Mauritius Map

 

 

 

        Map of the Indian Ocean

latest picture: September 8, 2011

• click a picture to see details

064  A remembrance photo of one of the

most attractive coastlines in the Southwest

of the island. From the peninsula in the

background lures the massive rock of

“Le Morne Brabant” .....

065  ..... opposite, just a couple of

yards away, runs the coastal road

behind an alley of casuarinas

066  We enjoy our picnic at the

“Morne Brabant” beach

 

Shortly after “Flip en Flac” the much praised Morne Brabant coastline starts. We are not always the same opinion as the Lonely Planet guide with its superlatives, but this time we fully agree. It becomes the most attractive coastal stretch. It is simply wonderful to roll along the sea shore, relax once here and once there at the many sandy beaches and enjoy at the same time the mountain scenery of the Southern highlands towering on the inland side.

Where ever we picnic, birds are never far away. At the “Morne Brabant” beach we see:

067  the yellow village weaver (Ploceus

cucullatus) that gets its shiny color

only when he is looking for a bride

068  the Red Fody (Foudia

madagascariensis) with the

same signal of changing color

069  the Red-Whiskered Bulbul

(Pycnonotus jocosus) with its

black crown and the red ears

 

The mountain panorama of the “Three Mamelles” and the “Pieter Both Mountains” come into view from time to time, is it from near or far, when we roll through the narrow streets and not always arrive at the place, where we want to. Once we end in a dead end road in the middle of a sugar cane field, another time at a closed gate and once on a potholed earth track filled with water disappearing in a potato field. On our IGN roadmap they are all marked as ordinary paved secondary roads. But it is precisely these little surprises that fuel the thrill of adventure. We don’t have (yet) GPS.

070  The “Morne Brabant” sandy

beach looks deserted

during the week …..

071  ..... on weekends however,

„Morne Brabant’s“ Kite Surfing

beach is busy

072  Behind the silvery shining sea,

the dark rock of “Le Morne

Brabant” is a stunning sight

 

“It is very scenic North of Mahébourg” was James enthusiastic description. No wonder that our anticipations are high when we hit the road. At the beginning, we drive along a wide fertile valley. Later it becomes narrow and also boring. Despite that the road runs partly along the Eastern seashore, we don’t see much else than water on one side and houses on the other side. “What is so special about this stretch” I start wondering with each further mile. Not even once I am tempted to ask Emil to stop for taking a picture. And this means a lot! May be I am not in the right mood? “How do you like the scenery” I suddenly ask Emil. “Honestly, I don’t know why I am driving along here at all” is his dry comment. At least I am not alone with my disappointment. (By the way: We drive this route later on once more and find it a little bit more attractive).

073  We are driving along the East

coast Northwards. The scenery along

the river towards the “Bambous”

mountains on the outskirts of

Mahébourg gives a rural feeling

074  The white washed pagoda of

an Indian temple between the villages

of 4 Sœurs and 2 Frères (!),

14 miles North of Mahébourg,

raises skywards

075  The “Lions Head” (Montagne du Lion)

near Ferney is one of the most impressive

mountains on the Eastern side of the island.

In the front left is the memorial stone of

the first landing of the Dutch in 1598

 

At Beau Champs suddenly a sign “Anahita World Class Sanctuary“pops up. “I have read about it during the Air Mauritius flight in the “Islander-Magazine”, Emil remembers. “Shall we have a look at it?” No sooner said than done! At the security gate we are stopped. The first reaction is: “No, you cannot visit the area”. After we explain at great length to the young and always smiling lady who comes to our car window with pen and paper that we are tourists and just want to look around, she notes our names and license plate number. Then she goes to the phone and shouts over her shoulder that she first needs to get an OK. When she returns, she nods affirmatively. “To which resort do you want to go?” “Anahita“ or the „Four Seasons“ she wonders. „Anahita“ we reply. She points to the left.

076  A strelitzia flower (Strelitzia reginae),

also called “bird of paradise flower,

is blooming in a garden …..

077  ….. a wild flower meadow in the

vicinity of Blue Bay in the Southeast .....

