L'Ile Maurice (Mauritius)

28.01.09

Mauritius was amazing. I will definately go visit again and I recommend it as a holiday destination to everyone, especially if you like snorkeling and tropical beaches. There is so much to see and do and the locals are so colourful and friendly. It's a beautiful place and the sea-life is abundant. It's very hot, but that's easily fixed with a swim in the crystal clear lagoon that surrounds the island. The water is perfect and you can easily walk in without losing your breath. Mauritius explodes into the new year with a million spectacular fireworks displays from every hotel, beach and town on the island. The markets sell anything from curios, clothes and cheap junk to tropical fruit, exotic vegatables and facinating things used in local customs like curries, incense, vanilla pods, trincates, garlands and adornments. Every price is negotiable and haggeling is common-place. The locals speak a mixture of French and Creole, but most can understand English. Yellow, pink and red bougainvillea grow wildly amongst the buildings and every garden has a coconut palm. Strange birds entertain you during the day and massive fruit bats put on an acrobatic display at night. Rain falls almost daily in the interior of the island and is very welcome when it cools the air and then quickly moves on. Giant snails come out to enjoy the morning drizzle and geckos sit around the evening light bulbs feasting on mozzies. Just below the surface of the calm water you will find millions of different types of fish swiming between the colourful coral. Some bread quickly attracts inquisitive fish that will feed out of your hand. Marlin is caught beyond the reef, braaied onboard the catamarans and best enjoyed along with punch made with fruit juice and the local rum. The local cuisine is spicy, but tasty, and deer can be found on every restaurant's menu. The island is steeped in history and the Mauritians are excited about their future. It's an amazing place. In one word - paradise.


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