a table with what must have been the best position for any photographer: right next to a cannon pointing out towards a small island. I took a photo that I think I might enter in some future competition, maybe even to win a holiday!

We ordered salads, and they were delicious. We ordered drinks, and they were refreshing. We ordered ice cream and sorbet, and they were perfectly cooling. This restaurant is definitely getting a glowing recommendation on TripAdvisor.

Continuing our meandering, we visited a few more beaches and eventually made it to Mahebourg. It’s quite a large town and seemed completely devoid of tourists. We’ve been wondering why we’ve encountered so few fellow travellers, and we think it’s because most of the hotels seem to be all-inclusive (ours included). This setup likely keeps most tourists confined to their accommodations. Interestingly, the Scandinavians seem to be the ones making an effort to explore, though today, we did encounter our first English couple at a restaurant, but we didn’t speak.

On the way back, we witnessed one of the kindest acts we’ve ever seen. And… it wasn’t by a human. As we sped along the winding, switchback roads, you got used to seeing the many dogs by the side of the road, always having to keep an eye out for these random creatures. On one stretch, as I was driving through a small village, I noticed two dogs walking along the side of the road. Almost at the point of no return, the smaller one suddenly turned to cross in front of me. At moments like this, time seems to slow down and your focus sharpens on everything around you. I saw that the dog had no eyes. As he turned, its companion immediately leapt to its side, placed its paws across its back to stop it from going any further, and steered it back to safety. I had swerved across to the other side of the road, but not enough if the little dog had continued. What a friend his pal is. Truly amazing and humbling.

Speaking of near misses, yesterday, as we were driving across the plateau from the other side of the island along a particularly winding part of the road through vast sugar-cane fields, I came across another hire car on its side in the field with two distraught tourists standing beside it. I stopped, got out, and offered to help, but although they were visibly upset, they refused, saying assistance would be coming in an hour and they would wait with the car. They were Scandinavian but, as usual, spoke perfect English. We left in what were quite hot and humid conditions and took much greater care for the rest of our journey.

We arrived back at the hotel just after 6 pm, and after a short rest, we changed and drove to a different restaurant a little further down the coast. This time chose to try Mauritian cuisine, with Sue opting for chicken stew (curry) and me for fish stew (curry/vindaloo). To be honest, we found the starter much spicier than the main course, but it was still thoroughly tasty.

It seems we’ve now developed a habit of returning to the hotel late at night, sitting by the pool, listening to the band playing music or watching the various acts on the stage across the water, sipping beer, and chatting with our family on Messenger. Tonight was no exception.