078  ….. and a white bottlebrush

(Callistemon rigidus) in full bloom

 

A lovely alley with blooming flowers leads to the complex. Opposite of the parking lot is a tennis court where a couple, she with head scarf, is playing. The restaurant is almost empty, so are the pool chairs. In two wind protected corners two families in bathing gear brave the cool winter wind. This is all there is. The place lacks of ambiance and life. However, on the other side of the lagoon a white sandy beach, lined with palm trees, is greeting. This is now our new goal. Past the security gate where we ignore a man wanting to wave us down we drive direction beach and land at the “Four Seasons Resort”, which apparently belongs to the same complex as the “Anahita Sanctuary”. The difference lies with the ownership: While the “Four Seasons Resort” offers its accommodation for rent, at the “Anahita Sanctuary” it has to be bought.

079  Liliana tests one of the hammocks

at the Bambou Beach of the Four Seasons

Hotel at Beau Champs on the East coast,

while we stroll through the beautiful

gardens of this top-end resort …..

080  ..... we have every reason to smile:

Patrice, the Resort Manager, invited us

for lunch at the Bambou Beach

Restaurant. We enjoy the excellent

food and the wine .....

081  ..... and relax then a while at

the second hotel beach, which

we have for ourselves

 

We park our car and start by foot our discovery tour. It is so widespread that guests are driven around by golf buggies. The two of us on a walk – equipped with cameras – are attracting somehow the attention. What impresses us is especially the boundless luxury. It leaves nothing to be desired: From golf, two lovely palm-lined beaches, pool, open air Shisha Lounge where one can smoke in a cozy atmosphere a water pipe, to the jeweler and beauty shops – it is a world in itself where there is no need to step outside during the whole stay on the island; guests are flown in from the airport back to the plane by helicopter (probably flown by our friend James).

082  In the blue lagoon, between

mangroves and the reef, a

sailing boat is gliding past

083  A deep red Hibiscus flower –

one of the beautiful tropical plants

084  The blue of the pool of the Anahita

Resort merges with the blue of the bay.

Opposite the white sand of the Bambou

beach of the Four Seasons Resort is

shining. The two top-end hotels

belong to the same complex

 

Suddenly, a golf buggy driven by a young Westerner is stopping besides us: ”Are you the World Travelers?”, he asks. How does he know? He introduces himself as Patrice, Resort-Manager. “Where are you going to have lunch”, is his next question. We smile and tell him that we bought bread, salami and cheese ahead and will picnic somewhere. “May I invite you for lunch?” We don’t need to think twice. He asks us to join him in his buggy and shortly afterwards we sit already at one of the front tables at the attractive beach restaurant.

085  The sociable village weaver

(Ploceus cucullatus) builds its nest at the

end of thin branches of the casuarinas.

It braves even the strongest winds

sweeping it from one side to the other

086  A female village weaver is fitting

out the interior after it accepted the

nest built by its partner. Besides, a

male starts to make a new nest. The

first thread is already fixed …..

087  ..... one hour later it made

already an astonishing progress.

Until its completion it will need

18 days and 500 flights to

its “construction site”

 

In no time we are served an aperitif consisting of rice crackers with three different dipping. “White or red wine?” Patrice surprises us. We start with white wine and later on are toasting with red wine. The menu of our choice is: Mixed salad with feta cheese, a tender steak with vegetables and French fries. It is long ago since we had such a special meal. These are the wonderful surprises of our traveling life. In no way we would have dreamt in the morning that we would be treated in such a luxury way at noon. In good spirit we start our return trip and postpone our trip to the North to another day.

088  Green in all shades: The landscape

in the Southwestern hills between

Chamarel and Baie du Cap

089  Typical for Mauritius: The chimney

of an old sugar mill emerges from a

narrow sugarcane tunnel (between

the Rochester Falls and Souillac)

090  End of the road: On our way from

the mountains to the West coast the

track ends suddenly und we are

surrounded by sugar cane from all

sides. We backtrack to Vacoas

 

When we investigate about the Northern tip of the island, it is all of the same tenor: “It is flat and nothing special”. Nevertheless we like it surprisingly, especially the many natural sandy beaches – every couple of miles another one – lined with casuarina trees. And there is car access to the beach everywhere. At least this is how we experience it until Palmar. North of it however, where the tourist centers accumulate, it is a different story.

091

092

093

The three “Mamelles“ in the Western Highlands show always new faces. We see them again and again – once from far, then from close

 

There are already meticulously defined parking areas at a couple of places. And installed brown timber fences destroy the idyllic beach picture to a great extent, which for us makes a part of the island’s attraction. Grande Baie, the main tourist center, is exactly how we pictured it: Hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops – it could be anywhere in the world. This is not “our” place – not what we like and look for. However further South, in Mont Choisy, a lovely mile long sandy beach unrolls in front of us. Being a Sunday it is full with families. There is even a small Hindu temple at the water’s edge.

