Mauritius part 2
Island life is treating us very well. After our busy week of exploring, we've spent the last couple of days relaxing on the patio, visiting the beach, running and diving. Not a bad life really!
Saturday, we decided to take a vacation from our vacation and drive to the southwest side of the island and stay a night or two. We piled into the car and made a couple of pit stops at some of the sights in Chamarel on the way to our weekend digs in Flic-En-Flac on the south west coast. Chamarel is nown for it's large waterfall and seven colored earth. We'd already been told not to expect much from the seven colored earth, but we had to see it anyways (we'd been to Rainbow Mountain and were on a multi-colored earth tour). Both sights were within a National Reserve. The drive was up through some elevation, so naturally, Isa was car sick haha. We saw monkeys on way to the park as well. The waterfall was lovely, but we were at quite a distance.
The seven colored earth was interesting, but definitely not nearly as vibrant as the photoshopped images lead you to think it is. As a bonus there were giant tortoises at the seven colored earth, which I think we all enjoyed much more than the sand.
We continued on to Flic-En-Flac and set up shop at our Airbnb. The owner lived in the same complex and was incredibly lovely. Even left us a few treats and offered to watch the boys if we needed. We got organized and signed up for some diving while we were there. It started to rain, so we didn't get out for much exploring right away.
The next day Isa and I went out for a run and got a little shakedown of the area. We got home and all went out to a café, that ended up being a bust and was nothing more than a hotel lobby with an area that served coffee. It was ok, but we were hoping for baked goods and had to settle for stale-ish croissants that were overpriced. Later, we set up some tentative diving for Monday and Tuesday. Unfortunately conditions at this end of the island are unfavorable because of a storm surge off shore, so we will see how diving plays out. It turns out our lovely rental lady can't watch the boys, so we'll have to split up diving again.
We got some roti for lunch and Luke brought back some boulettes for us to try as well. They are essentially a little round dumpling made of various meats or seafood and served in a broth. We had 3 different types inn this dish, some were delicious, other were just ok.
Luke and I suck off with the boys to check out Le Morne, a huge monolith at the most southwestern tip of the island. Our original goal was to hike Le Morne, but as most hikes go on this trip, we quickly realized this was not going to be a reality with 2 toddlers and no hiking packs. Instead we parked ourselves on a nearby beach and played in the sand with the boys. Mom and dad had a beer and watched the sun go down.
We headed back for some dinner at a nearby local restaurant. I forget what Luke had, but I had the mines frites and shared with the boys. Isa found some empanadas at a local stand and we settled in for the night.
Wednesday morning we got to sleep in, eat an uninterrupted breakfast and walk back to our place. Everyone survived!! That afternoon, Luke took off for South Africa. He is going to visit a friend he met while on exchange there back in grade 12. We would have loved to have gone as a family, but with the flight prices, the boys no longer lap child age, the quick time frame, long flight time and instability of S.A, we opted just for him to go as a side trip.
Luke will post about S.A separately. Isa and I manned the fort for the 6 days he was gone. We ate pizza with veggies and artichokes on it, made mind blowing pina colada pancakes, went for runs, walks with the boys, did our yoga series and watched movies that Isa needed to be exposed to. Not to mention took in some pretty stellar sunsets from our terrace.
We had the better part of the day before our flight tonight. Our Airbnb hosts were lovely enough to let us stay until our departure time. We spent the afternoon taking in the views from our terrace.
***Writting this as we take off watching Mauritius become smaller and smaller behind us. We weren't sold on Mauritius from the start but by the end, it was heartbreaking to leave. We had become beach combers, advid divers and Troux aux Biches dwellers. We asked ourselves from the start, would we recommend Mauritius to other people? The answer now is a resounding yes...but not as a resort destination, it is best experienced unsheltered.
Saturday, we decided to take a vacation from our vacation and drive to the southwest side of the island and stay a night or two. We piled into the car and made a couple of pit stops at some of the sights in Chamarel on the way to our weekend digs in Flic-En-Flac on the south west coast. Chamarel is nown for it's large waterfall and seven colored earth. We'd already been told not to expect much from the seven colored earth, but we had to see it anyways (we'd been to Rainbow Mountain and were on a multi-colored earth tour). Both sights were within a National Reserve. The drive was up through some elevation, so naturally, Isa was car sick haha. We saw monkeys on way to the park as well. The waterfall was lovely, but we were at quite a distance.
The seven colored earth was interesting, but definitely not nearly as vibrant as the photoshopped images lead you to think it is. As a bonus there were giant tortoises at the seven colored earth, which I think we all enjoyed much more than the sand.
The next day Isa and I went out for a run and got a little shakedown of the area. We got home and all went out to a café, that ended up being a bust and was nothing more than a hotel lobby with an area that served coffee. It was ok, but we were hoping for baked goods and had to settle for stale-ish croissants that were overpriced. Later, we set up some tentative diving for Monday and Tuesday. Unfortunately conditions at this end of the island are unfavorable because of a storm surge off shore, so we will see how diving plays out. It turns out our lovely rental lady can't watch the boys, so we'll have to split up diving again.
