Mauritius

With only three days in this country I was only able to see and experience a small portion of this island. Even though it is a small island, it offers much to the newcomer. With white sand beaches, warm breezes, and inviting water…it was like a paradise. It is a country that is very diverse with people and cultures from many areas. A large presence of Indian influence can be seen as well as French, Creole, Dutch and African. I was thankful to have the time that we did even though it was limited. Many of us went to a beach 45 minutes from Port Louis, the capital and where the Explorer was docked. We rented villas and were able to enjoy a “spring break” type of atmosphere. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures because we were told that the villas some times got broken into…thankfully that did not happen but I didn’t want to take the risk and lose my camera. I would suggest people visit here. I heard the diving was good and some people went on catamarans trips. On the last day I found out about swimming with dolphins in the wild…and that is something I would have LOVED to do. Next time. I did have a service trip on the first day but it was cancelled due to a late arrival into port. For a couple of days from South Africa to Mauritius we experienced ‘turbulence’ or in ship terms rolling and waning…I would like to describe it as bouncing from one wall to the other while walking in the halls! Kate and I were suddenly woken up at 4 am the day before we got to Port Louis…we literally flew up off our beds and everything fell from the desks and shelves. After the shock of what just happened it was quite funny. So needless to say we were a little late getting in. All in all, the time we had was fun and filled with good times with friends.