Jewel of the Indian Ocean

"You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius..."
~Mark Twain

Check out some of the photos we've taken!
http://photos.yahoo.com/vampalcyone/

Pereybere Beach, Grand Baie, Northern coast Mauritius

Michelle & I have spent almost three weeks in Mauritius now! I can hardly believe it. This island seriously has the best variety of beaches in the world! And because of the huge unbroken coral reef that surrounds the 330km of coastline, the beaches are shallow, silky smooth and white. Amazing!!! We've divided our time between visiting Michelle's dozens of relatives (every Chinese person in Mauritius knows each other...) and lounging on the beaches.

If you're looking for a place to go for your honeymoom (ha ha), try the Maritim Resort. The service and food are equally ridiculous! I tried windsurfing and waterskiing for the first time too. So much fun! And since the sugar industry is king in Mauritius, the rum is verrry tasty. :)

Michelle & I also visited the neighbouring island of Rodrigues. It is a very rustic & relaxing place. The weather was working against us, but we spent plenty of time at the pool! They have also never heard of vegetarians...so I ate some calamari curry. It was tasty! But then I got hives...argh! Thankfully, they weren't itchy. Ha ha, Michelle can testify that the mosquito bites are more deadly! *no malaria...lol*

Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, is quite hectic, and takes some getting used to. The locals drive like madmen, serpentining and braking around throngs of pedestrians and mopeds. The shops are mostly family owned, with the exception of a few budding costco-like grocery chains...ha ha, SPAR bought out Michelle's family's land a few years back. There is a HUGE Indian population in Mauritius (60% or something) and we've had lots of delicious Indian/Mauritian food. Dholl Puri is this flatbread that is really good with marsala (curry) and gateau piment are fried lentil balls with some hot peppers.

Michelle heads back to Calgary this Friday, and I am on my way to Singapore...I started mentally preparing for the humidity already. Looking forward to more tropical fruits!