Botanic Gardens in Mauritius

Talipot Palm in bloom - - once in 60 years!

 There are some spectacular places in Mauritius, and the SSR Botanic Gardens is one of them.  You see trees and plants from all over the world, and some ancient tortoises.  Highly recommended visit!

An old wrinkly thing, and a tortoise!

Brunch, Botanic Gardens, and 'Burquenos

 We have had the absolute pleasure to host our Albuquerque friends Joe and Nancy the last several days, and today was a perfect Sunday!  We woke early to experience the Triolet market, shopping for fruit and vegetables; then to a spectacular brunch at Chateau Mon Desir at a nearby resort, followed by a stroll through the Mauritius Botanic Gardens.  How wonderful to have friends who fly halfway around the planet to spend their vacation with us!!
Thanks, Nancy and Joe!

 

Mauritius by Horseback

There are so many ways to see Mauritius . . . hiking, boating, swimming, driving are just a few.  We decided horseback riding would be worth a try, and it was . . . a nice afternoon trail ride through the beautiful bamboo forests and hillsides of the Domaine de l'Etoile estate.  Shelly rode Flash, while I tamed Jasmine.   There were birds, javanese deer, and mongeese (mongooses?).  The higher we went on the hills, the further we could see . . . across the cultivated fields, the dense forests, to the beaches and the Indian Ocean beyond.  Spectacular views of a special island.  

Damon's Summer of Fun in Photos

Damon's Summer Photos are posted on Facebook. Hit this link.   Fortunately, he has trimmed down the collection from over 3,000 to just 100.  Enjoy his greatest hits!

Damon and his summer 2012 running buddy, Christian.

Headed to the USA after a summer of fun

Celebrating a Year Here

A year ago today, August 19, we arrived in Mauritius.  What a year it's been . . . as Shelly commented recently, we have been blessed to have one or the other of our two kids here for over 200 days, we've enjoyed visits from friends and family, and we have had some extraordinary, unforgettable experiences.  Looking through a year's worth of blog entries gives you some idea.  To celebrate being halfway through our Mauritius tour, we took our own tour last week, on 4WD quad vehicles through a beautiful, unspoilt, mountainous part of the island.  Sun and rain took their turns.  We delighted in driving fast through mud puddles and seeing gorgeous scenery in the Domaine de l'Etoile estate.  Throughout the ride, there were stately Javanese deer on the densely forested hillsides.  We topped off the ride with a delicious Mauritian buffet lunch at the estate's restaurant.  A great way to celebrate this anniversary!    

Damon's Special Summer Vacation

He was here for fewer than 90 days, but managed to cram in a year's worth of fun . . . He was constantly on the go . . . there were projects on, under, and above the ocean like scuba diving in Mauritius and Cape Town, wind surfing, parasailing, water skiing, cliff diving, snorkeling with dolphins, and kite surfing; there were land-based adventures . . . ziplining, hiking to the summits of Mauritian mountains, camping on an uninhabited tropical island, going on a South African safari, studying penguins, showering under waterfalls, and visiting markets of exotic smells, sounds, and sights.  Tastes of all sorts, from curries, masala and carved pineapple to dohl puri, Soweto beer and wild boar . . . our former "picky eater" has become a global gastronome!  Oh, and he managed to begin and run a small business . . . teaching swim classes to youngsters from age 4 to 14!  A voracious student, he learned scuba diving, kite surfing, tiramisu cooking, and driving on the left side of the road.  All the while, he was a great host to his equally adventuresome and wonderful girlfriend, Jena.  Take a look at his own blog (linked here) for his outstanding photos and YouTube videos of the summer.  Now he's back at the University of Miami, starting the first day of his senior year of college on Monday . . . we hope his professors will understand if they find him staring vacantly at the board and wistfully daydreaming of his special summer vacation.  We miss you and love you, Damon!

Barracuda in the Back Yard

The weather is getting a bit warmer as we get into southern hemisphere spring, so we went snorkeling in the ocean, just out in the back yard.  Saw our usual parade of colorful tropical fish, and then all of a sudden, a school of long, slender silvery ones . . . barracuda!  Apparently, the younger barracuda stay together in schools, turning independent and solitary as they grow older.  They have a largely undeserved reputation of being aggressive man-eaters. So far, no man-eating in the back yard . . . just a rather unique afternoon swim!!!

African Penguins!

Penguins? Oh, they live in Antarctica.  And maybe on display at Sea World.  Yeah, that's what we thought, too.  Until we got to Boulders, just up the street from the Cape of Good Hope.  There, we found a colony of the cutest 24" high critters we'd ever seen.  They were busy building nests, returning from a day of hunting krill and squid, and generally hanging out on the beach and in the bushes.  After hunting as a group, they swiftly swim to shore and go from being streamlined swimmers to awkward walkers, one minute to the next.   They are similar to the penguins we will see in the Galapagos Islands when we move to Ecuador.  This link will take you to a description of the African Penguin.  African penguins are endangered, their numbers having declined precipitously over the last few decades.  There are natural predators, in the sea and on land, but there are also the environmental messes we humans make and some of the roads we build through their nesting grounds that challenge these little creatures.  As always, we need to do what we can to protect the penguins’ habitats and quality of life. Yes, it's important for ecological reasons, but, also, well, they're just so darned cute!

South Africa Safari

Take a look at Damon's YouTube video of our trip to Kruger National Park in South Africa. He did a marvelous job of showing Mother Nature's power, beauty and majesty.  Enjoy!

South Africa's Soweto Township

On arriving in South Africa last week, our first visit was to South West Township (SOWETO)---the home of thousands of black South Africans during apartheid, the one-time home of Nelson and Winnie Mandela, the site of the June 1976 anti-apartheid riots that left hundreds of students dead, and today the home of tens of thousands of black South Africans and immigrants from other African countries.  It was an enlightening and disturbing tour . . . we visited an "informal settlement" that has existed for years, where thousands live without running water, sewers, or electricity to their homes; we stopped by to talk with Clarisse, pictured here, who raises three children ages 11, 13, and 15 in a one room shack with no modern conveniences.  She mostly cooks on a wood fire outdoors.  She was proud that the children are attending school, and that they did their homework by a kerosene hurricane lamp on the family's only table.  We had some lunch at a local diner, and mostly were stunned that in this settlement alone, over 40,000 people live in these conditions every single day, in the 21st century.  This, in the shadow of Johannesburg, a metropolitan area of about 6 million.   There are millions in the country who live in similar townships and conditions. It was a stark reminder of the harsh reality of the apartheid system, and a sign that South Africa still has a long way to go to overcome that history, and bring about a decent quality of life for thousands in its midst.  As much as we were hit by the reality of township life, we were also struck by the indomitable human spirit that moves Clarisse and her countrymen through each and every day in these circumstances. They had a resilience and positive attitude that was inspirational.  Soweto: another facet of this incredible journey all over the world.