Mauritius

WOW AM I EXCITED THIS THING IS WORKING AGAIN!

Today is March 5th and we left Port Louis Mauritius last night. I am not sure how much I want to say about Mauritius because I had a really mixed experience. Our group of friends decided to rent a beach villa in Flic-en-Flac, a popular beach town. We had 13 people and therefore had difficulty finding a place to stay. After searching every website and contacting just about every person who lives in Mauritius we finally found Sandy, a renowned chef. When we arrived she picked us up at the ship, with the other 50 people who were staying in her accommodations. We drove to Flic-en-flac, about a forty minute drive and arrived at her home. We enjoyed drinks while we paid and waited to be driven to our villa. When we finally left, we drove to a nearby apartment complex. On first sight the villas looked average. They were by no means five star but they seemed to be ok. We were split into two groups, with two apartments, one with 6 people and the other with 7. I was in the six person. Our apartment was fine; the bedrooms had air conditioning, it was close to the beach and had all the amenities we needed (pretty much just a fridge).
At 3pm, three of the group, including myself left flic-en-flac to return to the ship. I had a field program that evening called ‘multicultural evening’. Nicole, my friend also on the trip, and I headed into the waterfront area of Port Louis to kill time before the evening began at 7:30. We had a bite to eat at McDonalds, just to see if it really is the same in all countries and then headed into the shopping area. There were all sorts of designer shops selling fake Lacoste, Abercrombie and others. We were tempted but I wanted to hold off until Vietnam. We decided to sit at a little café on the waterfront and have a drink. The weather in Mauritius was the hottest yet, but in the evening it was a comfortable temperature, which made it nice to sit outside and people watch. At six we returned to the ship to get ready for our FDP.
When we arrived at the colonial estate, we were lead to a large room where tables were set up around a dance floor. We took a seat and ate appetizers while dancers performed Indian, Chinese, Creole and Oriental dances. Between dances, the buffet was opened to enjoy different course. After the appetizers we had a salad bar followed by the main course. The food was delicious and definitely the highlight of the evening. Although the dancing was nice, there was no commentary so we didn’t know what we were watching. I felt that the evening was enjoyable but didn’t really follow the program that we had originally signed up for. Afterward we headed back to the ship and decided to sleep there and head back to the villa in the morning.
After a good breakfast on the ship Nicole and I head back to the villa. When we arrive at 10am everyone is still sleeping. We wake them up and all put on our bathing suits and head to the beach. The beach was pretty but the sand was very rocky. It looked similar to Bermuda because the water is turquoise but the beaches were a lot narrower. The distance between the water and the park beyond the beach was only about 12 feet in some cases. We laid out on the beach for a while, between swims. The sun was so strong that I needed to put on more sunscreen every half an hour. We all got very hot very quickly and took lots of swims to cool off. Around lunch time we wandered further down the beach for some lunch. There were many lunch wagons and ice cream trucks parked at the beach so I decided to try a kebab. It is a sub sandwich filled with shaved chicken, sauce and vegetables. It was delicious. I also had an Appletizer, which I was happy to find in Mauritius after loving them so much in South Africa. After lunch we moved our things into the shade. The whole beach was covered with families who had camped for the day, because it was Sunday. They had brought everything from chairs, to small stoves and tons of food. It was much like cup match in Bermuda, but they didn’t have generators! All the locals were playing music so it was really nice to sit and read while listening to them play.
After returning to the villa, we took turns in the one working shower (the other tub had a large hole in the bottom). It was refreshing because the water was freezing cold! We all got ready for dinner and an evening out before having some cocktails. At around seven we headed to Sandys house for complimentary dinner and drinks. Everyone who was staying with her was there and it was nice to not have to buy food and cook for ourselves.
After dinner we headed downtown to Shots, the most popular bar. It was pretty much all Semester at Sea kids, which was really fun.
On the third day we woke up late as a result of the previous late night and lounged around for a while. Some of the group headed out to an adventure park but a few of us stayed behind. We headed into the town to find an internet café. After making contact with the outside world again, we headed to a roadside stand for some vegetable samosas. They were very cheap (four for about 30 cents) and were so delicious we ended up going back for more.
