Day 298: La Reunion to South Africa – 31/10/10

My watch passes comfortably, too comfortably probably and I get the nibbles which causes me to have my breakfast ready by 6 am. 

Photo:  5.54 am and the sun is already up

By the time Mike gets us around 7 am I am ready for my cup of tea and bed.  Amazingly I sleep soundly until just gone midday then leap up and make lunch – pan fried duck breast with spicy red cabbage.  Mike and I spend a hour or so together then he heads off for bed.

Of course, now I am alone, this is the time that the fishing line decides to scream out, although it only lets out a few feet before stopping again.  I put the clutch on and pull on the line.  There is no tension which either means it’s a big fish that is keeping up with us and keeping the line slack (gulp) or that there is no fish at all.  I start to pull the line in and suddenly notice the lure skipping along the top of the water.  Ah, that’ll be no fish then.  I pull it in and discover that the jelly fish has been bitten in half just behind the hook.  Something will have indigestion today.  Serves it right!

Photo:  Another lure bites the dust

Chessie is now the only boat visible to the eye and radar although we do get to see other signs of life in the form of a couple of huge container ships as we cross the unmarked shipping channel from Malaysia/Indonesia to South Africa.

It’s a lovely afternoon.  The sea is calm and there is just enough wind for us to sail the course we want at around 6 knots.  I lie in the cockpit reading and even manage to do some mat exercises and yoga although I don’t keep at it for very long without someone to nag me to continue.

I lie out on the side cushions for a while when it’s late enough not to worry about burning.  There is a gentle breeze and the boat rocks gently as she glides through the water.  Bliss - this is how I like sailing.  I wish it was always like this.

 

Our position is:  23 deg 27 min S, 53 deg 12 min E

Distance so far:  16666 nautical miles

Day 297: La Reunion to South Africa – 30/10/10

I wake up and before I have time to focus properly, Mike hands me my computer so that I can catch up on the last three days of the blog.  I hate getting behind and have been playing catch up for days now.  It takes ages but I am finished by 10 am then have to quickly get washed and dressed and over to the Dodo Bar to publish it because the internet is too bad from the boat.

Mike and Andre from Eowyn attempt to clean our boat but only manage to remove the top layer of dirt.  The constant footprints have caused havoc and it now really needs something like a gel bleach to get rid of the marks.

Photo:  Mike and Andre, early morning scrubbers

There I find Bev and Charlie also frantically trying to do last minute things on the internet before leaving although they finish quickly and leave me to watch Windows Live Writer painfully slowly upload my pictures while I eat a somewhat soggy chocolate croissant.  Immediately the last bit is published, I put my computer away and run back towards the boat.

Lots of the boats have already left including the two which have been rafted next to us for the last week, Eowyn and Thor VI.  I see Chessie go past and wave goodbye.  We are wedged in quite tightly between Wild Tigris and Grand Filou at the stern, and some none-WARC boats at the bow so we wait for the two at our stern to leave as the wind is blowing us against the harbour wall and manoeuvring will be difficult enough as it is.  Richie moves Grand Filou out expertly, backing her out and then turning her around on a sixpence.  Thank God for bow thrusters, eh Richie?  Sean has a harder time trying to swing off the harbour wall with us still behind, and as Wild Tigris backs out the wind brings her precariously close to Jeannius causing Mike to jump down the back steps and push her away with his feet.  It’s close but he manages it.

Then it’s our turn.  Bill, Matt and Jim are there to release our lines which always helps.  They are staying on until Monday but will probably overtake us sometime during the next ten days as they go so much faster than us.  We get blown back a bit against the huge chain that is hanging against the harbour wall but our rubbing strip and the fenders just about manage to hold us off so no damage is done although there’s a nasty grinding noise from somewhere!

We motor out into the bay, waving goodbye to the crews of Crazy Horse and Ocean Jasper who are now sitting on the rocks at the point of the harbour.  There’s the usual jockeying for position near the line but we manage it across last as usual.

Photo:  Over the line

There is an added little obstacle today.  The rally crew has placed a yellow buoy near to the shore and make us all go around it after the start line.  Having fun, boys and girls?  Within an hour the boats are all separated.  There is very little wind and some people start to motor almost straight away although we manage to sail for a while before just six knots of wind makes us give up.

