Paradise Found, Paradise Lost

Megan's Journal:
October 10, 2005
Mystical and Colorful South Mauritius

Looks like rain was in the forecast for paradise this morning as we departed for Trou Aux Cerfs, a dormant volcano located six hundred and fifty meters above sea level. On winding roads we circled the mountains, reaching the top of a peak with a wonderful view of the city. As a dormant volcano, the empty crater has become home to a heavily wooded ecosystem beginning at the very rim and cascading down the sides into a lush and deeply overgrown trench. The view was amazing from the rim and extremely blustery in the early morning and leaden gray clouds. Blue flowers grew in abundance, at the time covered in specklets of rain from an earlier shower.

We made our way in our sixteen person mini-bus, bug-ridden with pesky mosquitoes, through a snaking and meandering path downwards at a highly uncomfortable velocity reminiscent of a roller-coaster. Thank goodness for deet and bug repellent as not one of the sweet-seeking creatures took a nibble.

A stop at Grand Bassin proved to be a highlight of the early morning as the lake fashioned from the crater of an extinct volcano is a place for the Hindu community to come and worship. Stones projected from the blackened water, flat surfaces, were covered in recent offerings of baby bananas, coconuts and oranges, along with colorful heads of flowers. The bananas were speared with an incense stick and giving off smoke even in the onset of another spell of rain. Singing issued forth from the shrine and after removing our shoes we went inside to witness a prayer ceremony followed by the painting of all of our foreheads with the “third eye”. Secluded in a mountain the area seems quiet, minus the chanting of the two singers that seem to echo throughout the gorge. The experience was almost mystical as the singer circled a dish with fire around the air, passing his hand through the flame and sending gray smoke into the space.

It reminds me of being at the Tamil temple the day before where I concentrated on the sounds; the lull of birds all nestled in the niches of the ornate architecture that create a cacophony of music like a grand symphony. As I walked barefoot on the warm cement their music overshadowed the entire complex. The cooing and hum very quiet grows to more than a murmur and the last thing I could see or hear upon my departure was their movement to flight and last harmonious notes of solitude.

Champagne Plain, sorry to disappoint but it is merely the name of the place and not a beverage served or produced in the area, is the rainiest spot and largest natural area on the island. The waterfall was awe-inspiring and the Black River Overlook provides a wonderful view of the valley and fields.

The most wonderful element of the day though was La Chamarel, the seven-colored earth. Nothing as vivid and fantastic as the sunset colors of volcanic sand that melt from blushing red, loyal lavender and citrus orange to shades of coffee and russet in rolling hills. Met by the verdant growth of foliage on all sides, the bottle green of trees and dense scrub of smaller vegetation, the natural phenomenon is without a doubt one of the great wonders of the mystical earth. It would have been such a treat to let the colorful treasure slip through my fingers, the grains falling back to the earth in an assorted kaleidoscope.

The videographer asks Heather and I to describe the panorama, reminding us both of a picturesque sunset and those bottles you would fill as a child with colorful sand and mix the layers to create a work of art- only mine never turned out as I mixed and muddled the various rainbow of colors to much and it would become a fusion of speckled tans like when you mix too many colors of paint together.

It seems like the theme of Mauritius and the sites were based on volcano, volcano, volcano. Or should I say, vul-ca-no as the locals seems to pronounce it. We went from there to a restaurant, surprisingly called La Chamarel, where I enjoyed chicken and rice. The desert was terrible though, cherry, coffee, and pistachio ice cream. Who ever heard of such a combination? The Creole restaurant overlooked the Southwest lagoon and the bluest waters I have ever seen. Even from the top of the mount it was like looking at blue crystal.

To conclude the day we went to the oldest coffee factory and after purchasing more local tea at the Chamarel Cascade gift shop, and a souvenir, we couldn’t help but smell the best coffee being processed right there in the small, dark room and give into temptation to purchase some beans for dad. For someone like me who loathes drinking coffee and the smell equally as much you can imagine that to buy such an item and have in our cabin the remainder of the voyage would have to smell awesome. Every time we open the fridge, where we have stored it to keep it as fresh as possible, the smell fills the room and even B has become addicted to the fragrance.

Once we returned to the ship we purchased a phone card. As luck, or lack of it, would be dad was not home. Mom, of course, enjoyed hearing about our first two days in Mauritius, and having all thirteen minutes to herself. We were so tired and had an enormous amount of photo organization to accomplish that we hit the sack early and went to bed.