After returning to the villa we just spent the afternoon relaxing, a well needed rest for the constant rush of semester at sea life. In the evening we once again headed to Sandys for dinner. After dinner Leah and I decided to head back to the ship because we had excursions early the next morning. After walking a mile in dresses with our huge hiking bags we finally found a taxi. Although he charged us a ridiculous price, we made it back to the ship in one piece and were please to feel the air conditioning and comfortable beds.
Although many people were really upset with the service we received from Sandy (compared to the price we paid), I did not feel as strongly. Although the villas themselves were not what we expected (roaches and mice were staying there too apparently) I think they made up for that with their welcoming hospitality. They drove us to and from the ship and cooked breakfast and dinner for everyone. Despite the less than satisfactory living circumstances, I think that we all enjoyed ourselves and the time that we had to just relax.
On the last day in Mauritius, I had an excursion to the Terre de Paix children’s home. I almost missed the excursion though because I took a water taxi into the waterfront to post some letters and go to a bank machine. I headed back to the dock at 10:45 to catch the water taxi, figuring it would take me 15 minutes to get back to the ship, leaving time before my trip left at 11:30. Well I was wrong. The water taxi that we took was deathly slow. From the sound of the engine you would have thought it was going about 300 miles an hour, but in actual fact, I probably could have swam faster than we were moving. We finally arrived back at the ship at 11:20 and I sprinted onto the ship to pack my bag and grab my ticket for the tour. I made it to the bus on time and we headed for Terre de Paix.
Terre de Paix is a non-governmental organization that survives on government funding and donations, which provides schooling and housing for young people (from pre-school age up until 18) who have either failed in the public school system or who have social problems with their families. When we arrived, the children we on their lunch break and we played soccer with them. They then taught us how to play the national instrument, the Ravonne, which is like large round, flat drum. When played properly it makes all different sounds. Although several of us tried to play it, none were very successful. At one o’clock, when classes resumed, we were broken into small groups. I was able to attend art class. I was really surprised to see how good all of the students were at art. I was slightly embarrassed when the wanted me to draw for them, and the leaf I drew ended up looking more like a bar of soap! After we rotated, I went to the pre-school class. We played play dough with the children and gave them stickers. One little girl, Geraldine, was fascinated with my camera and took pictures of everything. None of the children spoke any English but this wasn’t a barrier, we communicated through songs, smiles and touch. After school ended, the children were all picked up and we stayed behind to speak with some of the teachers. They said that because most of the children came from troubled backgrounds, there were always misbehaved and difficult to manage. I did notice this in art class when one girl in particular, Kelly, would not do what the teacher instructed. She kept leaving during class and wandering around outside. I could see that this was frustrating to the teacher who had to constantly watch her.
Although most of the children live at home with their families, nine teenage boys live at Terre de Paix. They must take care of themselves, cook and clean, and are mentored by youth leaders. These are the children that have family problems. Younger children and girls in the same situation are looked after in foster homes by the teachers and other community members. When the boys turn 18 they must have a court hearing and return home. If they are unable to go home, they will live with three other boys and support themselves. It was sobering to see how these boys lived- with everything they had fitting into a shared wardrobe. Despite this though, they were all happy and lively and seemed to be proud to show us their home.
Before heading back into Port Louis, we went a local beach near the school. It was nice to see a different part of the coastline, but I really didn’t need to see another beach. The boys who lived at the school came with us on the bus and were really excited when we bought them popsicles at a corner store! After dropping them off back at the school we drove back into Port Louis and back to the ship. I really enjoyed the trip because I got to meet some new people but also because I was able to gain insight into the other side of life in Mauritius, which was not apparent in the touristic beach town of Flic-en-Flac.
For the last night Leah, Kara and I headed out to the waterfront one last time for dinner. We decided on Pizza hut, as Mauritius will probably be the last port for a while where we can eat Western food. It was pretty good and after eating we wandered back to hop on the water taxi back to the ship. Although I enjoyed the time we spent in Mauritius, I would rather have spent the time in South Africa or the countries we are yet to visit.
We are now on our way to India, which I am really excited but a little nervous for. I think this will be our first port which will be a big culture shock for us. Until next time…xo