| Of the many places I visited, Mauritius
was one of the places I know I will return to. It had
that mix of nice people, beautiful scenery, and a working
infrastructure. I went in June, which was the winter
season, and stayed with a university friend of mine and
her family in Beau Bassin. The country has a French feel
to it (particularly in the way people drove), but
everyone speaks English and comes from different cultures
(mainly East Indian, Cantonese, and Creole), so it is an
interesting social experiment (much like Singapore or even Malaysia). In fact, I came
very close to giving up my travel, buying a small
bungalow near the beach, and settling down here.
I visited the botanical gardens in Pamplemouses and
many of the resorts, which were really nice. From
everywhere, one can see the extinct volcanic mountains,
and acres and acres of sugar cane, which was Mauritius'
early money-raiser.
Things are fairly costly in the supermarkets and
stores, especially relative to the local income. Most is
flown in from South Africa or France.
My friend's family was very generous to give me a
great tour of the island, and we went the beach nearly
every day (it was nice to be in a warm place after coming
from chilly Johannesburg in winter!) I would have liked
to visit Rodriguez Island, as it is supposed to be
spectacular. After a two-week stay here, I flew off to
Reunion Island for some hiking on the massive Volcano.
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