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Rather at the very beginning than in
the very end: Mauritius presents itself to the world as a Paradise Island, yet
hides a brutal secret. For more than a decade, the Government of Mauritius has
pursued an outdated, indiscriminate, ineffective and inhumane dog control
policy known as ‘Catch and Kill’. Dogs are caught in nets, then flung into a
van with other terrified dogs and driven to the Pound.
Secret filming over the years of the
conditions inside the Pound have revealed shocking cruelty. Dogs crammed
together, left for days to fight for scraps of food, so inadequate, that a number
turn to attacking and eating their kennel mates. Tourists can adopt dogs from
the island to avoid this cruel situation that the poor dogs get in. Also there
is a petition addressed to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius that
can be signed by anybody from any country all over the world: https://www.soidog.org/savethedogs/mauritius
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The rivalless flora and fauna of the island is amazing.
Several specimen can be found that live nowhere else but here, or just extinct,
such as poor dodo the flightless bird and massive symbol of Mauritius. Mixture
of different countries, revealling themshelves either in street images or in
gastronomy or in languages. The place reminds my husband mostly Mexico and
Columbia, my elder son associated it with Brazilia and for me, it is a little
bit of Hawaii. During our stay, winter has just came. This meant that the
weather was no warmer than 30 and no cooler than 20 degrees, and also quick
little rains (showers) was experienced that always ended in rainbows.
Even the departure was not as smooth as it should have been.
Upon arrival at the airport, we faced some delay that was roughly equal with
our connection time in Paris. At the check-in counter, we were saved and were
offered a flight via Dubai operated by FlyDubai and connected to Emirates
seated in the world's biggest two-storied airbus A380. My Dominik had a smile
on his face as immediately two of his wishes came true: to see Dubai airport
and to fly on Emirates and try A380. Of course, without any extra cost.
Additionally, we were compensated with some coupons to spend in the buffet
while waiting. Adventures kept going.
We landed in the evening, collected the
luggages, the rented car, the local sim card and start driving on the left to
find the accomodation. First impressions in the darkness were sugarcanes and
stray dogs. Our Indian host warmly welcomed us but the male members of my
family did not want to stay there even for a night. They were disappointed with
the surroundings and it smelled bad. Although, my wise decision - to stay for a
night at least and see what is the situation by day and start to look for
another place next day - was failed and I was persuaded to go away.
Unfortunately,
we were refused even in the umpteenth hotel because all were fully booked.
Lesson: be prepared with option B if you reserve accomodation in a far country
with kids via airbnb. I wasn't. After a couple of hours seeking in vain, I must
have looked deadbeat and quite disappointed because the staff commiserated me
in Hotel Amelia and could stay for a single night in a suite reserved for
honeymooners. My next morning was spent with looking for accomodation for my
family for the rest of our dream-vacation in the fully booked Mauritius. Themed
Facebook groups have power! Asked help posting in a Mauritius group and I got
even more helping hands. Finally, I chose a combo. We spent 5 nights in the
gorgeous comfortable Kozy Le Morne apartment of Ornella - we totally loved it!
Especially the huge private terrace with jacuzzi surrounded by palm trees and
with panorama of the lagoon.
The last 3 nights were spent in the North, in the
five star Hotel Maritim enjoying AI. Dominik was happy again, he could enjoy a
complete suite on his own. From financial point of view, our accomodation cost
exactly 10 times higher than originally planned. 😕 But what experiences! 😄
My favourite two things on the island were a mysterious tree
called BANYAN TREE and a never heard song of a bird called ZEBRA DOVE.
Some words of some famous spots of Mauritius we have
visited:
CASELA nature and safari park was visited as a first
attraction during our stay on the island. The entrance was not smooth as the credit
card terminals were all out of order not only in the park but also on the whole
island that only turned out after queueing. Luckily, the cash withdrawal was
successful from an ATM in the quite far nearby. Once getting inside, we could
meet giant turtles face-to-face, enjoyed safari - ostrichs wanted to eat the
metal handrail of the safari bus and a peacock made Nolen
"terrorized", ha-ha. Many attractions were closed at that time
unfortunately, so we could not try the toboggan (we wanted), could not walk
with lions (we wanted?!) however many experiences enriched us.
MACONDE Viewpoint is a stunning coastal view along a hairpin
bend located on the peak of a small rocky cliff where you can enjoy
breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean. Due to rock purging works the
approaching road were fully closed most part of the day but could be accessed
by foot. We did the same but the guys on barefoot.
One of the main attractions was the OCEAN and its shore for
us, of course. It always shows different face. The waves were controlled by the
rocks before they reached the shore, so it was safe. And how beautiful its
bottom was! Perfect place for snorkelling. Felt just like swimming above a huge
aquarium. It was full of colourful fish and other creatures and loads of corals.
We were prepared for this! (Mont Choisy in the North was said but) Le Morne in
the South became our absolute favourite beach with its white "sand"
made of mashy shells and corals, and with the Le Morne mountain range in the
backgroud which is part of the Unesco World Heritage site.
You’ve probably heard about the
iconic Victoria falls in Africa and the world-renowned Niagara and Iguazu falls
in America but for sure you have never heard of an underwater waterfall. Yes,
it exists and you’ll only find it exclusively in Mauritius. The captivating
phenomenon takes place in the turquoise lagoon in the South. Thanks to the
crystal clear water it is possible to see through it, being the key to unravel the
mystery. It seems to defy the laws of physics. It is actually an optical illusion
which can only be seen from up top. The illusion is caused by sand and silt
sediments moving under the influence of strong underwater currents. It's
completely safe to swim in or even surf on.
CHAMAREL WATERFALL is undoubtedly
the tallest single-drop waterfall in Mauritius at about 100 m high, standing
amid dense vegetation. Grandiose piece of nature.
Amongst the top 10 things to see in Mauritius, the 7-COLOURED
EARTH plays a key role in showcasing Chamarel, a region steeped in history and
blessed by geography.
Red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow
lunar-like sand dunes. It is a result of human modification of the landscape,
namely deforestation. Since the earth was first exposed, rains have carved
beautiful patterns into the hillside, creating an effect of earthen meringue.
One day we decided to go up North and then it happened we
stucked in PORT LOUIS, the bustling capital. This cultural melting pot has so
much to see and explore. The colourful and lively main market is a compulsory ciity
tour part, can try local street food, hunt for street art, wonder hindu temples,
etc...
At PONT NATUREL surely nobody wants to
dip into the ocean. Even approaching the tourist attraction is adventurerous
through a sugarcane plant by a small rented car. Natural rock formation that
has been shaped into a bridge by the force of nature over several thousand
years. Be prepared to be amazed how nature can be powerful.
I love the way when we step out of our hotel/apartment and
decide to explore a tourist attraction and then we bump into many many hidden
gems. The further we dare, the more we are amazed. Found the best vanilla ice-cream ever from locally produced
vanilla made by a local man dealing with it for 35 years, found wild monkeys,
hidden waterfalls, giant ferns, tea plants and also gorgeous hindu temples
including the second biggest hindu pilgrimage site of the world with a sacred
lake.
Let's lost somewhere in the middle of the island which is at
least as much interesting as the seashore.
Let's lost somewhere in the middle of the island which is at
least as much interesting as the seashore.
