Being a tourist in Mauritius

The beach at the end of the lane

View from the River House verandah

Fly to Mauritius, hire a car and make the River House your base. It's a small island and you can get anywhere in a couple of hours. (Just remember that even though most people are speaking French, you drive on the LEFT in Mauritius!)

The rooms at the River House are comfortable, the breakfast is delicious and the location is perfect.

In the evening, you can sit on the verandah (three rooms have their own private verandahs,) and watch the sun go down and the sky change colour.

Sunset from the beach by the Tamarina Hotel

As the sky darkens you can work up an appetite to hunt out a nearby restaurant, or anticipate one of Angela's traditional, spicy Mauritian dinners. (Just give a couple of days' notice and let her know if you have any preferences or allergies.)

Alternatively, take a gentle 5-minute stroll down to the beach and walk up the steps to the luxurious cocktail bar of the Tamarina Hotel. 

Access to the beach is restricted to the River House, and a few other properties. It is nearly always deserted, and the surf is perfect for body-surfing.

If you want to snorkel, the beach at Flic en Flac is about 10 minutes away, with crystal-clear water and shoals of brightly-coloured fish. 

It is mostly a public beach, so you can find cheap snacks on sale everywhere. There is some tourism development, but although it's becoming a popular resort, Flic en Flac hasn't become quite as commercialised as some other parts of Mauritius. 

The proof of this sweeping generalisation is the number of guests at the River House who leave to tour around, only to phone in a day or two, in the hope that Angela will have a vacancy so that they might be able to return to what is, in my opinion, the ideal base for a holiday on this wonderful island.

I thoroughly enjoyed just lying in the pool and reading a book

My room did not have its own verandah, but I wouldn't have swapped it for one of the larger ones, because my room had its own exclusive feature. 

In addition to its en-suite, it had a tiny courtyard garden full of plants and flowers and with an outdoor shower. I shall always remember my morning showers in the privacy of my secret garden under the open sky.

But tomorrow I must fly home, from 30 degrees Celsius in Mauritius to 30 degrees Fahrenheit in England. After my experience here, I am seriously investigating ways to spend the early months of every year in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Anyone down there need a house-sitter. . . ?

Star ratings say nothing about Happiness ratings

The mile-long drive down to the River House from the main road borders a private housing estate and golf course. The edges are painstakingly landscaped, and at 6.50 each morning remote-controlled sprinklers rise through the turf like instant mushrooms and drench the grass to maintain its verdant sheen.

A typical luxury housing development- with adjacent golf course

An army of gardeners is to be seen most days, cutting back any intrusions from the neighbouring woodland and maintaining a Stepford quality to the estate. There’s nothing beautiful about it: nothing to sketch: nothing to inspire any poetic jottings; there’s only an unintentional prod to write with dispassionate cynicism about the way the world is developing. What does it take to make people happy?  Not the size of the house or the lack of weeds in the lawn, surely there's more to life than this? 

Living it up

Earlier in the week we visited one of the 5-star hotels and lay, lounging on teak sunbeds under a thatched sun-umbrella and nibbling on club-sandwiches at £14.00 each (French-fries and service included.) 

Tourists clad discreetly with pareos over their bikinis, strolled through the lawns that reached from the hotel buildings to the beach, their faces wrapped in dour indifference. 

The staff members were everywhere, but wore blank expressions, as if they’d been reading the latest reports from the Ministry of Tourism, showing visitors from Europe down 17% in Jan/Feb. Joy and happiness were distinctly noticeable by their absence whether on the faces of staff or guests. It was depressing, but it's not only Mauritius that falls victim to the trend. The same process of glamour-veneer is everywhere, so that the whole world blurs into a totally synthetic, Las Vegas-style resort.

The public beach at Flic en Flac

The public beaches in Mauritius are a different story. There are many public beaches, all around the island, free to all and well-equipped with adequate parking facilities. They are cheerful places, especially at weekends, with groups of local people enjoying the crystal-clear sea. 

Everywhere you can find little lunchtime kiosks selling faratas (savoury-filled pancake-bread,) at 2 for 40 pence, and all the other wonderful street food that you can find all over the island at bargain prices. The stall-holders have broad smiles; the beach-goers are laughing and joking; it’s a very different ambiance from the austere chill of the 5-star hotels.

Woodland countryside

Earlier in the week, we drove out to see the wonderful weekend home a friend of my host had constructed, using 3 x 40ft containers to create the basic layout of the living area. The house has become a beautiful wooden bungalow, blending naturally into its surroundings. Only the metal doors reveal the origins of the construction as everything has been insulated with natural materials and enhanced internally with pine cladding throughout. 

The house is in a central part of the island, surrounded with fields of sugar-cane and groves of banana trees amidst jungle-like woodland. 

