Trekking in Mauritius

I thought I’d write a bit about past travel vacations- it’s nice for me to reminisce and maybe I can give you ideas for where you would want to go.

Sun, white sand and cocktails… Mauritius looked exactly like the postcards I’ve seen! We went to Mauritius with Marc’s parents in July 2009. The flight from Johannesburg took about 3 and a half hours which is not too long. Our flight was delayed for a few hours so we arrived at our hotel passed midnight. We got a complimentary meal at News Cafe at Joburg airport for the inconvenience. Free food! Yay!

We stayed at Merville Beach Hotel in Grand Baie. We opted for a half-board package so that we could explore the island during the day. For breakfast the hotel has a buffet every morning. There were chocolate croissants and cinnamon sprinkled fruit salad! Hmmmhmmm! At night we watched local dancers and musicians and Carol and I would have a cocktail of the day, or two. The hotel’s water-sport activities was also fun. When my mom went to Mauritius last year she did under-water sea walking- you must hear her tell that story! Very funny!

Our package included a day trip to Le Coco Island. That was awesome! The coral and sea life there is probably the most stunning I’ve ever seen. We had an option to ride on the glass bottom boat or snorkel. I chose the boat but if I had known how beautiful the scenery was I would have gotten my hair wet.

The most memorable day for me was the day we went to Pamplemous Gardens.  The plants and flowers were pretty and the tortoises were gigantic but what made the day so exciting was our great trek and local snack… When we left the gardens, Lionel took the lead and we all followed him.  We crossed highways and fields for what felt like kilometers! Lionel was on a mission.  By the time we got to a little town we were exhausted and really thirsty.  Marc saw a debilitated sign which read “SNACK —>”, so we followed the sign into the local neighborhood. Many of the local Mauritians are quite poor and live in very basic houses, quite a contrast to their idyllic tourist hotels. We walked in the narrow pathways, and in between the little houses, we found Snack, a local bar. We each ate 2 delicious rotis and quenched our thirst with ice cold beer. That was a nice day.

Sun, white sand and cocktails…. Mauritius means that and so much more to me now. Many fond mauritian memories!

A happy memory is a hiding place for “unforgotten treasures.”
Paul L. Powers