Four hours after the start we can see just two boats clearly , Voyageur and Chessie, although a few others are visible on the radar and as little specks on the horizon.  Just as night falls, enough wind picks up for us to be able to sail the course properly and for the first time in ages, we have a full main and genoa out, and trundle along at around 6 knots.  That’ll do us.

Photos:  A sunset at last

We are back to our now usual 5 hours on, 5 hours off, so at 9 pm I trot off to bed.

 

Our position is:  21 deg 42 min S, 54 deg 26 min E

Distance so far:  16542 nautical miles

Day 296: La Reunion – 29/10/10

The day is spent getting the boat ready for the next leg.  I spend an absolute age doing some more laundry then take out all the cushions from the sofa and give them a good thrashing.  I am horrified by the amount of dust that comes back and hope that no one else is looking.  It takes me about two hours to do every one and I am disappointed that they don’t actually look any different when I have finished.  Still, I know they are cleaner.  I will try to get them steam cleaned in South Africa.

Next is floor washing.  Lovely.  While this is going on Mike gets down to oil changes for both engines and connecting up the automatic bilge pumps to the engine rooms.  Such interesting work.

Maggie and I fully intended going for a walk in the afternoon but neither of us finish our cleaning tasks until really late and end up running out of time as the prize giving and evening’s entertainment starts at 6 pm.  Getting dressed, I realise that something very strange has happened to either my dress or my boobs, as the latter refuse to stay in the former.  I can’t be bothered to change and accept the fact that everyone will get more than an eyeful tonight.  If I had known what Jutta and Annie were going to be wearing though, I wouldn’t have given it a moment’s thought!!!

It all starts off very decorously.  Mike and I win the prize for coming first on the leg from Mauritius to La Reunion (the shortest leg so far but who cares) in the multihull division and get a bottle of good wine for our efforts.

Photo:  Our first first prize

Photo:  Paul with Jutta, Jochem and Eline from Chessie receiving their prize

After the prize giving we move inside with the marauding moths for a three course dinner which turns out to be really good.  As the evening wears on, the wine flows, the dancing starts and the behaviour of the ladies deteriorates but it’s all good fun.

Photo:  Me and Sophia

Photo:  Mike and I

Photo:  Bev, me and Moe

Photo:  Rosemary and Bill

Photo:  The kids – Charlie, Neil, Eline, Oisin, Matt, Sophia, Richie and Sean

Photo:  Decorum starts to leave – me, Annie and Jutta

Photo:  Annie, Jutta and me – I now feel seriously overdressed!

Photo:  Decorum now totally out of the window

All good things must come to an end, and after a little more dancing I head back to the boat, wondering if that last glass of wine which I wasn’t going to have, but did, will seal the deal on the hangover waiting to happen, not a good idea when setting sail for South Africa tomorrow. 

Day 295: La Reunion – 28/10/10

We leave a little later today.  Dick has some stuff he needs to do on the internet and Mike goes over to the Dodo bar to try to publish some of my blog as our internet access has been terrible from the boat.

Today we head to the capital of La Reunion, Saint Denis along the coastal motorway, which is literally at the foot of the cliffs.  Despite all attempts to keeps the cliffs from falling onto the road (heavy chain mail coverings, huge rock and metal walls etc) literally hundreds of tons of rocks still fall onto this road every year.  It just makes you want to go faster to get through the area without mishap.

When we arrive at Saint Denis, it is obvious that something is up.  We pass four huge trucks of big beefy gendarmes, all armed with guns and wearing boots suitable for pinning disobedient bodies to the ground.  They look like they are looking forward to some action so stopping to take a photo is probably not a good idea.  When we get a little further into town, the reason for their presence becomes clear – there is a demonstration going on.  We drive around looking for the centre of town but don’t really find it so just park the car on a meter and wander off on foot.

Photo:  The town hall and war memorial

Creole architecture abounds in this part of town, as we have found ourselves on the Rue de Paris, where all the museums and art galleries are.  As we walk down past the town hall and the war memorial, we realise that we are now just behind the demonstration and walk quickly to catch it up and see what it is all about.

