Mad about Mauritius

There is magic throughout the island, in its astonishing natural beauty. It's also evident in the pride its people take in showing off their country.

“That's the Prime Minister's car'', remarked our driver, Kim, as we drove past a long black car, one summer morning, on the main road, while we were gazing at the saltpans of Tamarin, a small seaside village on the west coast of Mauritius.

Glancing back, I had a moment's glimpse of a shining black BMW and its security escort service, which I imagined, was indeed carrying Mauritian Prime Minister Paul Raymond Berenger (Beran'gee). Now that's a sight you don't get to see everyday.

It came as a much bigger surprise when we crossed paths on the main road, with the PM's car again, on our way back, later in the afternoon on the same day.

Given its size (30 miles long and 24 miles wide), the odds are high you'd bump into the head of state's convoy on the highway, not just once, but twice on any given day!
But what this island nation lacks in size is compensated by its many surprises.

After our six-hour flight from Dubai landed at Ramgoolam International Airport, we wound our way to the western village of Flic en Flac lined by postcard-perfect resorts.

We basked away our daylight hours with pedal boating, laser boat sailing, kayaking, glass bottom boat rides and snorkelling with a gorgeous array of clownfishes at Hilton Mauritius. This is unspoiled nature at its best — throughout the islands, reefs support a wealth of fish, especially Marlin.

Mysterious beauty

In addition to a wide range of water sports, guests may opt for horseback riding on the beach, yoga, golf (there's a 9-hole compact putting green for amateurs), tennis, hiking and biking in the hills, helicopter tours of the island or retreat indoors for a luxurious spa.

With our Mauritian friends Rajini and Vishen, we explored the island's mysterious beauty. Our first stop was at the crater of a volcano, called Trous Aux Cerfs, in the highlands of Curepipe (‘pipe cleaner').

“Trous aux Cerfs is just one of a total of 21 craters in Mauritius but most of them are extinct now,'' Rajini said as we strode up the tarred road leading up to and around the rim.

At 650 meters above sea level, this volcano offers a breathtaking overview of the central plateau town of Curepipe, and Quatre Borne (four bones), set snug in the broad valley against the backdrop of the hulking Cote D' Guard Mountain.

One rainy morning, we set out to the Ganga Talao, or Grand Bassin, the Ganges of Mauritius, resting within the crater of an extinct volcano.

An image of the Hindu God Lord Shiva stands on the edge of the lake, a major pilgrimage site for a large number of Mauritians of Hindu faith, as well as thousands of Hindus from all over the world, especially on the occasion of the Maha Shivaratri festival.

Then we drove eastward to the Bois Cheri (woods for lovers) tea estate, our eyes feasting on the luxuriant fields of tea, blanketing the horizon in green.

Azad Rojale, our guide at the Tea Museum, told us more about the different flavours and processes in making the popular leafy drink.

I was also informed that the green tea that I had enjoyed in Tokyo during a brief holiday in the Japanese capital was actually imported from Mauritius.

Melting pot

To say Mauritius people are friendly is probably an understatement.

The place is a true melting pot. Its two million people are a diverse blend of Arab, Dutch, French, British, African, Indian and Chinese.

Vestiges of these multicultural influences are evident everywhere: the Rupee currency; Creole dialect; French colonial architecture; mosques, temples, churches, Anglican cathedrals and Iglese Advantis; The Mahatma Gandhi Institute, sugar mills, Mini Coopers plying the streets; the right hand drive; typical Mauritian cuisine consisting of dholl purri, mine frire (fried noodles) and boulettes (steamed dumpling); cannette and carrom games; Sega dance; festivals — Diwali, Eid and Chinese New Year celebrations.

The warm welcome we received from friends such as Anne Raphael, who showed us her hometown, Rose Hill, and with her colleague Ian, drove us around the capital and main port of Mauritius, Port Louis proved to be special.

We sampled some local favourites such as boulettes and fried noodles from Sino-Mauritian vendors. Best discovery of all was Vona Corona's homemade traditional Mauritian ice cream.

We walked out into the busy Caudan waterfront, with its casino, shops and restaurants, and its bustling port.

Our midday stroll took us to the colourful Port Louis covered market, Chinatown's roadside stalls and doorways near the market.

Another strikingly beautiful sight lies across Black River District in the small village of Chamarel. A scenic but sinuous road from Case Noyale leads you up on a hill to the La Terres de Set (7) Coleurs (The Seven Coloured Earths of Chamarel).

This is a mound of undulating land stretching in contrasting layers of blue, green, red, yellow, orange, violet and pink earth, believed to result from the weathering of volcanic rocks or erosion of the volcanic ash.

Beautiful beaches

On our last day, our friend Nicholas, an engineer and his 10-year-old son, Gavin, whom we met at the Botanical Gardens, offered to take us on a drive along the southern coast, via Baie du Cap, and Souillac for beautiful scenery and beaches.

The island abounds with spectacular beaches — Gris Gris in the southern Savanne District, the brilliant blue waters of Blue Bay in southeastern Mahebourg, Grand Baie and Pereybere up in the north.

There is magic throughout the island, in its astonishing natural beauty. It also shows in the pride people take in showing off their country.

On board a catamaran for a sunset cruise on Tamarin Bay, south of the island, I breathe the air like sea tonic, raise my glass towards the sky and drink to the magic of the setting sun, “Toutes ces couleurs du coucher du soleil, C'est magnifique, magique.''

At the Natural History Museum garden, I caught my very first glimpse of a solitary baobab tree. Endemic to Africa and with a gigantic trunk up to 30 feet in diameter, this 100-year old tropical baobab tree seemed to spring into life straight out of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's book, The Little Prince.

For us, who come from the far away east, seeing a baobab for the very first time is an experience of a lifetime.

A 15-minute drive northeast from the capital are the Royal Botanical Gardens of Pamplemousses. Described as one of the world's oldest and most beautiful gardens, this 60-acre arboretum is a living museum of trees, blooms, shrubs and rare species of plants.

The trail we followed led past graceful trees, redolent with the perfume of fruit and spice, with great arching canopies. We saw the Golden Bamboo, Chewing Gum Trees, Fish Poison Trees, a 200-year old Buddha Tree and curiously, a Cross Tree, with leaves shaped like crucifixes, and the Bleeding Tree, which produces an odourless red coloured sap, which crystallises easily and is known for its medicinal value.

After our tree hopping, we reached the heart of the garden — a glimmering pond, festooned with giant floating pads and delicate blossoms of the blushing Victoria Regia water lilies, native to the Amazon. The flowers here will open white one day and close pink
the next.

How to go

Emirates operates non-stop flights (about six hours) to Mauritius. Flight, EK701, takes off from Dubai at 02.30, arriving at Mauritius' Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at 09.00hrs.

The return flight, EK702, operates every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, departing Mauritius at 23.30, and arriving at Dubai International Airport at 06.00 the following day.

Information

For more information, visit:
www.emirates-holidays.com
www.mauritius.hilton.com