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A 19-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 18

    Mahebourg

    January 25, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Now that I'm at the airport waiting for my flight to Tel Aviv (yes, I finally had a negative covid test), I'm posting my last look at Mauritius.
    Mahebourg is the main town in the southeast of Mauritius. It is more a large village than a city, but pretty much all the city amenities are here. This is the town closest to the international airport.
    The 1st picture looks at Mahebourg from the water while I was Cruisin' (see another post). The 2nd picture is of the Malecón or Riva or Esplanade at the waterfront. The 3rd picture is of one of the streets near the guest house where I stayed. It gives a sense of what this tropical village is like.
    The 4th picture is pretty unique. One of the birds we didn't get to see at Ile Aux Aigrettes (see another post) is the pink pigeon. This is an endemic species in Mauritius that nearly went extinct and is still rare. Imagine my surprise to see one on the roof next door.
    The last 2 pictures are taken from my room at the guest house: one during the day and the other at sunrise of basically the same view. If you blow up the daytime picture, you will see a small white line in the distance. Those are waves breaking on the coral reef that encloses the lagoon. This lagoon is far larger than what I had visualized for a lagoon. I guess the pictures I had seen were not fully representative of what coral lagoons can be. And sunrise is beautiful, too, for those who are awake.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 17

    Cruisin'

    January 24, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    I took a catamaran cruise in Mahebourg Bay, the very large lagoon surrounded by a coral reef several kilometers off shore. We sailed from Mahebourg to Ile Aux Cerfs with several stops along the way.
    The 1st picture is of a catamaran under sail. I took it from the one we were on.
    The 2nd picture is over one of the coral beds in the lagoon. The stop here was to allow snorkeling. One of these days I suppose I'll break down and get a camera to use under water.
    The next stop took us into a narrow, rock strewn river where we changed to a small boat and wound our way through the rocks to the waterfall in the 3rd picture.
    The last 3 pictures are of Ile Aux Cerfs. This is a popular spot for picnicking and walking in the woods.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 15

    Ile Aux Aigrettes

    January 22, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    The Ile is a coral island in Mahebourg bay less than a mile off shore. It is now a nature reserve. Like much of Mauritius, the island experienced heavy logging and the introduction of non-native species. Once established as a nature reserve, they started a campaign to eliminate the many invasive species, a program that is still operating. And they began a process of reintroducing the native species. Now, this island is the only remaining remnant of the dry coastal forest of Mauritius.
    In the 1st picture you can see the Mauritius fody. This is a male in breeding season colors. The red will fade back to olive green.
    The 2nd picture is a look at the forest along one of the paths.
    The 3rd picture is of native plant species being started in a nursery in the middle of the island. They continue to work with the endemic species, making plants available for the reforestation of the island.
    The 4th picture is a fruit bat, aka a flying fox. These bats in captivity we're injured young and brought in for care. They have become too domesticated to be released.
    The 5th picture is a candle tree. The species is naturally hollow. By filling the center with oil, these were lit and used as torches.
    A significant number of native species have gone extinct from human predation and deforestation. Throughout the island are sculptures of some of those species. The last picture is of the sculpture of what is probably the best known of the extinct species: the dodo.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 14

    Grand Bassin

    January 21, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Grand Bassin is the most important Hindu shrine in Mauritius. It is located on a crater lake called Ganga Takao that is considered holy. Hindus walk from their homes around Mauritius to Grand Bassin for blessing once s year and carry some of the lake water back home to bless their houses.. The main temple is dedicated to Shiva, and there are temples to other gods, as well.
    The 1st picture is taken at the main approach to the site. Giant statues, one of Ganga and one of Shiva (in the background), are shown here.
    The 2nd and 3rd pictures are views across the holy lake. Each one shows a temple on the far side. That is the main temple in the 2nd picture.
    The remaining 2 pictures are some of the many statues of gods along the lakeshore around the main temple.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 14

    Chamarel & 7 Colored Earth

    January 21, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    These are 2 features in a national geopark. The 1st is the Chamarel Waterfalls. This is the highest in Mauritius and one of the most photographed places in the country. The falls drop almost 100 meters down a vertical cliff. I'm told this is an old crater. The part of the island is a volcanic landscape.
    The 2nd feature is called 7 colored earth. This, too, is a result of volcanic activity and weathering. They say there are as many as 40 hues here. The colors are formed by oxidation of mostly iron and aluminum compounds present in the lava. The stripes form by iron and alumina repelling each other so that the materials derived from one move away from the other. The similar chemistry ends up together. The reds, yellows and browns are from iron compounds. The greens, blues, and purples are from alumina compounds.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 14

