Hello Mauritius

My time in the tiny island of Mauritius flew by, despite the concept of "island time". This teeny weeny island east of Madagascar has the distinction of being the only place that I've ever been that I didn't know how much I wanted to visit until I got there. Convoluted, but sincere... that's me :)

I was completely ambivalent about what seemed like a mystery stop on our worldwide voyage of discovery. As has become the case whenever I was ambivalent, I now acknowledge that was nothing more than ignorance and a lack of intellelectual curiousity on my part. I'm glad that grace covers a multitude of sins, because I got the opportunity to travel there anyway and expand my mind, and an expanded mind never returns to its original shape. Mauritius is now a part of my reality, and it will always jump off the map to me, despite the fact that it is miniscule in the scheme of themes, a freckle on the face of the Indian Ocean, for all intents and purposes.

My entire three days on the island, mostly spent in or near the capital city of Port Louis, were endlessly illuminating. I enjoyed taking a water taxi from the ship to the well-developed and picturesque waterfront area, visiting the colorful and bustling Central Market, the idyllic and tranquil Trou aux Biches for a stay in a private villa and day of white sandy beaches and crystalline water. A couple of friends and I chartered a private glass-bottomed boat for some snorkeling in the reefs just off the coast of the water. I turned down offers of tubing and parasailing for napping in the sun in the vain hope that the sun would fry the bacteria replicating in my congested sinuses with the same alacrity as it fried my skin (I'm like 13 shades darker... at least).

I even made it to the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens. The amazing flora and the amazing opportunity to be in the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the premier gardens in the world. the giant water lilies there are not to be missed. Among other wonders I saw coffee, tea, camphor, flame-of-the-forest, and many herbal remedies being grown. There was also a 250 year old Banyan tree that was at least 10 feet wide -- a baby sapling as those trees are thought to grow to be over 1,000 years old. It was worth the bug bites to see the sights there, as well as the giant turtles and the deer. To top it all off, a 30 minute public bus ride provided some of the best people watching of the trip.

Mauritius is endlessly diverse, multi-ethnic and fascinating, with most of the population being a exotic swirling mixture of Indian, African, Malay, etc. Hindus, Muslims, and Christians that co-exist peacefully there, seemingly without effort. For instance, the day we left was Divali, the Indian festival of light. The entire island took a holiday, shutting down early and stringing lights on homes and in the town squares. There was a night fireworks show that we watched off the deck of the ship. And yet the muslim call to prayer still went out on schedule and the church bells still rang at noon. How soothing for the heart, and how hopeful for the other areas of the world that defy such simple and cooperative living!

One thing that I would remis if I didn't mention is that the state bird is the dodo... at first glance this might seem totally random. (and second, and third...) Why is a long extinct, half-mythical, no-flying, half-squab, half-ostrich looking thing with purportedly disgusting and bitter meat the national bird?  How was it even hunted into extinction in the 18th century if it tasted so frickin narsty? Even though the bird is printed on towels, flags, and clothes, no one could give me an answer to the question. The only actual evidence of this bird is 2 rusty dusty skeletons in the museum! I would return for a visit to investigate that mystery alone.

PS: The McDonald's there has a doorman. A doorman!