Honeymoon Part Two - Mauritius
July 11-18, 2004		 Previous Albums

 

 Our bedroom at the Oberoi in Mauritius. After arriving at 12:30 in the morning, this was a welcome sight. Even though it was after midnight, we arrived to a spread of free food in our room that was a thousand times better than the "squid slices" of Air Mauritius. View from the patio outside our room at the Oberoi. Unlike the Seychelles, Mauritius is a volcanic island, and you can see the difference in the shapes of the mountains. Breakfast in our room the next morning. Mistakenly thinking that breakfast was included, we pretty much ordered one of everything. Amy in front of the hotel reception area. This is where the reception staff had met us the night before with fizzy tropical drinks when we arrived. Looking out at the lagoon and the ocean from the reception pavillion at the Oberoi. Another view of the reception pavillion and the aqueduct. Almost all of the buildings at the Oberoi were tall with thatched roofs. Some of the very bright tropical flowers that decorated the grounds of the Oberoi...very beautiful and very relaxing.
 Caught between Amy and the camera, a lizard looks for the best available escape route. Greg relaxes during lunch alongside the hotel beach. The dock behind is the departure point for waterskiing, parasailing, etc. One of the local Mauritians pushes his boat along the shallow waters of the Oberoi beach. Amy's sunglasses reflect the sea, sand and sky of a tropical paradise. No tropical paradise is complete without at least one round of cold pineapple rum drinks. Or two... Sunset over the Indian Ocean, as seen from the beach at the Oberoi. Another view of the sunset. The main pool at the Oberoi, complete with jacuzzi areas, Balinese sculptures, and torches. Not a bad way to spend an entire day...
 View of the sunset, as seen from our hotel room. Amy begins what would become a nightly tradition of having an after-dinner souffle. There are certainly worse traditions. On one day, we rented a car and explored the island. Our main stop was Grand Bassin, a group of Hindu temples surrounding a sacred lake. For over an hour, this group of women sang as they took rice from a plate and threw it into the fire in the center of the circle. From old women to young girls, everyone was dressed in traditional saris. According to legend, the lake was formed when Shiva spilled a few drops of the Ganges as he carried it around the earth on his head. Each year, hundreds of thousands of Hindus make a pilgrimage to Grand Bassin, the largest pilgrimage outside of India. Inside there are several shrines; this one is decorated with a pair of swastikas. (The symbol predates the Nazis by about 3000 years.)
 At one of the shrines, you can follow along as they perform a traditional ceremony...at the end of the ceremony each person receives a piece of fruit. The dozens of monkeys surrounding the temples also know about the business with the fruit, and they keep a close eye out for anyone who seems generous. Clearly hatching a plan for getting their non-opposable thumbs on some free fruit. Even while eating one piece of fruit, this monkey keeps an eye out for his next target. Climbing up a long staircase to a panoramic view at a hilltop temple. At the top of the hill there was a 360-degree view that stretched for miles. Also, there were still more wily monkeys. A small figure that was placed at the bottom of a pillar at the hilltop temple. Panoramic view of at least three Hindu temples around Grand Bassin.
 After leaving Grand Bassin, we made our way to the southwest corner of the island to head back up the west coast. Here is a waterfall that was tucked away at the end of a narrow side road. The view looking out over the southwest coast of the island was more impressive than the waterfall that the signs pointed to. Another waterfall with a panoramic view, this time looking across the interior of the island. Amy poses in front of the Mauritian equivalent of the Grand Canyon. Another pose in the same location, this time with the waterfall visible in the background. Almost missing the normal lunchtime, we managed to find a place with some traditional local food (venison curry, for example) and also a nice view. The most impressive waterfall on the island was Chamarel Falls, on the way to Colored Earths. Amy and Greg pose in front of the waterfall, thanks to the help of an italian tourist couple.
 The drive to the Colored Earths takes you through tall fields of sugar cane, spreading across hill after hill. The Colored Earths live up to their name, at least assuming you see them in the proper light. Here you can make out the various colors pretty well. A closeup view of the Colored Earths; the seven different colors come from lava that cooled at different rates. Sunset over the western coast of Mauritius, as we descended the mountains and headed back for home. On the last full day, Greg decided to try his hand at parasailing. Here they explain how not to be pulled out into the water by the parachute. Up, up and away! Greg waves from high above the boat. The view from here was amazing, but taking a camera would have been tempting fate. A safe landing signals the end of the flight, as well as the end of the trip. Time to pack up for the much longer flight home...

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Seychelles
 July 5-11, 2004
Chandos Lake
 July 26 - August 10, 2003
Ottawa
 August 1-3, 2003
 

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