TRAVEL

Heaven on earth

Mauritius may mean many things to many people, but it sure is a place worth visiting, stresses MEHER CASTELINO, smitten by the beauty of the island

I have returned from heaven. That is what I call Mauritius, the picturesque island in the Indian Ocean where black, brown, white and yellow races live in perfect harmony. Where the sun, sea and sand gently caress the smooth roads as they wind around the island through the lush green swaying sugarcane plantations. Where the sea is a crystal clear light green or blue depending on which part of the island you are in. Where the fish are so tame they swim past you and the sea bed reflects its treasures as you laze in the gentle sun. There is that certain calm and the air is punctuated with the twittering of birds that envelopes you as you drive from the airport.

Mauritius means many things to many people. It could be long lazy days on the beach, or discovering nature, or a gourmet's delight or just chasing the natural beauty of the land. To the Indian, Mauritius is like home - 55 per cent are of Indian origin. I had my pick of the hotels on the island.
First stop was Belle Mare Plage, the Resort on the east coast which stretches over 18.5 acres complete with the biggest golf course on the island. There are a variety of rooms to choose from.

The Maritim hotel in the north is a favourite with the Indians and the Hollywood crowd. Once again a private beach was just perfect for some quick tanning. The Island Sports Club is a budget hotel popular with the British tour operators. The Island Sports Club concentrates on deep sea fishing, snorkeling, surfing, para-gliding and of course swimming. La Croix Du Sud is one of the ideal hotels because it is just 3 kms from the airport and perfect for holiday-makers. Situated on an island connected to the mainland, it's away from civilization and yet close to it with Mahebourg just 15 minutes away.

I'm not an avid sight seeing fiend but in Mauritius the beauty of the island encouraged me to move from one scenic spot to the other. My excellent guides, Ramnath and Shan, wanted me to cram in as much as possible during my nine days’ stay.

First stop for all tourists is always the Pamplemousses Gardens. Its attractions are the thick green flora, the tortoise, lily and lotus ponds. Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius where there is the most action. The market for food and bargains reminded me of any Indian city. Clothes are good, especially the intricately embroidered Madagascar blouses. Le Caudan is the newly built water front complex with a modern hotel Labourdonnais and a shopping centre stocking the best fashion wear, jewellery and crafts. The most common item in Mauritius is a 'pareo' or sarong which is sold everywhere from the beach to 5-star hotels. Domaine Le Pailles (domain of straw) was our next stop. Here's Mauritius at its rustic best. A trip into the past with traditional sugar mills, rum, essential oils, handicrafts and spice gardens. Mountain safaris, a train ride, a horse driven carriage and a boutique add to the excitement. I realised how delicious unrefined sugar is when I had a spoonful.

Lunch at the Indra restaurant in the domain had all the authentic Indian cuisine. Four other restaurants, Cannelie (Creole), Fu Xiao (Chinese), La Doice Vita (Italian) and Fouquefs Mauritius (French) complete the international cuisine.

But Mauritius is not all sun and sea. When we drove to Le Domaine Du Chasseur (domain of the Hunters) I realised that mountains have their own charm. It’s tamed wilderness at its best as we drove up the steep gradient in a Land Rover to Le Panoramour 500 mts to savour the most extraordinary view of the island and the lagoon. Bird watching - the kestrel, pink pigeon and a glimpse of the stag can make a visitor's day.

Dodo, the now extinct bird of Mauritius, once lived here. It was the dodo's slow movements and lack of intelligence that caused its disappearance as it was unable to defend itself and its young. The expression 'dumb as a dodo' derives from the bird. Four chalets on the Domain would have allowed us to live in rustic splendour had time permitted.

A visit to Mauritius isn't complete without spending a day at aux Cerf, the tiny island where there is only serious sunbathing and swimming. Launches zip from the fabulous Le Touessrok Hotel to the island and back. Snorkeling, paragliding, wind surfing - here is where everyone can relive their water fantasies.

The ocean walk is a must in Mauritius and I actually managed to stroll 12 metres down on the sea-bed with Captain Nemo's Undersea Walk - an experience that has to be done. One of the prettiest beach hotels is Paradise Cove where dining is on extensions into the sea. It seemed as if it was the sole purpose of all hotels to tempt their guests onto the beaches and into the sea. Little wonder therefore that sun worshippers were in all shapes, sizes and ages.

For wildlife lovers La Vanille Crocodile Farm is an unspoilt forest with crocodiles, turtles, monkeys, fish and bats. I couldn't believe it but I actually tasted crocodile curry and rice at the restaurant Le Crocodile. The meat tastes a bit like chicken but is tougher.

To get the feel of Mauritius we drove through Plaine Champagne where the day before there was a traffic jam because it was wild berry picking season. By the time we drove through there were hardly any berries left.