094  The “Laughing Cow“

(La Vache qui rit) belongs

somehow to Emil. Not once

during our epic world journey

he was missing the triangle

cheese for breakfast!

095  The “Mare aux Vacoas“,

Mauritius’ biggest water reservoir

in the highlands, has reached

an alarming low level

096  Unbelievable: This water filled

potholed track from Roselyn Cottage

to Malenga at the foot of the

mountain “La Pouce“, is supposed

to be a normal paved back road

according to our IGN map

 

August 1st, approaches. We wonder if the Swiss community here will also celebrate our National Day. Emailing at the address of our newly appointed Honorary Consul, Adrien Wehrli, we get instead a reply from Alois Fürer, the President of the Swiss Club. “Yes, there is a small celebration, taking place in Albion on the West Coast and we are cordially invited to join”. So it happens that on Monday morning of August 1st, we are on our way one more time from our temporary home on the Southeast Coast across the island to the West. It is a beautiful day, the mountains are within our reach, no clouds darken the blue sky and the view over the endless flowering sugar cane fields are again a feast for the eyes.

097  A potato field nestling at the foot

of Pieter Both Mountain, with 2’690ft.

the second tallest mountain in Mauritius.

The boulder, which balances on the pinnacle

on the far right, is about 30ft in diameter

098  View to the flat North with

the islands “Coin de Mire“ (left) and

“Île Plate“ (right) …..

099  ….. View back to the mountainous

and more pittoresque Southern

part of the island

 

A huge Swiss flag is waving in the wind and shows us from far that we are at the right place when we approach the Nautilus Center in Albion. It sits right at the seashore and is decorated lovingly with dozens of little Swiss flags. Despite that in the meantime we could call ourselves “world citizens”, this sight awakens patriotically feelings for our home country, which we have last seen in 1998. Still used to Swiss punctuality, we belong to the first ones to arrive and are greeted by Alois. Gradually more and more compatriots with their families show up and at the end we count around 80. With the exception of Alois who is like us from the German speaking part, all others are retirees from the French talking side, married to local Mauritian women. This means that we will have to practice our French tonight.

Visit of the “SSR – Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam“ – Botanic Garden in Pamplemousses,

named after the first Prime Minister of the independent Mauritius

100  Giant water Lily “trays” (Victoria

amazonica) from the Amazon River

Basin are swimming in the “Giant

Water Lily Pond”. They reach a

diameter up to 2 yards and are the

gem of this beautiful garden …..

101  ….. the white water lily is

reflecting in the water. It is white

when it opens and gets

red the next day …..

102  ..... from a wrinkled ball, the

heart-shaped “tray“ unfolds

itself within hours

 

When the Swiss anthem is played and the traditional bond fire blazes against the red glowing sky of the setting sun, I feel a confusion of emotions! The recorded speech of the President of the Federal Council, Ms. Calmy Rey, however does not move either of us. After the official part and after the newly elected Honorary Consul Adrien Wehrli introduced himself, the entertainment begins.

Visit of the “SSR – Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam“ – Botanic Garden in Pamplemousses,

named after the first Prime Minister of the independent Mauritius

103  The “Pink Shower Orchid

(Congea velutina) from Southern

Thailand and Northern Malaysia grows

exuberantly, forming huge “balls“

104  This extraordinary “Venezuela

Rose” (Brownea-grandicepts) from

Northern South America grows in

the dense foliage of a high tree

105  The palm tree sticks out of

all the green with its silvery leaves

 

Then we let ourselves get carried away by the powerful rhythm and beat of the Sega music and dances performed under the open sky. Sega is presented at its best in Mauritius but it’s also played on other islands of the Indian Ocean. Swinging skirts and rotating bellies, barbecues and Swiss wine on the table – it puts everybody in good mood. It is the 5th time on our journey around the world that we are invited to a “1st of August”celebration: 2001 it was in Panama City, 2003 in Trinidad & Tobago, 2006 in Brunei and 2009 in Samoa. Each one was special in its own way. We drive late in the night with vivid feelings across the island back to our guesthouse.

106  Local Indian ladies in colorful

saris step out of their tour bus at Blue

Bay near Mahébourg and swarm

out to look for a nice picnic spot …..

107  ….. some head directly to

the water to pray and to perform

their religious rituals …..

