Mauritius Morning Markets

One of our frequent joys in Mauritius is shopping at the market.  More precisely, markets.  We frequent the Sunday food market at Triolet, five minutes away.  Growers from all over the region bring their vegetables, fruit, breads, and meat early, early in the morning . . . arrive by 5:00 am, and the place is buzzing already.  Today, Shelly and I headed to another central market in Quatre Borne, a larger town about a 40 minute drive from our house.  In addition to food, you see stall after stall of clothing and household goods.  From the cheap and tawdry plasticware and t-shirts to beautiful cashmere scarves and elegant sarees, everything is on sale.   The pictures tell part of the  story, but what they miss are the sounds, textures, and smells of the marketplace.  Nothing can quite prepare you for the fish market's scents early in the morning!  Waking up?? Who needs coffee?   

Heather's Birthday Weekend

Heather celebrated her birthday last Sunday . . . hanging out with the same folks who greeted her that snowy morning 24 years ago.  Only this time, it was a sunny, beautiful day half a planet away from Lovelace Hospital.   There was swimming, cooking, brunching, and napping involved.  Oh, and on Monday, Heather helped us host a party for five dozen US Embassy employees and their families at our house.  She was like a big sister to the kids of all ages who came to swim and play.  Heather is in her second month of being unexpectedly plopped down in Mauritius after Peace Corps/Kazakhstan was suddenly closed down.  Most days, she and Shelly have activities planned around the island or around the house, and when they are not on the go, Heather's working on updating her resume and getting ready to search for a job in the USA in a couple months.  She's also been taking some beautiful pictures of Mauritius sights and sunsets, and getting back in touch with friends online after her mostly Internet-free existence in Central Asia.  She's updated her blog with some of her Kazakhstan experiences, and you would enjoy her entries at: Heather and Thither, http://www.heather-renee-campbell.blogspot.com/

We are about to head off for a five day vacation to Reunion Island, between Mauritius and Madagascar, where Heather will have more beautiful scenery to enjoy and photograph.  In short, it is a delightful time for us to spend together, and we are soaking up every minute of it.   

Breaking News: SEALS Rescue Kidnapped Aid Workers from Somalia

This article from today's Washington Post speaks volumes about the quiet work being done by our brave and talented military forces in the Horn of Africa and around the world.  In particular, the Navy SEALS are highly trained professionals who take some of the toughest missions, and accomplish them remarkably well.

U.S. forces rescue kidnapped aid workers Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted in Somalia

AP - Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted, two aid workers, were freed from Somalia after a raid by U.S. special operations forces.

The quick, targeted raid by elite commandos represented the sort of military action that the Obama administration touted in its recent defense strategy review and the president himself extolled in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

But a mission against lightly armed and poorly trained criminals in a largely lawless region of Somalia may not provide a useful model in parts of the world where modern militaries make such actions far more complex and potentially deadly.

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President Barack Obama is praising Special Operations Forces who rescued two hostages, including an American aid worker, from pirates in Somalia early Wednesday. (Jan. 25)

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The elite counter-terrorism unit that took out Osama bin Laden deploys from a tiny military facility in Dam Neck, Va., just outside of Virginia Beach.

Although officials denied any political concerns in approving the raid, the rescue operation did serve as a counterweight to charges by Republican presidential contenders that Obama is weak and indecisive.

Hostage rescue has been one of the primary missions of Special Operations forces for decades, but officials said that the mission drew on the lessons learned and skills perfected over the last decade of combat and counterterrorism operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I don’t know that there is a nation that could pull this thing off with the speed, precision and stealth that these forces did,” a senior Defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

In Afghanistan’s Kunar province, a kidnapped British aid worker, Linda Norgrove, was killed by friendly fire during a rescue attempt by Special Forces in October, 2010.

On Wednesday, a Somali working for a Norwegian aid agency in Galkayo, the major city in the region, said he saw two American airplanes and 11 helicopters Tuesday night at the airport there, and heard helicopters overhead in the early morning hours.

