March 23, 2014

Mauritius, Mauritius

At first sight, Mauritius, looks like a beautiful, relaxing place, awash with culture, flavor, and sunshine. Despite being overbuilt and over populated, the people were very amiable. Our bus was nowhere in sight at the port terminal, so I asked the guard if he could call the number I had listed on a piece of paper. A few conversations later, the guard assured us that our guide, and the bus, were on the way. Shortly thereafter, our guide took the easygoing way, which led us to Cure Pipe. In a short time we reached the famed volcano.

The observation parking lot was both busy and full, and from there we followed a stone pathway until the hills began to open up before us. Standing on the ledge, I looked down to the bottom. The crater was filled with water, and bright green algae were clinging to the rocks around it. Behind us, we looked up higher to see the mountains which rose nearly 2,000 feet skyward.

From Cure Pipe, our next stop was the Holy River. Our guide explained that this river is sacred to Hindu's; and is considered akin to the Ganges river in India. There is a belief that the water is holy. Beside the highway, a giant God Vishnu, stood 125 feet high. Upon entering the temple on the Holy River, we descended a flight of stairs, and in front of us were several families preparing their offerings to their Hindu God. In between, a group of families stood arm in arm and the eldest son was pouring coconut milk into the water. The mother and the sister in their bright fuchsia and orange sari's, held a tray filled with yellow bells and bananas. To their left, there were several figures symbolizing Gods and Goddesses, perched on monuments.

There were other towering vistas of different carvings. Then, there was the Hindu trinity, Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu. Men and women stopped and prayed in front of these figures. It reminded me of scenes taken from Bollywood movies. On the next tier, a holy priest highlighted the sanctity of the temple by blessing people and placing a red ink symbol on their foreheads. A donation box stood on his right, for people to put in their donation, after obtaining their so-called blessings. A table filled with different flowers such as yellow bells, and marigolds, lay amongst what looked like large lime leafs. A lady in bright purple sari picked up several pieces of the lime leafs, the flowers, and a half-opened coconut, and then arranged them neatly on a tray. She then proceeded to enter what looked like an altar heavily decorated with long strands of marigolds and yellow bells.

I followed her with my camera in tow. Another holy priest started his blessings by uttering some prayers and then they poured the holy water in the middle of the table filled with flower offerings. After they came out, of the altar, they looked like their spirits had been truly nourished in this holy place!

The next hour as the sun intensified, we descended into the 7 Colored Earth in Chamarel. We passed through mounds of colored hills ranging from deep purple to brown to almost greenish colors. These are natural sand dunes which change color. Behind a distant fence were huge tortoises basking in the sun. They looked like dinosaurs with their huge eyes, and leathery skin. Then one of them began to chase the smaller one.

“What are they doing?” “The birds and the bees,” someone replied. And everyone broke into laughter.

Our next stop was to see the waterfall and the gorge at the Black River Gorge National Park. From the parking lot, we walked through a small winding path and thereafter there was a gaping canyon and a waterfall. It looked so magnificent. Then we noticed several pairs of magpies swooping in and out of the trees. On the way to the ship, we passed through more dramatic cliffs and winding roads, mountains looming over sugar cane fields and old French style manor houses along the road. We saw jade green waters and lovely bays. Our guide also stopped to pick some wild Chinese guavas and let us have a taste.

Overall, Mauritius was a fantastic place to visit. The sights, smells, and sounds of this Indian Ocean Island were fascinating. It was like experiencing a Jurassic park and Bollywood movie thrown together as one! It is truly an unforgettable place.

Comment

It's so beautiful! From Bebe, on Apr 4, 2014 at 05:24 a.m

Excitingly Beautiful, Mauritius

“Inspire & Inform”