108  ..... others are still looking

for a free shady space to sit

 

But Mauritius consists also of working days for us. There are times when we are typing our fingers to the bone. Because once more we fight with the authorities for a bond and tax free entry of our LandCruiser to another island: This time it is Madagascar. Through the surprising intervention of Toyota Sri Lanka via Toyota Japan, the local distributor in Madagascar contacts us and asks us what’s the problem and what help we needed from him. But there is already complete silence after the second email. We are not used to give up that quickly. Why shouldn’t we succeed in Madagascar, when we did also at other places like here in Mauritius? Our entry in the Guinness Book of Records helped several times already to override the sometimes bizarre hurdles of bureaucracy.

109  Sunday morning: We are still almost

alone at the lovely beach of “Pointe

Vacoas“ close to the airport. At noon the

place fills with families and tour busses …..

110  ..... South of “Pointe Vacoas“,

at the deserted “La Combuse“ Bay,

a fisherman keeps his calm despite of

the approaching breaking waves …..

111  ..... small sandy beaches, as far

as the eye can see, adorn here

the wild “La Combuse“ Bay

 

We contact the Madagascan Ministry of Tourism and the Customs Authorities and after a couple of tries, we at least get an answer that they will check the situation. A ray of hope? But it drags on and on without any breakthrough. Thus we have to give the August ferry a miss (the ferry is operating only once a month). The next one runs mid-September, a bit late considering that the rainy season starts at the beginning of November and only 15% of the road are paved, the rest being earth tracks becoming almost impassable. But better late than never, if at all! To extend our car permit here in Mauritius at the National Transport Authority for another month is not a problem. We will just have to pay another Rp. 1’500 for the road tax (US$ 52). The insurance is valid for one year anyway, and immigration gave us a three months’ stay on arrival.

112  1st of August 2011 – our National

Day in Switzerland: The bonfire is burning

brightly at the Nautilus Center in Albion at

the West Coast, where we celebrate

together with around 80 members of

the Swiss community in Mauritius …..

113  ..... we pose in front of our

National Flag: It is the 5th time on

our epic journey that we are invited:

2001 it was in Panama City, 2003

in Trinidad & Tobago, 2006 in

Brunei and 2009 in Samoa .....

114  ..... the surprise of the evening:

Drummers and dancers entertain us

with the powerful rhythm and dance

of the Sega music

 

Monday August 29th, 2011: Emil is sitting at the laptop and shouts suddenly excitedly: “Come here quickly, you have to read this!” When I check the message, I am freaking out completely: The so much longed for and almost written off car permit for Madagascar has just arrived. Nothing is blocking anymore our adventure we have fought for so hardly and so long: We are now allowed to import our LandCruiser for three months tax-free, duty free and without paying a bond. Neither do we have to submit beforehand the compulsory “Cargo Tracking Note” procedure (Bordereau de Suivi des Cargaisons – BSC), without which freight cannot be sent to Madagascar. Wonders never cease!

115  We are amazed at the many places

we can pull out to a beach with our car.

Here in the East at Palmar, a bit

North of Trou d’Eau Douce

116  Youngsters are never short of ideas!

117  Simply beautiful are all the lovely

public beaches – every couple of miles

there is another one. This one here

close to Palmar along the East coast

 

Suddenly movement is coming into our quiet life. The challenge is now to organize as soon as possible our departure from Mauritius; to book a container for the next possible ship or ferry; to have sent after us a new Carnet de Passages that will expire on September 25th; to book an onward flight from Madagascar and accommodation in Tamatave – the main port – and to push on with the de-rusting of our LandCruiser – yes, since its “rejuvenation” in Miri/Sarawak on Borneo back in 2006, the rust is taking over rapidly again. We already bought for reason of precaution the guidebook and maps for Madagascar and the next planned destination. (B.t.w.: Later in 2012 we had to do the "2nd rejuvenation" at the same place in Malaysia like in 2006).

118  The church Marie-Reine in

Poudre d’Or in the Northeast is

one of the typical old churches.

It was built in 1847 …..

119  ….. the appealing interior

of the church

120  The “Notre Dame Auxiliatrice“

church sits at the most Northerly point at

Cap Malheureux. It is one of the most

photographed churches of Mauritius

 

There is a ship sailing between Mauritius, Réunion and Madagascar. It is a passenger ferry, which carries also freight loaded by crane, as the vessel has no ramp. Shall we both also take the ferry or rather the plane? This is now the crucial question. I know that Emil favors the sea journey. When he calls the ferry company in order to book a container for the LandCruiser and a cabin for us for the vessel “Trochetia” that leaves on September 11th, the answer at the freight section is: “Pas de soucis!” – “No worries”. At the passenger section, however, it sounds differently: “We are fully booked, there is only waiting list”. “Why don’t we try it in written form, explaining that we are on a world tour and want to travel together with our car“? And strangely enough we get the confirmation that a few cabins are still available, even if only in upper class. Everything seems fine. However after the first email we get a second one with an attached form that has to be filled out by a doctor testifying that we are fit to travel by sea – and this happens here in Africa!