The SEALs were prepared to take prisoners, but took none, Pentagon officials said. Although the kidnappers were said to be heavily armed, with explosives nearby, the team took no casualties and left nine kidnappers dead at the site before leaving the site by helicopter, U.S. officials said. The rescued hostages were flown to the U.S. air base in nearby Djibouti.

Somali clan elders and community leaders in Galkayo, the major city in the region, gave a slightly different account. They said eight kidnappers were killed, including two brothers, and a ninth was seriously injured and taken to Abado for medical treatment.

Somali pirates are part of large criminal and clan networks and strike whenever there’s opportunity. With the U.S. and other governments beefing up patrols and actively seeking sea-going pirates, some have turned their focus to kidnapping foreigners for ransom on land. With their clan ties, the pirates can hold their hostages in safe areas, under the protection of their clans, for months until a ransom is paid.

Buchanan, originally from Ohio, was employed with Thisted by the Danish Refugee Council, which provides aid for displaced Somalis in Mogadishu. They worked for the council’s Danish Demining Group, which has operated for decades in Somalia clearing unexploded ordnance and land-mines that are spread across the country from countless wars, when they were captured in late October near Galkayo.
Ann Mary Olsen, head of the council’s international department, declined to discuss Buchanan’s medical condition but said that neither of the freed hostages was hospitalized.

Buchanan went to high school in Springboro, Ohio and attended Valley Forge Christian College in Phoenixville, Pa. She first traveled to Africa as an undergraduate, Valley Forge President Don Meyer told CNN, and later became a full-time teacher at the Rosslyn Academy, a private Christian school in Nairobi.
Rob Beyer, dean of students at Valley Forge, said Buchanan met her husband in Nairobi.

The Danish council said that Buchanan has worked for its mine-clearance unit since May 2010. Thisted, a community safety manager with the unit, has been with the organization since 2009.

Obama telephoned Buchanan’s father shortly after the speech to tell him his daughter had been rescued, administration officials said.

Heather's Birthday and the Year of the Dragon

Heather shared her 24th birthday with the Chinese New Year---Year of the Dragon!  Kung Shee Fat Choy!!  We went downtown to Port Louis to the cultural program presented by the Chinese Embassy and the local Chinese Cultural Society.  A surprisingly good show of dancing, singing, martial arts demonstration, dragons on parade, and (our unanimous favorite) foot juggling! The entertainers were sent specially from China for the event, and had some high quality acts and beautiful costumes.  Heather found herself breaking into a little Kazakh hip-hop for the occasion. It was a fun and exciting way to welcome in the Year of the Dragon and Heather's 24th birthday. It's already a very happy new year for us!  Hope it's a happy one for you and yours. 

Went to a Garden Party*

I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends---A chance to share old memories and play our songs again. . .

To get to the Vaneron Garden shop, you drive off the main road and follow the signs . . . once there, you feel like you're miles from nowhere.  In the mood for an adventure last Sunday, Heather, Shelly and I spent a beautiful afternoon in the jungle that is a commercial enterprise.  It's a nursery/arboretum/garden shop that's become our favorite for spending several hours in lush, jungley world of flora and greenery.

When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same

But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself

Vaneron has a restaurant with waterfalls and a stream running through the middle of it, all in a peaceful outdoor setting surrounded by acres of tropical plants.  A great place to reflect on an upcoming birthday with two of my favorite people in the world, my wife and daughter.  Naturally, we talked about Damon, the son and brother who's just started his spring semester in Miami.  We reminisced about what we were doing a year ago and five years ago, and compared it to our new lives "on the island." We laughed and talked of loved ones at home, and new friends near and far.

If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I'd rather drive a truck
lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

So, as I turn the page on another birthday, it is a great time to reflect and reminsce with loved ones about times past.  And yes, to make plans for the next weekend, and the next month and beyond.  But more than anything, it's a great time to let myself be delighted by people and places, and enjoy the garden party that is happening right now, every single moment. 