Photo:  French protest

When we get ahead of the protest we can read their banners and realise that they are protesting against the raising of the age of retirement by two years, the same thing that has been happening all over mainland France for the past few weeks.  I did say this island is very French!  Still, no one is burning any sheep!

We wander into the shopping area but it’s all a bit scruffy.  There are some nice shops every now and again, some very expensive ones too, interspersed with the tat but generally it’s not a great area to walk around so we meet up again with Irene and Dick and have some lunch in a shady little courtyard restaurant.

Photo:  Rue de Marechal Leclerc with the Masjid al Islam mosque in the background

Photo:  Lunch with Irene and Dick

The menu is a lovely mix of French and Creole.  I have a starter of tiny squid salad then pasta with cream and salmon.  Delicious.  Mike just has a fricasse of squid, a starter portion as his tummy is still not right then throws caution to the wind and has a really heavy chocolate pudding.  Let’s hope he doesn’t regret that decision!

We had thought that maybe we would make it up to the mountains again today to see some of the waterfalls, but a collective decision is made to have an early day back, stopping to do the provisioning at the supermarket on the way.

In the evening Maggie and Bob come over to sample some curries.  Both are enthusiastic cooks but have never really cooked Indian.  I make Laura’s now-famous ‘Bath House dahl’ which they enjoy, as well as our lovely chicken pelau, not a curry as such but a favourite of ours.  We have a lovely evening and even Mike manages to eat, drink and stay awake.  Lentils and chocolate in one day.  He’ll probably explode tomorrow!

Day 294: La Reunion – 27/10/10

It’s going to be a full day’s touring day today and poor Mike is still feeling very weak and wobbly.  We set off south, on the more scenic coast road rather than the motorway.

The island is wonderfully maintained.  Good roads, nice art on the roundabouts, lovely planting everywhere.  It’s good to see our EU money being so tastefully spent!  Whereas Mauritius was absolutely and definitely an island on a different continent, very Indian, very eastern, La Reunion is very, very, definitely French.  In fact, driving through the little seaside towns, you could be forgiven for thinking that you are somewhere in the south of France or on one of the French Caribbean islands.

After travelling down the coast road, we turn off towards the mountains and the volcano and immediately start climbing, ears popping all the way.  We go from sunshine at the coast, through cloud and drizzle as we go higher, passing the Volcano Museum, shaped like a volcano itself.

  Photo:  The Volcano Museum

We go through a mile of mountain mist then suddenly burst through the cloud and, hey presto, we are in the Alps!  Just like that we have changed countries, or at least it looks like it.  I expect an big, white cow with a bell around its neck to appear but it doesn’t.

Photo:  La Reunion or the Swiss Alps?

Given the amount of mist hanging around the volcano, we decide to give the actual crater a miss as we wouldn’t be able to see anything.  None of us fancy the five hour return hike either and after the electrifying experience of the live volcano on Tanna, nothing else will come close anyway.

Heading back down the mountain on its northern side gives us the most beautiful views.  White and yellow wild lilies grow at the side of the road, mixed in with alpine flowers, huge ferns, and bush after bush of “Bridal Wreath”, one of my favourite shrubs that I used to have in my garden in the UK.

We stop for lunch at a restaurant on the east coast before continuing on to the lava flow area to the east of the volcano.  Rounding a corner, there is the first flow, thick, black stuff going right down to the sea, forming a few new yards of land.

Photos:  The first lava flow

This first flow is the oldest and vegetation has started to grow on it.  Walking across it is like walking over lumps of coal.  When I pick a lump up it is as light and black as coal is completely different to what I saw on Tanna and previously on Montserrat.  We drive on.

The next flow is completely different.  This looks like hundreds of giant cow pats all dumped together.  Basically, it looks at if it was molten when it was spewed out of the volcano.

Photos:  Cow pat lava flow

Again, this stuff is old enough to have vegetation starting to grow in it.  Further on, we find the most recent flow, different again from the other two and too young to support life yet.

Photos:  The most recent flow

You can clearly see the cut through the landscape where the lava formed its path of destruction.  Luckily though, this is not a populated area and the lava always flows in the same direction.  All the French authorities have to do is scrape the stuff off the main road which goes around the island every time it blows it out far enough to block it.

