Holidays
A family holiday to celebrate the wedding of Voy and Sanjay.
Monday 29 May 2017:
The Introduction, Cocoloko Bar
Kym, Mary and I arrived in Grand Bay in the early afternoon. In the evening we meet up with the Wedding Group from the UK and the extended Mauritian family members at the Cocoloko bar close to the beach in Grand Bay.
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Here are Joe, Nick, Jeet, Will, Vaneeta, Sabine and Sue.
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Yes, I kinda know who these two are!
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Vikki, Carla, Sue, (Jen's hubby), Rob.
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Sabine, Kevin, Joe, Will and Sanjay.
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Left to right. Sanj's dad, uncle 1, Kevin, Sanjay, Jognu, uncle 2.
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Jognu, Donna and Phil.
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Tushan, his wife XXX and a cousin YYY.
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Nearest the camera - Sanjay, Sachin and Orla.
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Wednesday 31 May 2017:
The Beach Wedding (ceremony number 1)
Here, I 'deliver' Voy into the safekeeping of Sanjay as an alternative to walking down the aisle.
The little sandy aisle bordered by flowers was far more pleasant than inside a church or temple.
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Jeet carries out the ceremony with speeches by the bride and groom, vows and exchange of rings.
This took place at Balaclava beach, south of Grand Bay.
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The ceremony concludes and the newlyweds (well legally not quite so) face the cameras of the guests.
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Voy and bridesmaid and best buddy Jen head down the beach with the first bottle of bubbly.
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Everyone comes together after the ceremony for a group photograph.
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Voy and Jen, before the beach ceremony.
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Voy with Sanjay's best man and best mate, Jognu.
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Voy holding her bouquet. Now, is she eating it, growing fangs or surprised? I'll let you guess.
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After the beach we were taken to our secret rendez-vous at Grand Bay.
Our surprise was a day trip on a catamaran to Ilot Gabriel, a sandy island about 10 miles north of Mauritius.
Here's Jen and Voy again as we set out for a choppy ride on the open sea.
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Sanjay, who kept this boat trip treat a secret until the last minute!
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Marriage, a journey which starts off with a journey.
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Sue (centre) was social secretary and entertainment officer throughout the daytrip.
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The journey took us to a beautiful little sandy island called 'Ilot Gabriel' where we swam and sunbathed.
Our boat is in the middle of the trio.
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The newly-weds dressed in special edition 'Boho Beach Wedding' towels enjoy a cuddle on the island.
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After reboarding from the island we enjoyed a barbeque and sing-a-long before setting off back across the choppy sea.
A good old fashioned disco was on offer as the sun went down on a truly memorable day out in the Indian Ocean.
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Friday 2 June 2017:
The registry ceremony that never was (ceremony number 2)
Due to a lack of communication from the Registry Office at the La Croisette Shopping Mall, the ceremony couldn't go ahead and had to be postponed until the following Monday.
Everyone enjoyed the day in any event, there were still more wedding ceremonies to come!
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We drove down to a select restaurant near the botanical gardens at Pamplemousse.
In the grounds of the venue was a collection of restored cars from the fifties and sixties, including this MG.
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I think that's a Triumph behind the MG and an old Cessna aircraft at the back.
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Our little group had a lovely meal of traditional Mauritian dishes followed by some speeches, including mine.
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Saturday 3 June 2017:
The Hindu ceremony (ceremony 3)
This was the biggest and most extravagent ceremony, attended by everyone including the Mauritian family.
A hotel and marquis were hired for the day. Here Voy gets prepared for another big day.
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A group of ladies, mainly over from the UK:
L to R they are Sue, Manjit, Mary, Jen, Steph, Caz, Carla and Vanita.
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Phil (IT guy) and me.
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And here from left to right we have Donna, Sabine, Jeet, Salvo and Will.
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Three lovely ladies of Mauritius.
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Rik, Mary and Kym representing the family of the bride.
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Sanjay looking like a king before the ceremony.
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Early in the ceremony, Sanjay sitting next to his step-dad, feeds the fire which forms part of the traditional ceremony.
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Sanjay is joined by Voy and his cousin Sachin as the ceremonials continue.
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Colours you don't usually see at a traditional British wedding!
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Another view of the stage, with me up there too making one or two little contributions to the rituals.
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Many of the guests seated with the stage in front of them.
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A close-up of the happy couple.
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After the ceremony, Mr & Mrs Sanjay pose for photos on the seashore close to the venue.
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Mrs Sanjay looks stunning as she stands on the shoreline.
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Several of the ladies, including Voy, had elaborate henna motifs on their hands, a part of the Hindu tradition at weddings.
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Us three siblings.
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The king and his queen.
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The latest Bollywood blockbuster, filming begins on the tropical paradise of Mauritius.
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Monday 5 June
The fourth and final ceremony, and the one which officially makes Sanjay and Voy man and wife - no arguments!
Mary, Kym and me were back in England, having flown back on the Sunday.
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This is a view of Port Louis, capital of Maritius.
The three of us didn't have chance to visit the town, but it's well worth a photograph.
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We three departed on the Sunday aboard an Emirates A380-800 Airbus.
What's more I upgraded us to Business Class as a treat.
First time on the world's biggest airliner and first time ever I'm not flying in bog-standard class.
Tick a few more boxes!
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Map of Mauritius
An independent republic with a population of about 1.3 million.
Size of the island is approximately 38 miles (N to S) by 28 miles (E to W).
Early settlers were Portugese (around 1500), Dutch 1598-1658, French 1715-1810, then Britain took over until independence in 1968.
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Wedding venues in north Mauritius
Get together in Grand Baie, beach wedding at Balaclava public beach followed by boat trip from Grand Baie to Ilot Gabriel (see red line), close family wedding meal near Pamplemousses, Hindu wedding at Pointe aux Piments, Registry ceremonies within La Croisette shopping centre near Grand Baie.
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