    Southwest Mauritius

    January 21, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    These are several sites along the southwestern part of Mauritius. The map point above is at La Prairie on the south coast.. These sites here are to the west of that and northward up the coast.
    The 1st picture is along Flic en Flac beach. The is the 2nd favorite tourist beach on Mauritius. The most popular is Grand Baie on the north coast. I didn't get quite that far.
    The 2nd picture is of active salt pans in Tamarin where they are making salt by evaporating seawater. This is the only remaining place on Mauritius where this is still done.
    The 3rd picture is taken at the crater overlook in Black River Gorges National Park. The view is to the west looking over the route I traveled from Port Lewis. Should I get back to Mauritius, I'll spend more time here.
    The 4th picture is at La Prairie. The road winds along a narrow peninsula, then cuts through the rock just before the end. The picture is taken from the viewpoint at the tip beyond the rock cut.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 14

    Le Morne Brabant, Mauritius

    January 21, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Le Morne Brabant is a peninsula at the extreme southwest corner of the island. The monolith here that rises more than 550 meters goes by the same name. The site is of great historic importance to the people if Mauritius.
    Le Morne was a place of refuge for escaped slaves. It is said that when slavery was abolished, a police delegation was sent to inform them that they were free, but the former slaves either didn't understand or didn't believe the delegation. So, rather than risk being reenslaved, they jumped to their deaths.
    This World Heritage Site is a memorial to that event and is part of a world wide set of memorials to the horror of slavery.
    The 1st picture takes in Le More as it sits above the memorial site. The memorial is a group of beautifully sculpted rocks that portray something of slaves and slavery. All the rest of the pictures are of those sculptures. I find the artistry most arresting.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 13

    Botanical Gardens

    January 20, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Named for the 1st Prime Minister of the independent Mauritius, Sir S. Ramgoolam, the national botanical garden is said to be the oldest botanical garden in the southern hemisphere. It dates to either 1735 or 1768, depending on whether the market gardens of the Mon Plaisir Chateau are included. Mon Plaisir is the estate on which the gardens are located.
    This garden is most famous for its giant water lilies that are shown in the 1st picture. The 2nd picture looks across part of the site to the old plantation house or chateau, depending on whether we talk about the French or British period.
    The 3rd picture looks across some of the wetland vegetation preserved here. The 4th picture looks at remains from the agricultural days, when the chateau grew produce to sell to provision ships as well as a place to acclimatize new crops being introduced to the island.
    The 5th picture struck me. It's simply a stream on site with associated stream side plants. The last picture is the largest pond in the garden with its island. It's no surprise to find palms in a tropical garden. What is unique is that there are over 100 species of palm planted here.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 12

    Port Lewis, Mauritius

    January 19, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Port Lewis is the capital city of Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. The 1st Europeans here were the Dutch in the 17th century. They were followed by the French in the 18th century, and the British in the 19th century.
    The 1st picture is of an old windmill and warehouse at the port. The 2nd picture is one view of the harbor.
    A redevelopment of the area around the harbor is called Le Caudan. The 3rd picture looks at one section of this upscale development.
    The 4th picture is in the middle of the city and looks along the Place des Armes, a divided boulevard that ends at the parliament building. It is just visible through the trees.
    The 5th picture is of the central market in Port Lewis. I do love the environment of these places. This one is spread out over several blocks.
    The last picture is of a building in the colonial style. It houses the Mauritius Institute and museum of natural history    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelSeychelles and Mauritius
    Day 12

    Aaprivasi Ghat, Mauritius

    January 19, 2022 in Mauritius ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Aaprivasi Ghat in Port Lewis is of major significance in Mauritian history. The term ghat comes from Hindi where it can refer to a series of steps leading down to the water, which is the case here.
    This world heritage site preserves the remains of an immigration depot built in 1849. After the UK outlawed slavery in 1834, they began an experiment of using indentured labor. It all began here. From 1834 to 1920 workers arrived at most British oversea locations, but the largest was here: 420,000 people. Today, 7 out of every 10 people in Mauritius are descended from these indentured laborers
    The 1st picture is of a model of the site when it was active.
    The 2nd picture is of one wall. The windows open into rooms where new arrival's were housed. Typically they remained at the ghat for a couple days for paperwork to be completed.
    The 3rd picture looks over the remains of some of the housing for new arrivals.
    The 4th picture is in the 1st courtyard where new arrivals went when they came off their ships.
    The 5th picture looks at the hospital block. This is the part of the site that remained in the best condition. Some restoration work has been done.
    The last picture looks at some of the restoration work. Most of what you can see is original.    Read more

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