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.