As we drove through the villages there was a winning photograph wherever you looked: brilliant colours and everywhere broad grins, waves and smiles. 

A family walking through the fields of sugar-cane

The majority of the rural population enjoy a simple life-style and  very basic standard of living, and they make the most of enjoying their lives without the frills and trimmings of modern consumerism. The literacy rate is high and there is universal health-care.

Mauritius will mean different things to different visitors. On the one had you can choose the familiarity of yet another reassuringly-familiar 5-star environment with the occasional nod to local colour with a Folklore Evening or a modified traditional dish on the menu. 

On the other hand you can opt for a simple, but superbly comfortable B&B or Guest House and set out to explore the real Mauritius. 

If you do the latter, you’ll come home with an awareness of the real Mauritius, and not just another Hilton resort in a slightly different tropical location. 

But do it soon, because the global demands of tourism are inching towards a more standardised product that targets the less discriminating market, whether that is the Sheratons around the Pyramids of Giza or the all-inclusive resort hotels crowding around the monoliths on Easter Island.

Enjoy the real Mauritius.

Common Language

Frightfully English

Most Mauritians are surprised to discover that their Constitution makes no mention of an official language. Before the country became independent, 45 years ago, this was a British colony and since the British created their own model of infrastructure, English has been generally accepted as the “unofficial” language of Mauritius. 

Très Français 

English was, and still is, the language of government, administration and the courts.

Nonetheless, in the English-speaking Parliament, any member of the National Assembly can address the Speaker in French, which is the dominant language in the mass media, as well as in corporate and business dealings. In fact, even English language television programmes are usually dubbed into French.

Traditionally Indian

This is despite the fact that only 3% of the population are of ethnically Christian European origin while 69% of the population are ethnically of Indian origin with linguistic affiliations to Bhojpuri, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and Urdu.

A small, but economically significant, proportion of the population stems originally from China, while roughly a quarter of the population are the descendants of African slaves. These have contributed to the creation of a large sector of the community who identify themselves as Mauritian Créole, bringing with them a lexicon of Arabic, Swahili and other Bantu languages which have been blended into French to create the Creole language - Kreol Morisien.

Whatever the ethnic or religious affiliation of the people who live on this lovely island, they all proudly identify themselves as Mauritians, and the vast majority speak Kreol. Even the most well-bred white Francophone teenagers will slip into Kreol with their friends, for the simple pleasure of expressing themselves with Kreol’s witty vulgarity and wealth of humour.

Mauritian beauty queen

This ethnic blend has created – in my opinion - the most beautiful women in the world. 

The combination of skin-tone, figure and stature presents a vision of a veritable Lorelei – the mythical siren of the Rhine who enticed sailors to a watery grave. In my eyes, Mauritian girls are enchantresses; - they are a tempting sight and should carry a Government health warning of impending heart attacks of one kind or another.

I drooled from afar, and would happily return to Mauritius just to sit in the Bagatelle Shopping Mall and watch the world go by.

Well, at least I can speak the language(s.)

I have been to several of my host’s family occasions, and have had to exercise a degree of linguistic gymnastics. You need to be ready to jump around between English and French even mid-sentence, and everyone does it without the least hint of pretentiousness. It’s just easy to use more suitable words in the other language, just as we might slip into slang or colloquialisms in talking with English friends back home.

I believe that multilingual societies have a distinct advantage over countries who just have a mother tongue and are xenophobic about anything foreign – especially conversation.

Grandson Edmund

In Europe it’s been an academic issue. If you were in the right stream you learned languages. Hence the children of my Italian nephew in Rome learn Latin, Greek, English and French as core subjects. What many people fail to realise is that both ancient and modern languages train the brain in problem solving, and have a value far beyond literature, business and tourism.

Mauritian children probably never realise the enormous benefit of acquiring the necessary verbal dexterity to leap around between languages in the course of a single conversation. For them, this everyday process creates an invaluable intellectual flexibility. 

I am delighted that my 5 year-old grandson has a place at an almost unique English primary school where he is taught in English Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, and in French on Wednesday afternoons and all day Thursday and Friday.

I know he will learn mental agility that his mono-cultural friends in the village will miss out on. As for being bilingual, he’ll have a head start with those gorgeous girls if he gets out here to Mauritius one day.

Saints and Sects

Cap Malheureux Roman Catholic Church

Racial barriers in Mauritius are dissolving and being replaced by the sort of class, income and educational differences that the world finds more palatable. Today, any kind of discrimination is frowned on all around the world, but nothing endorses identity like a cohesive religion, and in Mauritius, religion, more so than skin colour, is one of the defining demarcations in society. 

