Return to Mauritius Oct 2019

Holidays

Mauritius 2019 Photo Gallery

On Thursday we drove down to Pamplemousses and had lunch at the restaurant 'Chez Tante Athalie' where we went two years ago for the wedding.
Here we are posing in front of an old Triumph.

Sanjay and Voy with the same red MG that was there in 2017.

Sanjay's sister Vaneeta joins the photo.

The old Cessna is also still hanging around in the gardens.

Some more vintage vehicles including (I think) an old Bedford breakdown truck.

After lunch we went to wander around the 'Sir Seewosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden'.
Here in the giant tortoise enclosure there's frenetic activity, well not really.

A large tree looking a bit like a European beech.

Some bamboo and palms.

A shallow lily pond.

Another lily pond as Voy has a lie down and I look at the garden map.

Today, Friday 18th October, three of us took a bus to Port Louis.
We would have a look at the market and the museum and then meet up with Sanjay's dad, Vaneeta and Jeet for lunch and a beer in the modern Caudan shopping centre.
Les Jardins de la Compagnie. A square near the centre of Port Louis with huge old banyon trees and statues of significant people from colonial times.
Next door is the Mauritian Institute, which is the main museum, with displays of fauna, including fish, birds and insects.
Also on display is the only complete skeleton of a Dodo yet found.

The port as seen from the Caudan Waterfront.

The other side of the water opposite the ships.

Looking inland at part of the city centre.

Happy days in the October sunshine out in the Indian Ocean.

Ditto!

Saturday October 19th.
The beach along the road about 500m south of the Baystone Hotel.
Across the bay is the commercial and shopping area of Grande Bay.
In the afternoon I walked down to Mon Choisy beach to meet up with Voy & Sanjay and had a swim in the sea.

Another view from the same spot.

Monday 21st October.
Today we went down to the south-west of the island to see some of the Black River Gorges National Park.
The first visit of the day was to the Ebony Forest, south of Chamarel. There was a jeep ride up a steep concrete track with a guided tour through the jungle on a raised boardwalk.
The guide talked us through the conservation of the remaining ebony trees, flycatcher birds, geckos and other rare species.
After a second jeep ride we stopped high up at Sublime Point for a Thirsty Fox Pale Ale and picnic.
The view up here is said to be the best view on Mauritius.

Here is one of the views - up the coast northwards with the peak 'Tourelle du Tamarin' visible.

Looking westwards is the Ile aux Benitiers facing the small town of la Gaulette on the coast.

After lunch we decided to climb the nearby peak called Piton Canot (528m).
Along the steep path can be seen the highest point on Mauritius, seen here, which is called 'Piton De la Petite Riviere Noire'.
The summit is at 828m and is the pointy bit in this photo.

Voy reaches the summit of Pinot Canot, with the Ile aux Benitiers in the background.

The distinctive rock called Le Morne Brabant juts out into the Indian Ocean, at 556m it is a little higher than the peak we were on.

We stopped at Alexandra Falls on the way back. It wasn't so impressive, maybe it's better when there's been a lot of rainfall.

Standing on the wall overlooking the waterfall.

We also stopped at the Grand Bassin, an important religious site for Hindus.
There were various temples, statues and walkways, with a lake with fish.
There were also quite a few monkeys living there, fighting for food and posing for tourists, particularly those generous with their food donations.
Wednesday 23rd October.
In the morning I did a stroll around the headland where my hotel was and then had a coffee and cake.
In the afternoon Sanjay drove the three of us down to Port Louis, to his dad's house.
Sanjay, Doudouce and I walked up the 2km tarmac road which leads to the top of Mont des Signaux.
Using Doudouce's monoculars we were able to see Voy and Vaneeta on the street far below us.

In this photo at the top, the port and city centre are in the frame.

Looking north, the racecourse (Champ de Mars) can be seen to the left of centre.

Another shot showing the port, also the strip of grey near the bottom is the new metro tram system currently under construction.

Doudouce and me looking down on the city from the top of the hill.

