We went to Mauritius with Nancy a couple of weeks ago
It was rainy when we arrived which was really dissapointing comming from Sunny Greece …
Things got eventually a lot better the next few days …
There is a general misunderstanding around the exoticism of that place … Having seen postal Cards etc i thought It would be coco trees all the way and endless sand beaches …
Well you can find that as well …
The majority of the beaches though have pine trees all the way to the sea… Very often you have a strech of a couple hundred meters of pine “forest” between the road and the sea front …
It is very pleasant but not the exotic thing you see on postcards… that is seychelles…
Nevertheless its exoticism is more profound in its way of life, people incredible volcanic scenery with round black rocks thrown here and there, massive sugar cane plantations, Hindu ceremonies on the sea front, the massive picknick parties thrown every Synday on the beaches by Locals (literrally thousands of famillies) the colours, the incredible sunsets the huge cloud formations that create sculptures in the sky, the waterfalls … and least but not last the colourfull fishies and incredible birds …
A really beautyfull setting …
We did the undersea walk … It is interesting but really not worth the time and money in my view…
You wear a very heavy astronaut type helmet .. air is pumped into it through a tube … they tie a weight belt on you and you sink till you reach the bottom (3-4 m) ...
I fell really bad in there with the air nozzlen the rear of the helmet making an incredibble noise in my years … really ruining the sea silence and the freedom of moovement you usually enjoy when snorkeling …
You should absolutely take with you a good mask and finns (or rubber shoes if you prefer) because you will have lots of opportunities to snorkel. It is even more interesting if you bring with you in a plastic bag some pieces of bread … you will see the wonderfull little fishies comming to you and eat from you hand … amazing !
The sea front close to the beach has usually few fishes to see … nevertheless whenever you have a rock formation in the sea you have fishies around it … loads of them
You might want to ask a boat to bring you to a nice snorkeling site … I actually did snorkel on the site where the undersea walk did take place and it was amazing … i actually swam through huge banks of colorfull fishes, fed them
You will need more than 5 days to get a good glimpse of the Island and in my view you are better off renting a Car …
Prices come arround 1200 Rupees a day for a descent small car
I was feeling a bit weird driving on the Left side … Nothing to worry though … you get it in the first half hour … just take it easy (The weirdest is the gear box on your left and turnlights on your right …)
Just take the time to go to small villages, stay on the beach eat local and get into their daily relaxed and totally laid back rythm of life (not so in The capital Port Louis)
Life is very cheap if you manage to escape the Large Hotels and their facilities …
You can also find familly owned little villas close to the sea for a very good price … look on the net
You must absolutely find a way to go to a local SEGA event (Local Dance) ... they have very nice music and they are both men and women very beautyfull people !
Enjoy!