Jacques Laval

The French brought the Roman Catholic church to Mauritius but today the congregations are spread across all racial groups.The most renowned Mauritian priest and missionary was Jacques Laval (1803 - 1864) who devoted himself to the emancipated slaves amongst whom he lived. He learned and spoke fluent Créole and committed his life to the moral and spiritual upliftment of the emancipated slaves. 

He was the first person to be beatified in the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. 

Della Thielamay
"I am Mauritian, Chinese, Indian and French."

Only about a third of the population claim to be Christian, while half are Hindu and about a sixth Muslim. Many of the Chinese ethnic group declare themselves as followers of both Buddhism and Roman Catholicism, and the Créole population adhere to many denominations of Christianity including Pentecostal and Evangelical sects. 

That's Mauritius for you: a wonderful hotch-potch of race and creed that reaches all aspects of each culture, from music and art to food and religion. Della Thielmay is a London-based young Mauritian who proudly declares her heritage: "I am Mauritian, Chinese, Indian and French." Which just about says it all!

Lord Shiva

March (sometimes February) is the month of the great Hindu pilgrimage of Maha Shivratri, which marks the marriage of Lord Shiva to the goddess Parvati. 

This festival is considered auspicious for women,who generally observe this fast zealously to appease Goddess Parvati, as she is considered to be the bestower of marital bliss and a long and prosperous married life. 

Lord Shiva is deemed as an ideal husband by women of the Hindu faith. 

Made it! A group of pilgrims rest after their long walk

On the occasion of Maha Shivratri, Hindus from all over Mauritius walk to Grand Bassin, the crater lake of an extinct volcano, whose waters are considered sacred. 

They bring with them shrines from their local temples , carrying them or wheeling them on barrows. 

All the roads are immaculately swept and maintained as some of the  pilgrims walk barefoot, and along the way food-stalls spring up at the roadside, providing refreshments for the pilgrims.

The giant statue of Shiva

Many devout Hindus fast during the day and keep a night-long vigil. sometimes for a week or more leading up to the festival. 

Once they reach Grand Bassin, they take water from the lake back to their local temples, all over the island.

The piety and devotion  of the pilgrims were impressive; as were the thorough organisation and carefully-planned logistics. 

Above all, there was a pervasive sense of tradition and respect that contrasted sharply with the pomp and circumstance of some of the processions I saw when I lived in Italy.

It was an impressive sight - even as I saw it, a couple of days before the main event, and a reminder of how a previously uninhabited island has adapted to the beliefs and traditions of its human invaders. 

Making the Most of the Opportunity

The verandah at the River House

Mauritius is so much more than the Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens, the Sugar Museum and Factory, the Safari Wildlife Adventure and Swimming with Dolphins. 

These are all photos to boast about, life-experiences to tick off the list of "1000 things to do before you die," and postcards to mail to people on the Christmas card list, but the whole experience of travelling is so much more than this.

Cardinal bird

When you reflect a moment, there's nothing in Mauritius you won't find on Discovery Channel - but then, there's nothing in the whole wide world of scenery, folk-lore and cultural traditions that you won't find some day on Discovery Channel. So why travel anywhere when it means leaving the comfort of your fireside armchair? 

For me, travel serves a special purpose. I am something of an unconventional tourist in that I studiously avoid "attractions" and "sights." When I visited Venice, I spent much of my time there sitting in back-street bars, just drinking coffee, because I wanted to feel Venice and understand what made it special. It's not just the unique setting; it's how that setting and the town's history have moulded the society of the city.

When it comes to being in Mauritius, I think this little chap is part of the answer. The Cardinal bird in his absurdly brilliant scarlet plumage. Every time I catch a glimpse of one darting in and out of the bright green foliage, I feel a frisson of excitement. I'm not seeing him in an aviary or bird sanctuary; I'm watching him hop around while I have breakfast.

Then there are the other unfamiliar birds that flock around - just as sparrows and starlings used to flock around at home when I was a child, before Britain started to use pesticides intensively and EU legislation encouraged farmers to maximise revenue by grubbing out hedgerows. 

The noise at breakfast - and on through the morning is the background to an Attenborough commentary in a BBC-filmed jungle: a shrieking cacophony of bird-calls.

If I sit on the verandah with my morning pot of coffee, the music of birdsong is totally relaxing and creates the perfect environment for thinking things through, then thinking it all through from another perspective, then analysing the options and finally shelving the entire topic, because of a simple adage I learned while I was living in Italy: "Nothing is really that important that it needs a decision today - if ever."

I took a decision that I did not have to do anything in particular while I was in Mauritius except to take the opportunity to work out - in an unhurried and relaxed kind of way - how I proposed to live the balance of my time on Earth.