121  Three men are fishing with the

backdrop of the tiny island

“Coin de Mire” in the North

122  Grand Baie in the Northwest

is the island’s most popular seaside

resort. Along this sandy beach

locals enjoy themselves …..

123  ..... around the corner is the tourist

ghetto with the expensive hotels

(beach of the Le Mauricia Hotel)

 

During our journey around the world we spent totally 472 nights on ferries and freighters, but admittedly at most of them we were under 65 years old. And only once we were asked for a medical certificate. This was in 1994, when we shipped from Singapore to Oman and were allowed to join the vessel. But here all our arguments with the local ferry company don’t help. Their reply is inflexible: “The medical certificate is required by our insurance cover and we have to abide by their rules”.

124  Yachts and motorboats belong

to the image of touristy Grand Baie

like souvenir, dive and fashion boutiques

and restaurants, bars and discos

125  The beautiful sandy beach lined

by casuarinas stretches from Trou aux

Biches to Mont Choisy. The Mont

Choisy beach is public and very busy

with families on weekends .....

126  ..... Hindu deities watch

over the beach

 

Once more we have to realize how old we have grown in between. Nevertheless we are not keen on running after a doctor. Hence we give the ferry ride a miss. Personally I am even relieved that it did not work out because I prefer to fly. On sea I always get seasick and can only survive with tablets against motion sickness. And to pass three nights on a rolling ship that is actually not built to ferry passengers (no stabilizers) – no, rather not!

127  A lovely young Mauritian

girl in Grand Baie

128  A “fake” palm tree hosting a

transmitter station of the Emtel Telephone

Company. It looks like real and fits nicer

into the environment; alone its enormous

height looked suspicious to us

129  The serenity of the sunset in

Albion at the West coast is captivating

 

But Mauritius doesn’t let us go yet. Ten days prior to our departure, on September 2nd, 2011, the Festival of the Hindu god Ganesh is celebrated. In Mauritius it is a national holiday. Ganesh with the head of an elephant is the son of Shiva and Parvati and widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. Devotees pray to him for success at the beginning of any new venture or also at the start of a new journey.

130  Mahébourg’s main market day is

Monday when also the farmers come

down from the ‘highlands’ to sell their

fresh produce …..

131  ….. Vegetable and fresh herbs

are in abundance. A salad and a bunch

of parsley cost Rup. 15 (US$0.50) each,

one kilo tomatoes Rup. 60 (US$2.05).

More expensive however are leek and

cauliflower

132  Coconut street vendors have

always customers. The milk is a lovely

and an affordable thirst quencher

 

Asking around if, when and where there is any procession taking place in Mahébourg, we receive different answers, making us venture out unsuccessfully three times. In the afternoon, we are just having a cup of coffee with brownies in our guesthouse (we have got into that habit here), when suddenly the beat of drums and chanting reaches us. Like stung by bees we shoot up, drop everything and rush to the sea promenade from where the singing is coming. Luckily it is hardly five minutes away and luckily we are not one moment too soon.

133  Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a

flightless bird endemic to Mauritius, related

to doves and pigeons. It has been extinct

since the 17th century. Its height was

about 3.3 feet, its weight about 44 lb. Still

today it is “adored” in Mauritius and

still can be found painted on shacks

134  “Salon de Coiffure” – only the

nostalgic facade signalizes this once

little hairdresser shop on Mahébourg’s

main street, called “Royal Road”

135  Obelix’ perpetuation in

Morisyen (Mauritian Creole)

 

A huge crowd is gathering around the temple; the women are wearing beautiful festive saris. A religious procession is carrying the statue of god Ganesh that is richly adorned with flower garlands. It is on its way through the town and announces itself already from far with drums and chanting. It stops at the stone steps leading down to the sea. A long lasting ritual of prayers and offerings follows. The offerings consist mainly of coconuts and flowers. Afterwards a group of young men carry their idol out to the sea.