As we start to head back towards the marina, the roads become gridlocked with traffic.  Mike is still not feeling well and we are all pretty tired.  It’s a painful two hours back and when we get there Mike goes straight to bed for a nap.  I prepare dinner for tomorrow night as Maggie and Bob are coming over and we are going to be out again during the day.

Day 293: La Reunion – 26/10/10

We are woken up at 4 am by a furious banging on the hull of the boat.  I manage to get out of bed before Mike and wrapping a towel around me, go out to see who has woken us up and why.

It turns out to be a guy from the navy who is alerting all the boats to the fact that there is a tsunami alert due to the earthquake in Indonesia which has literally just happened.  As everyone gradually appears, yawning and rubbing their eyes, we all think “here we go again – the Galapagos re-visited”.  If we need to get out quickly, we will be hindered by the two boats rafted alongside us.  However, the advice is to stay put for the moment, so we wait.  We all try to get internet connection but there is none available as it would seem that the guy who owns the cafe turns it off at night.  Ann on Wild Tigris phones a friend in the US to get us some information.  As the earthquake has literally just happened, it would take about four or five hours for a tsunami, if there was one, to reach us where we are, and deep water is close by.

In the event, nothing happens and most people return to bed when the all clear is eventually received.  Phew!

Mike has booked a car on-line with Avis but when Moe takes him and Dick into town to pick it up, he tells them about the car hire place he went to which is half the price and they go there to get a car instead, cancelling the Avis one when they get back.

First stop is to La Possession to find tourist office.  We park in the bus land (there’s no where else) and Dick goes in to get some local information.  While we are parked, a huge bus comes along and before Mike can move the car, he just pulls into the lane alongside us blocking the whole road and the passengers just cross in front to get on.  No one shouts.  No police come.  How considerate!

The interior of La Reunion is lush and mountainous and we head out to the nearest mountain range first but at Cap Noir we discover that all the viewing points are at the end of long walking trails.  None of us feels like it in the heat so we settle for the view offered to us at the end of the car park and continue on.

Photo:  View from Cap Noir

There are some restaurants that have been recommended by the tourist office but driving around Cap Noir, we find each one closed even the one that was supposed to be full today.  How strange.

We go back to La Possession to a restaurant called Chez Jacky.  From the outside it looks like a little traditional building but when you get inside there is a cavernous dining area complete with a swimming pool.  Everyone has a good meal except me but that’s my own fault for choosing the buffet – I should known better than to go for food where the best stuff has already gone (we’re late) and the rest of it has been sitting around for ages.

We decide to make a short day of it as Mike is feeling pretty rough and after swapping the car for a slightly larger one with 5 doors instead of the stupid 3, we get back to Jeannius and are so knackered we both to straight to sleep.

Mike wakes me up what seems like a few minutes later and tells me that we have to get up quickly as the rally quiz is about to start.  Now Mike is usually a good guy to have on your team as he abounds with loads of what I would normally consider to be useless information.  However, tonight he is obviously not firing on all cylinders with the result that our team comes last.

  Photo:  Quiz night at the Dodo Bar

Immediately the quiz is over, we head straight back to bed.  We don’t bother with any tea as we are still full from lunch.  I sit up in bed and attempt to catch up with the blog but can’t post anything as the internet is too bad.

Day 292: La Reunion – 25/10/10

We are woken up at around 6 am by what sounds like a herd of elephants tramping over our heads.  An early riser from one of the other boats is off to the toilets on the quay.  Just drifting off to sleep again, the trampling returns, and this sets the pattern for the next two hours.

I get up to experiment.  I bang on the hatch to let Mike know I am just about to walk over and walk across barefoot in what I would say is a fairly normal fashion.  When I go back below, Mike said I sounded like an elephant too so obviously there’s nothing we can do about it.  The bow of the boat is filthy dirty but as the quayside is really dusty, there’s nothing we can do but grin, bear it and hose it down at regular intervals.

Today is Victoria’s birthday, and I wait patiently until 10 am when it is safe to ring her before she heads off for work (3 hours difference at the moment).  Although we have managed to get some internet connection on the boat, it is very bad and when I try to use Skype nearly every word is cut off.  I bite the bullet and use my mobile.  At £1.80 a minute, it’s not something I do lightly but it is wonderful to talk to her.  I can’t wait to see her next month. 

