On the ninth day (this is starting to sound like the creation myth) we were back on terra firma. Our first stop was Mauritius. We were astounded to find out that we had sea legs! The ground kept swaying for hours, I almost thought this was a myth. Scurvy up next?
Mauritius is often associated with its paradise beaches and resorts, but the capital of Port Louis is a wonderfully cheerful, colourful and dilapidated place.
We spent hours people and building watching, and then hopped on a local bus to the northern part of the island, through the deliciously named Pamplemousse district.
We passed sugar cane plantations listening to the bus driver’s choice of blasting Indian music, with many people singing along sit-dancing. To top things up, it was the day after Holi (a Hindu spring festival), so a lot of people were still covered with colour powder. It felt like we had stepped right into a Bollywood movie. Hinduism is the main religion in Mauritius, followed by christianity.
Our destination was the stunning 18th century plantation estate, Domaine de Labourdonnois. It is an active estate with exotic fruit orchards, vanilla and sugar cane plantations, spices and its own rum distillery.
Mauritius do not have any native mammal species, or an ancient native population for that matter. The Dutch, who were the first settlers in 1638, introduced domestic animals and deer, which are represented on these beautiful wall paintings. Sadly, this contributed to the extinction of the Dodo bird. My mother once adopted some Dodo bones in our names to support the wonderful Grant Museum of Zoology in London.
Astor was patiently waiting for us on our return to Port Louis.
On the very next day we arrived at Réunion island, which is one of the outermost regions of the EU. This was the first time in several months that we were allowed to enter a country without any visa requirements, which made us feel unproportionally welcome. It belongs to France, and is obviously not a colony, but an overseas department.
It felt extremely French with its boulangeries, bistros and abundance of pharmacies. There were museums with French impressionist paintings and well-manicured gardens…
…although with slightly more exotic flora.
We spent all day in the capital Saint-Denis, and unfortunately did not have time to explore Réunion’s splendid and dramatic nature. That is the biggest downside with a cruise, you only get tiny teasers of the destinations.
A lot of the beautiful old buildings looked uninhabited and secretive. This is how I imagine the tropical version of Miss Havisham’s mansion.
After we had explored every nook, cranny and museum of this pretty little city, we sat back and sipped French wine, nibbled on chèvre chaud and observed the street life. Love this lady’s outfit.
It was a surreal feeling, being on French grounds, where everything is excessively French (isn’t it always?), but at the same time on a distant tropical island in the Indian Ocean. I assume we would be allowed to move, and work there, considering we are EU citizens? I don’t necessarily need to move there, unless there is an infectious disease outbreak of some sorts, but I definitely want to go back hiking in Réunion’s mountains.