Heather's Journal:
October 10, 2005
Mystical and Colorful South Mauritius

Today we are heading south to see why this island in the Indian Ocean has been compared to paradise; a look that we have yet to see in the crowded city streets, strong fish smell at the market, and dark, airless corridors of the street vendors stalls. Our first stop along our tour was the Trou Aux Cerfs, a dormant volcano. The interior was blanketed in green trees and various species of wildflowers, though it was little more than a rather large hole sequined with appliquéd leaves, and not as impressive as the word volcano connotes.

Driving onward in the pouring rain we made our way to the Grand Bassin, a lake created by an accumulation of water in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is situated in the middle of a secluded mountain and its banks are speckled with Hindu temples and shrines. On what would appear the central slope of the volcano sat a pink temple, etching its unique architecture into the glassy surface of the lake. Wearing our raincoats once again we embarked to the side of the lake where small concrete shrines were sprinkled with offerings – small bananas, coconuts, and flowers, small wooden incense sticks pierced through the collection of fruits, still smoking. The lake is considered sacred to the Hindu who journey to its shoreline for the Mahashivaratree Festival every year. We are told that they believe the water runs from the Ganges in India and is imbued with the power of Shiva.

For the second time since our arrival in Mauritius we removed our shoes and walked into the central shrine, wandering around to the various displays and statues before witnessing a traditional blessing ceremony where we were each given our third eye and line of enlightenment, the symbolic red ornamentation worn by women on their foreheads. It seems as if we have been able to participate in so many intimate ceremonies that many tourists could never dream of experiencing. I feel very lucky to have glimpsed this ritual and cannot wait to share pictures with everyone of my red face paint.

Mauritius seems like a mini world, each ethnicity represented, and more than anything it symbolizes what is to come in India.

We drove to the Champagne Plain and the Black River Gorges to stand at the Black River Overlook. During our drive the weather cleared and the sky turned into a vibrant shade of blue, the sun shining harshly on the raindrop spattered leaves. What a breathtaking view of the rolling green hills and the magnificent waterfall, made ever more impressive by the silhouette of the Piton de la Petite, the highest point on the island. There was a small pond at the lookout filled with lily pads and the tiniest little frogs I have ever seen. On our way back to the bus we saw not only the unique fan-like palms, but also the wild monkeys playing in the trees.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the trip was La Chamarel and the seven-colored earth. Who knew that such beautiful, vibrant colors could be found in sand – lush purples, rosy reds, cornflower blues, salmon pinks, and golden oranges? The colors rose in undulating mounds, but it was obvious how far the tourist’s gaze had affected this natural wonder. After years of traffic from tourists the seven-colored earth has become inaccessible, forcing curious onlookers to view the region from behind wooden fences and wooden tower platforms. But it was still worth the trip to stand on the outskirts of such a remarkable occurrence. Sony, who is putting together the Semester at Sea video interviewed us at La Chamarel and asked what it reminded us of, of which I responded, “It’s like the little glass bottles of sand that you buy at the beach or make at a Fourth of July festival, layers of colored sand delicately blended into a one of a kind masterpiece. Of course mine always turned out, Megan’s just looked like a mess!”

We had lunch at a restaurant called La Chamarel for a taste of Creole cuisine and my only complaint is that the dessert was horrible. With three flavors of ice cream you would think that there would be at least one that I would find pleasing, but alas there was only pistachio, cherry, and coffee. We had the most wonderful view of the mountains, sea, and southwest lagoon.

Our last stop was at a traditional coffee factory where we went through the mill to view the different phases of processing. We bought dad some coffee from Chamarel and it smells wonderful, which is saying a lot because I hate the smell of coffee. The plantation was beautiful and the grounds so lush and green.

We have bought a lot of tea during our stay and cannot wait to share them with everyone at home. I guess you could say that our Christmas Tea will have a menu of teas strictly from our trip around the world. You would not believe the variety! In fact the security officer onboard has promised to write down some teas from India that Megan and I have to buy. He happened to notice during our baggage check before boarding that we are obsessed with tea and ever since as been interested in all of our tea purchases.

Tomorrow we will be sailing on a catamaran and perhaps finally see if the water is really as blue as they say it is. It has been a long day and I cannot wait to see what snorkeling has in store for us tomorrow.