Mike is still feeling pretty lousy so after talking to Victoria he goes back to bed and I wander off in search of company.  Maggie is just off to the laundry, so after making dinner arrangements with her and Bob I call in to see Rosemary and stay to watch two episodes of Fawlty Towers with them before going back to the boat and making Mike something to eat.

As I was unable to get the laundry done again before leaving Mauritius, I spend the afternoon engaged in the laborious task of sheet washing, thanking God all the time that as labour intensive as it still is with my little washing machine, it’s nothing compared with the horror of the thought of doing it by hand.

I join Jutta for a quick drink on Chessie before going back to the boat, taking a quick shower and change then going for sundowners on A Lady.  Mike stays in bed, waiting for me to return and do my Florence Nightingale act.  We have hired a car with Dick and Irene from tomorrow for three days.  I do hope he perks up.

Day 291: Mauritius to La Reunion – 24/10/10

We swap shifts all night but at least the weather is settled and we are able to sail the course we want getting an average of 7 or 8 knots out of around 25 knots of wind.

By early morning, the wind has dropped to around 20 knots making for an even more comfortable sail.  I see the lights of La Reunion from quite a distance and it confuses me as all the twinkling lights stop me being able to see the lights of any of the other WARC yachts, only the ones behind which I think are Drammer and Voyageur although I can see blobs which I suspect to be other yachts on the radar.

It is starting to get light when I wake Mike and go back down to sleep for about an hour.  When he comes to get me I have to wake up quite quickly as I need to get the fenders and the lines on ready to tie up alongside the quay.

We back into a gap barely bigger than Jeannius – I really don’t know how Mike does this so expertly when there are so many things to take note of – like the wind, which always seems to blow in the wrong direction!

Paul and Suzanna are there to take our lines and we are soon tied up behind Wild Tigris and Grand Filou.  Right next to our cockpit is a huge hole in the dock where all the electricity outlets are positioned.  It is also filled with rubbish – a real rat nest if ever we saw one.  We will have to make sure that we keep all our hatches, doors and lockers tightly shut at all times to make sure we don’t take on any stowaways like one of the boats did in Mauritius!

WCC has once again got us a really good deal.  Just like in Mauritius, they have negotiated free berthing and services (water and electricity) for the entire duration of our stay.  There is no shortage of water in La Reunion (it gets about 8 metres of rain a year) so the first thing I do is hose down the boat again to get the salt crust off.  However, before long, two more boats are rafted alongside us, Eowyn then Thor VI, and so I will now have to contend with two sets of crew tramping dirty footprints over the front of Jeannius to get to the dock.  We put our mat out to try to catch some of the dirt from the dock and stop it being spread about the boat then I realise the mat is so filthy I have to hose that off too.  I then go and catch up on some sleep.

In the afternoon there are representatives from the tourist board on the quay to give us ideas on what to see on the island then in the evening there is a welcome reception for us, with speeches from the mayor and other local dignitaries, a free bar and some finger food, there is a live band and I get dragged out to dance, something I hate when the dance floor is empty but thankfully it fills up quickly as everyone releases a bit of energy.  Why is is that whenever you want to get off the dance floor, it’s always the time for the longest record or song?   A local school band give us a fantastic display of local drum music too.

As darkness falls, I realise that all the boats have now swapped flies (yes, everyone was inundated when they left the bay in Mauritius) for moths.  There are millions of them around.  I am far more neurotic about moths than I ever am about flies – I hate their very flutteriness and fat, hairy little bodies.

Mike goes off to bed early, leaving me with the kids, but I only stay a while as I am still off the booze and I think they are settling in for the night.  I watch Matt and Sean play pool for a while, but after screwing up a shot which Sean describes as a dead easy shot, I wander off back to the boat.  Anyway, with the new dress I am wearing, leaning over a pool table is probably not a good idea as certain attributes are in danger of falling out and I don’t want to add social embarrassment to sportsman’s disgrace!  Added to that, the moths are driving me crazy, dive-bombing everywhere.  Ugh!