We got some roti for lunch and Luke brought back some boulettes for us to try as well. They are essentially a little round dumpling made of various meats or seafood and served in a broth. We had 3 different types inn this dish, some were delicious, other were just ok.
Luke and I suck off with the boys to check out Le Morne, a huge monolith at the most southwestern tip of the island. Our original goal was to hike Le Morne, but as most hikes go on this trip, we quickly realized this was not going to be a reality with 2 toddlers and no hiking packs. Instead we parked ourselves on a nearby beach and played in the sand with the boys. Mom and dad had a beer and watched the sun go down.
The next day Luke watched the boys while Isa and I dove in the afternoon. They had cancelled the morning dives due to the waves and currents. While it was difficult to notice an issue from the protection of the lagoon, we quickly became aware of the crazy conditions once passed the reef and surely in the water. Isa and I both had trouble descending at first. This because not all outfitters use the same tanks, suits, gear. So you get used to using a certain weight and it changes depending. Also, our dive master had removed some weight. We had a moment where we weren't sure if we were going to make it down and had to ascend basically with no visibility, alone, in hopes of linking back up with our divemaster. In the end it worked out well and I am proud at how we both managed the situation. Under water, currents were strong, so mostly we worried about getting thrown into one of the many lion fish on our wreak dive. The wreak was completely visible, so we were left to roam about and explore solo for the duration of the dive.
Tuesday, before we packed up and left, was Luke and my turn to dive together. I forgot to mention that our diving outfitter was based in this super swanky hotel called Le Pirogue. This time around we were set to do an advane dive of one of some of the more popular sights, one being Cathedral. Once we headed out, we really questioned why they hadn't cancelled the dive. Our instructor was very experienced and talked to us about the conditions and what it ment for our time under the water. We barely made it passed the reef because the waves were breaking so violently. Once over the site, we had a tiny window to get down and in the water, we ultimately took too long and drifted a bit off. In the end visibility at Cathedral with poor and we wasted time getting on site. It was a little disappointing, but still valuable experience.
Today was also our wedding anniversary. We got back into Troux and walked down the street to a little resort we booked a night's stay at. Isa was in charge of the boys for the night. We spent the evening having dinner, sipping Aperols and talking about our renovation aspirations for our new house. So strange to think we will be home in a little over a month and settling into our own house again. I honestly can say that I don't miss owning a house right now, but the thought of having a home for the boys is exciting. Cheers to that!
Luke will post about S.A separately. Isa and I manned the fort for the 6 days he was gone. We ate pizza with veggies and artichokes on it, made mind blowing pina colada pancakes, went for runs, walks with the boys, did our yoga series and watched movies that Isa needed to be exposed to. Not to mention took in some pretty stellar sunsets from our terrace.
The week passed quick and after Luke returned, Isa and I arranged some diving on the south end of the Island with Dodo divers. In the end I think they were my favorite outfitters of all. It was a bit of a trek there, we took the bus and walked in search of the shop. In the end a lady, who was also on the bus, worked at the hotel they operated from and led us down. After proving Isa was experienced enough, they let us sign up for a special dive out at the islands off the south coast of Mauritius the following day which almost guarantees sharks. We walked to the local bakery we passed in the morning for some treats and a local shop for some delicious roti. It was so good, we ended up having 2! While waiting for the bus, one of the dive guides passed us and offered us a ride home and a pick up for the dives in the morning.
The next day, we dove snake island. Sites named shark arena and shark cathedral. It was the perfect morning, however, the first dive was a bust. No sharks and the current in the arena (a carved out bowl shape open roof cave) was insane. We were tossed around like rag dolls, but we managed and were told we were pretty strong divers by our guide. The next site proved much better, tons of reef sharks, some passing us within meters! It was amazing, as was being out on the sea between dives. It was a wonderful experience!
Thursday was our last full Mauritian day. Luke and I finished up our diving pack with the local outfitter. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water and we dove some great sights and saw a few giant sea turtles.
We spent a good part of the day tying loose ends. Cleaning, laundry, packing and a run. In the evening we walked with the boys to get some airplane snacks and to hit up the park so the boys could play. We were treated to an amazing sunset. It really drove home the fact that Mauritius has grown on us. Our quiet, simple time here was exactly what we needed to recharge.
We had the better part of the day before our flight tonight. Our Airbnb hosts were lovely enough to let us stay until our departure time. We spent the afternoon taking in the views from our terrace.
***Writting this as we take off watching Mauritius become smaller and smaller behind us. We weren't sold on Mauritius from the start but by the end, it was heartbreaking to leave. We had become beach combers, advid divers and Troux aux Biches dwellers. We asked ourselves from the start, would we recommend Mauritius to other people? The answer now is a resounding yes...but not as a resort destination, it is best experienced unsheltered.
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