A last look with the sun setting behind us before we head back down for dinner with the family.

South of Port Louis with the conurbation of Rose Hill and Curepipe in the distance (and some colour to cheer up the dreary rockscape).

Thursday 24th October.
Today we were treated to a day out on the sea, with first a picnic lunch on the tiny island of Ilot Bernache and then a couple of hours fishing with rods over shallows with rocks.

Here, on the beach near Grande Gaube, with the elder brother getting the small boat ready.

At around 11 am we arrive on the beach of the tiny island for our lunch.
There are several other boats already here bringing tourists over.

Some of us do a walk around the island, which doesn't take long.

On the left is Jeet, the youngest of five brothers we'd meet during the day.
He owned the boat and took care of driving it.

Across the sea can be seen the larger island of Ile d'Ambre.
A reef surrounds much of the island of Mauritius.

Me on the shore.

Lunch time, including the local Phoenix beer.

It's a shame you can't bottle scenes like this and uncork them during the grim UK winters!

Having left the little island we headed for shallow, rocky sea beds where the Honeycombed Groupers are usually found.
I didn't have much luck with the traditional fishing rod I was given.
Sanjay let me use his longer, fixed line rod and I soon had a few bites on the shrimp bait.
Altogether I managed to catch five fish, fewer than everyone else but still satisfying!

Sanjay and Voy in their cowboy hats were reeling them in while I fiddled with the tangled up line on my rod.

The captain, who sought out the best fishing spots, also helps to untangle the line of the rod.

A fairly good haul at the end of the day with this bucket full of groupers, maybe 30 or so in total.

Back at Jeet's house we ate the fish we'd caught helped with some local rum.
Jeet's wife, Lovely, then cooked us a nice meal.

Friday 25th October.
I had a quiet day, resting then had a swim at the gym and spa near my hotel.

In the evening four of us met up at the restaurant called 'Refresh', where the service was very slow, though food which arrived eventually was good.

In this photo three of us had chosen the banana flambé, to compare its quality with that of the same desert chosen previously in other restaurants.
The blue flames were just about out by the time I managed to take this photo.
The flambé was good, though I ate the skin too and ended up with digestive wind.

Saturday 26th October.
A drive south of Port Louis to visit the old colonial house which forms the main attraction of the Eureka House Museum.
After looking at the ground floor rooms we headed down to the river below to view the various waterfalls.

This is waterfall number 1.

Voy and Sanjay with waterfall number 1.

Voy and Sanjay and Rik with waterfall number 1

The second waterfall a bit further downstream.

Sanjay and Voy in front of waterfall 2.

Nearby, yes, you guessed it - water fall number 3.

The fourth and last falls were about 10 minutes walk down the gorge.
There was a pool there as you can see.

A close up of waterfall 4.

After returning to the car we visited the Bagatelle shopping centre nearby.
There we had a traditional puri takeaway with chickpea chapattis filled with savoury vegetarian food.
After a visit to a supermarket to buy beer etc we stopped at the Flying Dodo pub to have a nice craft beer, sitting outside.

Finally, as in the photo, Vaneeta joined us in Grande By at the Beach House restaurant where we engaged in extensive eating, though my burger was a bit less ambitious than the huge meals the others ordered!

A busy day ended with a beer at the Cocoloko bar and another late one at the Banana Café where there was a live band and dancing.

Sunday 27th October.
Today happens to be the Diwali festival celebrated by Hindus.
After a quiet morning we went back to Triolet to Sachin & Orla's house and then walked nearby to visit other relatives.

In this photo we had a a nice welcome and were given a box of home-made cakes and sweets.
We also lit a few fireworks, there were a lot of them going off in the evening.

We also did a stroll along the main road to see the lights and the throngs of people out and about.

Voy, Sanjay and me.

Sanjay's aunt Joti and uncle Danesh also joined us and we're all in the dark photo.

Tomorrow we had an early start back to the airport for the flight home.
I had a taxi booked and Sanjay, Voy and Van were travelling down in the hire car.