Megan's Journal
October 12, 2005
Blue Escape

At first chilly and downcast the day looked like more of a disappointment than adventure. After an hour bus ride to the marina we boarded one of three catamarans. Ours was blue with a wonderful inside cabin, kitchen, and living space. After about an hour the sun came in full force and the lotion went on. Soon after a pod of dolphins decided to play and they dove and resurfaced in the front of the boat skipping on the waves and jumping out in groups of six or more. Even though we took a great many photos, only one two actually captured these playful creatures in action. There were so many and they put on a wonderful show.

We arrived at our snorkel location and with fins, a tad to tight, and a snorkel that barely seemed adequate as it took on water rather than air; I took to the cold currents with a noodle for floatation. The crew threw bread in the water and soon armies of sergeant majors, the largest and brightest I have ever seen, were everywhere. I had merely to hold the underwater camera without even looking through the viewer to take photos, as it would have been impossible to miss. The water was incredibly clear and hopefully in two months the prints will reveal to be quite fabulous. A small dinghy tied to the catamaran took six of us into the beach on a small island off of Mauritius for fifteen minutes. No one else thought it was worth the ride in so we explored and took a ton of photos, picking up several pieces of small coral as a souvenir.

Lunch was a barbecue on the boat and quite good. Pat had booked the catamaran last minute and we were pleasantly surprised to have her on the same boat to chat with, along with Betty and Bob. Bob had to remove his hearing aids to snorkel and Betty opted to remain on the boat. Overall it was a wonderful day and on the return to the harbor we sat on the deck area and finished writing our postcards to send home. So watch out for another wave to be coming your way. We typically purchase six postcards, though in South Africa it was eight. The island is called Ile Maurice to the locals so don’t be surprised when you receive these.

We returned to the harbor around five o’clock, followed by an hour ride back to Port Louis and the MV Explorer.

Now, to answer a couple questions from Sandy…

Teas seemed to a major purchase item for Heather and I and we have not doubts as to the final quantity taking up an enormous portion of a suitcase. We have purchased both South African teas and Mauritian teas, of course China, Japan and India are still to come. In South Africa we purchased a mango and strawberry for us to enjoy now as only Lipton can be found on board for seventy-five cents apiece, which for gaggy tea is a waste. Anyway we carry our Semester at Sea insulated thermos/mugs up to the dining room each morning to have a cup with breakfast. Both are very good black teas, with the infusion of the fruit. I believe we both actually prefer the mango, as it is so juicy and aromatic. The strawberry we have still experimented with, I like it stronger, Heather likes it weaker. Neither of us can seem to get the right amount of sugar, and too much makes it slightly bitter. A rooibos we also purchased for now and it is absolutely wonderful, our favorite. We can neither compare it to a black tea or fruit tea and it is neither green nor white. Dilemma ensues and you will have to trust us when we say it is sweet and pleasant and a must try.

Other teas we have purchased include a loose Rooibosch (not sure of the spelling) and a bagged version of rooibos and lemongrass. We have also taken to getting mixed fruit, coconut, vanilla and fruit bergamot from Ile Maurice. They are in adorable bags with pressed flowers. At La Chamarel we purchased three more teas, called Tea Fruity, a litchis, pineapple, and passion mango. These three we have also packed up with the four others from our stay in paradise to bring home. In the next ports we hope to get some spicier, rich, black teas. We told mom to clear out the tea cabinet, which means a lot of tea drinking at home to make room for this assortment we will be lugging back to the states.

As to South African wines…

With dinner at the Green Dolphin I had a red wine and Heather had a white. Mine was an Adelberg 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot from Simonsig Stellenbosch with fourteen percent alcohol. It was wonderful with lamb and although it was dry it had wonderful flavor that was somewhat sweet. Heather had a Simonsig 2005 Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch that she enjoyed immensely, however I thought really sweet, but perhaps it was because I had been drinking a dry red.

At the wine tasting in Groot Constantia we tried a dry white called Sauvignon Blanc from 2004, which was fruity and full-bodied yet, easy to drink. It was quite good but not our favorite. Secondly we had Blanc de Noir 2005 which was delicious with strawberries, cherry and peach flavoring with a delicate salmon color. It was fantastic and our first choice. The red won out as our second choice actually, a Cabernet Sauvignon from 2003, which was full-bodied with loads of ripe black currants and was quit herby and very fragrant. Lastly we tried the fourth place wine, the dessert, a Muscat de Frontignan that was naturally sweet with dried fruit and honey. Too sweet if you ask us. It was shortly followed by a glass of water. But we think that with dessert, and someone who really likes to pucker their lips, it could be quite rewarding with vanilla ice cream.

