So it begins

I laugh at your Class II cyclone

Published Date : March 23, 2005

After a nice sleep in this morning, I enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast of peanut butter on stale bread.  Then it was off to the bus terminal, where I found out that what I thought was an annoying tropical storm was, in fact, a Class II cyclone.  I also found out that if it is upgraded to Class III the buses will stop running.  Good to know.

The hour and a half bus ride to the capital, Port Louis, cost me only 23 Rp – about $0.80.  Port Louis is a fairly typical modern town with a fabulous waterfront area brimming with restaurants and shops.  I headed to the Tourist Info booth, but they were rather lacking in information.  They only had one brochure in English, the rest being in French.  There wasn’t much useful information in either language though.  This is definitely the domain of the package holiday and upscale resorts, which means the independent traveller has to do things the old fashioned way – by talking to the locals.

After a bit of a wander around town, I enjoyed a fantastic lunch at a Mauritian Pub on the harbour.  I had a white fish fillet curry with bottomless tropical juice for only 210 Rp (about $8).  Surprisingly, the place was nearly deserted – I was the only foreigner – all the tourists were next door at the ‘traditional’ English Pub.  Figures.

After a lot of searching for the right stop, I finally found the bus back to Mahébourg.  It was full, and it was wet.  It was also the last bus of the day.  The cyclone has officially graduated to Class III.  The wind and rain made the return trip a bit longer, but the 2-hour journey passed quickly.  There were only a handful of people on the bus and the locals were keen to chat with me.  They were quite thrilled to see a tourist using the local transport.

While technically part of Africa, Mauritius has a diverse population.  English is the official language, but French (creole) is more commonly spoken on the street.  Urdu, Arabic, Hindi and Chinese are all common as well.  The diversity carries over to the food as well, with the best from each culture represented.  The abundance of fresh fruit and seafood most certainly helps as well.

Arriving back in Mahébourg after dark, I managed to get lost in a town that’s almost impossible to get lost in.  When I approached a local man for directions, rather than telling me, he escorted me safely back to the front door.  Everyone I’ve dealt with so far in this country has been incredibly friendly and hospitable.  After the tension and security concerns in South Africa, the openness has been especially welcome.

Cyclone, schmyclone

Published Date : March 24, 2005

I was up by 0900, planning to head to Pamplemousses (yes, they named a town after grapefruits) to see the Botanical Gardens.  It was still overcast and windy, but the heavy gusts and rain from last night had abated.  I stepped outside to find the streets eerily deserted.  The cyclone was still considered Class III, but things seemed to have improved compared to yesterday.

The buses were still shut down, so my plans for the day were out the window.  I returned to the guesthouse and cooked up some scrambled eggs for breakfast.  I think the last time I had eggs was five months ago in Turkey.  It’s hard to believe that I’ve been on the road for that long already.  Time goes by so fast when you’re on the road.

While I cleaned up my dishes, I chatted briefly with Pascal, a Frenchman who had arrived late last night from Madagascar.  That’s a place I would definitely love to visit someday.

Taking advantage of the lull in the weather, I rented a bicycle (100 Rp for 24 hours) and rode out to Blue Bay, hoping to maybe do some snorkeling in the sheltered bay or at least relax on the beach.  Seeing the roads flooded and covered in debris from the wind, I quickly realized that plan was a pipe dream.  The beach was deserted and a mess of debris that had blown ashore in the storm surge.

With nothing else to do in Blue Bay, I turned around and slowly made my way back into town.  The wind was kicking up again, with waves crashing over the road in some sections.  When I came across a group of people struggling to pull their boats into shore, I stopped to help.  They were grateful for the extra pair of hands, but amazed that I had ventured out in the storm.

I arrived back at the guesthouse at midday.  With most of the shops closed up and no transportation, I had nothing left to do.  I eventually found a small corner store that was open and had a tiny selection of reading material.  I bought the one English magazine they had in stock and a trashy romance novel in French to keep me occupied for the rest of the afternoon.  Hopefully, the storm will have blown itself out by tomorrow, and I’ll be able to go see some more of the island.

When I arrived back at the guesthouse, my hosts were waiting for me with news.  The cyclone is now a Class IV.  Along with Pascal, I helped them batten down the hatches.  Before long the wind was raging again, but the storm never made landfall, swinging down the east coast and merely side swiping the island. Much ado about nothing…

Wait...What?

Published Date : March 25, 2005

Ever had one of those days where you’re in the mood to spend money, but you just can’t find a single thing worth buying?  That was today.  I woke up this morning with every intention of heading up to Pamplemousses and the Botanical Gardens and Sugar Factory, but I just never quite made it.

I had to wait for the bike rental place to open so that I could return the bike, then I had to wait for the bus to Port Louis.  So I didn’t get to the capital until almost noon.  And there I discovered that I needed to take another two buses to get to Pamplemousses.  Laziness reigned and I decided to wander around town and try to spend my money instead.  It should have been quite simple – I wanted to buy something, preferably some board shorts since they’re ridiculously cheap here.  But it just wasn’t to be.  The shops here are all tiny and they have no selection at all.  There was just nothing.  Rien. Nada. Zilch.

I did score another fantastic lunch though: a Cajun chicken fajita type thing with a really good salsa sauce.  It was a bit pricy at 230 Rp, but it was worth it. I’m definitely loving the fresh tropical fruit cocktails.  Most delicious!

Back on the bus, and back into Mahebourg, and what’s this I see?  Good lord it’s the sun!  So that’s what this island is supposed to look like!

I spent the rest of the evening chatting with Pascal and then reading when he went out to partake in the local nightlife.  I heard him stumbling back in a couple of hours later and was surprised when he knocked on my door.  As soon as I opened it, he leaned in and kissed me.  “Sans raison,” he told me with a shrug and a grin before he staggered across the hall to his own room.

Um…okay ��