A very busy and enjoyable holiday and I'm getting to know the island a bit more!

Top of Page

On Thursday we drove down to Pamplemousses and had lunch at the restaurant 'Chez Tante Athalie' where we went two years ago for the wedding. Here we are posing in front of an old Triumph.
Sanjay and Voy with the same red MG that was there in 2017.
Sanjay's sister Vaneeta joins the photo.
The old Cessna is also still hanging around in the gardens.
Some more vintage vehicles including (I think) an old Bedford breakdown truck.
After lunch we went to wander around the 'Sir Seewosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden'. Here in the giant tortoise enclosure there's frenetic activity, well not really.
A large tree looking a bit like a European beech.
Some bamboo and palms.
A shallow lily pond.
Another lily pond as Voy has a lie down and I look at the garden map.
Today, Friday 18th October, three of us took a bus to Port Louis. We would have a look at the market and the museum and then meet up with Sanjay's dad, Vaneeta and Jeet for lunch and a beer in the modern Caudan shopping centre. Les Jardins de la Compagnie. A square near the centre of Port Louis with huge old banyon trees and statues of significant people from colonial times. Next door is the Mauritian Institute, which is the main museum, with displays of fauna, including fish, birds and insects. Also on display is the only complete skeleton of a Dodo yet found.
The port as seen from the Caudan Waterfront.
The other side of the water opposite the ships.
Looking inland at part of the city centre.
Happy days in the October sunshine out in the Indian Ocean.
Ditto!
Saturday October 19th. The beach along the road about 500m south of the Baystone Hotel. Across the bay is the commercial and shopping area of Grande Bay. In the afternoon I walked down to Mon Choisy beach to meet up with Voy & Sanjay and had a swim in the sea.
Another view from the same spot.
Monday 21st October. Today we went down to the south-west of the island to see some of the Black River Gorges National Park. The first visit of the day was to the Ebony Forest, south of Chamarel. There was a jeep ride up a steep concrete track with a guided tour through the jungle on a raised boardwalk. The guide talked us through the conservation of the remaining ebony trees, flycatcher birds, geckos and other rare species.
After a second jeep ride we stopped high up at Sublime Point for a Thirsty Fox Pale Ale and picnic. The view up here is said to be the best view on Mauritius.
Here is one of the views - up the coast northwards with the peak 'Tourelle du Tamarin' visible.
Looking westwards is the Ile aux Benitiers facing the small town of la Gaulette on the coast.
After lunch we decided to climb the nearby peak called Piton Canot (528m). Along the steep path can be seen the highest point on Mauritius, seen here, which is called 'Piton De la Petite Riviere Noire'. The summit is at 828m and is the pointy bit in this photo.
Voy reaches the summit of Pinot Canot, with the Ile aux Benitiers in the background.
The distinctive rock called Le Morne Brabant juts out into the Indian Ocean, at 556m it is a little higher than the peak we were on.
We stopped at Alexandra Falls on the way back. It wasn't so impressive, maybe it's better when there's been a lot of rainfall.
Standing on the wall overlooking the waterfall.
We also stopped at the Grand Bassin, an important religious site for Hindus. There were various temples, statues and walkways, with a lake with fish. There were also quite a few monkeys living there, fighting for food and posing for tourists, particularly those generous with their food donations.
Wednesday 23rd October. In the morning I did a stroll around the headland where my hotel was and then had a coffee and cake. In the afternoon Sanjay drove the three of us down to Port Louis, to his dad's house. Sanjay, Doudouce and I walked up the 2km tarmac road which leads to the top of Mont des Signaux. Using Doudouce's monoculars we were able to see Voy and Vaneeta on the street far below us. In this photo at the top, the port and city centre are in the frame.
Looking north, the racecourse (Champ de Mars) can be seen to the left of centre.
Another shot showing the port, also the strip of grey near the bottom is the new metro tram system currently under construction.
Doudouce and me looking down on the city from the top of the hill.
A last look with the sun setting behind us before we head back down for dinner with the family.
