Gorgeous Mauritius Credit: boatbookings.com
All my life I have never been out of my home Albany, WA. I was born here, grew up here, went to college here and now I work here! I have never stepped out of my comfort zone you may say. It’s not that I never wanted to travel or wanted to see the world- it’s just that in the beginning it I could not have afforded it and then I got too busy with life and all that comes along with it. But thanks to my best friend and confidante- before she got married – she wanted her maid of honor me and her to go have a fun trip in Mauritius! Who would have thought!
This island nation in the southwest Indian Ocean is a slice of paradise or so I heard. We had our flights from Perth, so we took an early morning cheap flight to Perth and from there we had a direct flight to Mauritius. It was my first trip abroad and boy was I excited!
It’s a contrast of colors and tastes, friendly faces, peace and tranquility set perfectly in the turquoise sea. Cobalt blue seas and sandy beaches are a given, add to it swimming and sun bathing but there is more to it. The geographic variations, cultural diversity and historic sites around give you limitless activities to distract you from just swimming and soaking up some sun.
If you are into fishing, you are going to love Mauritius- it’s a deep sea fishing haven. Blue and black marlins, yellow tuna, Bonitos, and barracudas – it is all you need to have a great day in the waters! It also boats a huge range of sea treasures and beautiful corals reefs – you can go snorkeling, scuba diving, or on the Blue Safari submarine. Mindy- the bride to be – waned to check out the honeymoon and wedding packages available and we were both mighty impressed with what most hotels had to offer. And not just the packages but they help you with every single detail of the ceremony. It might come handy some day!
Port Louis is Africa’s wealthiest city with the innate smell, noises and bustle of a typical mercantile capital. The garment markets of Quatre Bornes and Curepipe are a treat. The prices are reasonable and there are duty free shops for tourists only! From textiles to basketwork, pottery, cut stones, recycled glass and embroidery are most popular. You also get spices, pickles, fruit jellies, fantastic vanilla and rum.
We went to the Black River Gorges National Park and the dramatic virgin forests almost made us believe that this can’t be a beach destination! There is also the Grand Bay, Triolet Shivala, Pereybere, Balaclava Ruins, Casela, Salt Pans, Chamarel, Grand Bassin. The flora is composed of unbelievably 700 species of indigenous plants and most of them are threatened with extinction.
I must also say another highlight was the food. The cuisine is a wonderful combination of European, African, Indian, Chinese and Creole. The hot and spicy Creole Curry with fish, beef or chicken and served with white rice is the winner. The seafood here is obviously varied with shrimps, oysters, prawn si served with a yummy red sauce.
Well, we had a fantastic week in this island country – it was a great experience. You would think it would cost you a lot with all the travel expenses but not really. And when you can avail cheap flights from flightsaustralia.com.au, it is all well taken care of.
