Mauritius: Central and South

After four days in the north of Mauritius we headed south. This is one of the few photos I took from the car as we sped along the highway. I loved the sight of the mountains in the distance.

First stop was another elegant French colonial mansion called Eureka. I think this may have been my favourite because of its setting. It was built in 1836 and was furnished with antiques, art and Chinese and Indian artefacts of the period, giving us a glimpse of life as it was spent in colonial times.

I couldn't wait to get inside.

 This bed, though pretty, doesn't look all that comfortable to me.

 Nor does the bath and shower apparatus.

 But this wallpaper was lovely.

And it wouldn't be Mauritius without a dodo! They were everywhere (except in real life) on postcards, in a range of sizes in souvenir shops, on t-shirts and keyrings, in restaurants... This is one of the more attractive specimens we saw.

Another verandah on which to relax and pose.

Then it was out into the garden to explore.

Such lush greenery.

Not sure what this is. It grew triffid-like deep amongst the palms and ferns.

                          

This was another unusual succulent, its vivid waxy blooms appearing atop a very spiky stem.

Nearby, was Curepipe (pronounced cure-a-pipe) one of the largest towns in Mauritius. We were seduced by the travel book which listed antique shops, fashion stores, market halls and factory outlets. We found nary a one as the town is spread out and the traffic appalling. But we managed to park a mile away and walked to an arcade where we lunched at a cafe and I saw this very imaginative seating. 

We were exhausted from the traffic jams, the car fumes, the crowds and the heat so headed to our next accommodation, a resort at Grande Riviere Noire on the west coast.

La Mariposa was a treat. Think restful resort, palm trees, good food, privacy, tropical garden.... Here's the view from our room.

 And an unusual spidery-looking flower in the garden.

The sunsets are what you imagine them to be on a tropical island.

The next day we drove to the long beach at Flic En Flac on the west coast. The name is derived from the Dutch phrase 'free and flat land'. My book says it ranks amongst the prettiest on the island. We got there early before the crowds, and yes, I did swim (heavenly) but photos definitely not for publication.

The nearby town of Wolmer provided us with an enthusiastic shopping spree and we left with two shirts for Steve, a cotton top and a caftan top for me. I'm including a photo of this top because at the time I thought it was such fun, but now I don't think yellow is my colour and I'm not sure I will ever wear it. 

We couldn't believe our luck when we stopped at a shopping mall for lunch and found a French macaron shop. This was our haul...

 ...which we enjoyed on our balcony.

The next day we were off to explore the last of the French colonial houses. This one was Domaine des Aubineaux built in 1872 and set in a lush garden of exotic and endemic tropical plants. There was a huge collection of photos of colonial houses that have been demolished across the island, making us realise how lucky that at least the four we visited had been saved.  The architecture here was so different to the other houses. It has remained in the same family forever and is furnished in various periods; it was a bit disconcerting to see a typewriter, a television set and 1930s furniture.

There were also displays on the tea industry in Mauritius and here in the conservatory we had a tea tasting, which, unfortunately, considering the entry cost and the plush surroundings, was delightfully presented in tea bags! Their vanilla tea is a speciality but I was a little nonplussed by it. But how beautiful were our surroundings.

Much more to our taste was the extensive rum tasting which included straight premium rums plus rum liquers. Definitely hooked, we purchased a few souvenir packs.

This is a small dispensary where they distilled essential oils.

Now I do know that this is an anthurium because dad used to grow them in his hot house.

But not this one...

Two more glimpses of outbuildings on this neat-as-a-pin estate.

The following day was our mountain day - a trip to the Black River Gorges National Park. None of our books described this accurately and we discovered there were two entrances: one led to the bottom of the mountain and offered hiking trails; there was another entrance 5 kms further on, the road taking us on a winding route up to the very top of the highest mountain in Mauritius (at 828 metres), Black River Peak. We began with the lower section. The temperature was climbing even at 9.00 o'clock in the morning and the sun was shining brightly so it was very contrasty light.