'n' it's all right now, learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself

* with apologies to Ricky Nelson, 1972

MLK Day Commemoration

The US Embassy in Port Louis commemorated the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with a well-attended reception at the US Ambassador's residence  here Monday night.  Dr. King's dream of a multi-racial society with equal opportunity for all is still in the process of coming true in the United States.  In Mauritius, we are constantly noticing the broad mix of people of different ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds all living and working together.   On Monday night, this diversity was on display with invitees from all the communities of Mauritian and American society, folks working together for a better economy, free trade, and social justice.  Another beautiful day! 

Shelly & David At Neutral Bouyancy

For beginner scuba divers, achieving neutral bouyancy is one of the toughest skills to master.  It's the Goldilocks concept of scuba: not too heavy, not too light, but just right.  You must put just the right amount of weight in your pocket to sink fast enough, but not too fast; then to be able to control your position under the water just by breathing and thinking . . . is a crucial concept for scuba success.  These are actually very subtle changes but underwater can make all the difference in whether you drop onto coral on the bottom or hang too high to see anything.  We went out for two dives last Saturday morning, working on getting and staying neutrally bouyant. Heather stayed on the dive boat and took these topside pictures.   It was a beautiful day and we managed to see lionfish, a toadfish, and moray eels.  They were wonderful dives, and count towards becoming "Advanced Open Water Divers", a PADI certification we're both working on.  For mid-January, it was a pretty good day!!

  

Health Care. Simple. Fast. Affordable.

Went to the doctor yesterday in a medium sized town 20 minutes from our house.  About 10:00 am, I called for an appointment---fine, come in at 3:30 this afternoon.  Doctor with medical degrees from excellent schools in France and England. Showed up on time, doctor greeted me at the door, and took me right into his office.  Got my name and birthdate, and started asking about what was wrong.  Told him, he took a look.  Told me what it was, and how he would treat it---gave me a prescription, and I was out the door in 15 minutes start to finish.  Paid the receptionist on the way out . . . 1100 rupees total (US$33.00).  Drove down the street to the pharmacist, prescription about US$15.  No waiting. Total episode done in 30 minutes for less than $50.00.   My head was spinning from the simplicity and affordability of it.  Yes, I have insurance, and I will send in my receipts for reimbursement, and they will be paid.  Doctor's not involved in the insurance claim or whether there is coverage.  This was actually my second trip to a doctor here (all small things), and the first experience was as simple and inexpensive as this one, and it was at a very good hospital.  I suppose I could go on and on contrasting this to our experiences with medical care in the States, but you get the picture.  Simple. Fast. Affordable.  What's not to like??

Shelly & Heather Shop for Saris

Shelly and Heather went to the market last weekend with their photographer and had a good time shopping for saris, the brilliantly colored and decorated wrapped dresses worn by many of the Indo-Mauritian women here.  There are thousands of fabrics and designs with very unique decorations, and many different ways to wear them, as shown in this drawing from Wikipedia. As is often the case with Heather and Shelly, they make a very thorough study of new phenomena, and saris have been a focus of their attention lately.  Saris have been worn by women in India and surrounding areas for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. This link gives a good background about saris and their history.   Many women in Mauritius, young and old, wear them daily.  Saris are one of the most visually elaborate aspects of people watching here. They range from clothing that is plain and functional to some of the most beautiful apparel we've ever seen.   In a later post, you may even get to see the results of Shelly and Heather's shopping trip!

Happy 100th Birthday, New Mexico!

On this date, one hundred years ago, President Taft signed legislation making New Mexico the 47th state in the Union.  In all the world, it is a very very special place.  It is no wonder that artists and photographers have been captivated by its colors, textures, people, and places. We've traveled a bunch, and there's nowhere on earth like New Mexico:  the unique tastes, sounds, sights, climate, sunsets, traditions, and lifestyle.   In a hundred years, the state has changed and grown, but we are proud to have protected many of the wonderful natural attributes that make it unique.   We sit here this evening, eleven time zones away, ready to honk our horns at 11:35 am NM time, which is 10:35 PM here in Mauritius.  (We are really going to upset some of our neighbors!)  We love our New Mexico home, and we look forward to the day when our work overseas is done, and we come home again.  Happy 100th Birthday, New Mexico!!!