Mauritius
I arrived on the multi cultural island of Mauritius to bright blue skies and a temperature of 25 degrees and had an hour’s taxi ride to my hotel on the north east coast. Mauritius was first colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century, then by the French until the early 1800’s when the British claimed it – until it’s independence in 1968. It’s a lush, sub tropical island, with dense sub tropical forests, volcanic craters and black basalt rocks – and of course surrounded by coral reefs of the Indian Ocean.
The Ambre hotel was a self-contained resort and as it was “All Inclusive” I didn’t have to leave the place, so for three days I relaxed and recovered from the long journey. I walked both directions up and down Belle Mare beach, a long stretch of pure white sand both ways. This was advertised as one of the best stretches of beach on the island, and I could see why - it was idyllic.
By the Friday, I was ready to go off exploring – the hire car was booked and although it arrived a bit late – I wanted to see what else Mauritius had to offer! I headed inland for fuel and then up the east coast towards the north part of the island. There were many beautiful bays and beaches all the way up the coast, with car parks and palm tree picnic areas every few miles.
These secluded spots were lovely and shaded and enabled you to park only a few feet from the beautiful ocean. I stopped many times to admire the views before reaching Cap Malheureux, with it’s quaint chapel - red roof and white walls, overlooking yet another fabulous bay. Although the locals frequently asked if you wanted to buy something or go on a boat trip, they weren’t threatening at all - they were all very friendly.
I stopped at Grand Bay, and walked around the coast for a while, admiring the yachts and other boats – but it was a bit too commercial for my liking – more like a holiday resort. There were too many activities happening and too many shops! As I passed through many of the towns you couldn’t help but admire and marvel at the temples – they were so different from any that I had seen anywhere else.
They weren’t gold, they were completely multi coloured, pink, blue, yellow, red, and green – every colour imaginable. The highlight of my day had to be visiting Pamplemousse (meaning Grapefruit in Mauritian) Gardens in the centre of the island, 60 acres of tropical paradise that was originally planted in 1735.
It included 500 different species of trees and plants – including my favourite – The Giant Victoria Regia Water Lillies. They were incredible and completely lived up to my expectations – there was a large rectangular pond full of them, some of the Lillies must have been four feet across, with upturned edges, they looked like you could sit on them and sail away.
There was the occasional heron balancing on them, with pink coloured flowers peering out between the pads. There were some very old palms in the garden, (that flower when they reach 60 years of age and then they die!) several other ponds, a deer pen and a tortoise enclosure. It was quite a sight watching the Giant Tortoises; there were 18 of them, some enjoying the sunshine, some wallowing in the mud, some drinking the pond water and a few feeling very frisky!
Now that looked mighty uncomfortable! After visiting the gardens I headed towards the capital, Port Louis, which looked very busy, so I returned to the hotel, along small roads with sugar cane both sides and villages that were so small, you had gone through them without realising.
The most hazardous part of driving, was avoiding the dogs that wandered along the roads. I arrived back to the hotel absolutely exhausted, I had, had a full 9 hours out driving around the north of the island and ended my day with a relaxing walk along the beach.
The second day exploring saw me heading west, but as it was Saturday the roads were so busy that it took hours to reach the first port of call. When I arrived at Tamarin, looking for the Waterfalls, I was directed along an awful dirt track, along the top edge of a dormant volcano, stopping at separate viewpoints to admire the Tamarin Waterfall. From up there I could see for miles over the flat plains towards the coast, and the Black River National Park in the distance. The next stop was supposed to be another Botanical Gardens, but when I eventually found it, I discovered it was now derelict. There were however, more coloured plants and flowers growing along the roadside (even more colour than at Pamplemousse).
I drove into the National Park and found Alexandra Falls, with the loveliest shaded picnic site, and a view of more waterfalls and the mountainous rainforest beyond. I spoke to a very friendly policeman who asked me where I was headed, and when I told him I was heading to Chamarel – he said that it was very hot there! Surely it wasn’t going to get hotter than it was now!