 

Our position is:  20 deg 32 min S, 56 deg 06 min E

Distance so far:  16473 nautical miles

Day 290: Mauritius to La Reunion – 23/10/10

Unfortunately, Mike is now feeling rough.  He seems to have caught my bugs but has mutated them so that his symptoms are ear ache, throat ache, generally aching all over and upset tummy.  I start him on some antibiotics just in case he has an ear infection.

I go out to buy some pashminas for Johanne, going back to the craft market where I bought mine.  She wants fuchsia pink, red and purple.  The first two are no problem but they don’t have plain purple.  First, they pull out every patterned pashmina that has a hint of purple in it.  I say no, I want plain.  I explain that she doesn’t want purple and black zebra stripes, or multi coloured paisley with a purple fringe or even the rather disgusting flowery purple one with white flowers embroidered on it.  They insist my friend might like a patterned one.  I say she asked for plain so patterned just doesn’t enter into it.  When it’s clear they don’t have plain purple, they start pulling out every plain pashmina that they have, regardless of the colour.  I explain I want PLAIN PURPLE, so I get the patterned purples shown to me again.  In the end I tell them I just want the two and not to show me any more, and no I don’t want a sarong, or a wood carved dodo, or a table cloth, just these TWO BLOODY PASHMINAS.  It’s like talking to a bunch of two year olds.  I think their philosophy is that if they keep at it for long enough they will wear you down.  I just get pissed off.  Then we get to the price.  I paid 400 rupees for mine, so buying two, they offer them as a real bargain for 600 each.  I laugh and hand them back.  500 rupees?  No thanks.  I was going to go for 350 each as I was buying two but by now I just want to get out and settle for the 400 each.  Jeez!

I rush back to the boat as we are about to have the boat blessing – a ceremony where all the religions on the island – Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Anglican, Hindu and Muslim – are represented and will offer their blessing to the fleet for a safe onward journey.  The self appointed leader, a rather rude and bossy Roman Catholic bishop, presides over the proceedings, cutting any of the religious leaders off in their prime if they dare to go over their allotted two minutes of prayers.  At the end, I nearly jump out of my skin when a load of fire crackers are let off.

Photos:  The boat blessing

I go back to the change office to swap my remaining rupees for Euros and am told that they cannot be changed, so I decide to spend them instead, and end up with a nice sarong (not from the craft market – I couldn’t go all through that again) and some nice face cream.

Before we leave I give the boat a last hosing down as it is now covered with dust and slightly greasy bits of what looks like fibres but turns out to be bits of stuff from the burning sugar cane.  All that seems to happen though is that I chase the dirt from one part of the boat to another.  It only looks marginally cleaner afterwards.  Oh well, at least I tried.

The start is at 11.30 am but we are in no hurry to get out into the bay as we have every intention of being last over the start line.  I’m sure that some people find this exciting but I am always terrified that we will get hit by another boat and am really pleased that a) Mike doesn’t take the racing seriously and has no intention of getting involved with the jostling and that b) he understands the racing rules so doesn’t do anything wrong.

For the first time, we are absolutely and definitely last over the start line and Mike is pleased with himself.

Photo:  Hurray – at the back of the pack – for the start at least

Out in the bay, there is virtually no wind, and what there is is all over the place.  Although you have to sail over the start line with your engines turned off, after an hour or so most boats have taken their sails in and are motoring.  We keep our main up but put the engine on too for a while.  As we sail away from Mauritius, we are inundated with flies.  I do not know where they have come from as there were no flies around all the time we were at the dock.  I am just about to spray around with noxious chemicals when I remember the sly swatter I bought recently.  Within minutes, about nine of the buggers are lying on their backs, squished, although one continues to elude me and buzzes around annoyingly.  I’ll get him eventually.

Photo:  Leaving Port Louis, Mauritius

Mike tries to sleep but mid afternoon the sea becomes very confused, waves start to pound us and the wind picks up to 25 to 30 knots – here we go again.  I have to get him up so that he can attend to the sails.  In the meantime, I swallow sea sick tablets, check where the bucket is and take to the sofa.

By the early evening the wind has settled down to around 25 knots and we are making good progress.  We decide to abandon our normal 5 hours on 5 hours off as it is only for one night.

