GWV 2014 — Mauritius and Reunion, Islands in the South Indian Ocean

Keep five yards from a carriage, ten yards from a horse, and hundred yards from an elephant; but the distance one should keep from a wicked man cannot be measured. ~~ Indian Proverb

Mauritius
Arabs first came to Mauritius, then the Portuguese, but it was the Dutch who first settled the island. The French took it over and then the British seized it from the French. The French brought enslaved Africans to work the sugar cane plantations, and the influence of both cultures are still felt on the island today. The sugar cane was primarily used to make rum at that time. The British freed the slaves but brought in thousands of indentured workers from India and China. Mauritius gained independence in 1968 but remains in the British Commonwealth.

Maryann organized a tour for 10 of us… this was a bargain at $27 US pp…. for an entire day! We first visited an ancient volcanic crater… actually if you have seen one, you’ve seen them all…. then continued on a road which reminded me of the highway to Hanna in Hawaii….dramatic mountains, views of the sea, twists and turns. We visited the waterfalls of Black River Gorges National Park, the Champel with its seven different colored soils, and the sacred Hindu lake and temple to the god Shiva. Six of us had been together on the 2012 Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage so it was a reunion of sorts.

La Possession
125 nautical miles from Mauritius is the French island of Reunion. The island is dotted with tiny villages, sugar plantations, high-end seaside ressorts, and dramatic waterfalls. The island’s culture is primarily Creole. Vanilla is cultivated on plantations on the island.

I took the ship’s shuttle service to the Mail de Rodrigues, a seaside resort town about 40 minutes away. I love their roads! Their highways are new, scenic, and memorable. I kept thinking how nice it would be if 95 or 75 were a fraction as nice!

Shipboard Life
At Reunion, a local group, the Mascariegnes, performed in a folkloric show. It was billed as music, dance, and rhythm of the island. I found it repetitive and boring. I left after 10 minutes. And was distressed that I had made an effort to return to the ship for the performance rather than to continue to enjoy the island.

The old Terrace Grill by the Lido Pool has been transformed into the Dive In. It is great! They serve the best hamburgers and fries in the world… and the hot dogs aren’t bad either! I am so sorry that I have discovered this gem for lunch… my normal salad for lunch pales in comparison.

Debby Bacon, the entertainer in the Piano Bar, delivers an excellent show. However, it is a performance rather than the raucous, fun, casual piano bar atmosphere that we loved on the Rotterdam.

The Queen’s Lounge featured Elite, a vocal duo and leading ladies from London’s West End. These ladies provided world class entertainment. Their voices are spectacular!

I finished Harlan Coben’s Missing You. Someone please read it and tell me if at the end, Kat turned in Jeff or not. I hate stories without a definitive ending.

Notes
Deb & Gordon: Glad you are following me on my adventure. Wish you were along!
Barbara: I mistook you for my daughter! Welcome to my blog!
All: I do have photos and will attempt to upload some if I ever have free or inexpensive wifi while in port. However, most of the time, if I am in port, I am doing things rather than sitting at my ipad typing!! Trying to upload photos while using the ship’s internet is expensive and frustrating.