That’s all for now…more later.

Heather's Journal:
October 11, 2005
Aboard the Mariana

I think that my only complaint about today’s trip was the one-hour bus ride to the marina. I have decided that I am now becoming land sick every time I step onto a tour bus, perhaps from our prolonged voyages at sea I am becoming so use to swaying that even a simple ride sends my stomach into loops, turns, and back flips.

We had to walk down a particularly long, rusted dock to the catamaran, but when the Mariana came into view my mouth dropped open and I am sure that I needed help to pick my jaw off the ground. It is the most luxurious catamaran I have ever seen with an inside sitting area, wooden table and leather seats, outside seating area in the back and nets in the front. We sailed for what seemed like hours on the deepest blue sea I have ever seen in search of bottlenose dolphins. You can only imagine our surprise when a pod of perhaps twenty to thirty showed up, putting on a brilliant display. This was nothing like sitting on the beach watching the fins of dolphins peek above the surface, but leaps and jumps, and I do not exaggerate when I say that they swam right in front of the catamaran and under the nets. It was absolutely incredible and they followed us for quite some time leaving the passengers awed and their cameras full of pictures that may or may not have captured this wonderful spectacle of marine life.

Our second surprise was snorkeling. The water was perhaps ten to twelve feet deep and it seemed as if they dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. One of our guides said, “To the left is sharks, and to the right is fish…please stay to the right!” How would you feel about this comment before getting in on the left to swim over to the right? They threw pieces of bread into the water and by the time Megan and I jumped in there was an entire school of the largest sergeant majors you have ever seen. In fact I said that there was no point in looking through the camera lens to take a picture, you could literally point and shoot without even looking and know that there were hundreds of fish. The only downside was that the water was freezing and the coral lining mostly the bottom; no signs of sea fans, anemones, and giant coral brains.

As we sailed to a small island the water changed from deep blue to the clearest, turquoise. Yes, the water is without a doubt the prettiest in the world. There were only a few of us that ventured to the beach, hopping into a smaller speedboat that was tied to our catamaran. We skipped over the crystal water toward the beach, stopping at a rock formation before climbing out onto the whitest sand imaginable. One of the main reasons for this mode of transportation to the beach is the threat of stonefish. They rest on the bottom and look very much like a rock, but you would not want to step on one of these. They are very poisonous, and there is also the common appearance of sea snakes near the beach as well.

We collected small coral fragments on the beach before returning to the catamaran. Megan and I wrote postcards on our journey back to the marina and mailed them tonight. Be on the lookout, you can’t miss them they are so beautiful and South Africa’s should be arriving soon! We definitely got some sun today, but we have seven days until India so I am not worried. Mauritius has felt like a mini-vacation and we deserved it, especially because of all those A’s we have gotten this past week.

Seven days until India, five days until we start our anti-malarial medication, one hour and a half to set our clocks forward sometime over the course of this week, and we are already eight hours ahead of home. The Sea Olympics are on the sixteenth, so wish us luck, and help us out with some cheers! I am so tired and we have so many pictures to download, edit, caption, and organize. We worked on our documentary journals this evening, but have some things to print in the morning because the printers are out of paper. Time to get ahead again!

P.S. We loved all of your comments: Ashley’s printer fiasco with fifty-two pages and the hours it took to catch up reading our blog, Ms. Nan’s “We got a postcard, we got a postcard,” and of course mom and dad’s. We were so happy to hear your voice mom, but next time dad gets to talk. Sorry you were at a doctor’s appointment dad! And Ms. Sandy, we have been thinking about how to describe South African Rooibos teas and you would think that for two people that love to write we could come up with something. Words fail us, so I guess that you will most definitely have to try some when we get home. It is nothing like we have ever tasted. We love everyone and miss everyone! Wish we could at least be home to pick out pumpkins and drink apple cider! Have a cup for us sometime before Halloween. Tomorrow is the fifth month anniversary of Nana’s passing, and I am not exactly sure how we will spend the day remembering her. Last time we were in port at a very special Candomble ceremony, and the bagpiper played on deck, but tomorrow we are at sea and nothing exciting is happening. I think that we may call home, but we shall see.