 

Our position is:  20 deg 32 min S, 56 deg 06 min E

Distance so far:  16422 nautical miles

Day 289: Mauritius – 22/10/10

First thing in the morning, my stomach is still bad.  Swallowing Imodium yet again, I insist on waiting for ages to see that it has taken effect before I leave the boat and it is even later than yesterday when we eventually make our way out of Port Louis.

I have read in Jim’s book that the town of Floreal  is the place to find all the outlet cashmere shops so we go there first.  Obviously I don’t tell Mike that.  Floreal is also the place where all the foreign diplomats and consulate staff live and it’s leafy avenues are supposed to remind one of Haslemere.  While we are driving around we just happen to find one of the aforementioned outlets(!), go in for a look and buy a nice cotton dress, as you do in a cashmere shop!  Mauritius manufactures for many of the European designers so my dress by Guess is a fraction of the price.

We drive right down to the south east of the island and start to make our way north along the coast road, going through many sleepy little fishing villages on the way.

Photo:  Fishing boats

We stop for lunch at a beautifully located Creole restaurant, La Belle Kreole, at Blue Bay on the banks of the lagoon.  The menu lists very traditional fare and I choose a heavily flavoured dish of mountain hare while Mike has venison.  The food is good but unfortunately my glass of wine is disgusting.  Goodness only knows what it is but it’s the only one available by the glass.

Photo:  Mike at La Belle Kreole

We then meander through the interior of the island, through miles of sugar cane, and numerous hamlets.  It’s so weird.  Sometimes you drive past churches that would not look out of place in a country village in England then you round a corner and there is an elaborately carved and painted Hindu temple or a mosque.

Photo:  More acres of sugar cane

We eventually arrive at the north of the island just before the sun sets.  Grand Baie is the tourist haven of the north.  This is where all the good shops, clubs, restaurants and bars are located and the bay is full of booze cruise catamarans, although traditional life lives alongside and the fisherman sell their catches of the day by the roadside.  Some of it looks great but I have a fear of buying stuff that has been sitting around with the flies!

Photo:  Catch of the day

Photos:  Sunset shots of Grand Baie

Just as we are returning to the car, I spot a beautiful shawl fluttering on a model just inside a shop selling traditional Indian and Kashmiri pashminas, carpets and the like.  The shawl calls to me even from across the road.  I walk in a trance.  Mike follows moaning.  Close up I can hear her entreaties.  “Buy me.  You know you want me.  He won’t mind”.  Once it is in my hands it’s too late.  I knock the price down a bit and the deal is done.  I am a happy girl.  Mind you, how we manage to get out of the shop without buying a carpet or two and loads of beautiful bed linen is beyond me.  The shop is full of exquisite items and even Mike looks like he could be tempted if we weren’t living on a boat with a storage issue!!

Photo:  Heaven is a silk and cashmere shawl!

On the way back to Port Louis we sample the delights of the supermarket and stock up on our beloved flaky parathas.  As it is now late, at least we miss the worst of the queues and there is no traffic hindering us when we get back to town.  By the time all the shopping is put away, it’s time for bed.

Day 288: Mauritius – 21/10/10

I wake up still feeling decidedly dodgy and soon realise that I need to keep taking the Imodium.  Lovely.  Knowing that we are about to spend the day in the car leaves me with a level of trepidation as far as my stomach is concerned but hey ho!

I borrow a guide book from Jim so that we at least have an idea what we are aiming to see, and when the car arrives and I think the tablet has worked, we set off, later than we meant to (as usual) at 10.30 am.

Our first stop is the chandleries, or at least, what passes for chandleries.  The first place, which we find quite easily, is actually a shop selling stuff for motor boats and fishing, but Mike does manage to get a couple of clips.  The next one doesn’t sell anything he wants but we do manage to find a large diy/home store where he is able to find electrical cable.

This store is located near Cyber City, a new development that has commercial tower blocks going up by the dozen.  It’s an incredible sight seeing all this development going on.  The signs on the completed buildings are for the usual suspects – banks, accountants etc.  Business is obvious prospering in Mauritius.

Photo:  A space age building under construction

From Cyber City we head towards the interior of the island and are pretty quickly into open countryside and the middle of the tea plantations.  I spot someone humping a huge, full basket of tea nearly bigger than themselves and in the distance see people picking these tips from the bushes by hand.