South of Port Louis with the conurbation of Rose Hill and Curepipe in the distance (and some colour to cheer up the dreary rockscape).
Thursday 24th October. Today we were treated to a day out on the sea, with first a picnic lunch on the tiny island of Ilot Bernache and then a couple of hours fishing with rods over shallows with rocks. Here, on the beach near Grande Gaube, with the elder brother getting the small boat ready.
At around 11 am we arrive on the beach of the tiny island for our lunch. There are several other boats already here bringing tourists over.
Some of us do a walk around the island, which doesn't take long.
On the left is Jeet, the youngest of five brothers we'd meet during the day. He owned the boat and took care of driving it. Across the sea can be seen the larger island of Ile d'Ambre. A reef surrounds much of the island of Mauritius.
Me on the shore.
Lunch time, including the local Phoenix beer.
It's a shame you can't bottle scenes like this and uncork them during the grim UK winters!
Having left the little island we headed for shallow, rocky sea beds where the Honeycombed Groupers are usually found. I didn't have much luck with the traditional fishing rod I was given. Sanjay let me use his longer, fixed line rod and I soon had a few bites on the shrimp bait. Altogether I managed to catch five fish, fewer than everyone else but still satisfying!
Sanjay and Voy in their cowboy hats were reeling them in while I fiddled with the tangled up line on my rod.
The captain, who sought out the best fishing spots, also helps to untangle the line of the rod.
A fairly good haul at the end of the day with this bucket full of groupers, maybe 30 or so in total.
Back at Jeet's house we ate the fish we'd caught helped with some local rum. Jeet's wife, Lovely, then cooked us a nice meal.
Friday 25th October. I had a quiet day, resting then had a swim at the gym and spa near my hotel. In the evening four of us met up at the restaurant called 'Refresh', where the service was very slow, though food which arrived eventually was good. In this photo three of us had chosen the banana flambé, to compare its quality with that of the same desert chosen previously in other restaurants. The blue flames were just about out by the time I managed to take this photo. The flambé was good, though I ate the skin too and ended up with digestive wind.
Saturday 26th October. A drive south of Port Louis to visit the old colonial house which forms the main attraction of the Eureka House Museum. After looking at the ground floor rooms we headed down to the river below to view the various waterfalls.
This is waterfall number 1.
Voy and Sanjay with waterfall number 1.
Voy and Sanjay and Rik with waterfall number 1
The second waterfall a bit further downstream.
Sanjay and Voy in front of waterfall 2.
Nearby, yes, you guessed it - water fall number 3.
The fourth and last falls were about 10 minutes walk down the gorge. There was a pool there as you can see.
A close up of waterfall 4.
After returning to the car we visited the Bagatelle shopping centre nearby. There we had a traditional puri takeaway with chickpea chapattis filled with savoury vegetarian food. After a visit to a supermarket to buy beer etc we stopped at the Flying Dodo pub to have a nice craft beer, sitting outside. Finally, as in the photo, Vaneeta joined us in Grande By at the Beach House restaurant where we engaged in extensive eating, though my burger was a bit less ambitious than the huge meals the others ordered! A busy day ended with a beer at the Cocoloko bar and another late one at the Banana Café where there was a live band and dancing.
Sunday 27th October. Today happens to be the Diwali festival celebrated by Hindus. After a quiet morning we went back to Triolet to Sachin & Orla's house and then walked nearby to visit other relatives. In this photo we had a a nice welcome and were given a box of home-made cakes and sweets. We also lit a few fireworks, there were a lot of them going off in the evening.
We also did a stroll along the main road to see the lights and the throngs of people out and about.
Voy, Sanjay and me.
Sanjay's aunt Joti and uncle Danesh also joined us and we're all in the dark photo. Tomorrow we had an early start back to the airport for the flight home. I had a taxi booked and Sanjay, Voy and Van were travelling down in the hire car. A very busy and enjoyable holiday and I'm getting to know the island a bit more!