Grand Baie

On our last day in Mauritius, we went to the one end of the island to which we had not yet been, the north. We drove through the capital of Port Louis to Grand Baie and found a great public beach. I was flanked by black lava rock and there were a ton of people there, including, apparently, locals, some of whom gathered in circles to drum and sing.

 

Sophia striking a pose.

Brooke called our time in Mauritius, "A little bit of summer vacation."

Tomorrow we go back to chilly Cape Town.

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Snorkeling at Blue Bay

We decided to spend some dough and take a glass-bottomed boat out onto Blue Bay, which is a Marine Park. Marin and Sophia were reticent given the last time we were on a boat (see Robben Island entry), let alone a glass-bottomed one. "What if it cracks?" Marin asked.

It was not a good sign that it was pouring rain in the interior as we drove from the West to the East Coast. When we arrived it was not raining.

Then it started pouring. Andy, our skipper pulled out a tarp. We thought he might rig it up in some ingenious way. Instead he unfurled and handed it to us to huddle under. Fortunately, it was a glass-bottomed boat and we soon began to see many types of coral and fish. Marin and Sophia were fascinated. Then we arrived in the middle of the bay and Andy said, "This is a great place to snorkel. Do you want to snorkel?" Through Andy's thick French accent, Ben thought he said it was a great place to snuggle. Brooke understood correctly and said, "Yes." Ben was not so brave at first. Brooke put on her fins and mask and tube and jumped into the bay, the only person snorkeling even though there were 10 or so boats. Ben thought she was a champ.

Marin said, "You can do it too, daddy. You're as good as mommy." Ben asked Sophia, "Do you feel comfortable staying in the boat with Andy while mommy and daddy are both in the water?" She nodded yes. Ben took the plunge.

It was still raining when we got out. We were cold, but the kids were troopers and really liked being abot to see all of the fish. Andy took this picture of us.

We took this one of him...

 

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No Surfing in Mauritius

For us, anyway. For three days, we were planning to go out, but it was flat as a lake. Oh well, the beach was warm and inviting.

 

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Mauritian Interior

Today we ventured away from the beach and into the interior, to the Casela Park.

Ben and Sophia in the bright, bright sun at Casela.

Brooke in front of some craaazy twisted leaning palm trees.

Marin on top of a tractor at the super cool playground.

The Mauritian Fruit Bat, the largest mammal endemic to Mauritius. Brooke Bell: "Those just jeeb me out!"

At the observation hill with Rempart Mountain behind us.

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Sunset at Flic en Flac

We got home from the Water Park and Ben wanted to see the sunset. Flic en Flac Beach is known as the sunset beach. We decided to walk. It was not leisurely. The sun was setting soon and the beach was further away than we thought, so we ran. We arrived at the beach just in time to catch the sun disappear beyond the horizon. In that 30 seconds, we go these three shots.

 

 

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Our Own Private Water Park

It felt a little like arriving at Wally World (remember Vacation?). It is really difficult to get anywhere in Mauritius if you don't know your way around. There are very few multi-lane roads and abysmal singage. We set out to go to a Water Park on the East Coast and arrived a bit later than we had hoped. Seeing the parking lot completely empty, we were worried it would be closed, having promised the kids the time of their lives.

Well, we weren't the only people at the park. We counted 7 others. There were more staff than guests. In a park slightly smaller that Water World, we had the run of the place.

 

Sophia particularly liked swimming in the kids pool. For her, swimming meant crawling in the shallow water.

The favorite of Marin, Brooke, and mine was the Black Hole, which you rode on a double tube. It was completely pitch black until it emptied you out into a pool. Good times.

 

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Delicious Mauritius

So, as a "vacation from our vacation," we are in Mauritius for 8 days. For those who don't know, Mauritius is in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. Over 10 years ago, Brooke saw a documentary on Mauritius describing it as a model multi-cultural society. It is a blend of French (most commonly spoken language), Indian (Hindu temples everywhere), and African cultures, though English is the official language and there are also many Muslims. We are on the West coast in a town called Flic en Flac (of Dutch origin). We are renting an apartment and a car and are driving around the island exploring.

http://www.maplandia.com/mauritius/flic-en-flac/

The beach in Tamarin we visited today.

Sophia engineering a sand castle and Marin doing his favorite sport, "wave jumping."

On the south end of the island at Cap du Baie. Thank you to the German couple for taking our picture!

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