Photo:  Carrying tea back to the factory

We stop by the roadside where there is an old lady laboriously picking the tender tips of the bushes by hand.  I politely ask if I can take it her photograph, and this little old uneducated crone, as quick as a flash says that I can for 50 rupees.  Now, I have just read that they earn 3 rupees per kilo of picked tea, so 50 rupees is a fair whack so to speak.  However, I don’t mind.  Maybe today she can have an easy day!  I am sure these ladies take it in turns to work near the roadside and earn their little extras.  I take her photo and show it to her.  She seems pleased, even when I only give her 45 rupees because it is all the change I have.

Photo:  Earning a little on the side, a tea picker at Bois Cherie

Our next stop is Grand Bassin, a lake that has formed in the crater of an extinct volcano that has become a Hindu place of worship.  Given the size of the car parks that surround it, with parking spots marked out for hundreds of buses, the place must literally heave around festival time.

There are loads of shrines to the various Hindu gods, all with incense and food offerings at their bases.  Not that the food hang around for long as is mainly fruit and there are hordes of vicious looking mountain monkeys around that constantly run up and steal it – easy pickings.

Photos:  Shrines and monkeys abound

We climb a hill to get a better view of the whole area and can see an enormous statue on the opposite side of the lake.

Photos:  Views of Grand Bassin from the hill

By the time we get to the top of the hill we are both more than slightly short of breath.  The trouble with sailing, or more accurately, cruising, is that one gets very little aerobic activity.  We stop to admire the view and get our breath back, then decide to go around the lake to see what the large statue is all about.  When we get there we are none the wiser.  It turns out that the statue was erected in 2006 but that’s all the information we get – obviously they want you to pay for a guide here.  There’s not even anything about the place in the guide book other that a general note that it is a Hindu place of worship.  The statue looks like a mishmash of different religious gods, and maybe that’s just what it is given the only sign.  I send Mike to pose in front to give the statue some perspective.

Photos:  Unity in a statue?

We head off to view what ends up being a very uninspiring waterfall then stop for lunch.  The view from our restaurant table is lovely although the food, in my opinion, is relatively boring and expensive.

Photo:  View from the restaurant

The road down to the coast is lovely, through mile after mile of sugar cane plantations and past rum distilleries and small fields planted with pineapples.

Photo:  Through the sugar cane plantations

Eventually we reach the south coast, and drive around some hairpin bends and sheer cliffs.  For a while, it feels like we are driving in Italy around the Amalfi coast, then I spot a temple in the distance and remember where I am.  There is a lovely view point which I have to climb to up some very steep steps.  The view over the reef is fantastic but Mike sits and waits in the car.  He’s seen enough reefs to last a while.

  Photos:  On the south coast

We drive through one coastal village where the industry is obviously harvesting salt.  There are lots of brick squares built onto the floor with salt water drying out in them.  As the water evaporates, the salt is swept together and left in piles, an amazing sight.

Photo:  Harvesting salt

Photo:  Mountains through the interior

Finally, we arrive at Flic-en-Flac, supposedly one of the best public beaches.  I am afraid to say that we have been spoiled by French Polynesia.  I have seen no beaches that meet their standards.  This one is OK but nothing special.

  Photos:  The beach at Flic-en-Flac

The traffic is horrendous when we arrive back to Port Louis, as we are going through the worst of the evening rush hour, but the prize giving and reception is tonight so we have to be on time.  Amazingly, I am ready before Mike and leave the boat before him.

Photo:  Me, Bev and Maggie

There is a display of local dancing and singing which seems strange to me as it reminds me more of Mexico than Mauritius.

Photo:  Local dance troupe

As the last leg from the Cocos Keeling Islands to Mauritius was officially cancelled, there are prizes for everyone, but silly ones.  We get the prize that no one else wants – a prize for having the equipment (generator!!) with the shortest life!

Mike is tired and retires to bed early, although I stay up a little longer with Matt, Sophia, Eline and the usual reprobates, although I don’t last a lot longer.  I am stone cold sober and everyone else is well pickled on the free local rum that is being provided, so it’s back to the boat for me before I can be induced to board Chessie and do some further damage to my poor liver.