The journey to Chamarel was horrendous – the hairpin bends were the worst that I have ever driven around, especially with the steep drops at each side of the road - when there was only enough room for one vehicle! It was the longest couple of miles ever. The first part of Chamarel was to see the waterfall – the Chamarel Cascade, and although I had already seen two waterfalls that day, this one was the best – as well as water gushing down hundreds of metres, the light was catching the water just right – making rainbows in the sunshine.
Very impressive! I carried on further down towards the “Seven Coloured Earth”, along more terrifying single-track roads. What a sight I was greeted with at the bottom! It was like a lunar landscape, but in so many different shades of red, orange, brown and grey. Some people said that these volcanic mounds looked like a giant coloured tortoise shell – I preferred the likeness to the moon though. The policeman was right, it was very hot down at Chamarel – it was like being in the desert – but surrounded by dense sub tropical forest with many birds, lizards and small animals.
I stopped and had an ice cream and a rest, trying to avoid the intense sun. I was dreading travelling back up the mountain – but thankfully it wasn’t that bad. I headed back through the National Forest stopping at the viewpoint to see the Black River Gorge and the plains looking towards the coast beyond. The final stop on my itinerary for the day was the Grand Bassin, and nothing could have prepared me for the sight of that! As I travelled through the forest, the single-track road suddenly become a 6-lane highway, and in the distance, there stood a 108-foot high statue overlooking the sacred lake, a place of pilgrimage for many Hindu people.
The spectacular statue was a bronze colour and reminded me of “The Angel of The North” and the road approaching it was so impressive; it made you feel like you were approaching Mecca! I walked around the garden at the top, and down to the lake below (which was full of fish thriving on all of the “offerings” they were being given), and saw strange concrete stools at 1-metre intervals – I think they were used for ceremonies to baptize people. It was an awesome place to see, very colourful, serene and sacred.
Sunday was my last day with the car, and I had decided to see the south of the island, which was supposed to be the rugged, windswept coastline with crashing waves. I headed off through the sugar plantations again, crossing many rivers full of boulders and swirling water. I went through one town (hamlet really) and the police told me to stop whilst a colourful parade passed us – a Hindu ceremony – the costumes were so bright and colourful!
There weren’t many people about and it was good to spend some time just sitting watching the sea, which was lovely and calm, and a beautiful green colour – before heading off on the long journey back to the hotel. I stopped at a bridge to take a photograph of the river below, and saw two men jumping and swimming in the water; surprisingly one of them had no clothes on! And I thought nudity was frowned upon in Mauritius! The roads were fairly quite most of the way back; everyone must have gone home for an afternoon siesta – thank goodness. Travelling on the roads had been a complete nightmare – cars and motorbikes coming down on the wrong side of the road, sometimes on both sides at once! I felt like I didn’t have enough eyes – I just had to close my eyes, wave and laugh!
Back to the hotel for a few more days of sunshine and a much needed rest after my 3 days exploring! I think the maps and tourist guides were wrong, the island is far bigger than they say! I enjoyed the sunshine and all the amenities that the hotel had to offer: I enjoyed long walks along the beach; I had a go at canoeing one day when the sea wasn’t too rough and swam in the sea and in the pool many times.
Although it was very hot, there was always a breeze that kept you from feeling too hot! I never got burnt, which was amazing in temperatures that were well over 30 degrees. I discovered some wonderful rock pools that were left between the granite boulders, when the tide went out – full of wonderful, little, tropical fish (neon tetras, angel fish and little black sharks). As I scrambled further and further out, searching for more interesting fish, I did the ultimate………………I slid and fell in the water. I literally sat in it, thoroughly soaking myself! But it was worth it; the sights that I saw early that morning were amongst the best I had seen from the beach. I loved the white crabs, which looked as if they had red smiley faces painted on them, scurrying into their holes when the tide had subsided. A thoroughly enjoyable time at the Ambre Hotel and on the tropical island of Mauritius!
Next I was planning a short stopover in Dubai on the way home…….....Watch out for that, its very exciting!
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