Mauritius-The land of the extinct Dodo! Elsie Gabriel

Mauritius-The land of the extinct Dodo!

It is easy to run out of adjectives when attempting to describe the awesome natural luscious beauty of the tropical Indian Ocean island paradise of Mauritius. The volcanic island Republic, lies east of Madagascar, near Africa just south of the Equator. 

Besides the sun and sand, Mauritius is a very educational destination for the student community. Remember the ‘Dodo’, the extinct bird which always comes up at quiz time in school, well it lived in Mauritius before it disappeared. Amazingly, after man arrived on this island, it only took 30 years for the Mauritian Dodo to reach extinction in the late 1600s. This plump flightless bird is now seen as an emblem in every gift shop, t-shirt  and flag on the island. The country has some of the world's rarest stamps at the Blue Penny Stamp Musuem at Port Louis, founded by the Mauritius Commercial Bank, this museum houses items of high national heritage including the famous stamps of the “Post Office” series printed in 1847.to the first ever race course to open in the southern hemisphere!

The ‘Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolan’ sixty-acre botanical garden features a pond of Victoria amazonica lilies and an extensive collection of palms, which bring back many science lessons. Then there is the glass factory where craftsmen bring glass back to life using traditional techniques with 100% recycled glass! Of course one can not miss the sugarcane factory, tracing the history of Indian men and women, who used simple methods to cultivating ‘Sugarcane’and contributed to making it the country’s largest industry. 

 Mauritius, since it’s discovery in 1505 by the Portuguese, the Dutch, French, British as well as Africans and Indians all have added to the melting pot that constitutes the island's human heritage over the centuries. Hindu is the most widely practiced religion, though Muslims, Christians and  Buddhists are also prominent. Amazingly a good proof that our Indians were among the first settlers here there is a Hindu temple on Lake Grand Bassin, said to be created with water from the Ganges River. During the Mahashivaratri Festival in February, thousands of Hindus make pilgrimages here to worship Lord Shiva, the Destroyer.

Another all-time favourite for kids and adults alike is Dolphin chasing!! Allow a full day for this catamaran cruise which combines dolphin watching and introduces you the exquisite beauty of the South West coast, Crystal Rock and Benitiers Island. Most often seen in the West of Mauritius and in groups of four or five, the dolphins are more than happy to perform their ballet in the water, as they ride alongside the boat! A sumptuous barbeque lunch with grilled chicken, lobster and fish await you on board, just after you finish snorkeling in the crystal clear waters for which masks and fins are also supplied. 

There are regular speed boat shuttles from the shore that take people to the famous islet of Ile-aux-Cerfs and back. One gets to see the importance of ‘Mangroves’ here, their long roots with plenty of fish and birds hovering around this breeding ground! Besides hunting for corals underwater,one can indulge in deep sea fishing,paragliding or go racing on the banana boat.

The official language of Mauritius is English, being part of the national curriculum, though in practice French or Creole are more widely used. Believe it or not Bhojpuri is quite widely spoken too confirming the original fact that most North Indians and Bihari Indians who came here were sugarcane farmers and business men who eventually setup Mauritius greatest export asset which is the sugarcane industry! I know the dialect well and had a field day speaking in Bhojpuri leave alone dancing to-‘ Chatnee Kaise Banee” famous naughty song from a Bhojpuri bollywood film back home, right there on the beach with a handful of local ladies! Full on orange sindur on the forehead Bihari  style and ulta palla saree and all…..on the beach!!!

 The coastline of 330 kilometres is almost entirely surrounded by one of the largest unbroken coral reefs in the world paradise oasis perfect for scuba diving, sunbathing and surfing. It is simply heaven on earth!

Ofcourse we took a private sail boat to Gabriel Island..no jokes and as you can imagine I was already in heaven, not knowing they had names an Island after me!!! Barbeque and champaigne teamed up well with more African beats and dances!

Hah! But I had a blast!