136  Mauritius had an extended rail

network between 1864 and 1964

(120 miles). This now unused bridge

near L’Escalier originates from this time

137  From the same time

comes this nostalgic mile stone

in the city center of Mahébourg:

”30 miles to Port Louis”

138  This road is the only one leading to our

panel beater. Being market day, we have to

struggle past the tarps across the road. After

we hit one, the vendors lift them with sticks

 

There, they form a circle and submerge the statue a couple of times before finally dropping it with applause of the crowd into the element water (it could be also a river or a lake). The ceremony symbolizes a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of his devotees. During the Ganesh immersion, a boat of the coast guard patrols nearby. Then, the men swim in strong crawl strokes back to the shore, where the dances of the girls and boys begin. Only when the skies darken rapidly due to oncoming rain, the crowds break up. We also hurry to get “home” dry.

139  Rude awakening: Since the

rejuvenation of our LandCruiser on

June 21, 2006 in Miri/Sarawak on

the island of Borneo, the rust

takes over rapidly again …..

140  The panel beater does a good

job. He cuts out pieces …..

141  ….. and welds in new sheets. The

whole job lasts three full days. Inclusive

spraying (the paint itself we still had

with us from Sri Lanka, where we did

some tinkering too) we paid US$400

 

Soon afterwards, it is time once more to say farewell to our travel companion: On September 8th, 2011, at 2pm, it starts under a sunny sky to its last voyage on the island: To the capital Port Louis where its 23rd container is waiting. During the 73 days we spent on this island it took us 930 miles to criss-cross the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”. Now and then we had also a day off when we remained at Mahébourg. At this point new adventures are waiting. “Trochetia” will take the LandCruiser for three days on board to our next destination, Madagascar, a Mascarene neighbor island of Mauritius.

142  On September 2nd, 2011, the festival

of God Ganesh is celebrated. Ganesh with

the elephant head is the son of Shiva and

Parvati and is widely worshipped as the

god of wisdom, prosperity and fortune.

Devotees pray to him for success at the

beginning of any new venture or also

at the start of a new journey …..

143  ..... a dancing and singing

procession accompanying the statue

of Lord Ganesh is approaching the

waterfront in Mahébourg .....

144  ..... after a ritual of prayers and

offerings, a group of young men carry

their idol out to the sea. With acclamation

of the crowd they immerse the statue a

couple of times before consigning it

definitively to the sea

 

Five days later: The cheeky Madagascan red fody, the three shy red-whiskered bulbul and the two gentle grey pigeons keep us company at breakfast also this morning, our last day at the guesthouse. We will miss them! We spent a relaxed time on this island and felt comfortable at the “Auberge Le Saladier” in Mahébourg. We had a fully equipped kitchen just for ourselves where we cooked everyday our main meal at lunch time. The market, packed with fresh vegetables and fruits, and two Chinese supermarkets where also fresh meat was available, were only a stone’s throw away.

145  ..... then the singing and dancing

begins, accompanied by the beats of

the drums. The girls use long sticks

in their dances .....

146  ..... a musician is

absorbed in thoughts .....

147  ..... end of the ceremony: The

devotees leave the festive ground

 

Who wonders that Emil gained a little weight for our next adventure, what by the way he mostly does with my cooking! When at 7am we are driven to our Air Austral flight via Réunion to Tamatave on the island of Madagascar, the “Lionshead” – one of the most impressive mountains in the East – greets for the last time. The countless flowers of the sugar cane that change their colors depending on the days light, bend smoothly in the gentle morning breeze – pictures of Mauritius that belong to this island like the beautiful natural sandy beaches and the friendly people with their exotic temples and religious celebrations. The “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” did not disappoint us!

148  We bid farewell to Mahébourg’s

waterfront where we often strolled along,

and to the „Liones Head“, one of the most

impressive mountains in the East .....

149  ..... to our guesthouse „Le Saladier“

in Mahébourg, where we felt home for

73 days and our LandCruiser had a

privileged covered place beneath flowers

150  It is time once more: On

September 8th, 2011, we say goodbye

to our travel companion, which drove us

932 miles across the „Pearl of the Indian

Ocean“ and stuff it into its 23rd container

with destination Madagascar

 

Articles in newspapers about us in Mauritius:

Article:  "Le tour du monde en LandCruiser", Daily Newspaper "Le Mauricien" - July 9, 2011

Article:  "Globe lovers", Weekly Newspaper "Le Dimanche" - July 10, 2011

Article:  "Emil et Liliana Schmid sur les routes à Maurice", Daily Newspaper "Le Matinal" - July 12, 2011