With such a large Hindu population, the Grand Bassin (Ganga Talao) is where devout Hindus come to gather holy water and pray in the many adjoining temples. Surprisingly, Mauritius has a lot of volcanic rock and the most amazing one was Chamarel (coloured earth) where seven different colours are visible in one spot.

Just as India is famous for attar, Mauritius is known for its essential oils. A visit to Ylang Ylang, the essential oil distillery and its beautiful hilly surroundings, was a fragrant trip. The ylang ylang flower, originally from Philippines, also grows in Mauritius and Madagascar. Daniel de Chalain took us on a tour of the rustic process of distillation where the ylang ylang, vitevar, pink pepper, lemon grass and camphor plants are distilled. Ylang ylang oils are the base for Chanel No 5 perfume.

Driving up the hills in a 4x4 jeep one could spot a Mauritius falcon, deer, wildlife and 110 varieties of birds, if lucky. We weren't.
Ship modeling is one of the oldest crafts of Mauritius. Ship modeling was started in 1968-70 by Jose Ramar who was encouraged by Ambassador Touze to start a factory called Comajora. Now ship models from France, USA, UK, Holland are made in Mauritius and exported to South Africa, France, Germany and the rest of the world. Comajora has created a museum of 50 models right from the papyrus era 3500 BC to present times. Ships take 450 to 2000 hrs to make and cost around MRS 400-60,000. Model ships are now popular gifts for VIPS.
Shopping at the Sunday Quatre Bornes Market is an experience and quite different from one at Continent, the colossal Hypermarket. In the former it is one's bargaining skills that matter while in the latter it is the variety that boggles. Shopping for clothes of the casual international brands can be considered cheap in Mauritius. Even food can be interesting if one is crazy about imported cheese, chocolates, etc.

Port Louis and Curepipe are two of the biggest towns of Mauritius. Modern, clean and quiet and I realised why. No one ever sounded the horn and exhausts didn't fume inspite of driving at speeds of 80-100 kms per hour. As I cris-crossed across the island several times I noticed the change in temperature every 15 minutes from heavy rain to bright sunshine.

The tiny lanes wind up and down hills with quaint shops dotting the way. The words 'boutique' and 'magazin' pop up regularly, both quite misleading as they have nothing to do with fashion - they are popular prefixes for shops selling anything from spare parts to food. For scenic lovers a drive up Mount Brabant is fabulous.

The view from Casenoyaie is the island of Beniteirs resting in a sea so calm it almost looks false and yet as we move to the southern tip of the island at Gris Gris the violent waves lashing the rocks prevent swimming.

In the middle of the island is the largest volcanic crater at Trou aux Cerf. The crater is now covered with foliage but a view of the Trois Mamelles (three mammals) mountain is worth the drive. Mauritians are basically peace-loving people living in total harmony. Having arrived as immigrants centuries ago they have worked hard to make their country into the haven it is. For the Indian tourist Mauritius is perfect because of the cultural links. Mauritius has been cultivated into a tourist paradise that gets 4,90,000 visitors a year with an increase of 7-10 per cent annually. "We want to be selective about tourists by encouraging only those who appreciate the beauty of the island," informs Suzy Edouard, Officer in-charge, MTPA. This year tour operators in India are advertising Mauritius heavily. Try it out!

FACT FILE
Mauritius is an island situated in the SW Indian Ocean. 4,700 kms from Mumbai, it is spread over 1,865 sq kms with 330 kms of coastline and a central plateau of impressive mountains.
CLIMATE: 14-20 degrees centigrade in Aug to 20-26 degrees centigrade in Feb.
POPULATION: Approximately 1,107,324 comprising Hindus, Creoles, Chinese and Muslims.
ECONOMY: Three major foreign exchange earners are textiles/ garments, tourism and sugarcane.
HEALTH: No vaccines needed for Indians.
FLIGHTS: Air Mauritius has three direct flights from Mumbai and one from Delhi per week.
CURRENCY: Mauritian rupee is divided into 100 cents and is approximately equal to Indian rupee 1.83. It is better to carry US dollars, UK pounds or French francs.
AIRPORT: The international airport is Sir Seewosagur Ramgoolam Air Terminal at Plaisance, which is three kms from Mahebourg and 48 kms from Port Louis. Airport tax of MRS 300 is charged on departure from Mauritius. There are duty free shops for perfumes, liquor, chocolates and electronics.
TIME: Mauritius time is 4 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
LANGUAGE: French and Creole are the main languages and everybody speaks English.
CLOTHES: Summer wear throughout the year with light woollen for winter months of June to August.
HOTELS: There are over 50 international class hotels in every range and an equal number of guest houses.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: A visitor's visa is given for a period of 15-30 days.
ENTERTAINMENT: There are piano bars, discotheques and casinos for the night owls.
CRAFTS: Ship models, fabrics, baskets, macrame, wood carvings, pottery, shells, leather, shoes, furniture, Chinese goods, spices.
TOURS: There are various tours offered by Indian travel agents that start as low as Rs 10,000 to Rs 80,000.