Port Louis (and other places), Mauritius

We were in Mauritius today. For anyone who's not sure (and I had absolutely no idea when I first saw the itinerary change), Mauritius is an island off the coast of Madagascar and is basically half way between South Africa and India. I had some mixed feelings about my experience in Mauritius, but overall the country is beautiful, and I'm very glad we got to go. Mostly I guess I just wish we had more time there, because no one would have gotten so upset if we were there for another day. Oh well though.

So in the morning we left the ship and hopped in two cabs to go to Tamarin Falls. I was pretty glad I wasn't in the other cab, because they squeezed five people in meaning that Em had to lie across the people in the back for over a half hour in the heat. In our cab it was me, Barrett, Ryan, and Jenn. We spent our ride to the falls talking to the cab driver and rocking out to his favorite cd which included hits by Lionel Richie, Shania Twain, and Bon Jovi- all slow songs. Obviously it was amazing to see the beaches and sugar cane fields of Mauritius to the tune of "Lady in Red"- quite magical really.

When we got to the falls some guy came up to us and insisted that we needed a guide- that it would be very dangerous to go by ourselves and that we would be stung by killer bees if we ventured off alone. The last part was enough to convince us that he was full of shit and so we kept hiking by ourselves rather than pay $100 for a walking companion. We were able to follow other people and get a general idea of where to go, and I mean come on, it's not that difficult to follow the sound of water.

The area was beautiful. We stood under the waterfall, swam in the pool (which was surprisingly warm- not at all like the pool at the base of the waterfall in the Dominican Republic, but not as pretty as that one was so I guess it's a fair trade), and jumped off what seemed like about a twenty foot rock. It was fun to do some cliff-jumping again after not going since last year. The feeling you get right when you jump is probably the third of fourth best in the world- I love that free-fall feeling.

We spent about an hour at the waterfall before hiking back up to head to lunch and to Flic en Flac, which is one of the amazing beaches on the island. It was only after getting to the restaurant that the day started to get obnoxious. We sat in the restaurant drinking the local beer (which is called Phoenix) and hanging out for about an hour and a half before getting our food. No one was that upset, though, until it came time to pay the bill. We were told we could use credit cards, but had no such luck as apparently the electricity goes out for a few hours each day (though when we finally left absolutely everywhere else had it). So basically we were held hostage while some members of our group took a cab to an atm and then came back to pay the bill. It wouldn't have been as big of a problem if people weren't impatient/if we hadn't already been in the restaurant for three hours out of the 12 we had in this country, but since that was the situation it kind of sucked. Oh well right?

Wanting to put the experience behind us as quick as possible, we started down the road without really knowing where we were going. Then Ryan and I kind of looked at each other and then at the ocean and just were like, "You want to?" We dropped our stuff right there and ran into the ocean, reminding me of that Mae concert a few years ago (or what seems like forever ago) in Asbury Park. Everybody followed us in and we were happier after a good swim in the turquoise-ish water (Sara, you would've loved it).

The rest of the time was pretty uneventful: we walked along the beach, grabbed some souvenirs, and made our way back to the ship for a barbecue dinner.

Oh yeah, and that restaurant, I forgot to mention, also could have become the last I'd ever visit. I ordered "chicken with vegetables" and confirmed about ten times that no shellfish was in it, cooked in the same pan as it, or in any other way came into contact with it. I listed examples so I was sure that the English-speaking waiter definitely understood. And then I was about to eat my meal when it came out only to pause at the last second and wonder what that sauce was because I didn't recognize it. Still smiling, the waiter just said, "oyster sauce." So my white rice was great, and I had another beer.

On another note, we have to advance our clocks by a half hour tonight, where they'll stay until after India. Seriously though, a half hour? What is that?


And Mom: I did mean to skype you in Port Louis, until 1. there was absolutely no time and 2. more importantly, the diplomats who briefed us in the morning said in fact the island is NOT coast-to-coast wireless- that is just the goal. So yeah, no such luck. I will call from India though most likely, unless some unforeseen circumstance bars me from doing that. Love and miss you!

Oh, and this was my first time swimming in the Indian Ocean and I loved it!

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