A look of wisdom, peace and confidence

I had a birthday last month  and I would like to have some clear objectives before I turn 70 - next year. 

My Lincoln blog reveals my fondness for living next to one of England's finest cathedrals, but I don't want to limit my life to the Cathedral coterie. I want to keep working, coaching, training and find new ways to help people. I stopped promoting my business activities but people keep tracking me down, so I suppose I am just not meant to stop work quite yet.

My grandfather was a wise old man, an amateur historian whose academic research is now safely housed in the library of the University of Hull, though he himself left school at 16.
I have great admiration for his academic prowess and, like him, I would like  to become something of a grey guru.He radiated a sense of wisdom, peace and confidence, and looked very much like the unknown man in the photograph I found when I searched Google images for a suitable illustration for today's blog post.

While some people might head off to an ashram in Tibet to find themselves, I would not want to be lost in a crowd of others all much like myself, all earnestly searching for enlightenment. Nor do I fancy hard beds, early morning chanting or a very basic vegetarian diet while I ponder my future. 
Nor, for that matter, while I ponder my past.

In Mauritius you never need to think about what to wear, and you know you will not look far to find simple, nutritious, inexpensive food. If it rains today, it will shine tomorrow, and in less than an hour you can drive away to a complete change of scenery - and probably a complete change of climate.

Alternatively, you can be a conventional tourist at the Four Seasons, or the Oberoi, or any of a dozen other wildly expensive and fabulously luxurious exclusive resort hotels. 

And if that's where you choose to be, you can be quietly confident that you won't bump into too many weird people like me.

Downtown in Mauritius

Aerial view of Port Louis - Mauritius 

 Town planners like to tidy up waterfronts. 

The juxtaposition of land and water creates all kinds of opportunities for projecting atmosphere and establishing pleasant places to stop and pause. 

They did it on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, they did it in the old harbour in Capetown, and they even did it in my home town, on Brayford Wharf in Lincoln.

Caudan waterfront centre - Port Louis

In Port Louis it's more of the same on the Caudan waterfront with shops, restaurants, cafés and all kinds of entertainment, but for me that's not what I look for in a place like Mauritius. 

It becomes a replicated environment in our standardised world, right down to the universal brands (Vodafone, Benneton and Sony) and the inevitable flavours ( KFC, McDonalds and Coca-Cola.) Happily there's another side to urban Mauritius, more real, more shabby and more like the ambiance I recognise from my time in Africa in the 60s. 

Curepipe's leading hotel

I found it everywhere in the island's second major town, Curepipe. Just as Birmingham, in UK, exudes an atmosphere of brash commerce and industry, so Curepipe feels independent and happy to be stuck in a bit of a time-warp. Yes, according to Trip-Advisor, this really is the town's top hotel. Well, it's the only one that they  list and the reviews simply rave about it. I am pretty sure I would rave about it too because I think I would be overwhelmed by waves of nostalgia for the way things used to be.
I found a website that summed up Curepipe neatly:
"Curepipe is a bustling highland commercial centre famous for its rainy weather and clothes shopping. 
If you follow the recommendation about clothes' shopping, it means that you'll find lots of little back-street tailors, not outposts of GAP and SELFRIDGES. 
The website continues: "The damp climate gives the buildings an ageing, mildewed quality. Curepipe has two seasons: the little season of big rains and the big season of little rains. Bring an umbrella, as it can rain without warning at any time of year."

Wrapped in a time warp

As for the "ageing, mildewed quality" of the architecture this photo of a down-town block of shops and offices is best dated by the cars - the buildings are totally unchanged to this day.   

But there is something more than architecture and nostalgia that gives parts of Mauritius a magnetic charm. It's something that hasn't changed and that draws Mauritians back home as surely as a cup of the vanilla-flavoured tea they love to drink.

Street food in all its wonderful range of flavours

It's Faratas, floppy over-sized Chapatis that are filled with spiced vegetables and rolled up,  to be eaten in the fingers.

Then there are Dhal Puris, which are similar but made from lentil flour and are very soft and almost impossible to eat without dribbling down the front of your shirt.

And there's more: little cocktail-sized Samosas stuffed with highly seasoned mashed potato - irresistible at 3 for 20p.

Gateaux Piments

Come lunchtime and the best stalls will have a queue round the block, waiting to buy from the man with the best reputation. 

I've never tasted food quite like this in India, (or anywhere else, for that matter,) and it will be an enduring memory of down-town Mauritius,   - especially the Gateaux Piments which are small bhajis of chick-pea flour, studded with hot green chillies, deep-fried and served in a paper cone. 

But the biggest foodie surprise was the discovery of Porcini mushrooms (Boletus edulis) growing wild, by the roadside. More of that in a day or two.