In a couple of sections the water ran over the pathway  - evidently a constant situation - so you either had to wade through in shoes, take off your shoes or negotiate stepping stones. I am so scared of slipping after breaking my ankle on a walk in China many years ago that I am more than tentative. Steve captured my progress and I only include this because I must admit it does look mildly amusing.
I start off on the steps. A boy waits for me to pass so he can cross.

Oh no, it is too much for me. One step is missing and I have to stretch out to reach the next one. What if I slipped and fell in? I can't do it. For a moment I am frozen. The boy waits patiently.

 I give up and cross, my shoes getting soaked. But hey, I am over. The boy crosses easily.

It is now so humid I have stripped off both shirt and blouse and am down to my singlet. I loved the contrast with the hint of red foliage.

Feeling hot, bothered and a bit grumpy as the rocky track had needed all our attention and the humidity was sapping my energy, we gratefully hopped into the car for the mountain bit. The narrow road wound its way through the heart of the national park, with tiny cul de sacs offering a parking space for us to view spectacular views of valleys, gorges and waterfalls.

There was a hiking trail nearby but an entry in our book put the kibosh on that as it said: The trail is easy at first then becomes increasingly demanding and the last part is heavy going and difficult. Hmmm. Not for us.

Where the road levelled out and there was a large parking area, we watched a group of monkeys at play - or simply posing for the many tourist cameras.

As it was a Saturday there were lots of young people and families sightseeing, picnicking or having fun near the river.

The next day we began our journey south along the west coast then along the southern coast to the eastern end of the island. The mountains were always in view as were the sugarcane fields - here the cane is newly planted.

Our first stop was a little peninsula sticking out into the sea at the bottom corner of Mauritius: Le Morne Brabant with its huge rock dominating the area is a World Heritage site, acknowledging the island's slave history and celebrating its abolition.

This rock has a particularly sad history. Here, escaped slaves lived in caves. When slavery was abolished, the English came to tell them they were free. The slaves, however, thought they were being captured and jumped to their deaths from the rock into the sea. A sensitive and beautifully landscaped memorial park pays homage to these and all other slaves.

 There were amazing sculptures that symbolised aspects of the slavery story accompanied by tablets explaining and interpreting the symbolism. This one I found particularly poignant.

 Opposite the park was a public beach, already starting to attract families as well as tourists.

 This is a typical scene on a weekend - whole families descend with food, drink and music ready to party and enjoy life.

 Lots of small fruit and food stalls on the beach.

 I thought these were unusual-looking coconuts but Steve says they are not. In my defence the only coconuts I have seen are hairy!

We drove on around the coast.

A group of friends was perched on a rock at the top of the viewing spot. They were fun and wanted to know all about Australia.

And just a little further on we came to the Baie du Cap. This was the exact spot where Matthew Flinders came ashore to repair his boat in 1803 on his way back to England after his explorations (and naming) Australia. I was so excited, as you can see.

Flinders thought that as an explorer and scientist he would have free passage to land, but he did not know that France and England were once again at war. He was captured, his vessel seized... and he stayed under house arrest for almost 7 years. Amazingly, he grew to love the people and the country and actually enjoyed his time in Mauritius, although his precious cat Trim died here.  The monument is quite lovely, especially as it features Trim.

We drove on.

  One last look at a lovely Mauritian beach.

And then east to Mahebourg, a small but chaotically crowded provincial town, where we stayed at a hotel near the airport for our early morning flight.

My thoughts on Mauritius.

The country positions itself as a tourist hotspot but, it seemed to us, relies on luxury hotels, epecially in the north where there were few public beaches, and offers action sports such as diving, sailing, kayaking, hiking, windsurfing, golfing and ziplining. Their history? Very little is promoted apart from rum and tea tours; few brochures were available about the French colonial houses we visited, there was little signposting of major historic sites and many places of heritage value are on the grounds of resorts, so that was disappointing.   

Next up.... we explore the Seychelles.