Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime!

Tripoto
4th May 2018

Beauty definitely lies in the eyes of the beholder, but when the beauty is as stunning as this one, disapproval is not an option. Mauritius in its magnanimity offers you the warmth of being an amazing host while keeping intact its pristine charm to entice countless travelers.I visited Mauritius in Feb 2016, right after my wedding.

It was my first journey with my wife and I was unsure of what she may like. I wanted this honeymoon trip of ours to be a trip of a lifetime. With questions in my mind and curiosity in the heart, we commenced the journey of a lifetime — to the republique of Maurice!


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Day 1
Photo of Mauritius by Anup Merkap

We were stationed at hotel ‘Tarisa Resort and Spa’, not very far from Mont Choisy Beach. This beach arguably is one of the best beaches of Mauritius and had everything to offer that an individual would look for — Serene beaches, clean surroundings and not too crowded. Water sports happened in pockets which in most cases were complimentary from the hotel. Most of the rooms in the hotel overlooked the sprawling pool. You could take a relaxing plunge in the pool or laze around it. The hotel had all the luxuries that one would be looking for — Spa, Sauna and what not.

Photo of Tarisa Resort and Spa Mauritius, B36, Grand Baie, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

The trip we chose was for 5 nights 6 days and had plans of covering the whole of Mauritius. Typical Mauritian tours are designed based on the directions you are headed spanning across the island.

We planned our day to have 3 days of guided tour and the rest 2 for what we willed. The first day of our landing was of course left for relaxing after the long flight journey. While we prepared for the typical touristy stuff for the days that looked ahead of us, we made the most of the ‘free’ days in exploring the beautiful Mont Choisy Beach. We walked miles together getting lost in the chemistry between the setting sun and the sea, mesmerized by the confluence of the changing colors and breeze of closeness growing between us.

Photo of Mont Choisy Beach, Grand Baie, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Day 2

Day 2 was a typical check list of events.

First stop was at a ship factory where you could see some really exquisite pieces of artistry and craftsmanship. There were demonstrations of how these beautiful pieces were given their shape and some interesting trivia about them. The locals believe having these in your house brings in a lot of luck and prosperity. This is where you could do some souvenir shopping as well.

Photo of Historic Marine, Goodlands, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

We were then headed towards the south of Mauritius which included a trip to Trou aux Cerf, a massive volcanic crater.

Photo of Trou Aux Cerfs Volcano, Trou-Aux-Cerfs Road, Curepipe, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

It was followed by our journey to the Grand Bassin, home to a Hindu Temple and a surrounding sacred lake. This is where we have the 13th and the only ‘Jyotirlinga’ outside of India. It certainly felt ethereal when one is in the benign presence of such divinity.

Photo of Grand Bassin, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

We were then taken to the La Vallée des Couleurs National Park which was the land of the Chamarel Waterfall and the 7 Colored Earth. While few decided to zipline their way through and few to test the power of the quad bike, we decided to be on our foot and enjoy the nature in its full glory. It was quite a walk to the 7 colored earth but at the end it was all worth it. We were greeted by wildlife on our way to the destination and stopped enroute in awe of the Chamarel. The view there was breathtaking!

Photo of La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park, Chamouny, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park, Chamouny, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park, Chamouny, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park, Chamouny, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

With this we ended the first day of guided tour. As we retired into our rooms we had so much to talk about and yet so tired with the entire day’s event. While we sunk into our cozy beds with a glass of the sparkling nectar, we toasted to the journey of our lives that we had just begun.

Day 3 was outlined around the north of Mauritius. We started with picturesque Cap Malheureux Church. Etymologically speaking, the name meant ‘Cape of bad luck’ as coined by the French, but this place looked no less than a fabled locale straight out of a fairy tale. A beautiful red and white church overlooking the blue sea, the green sprawling gardens and the lone standing bell tower, all added to the beauty of the place.

Day 3
Photo of Cap Malheureux, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Cap Malheureux, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Cap Malheureux, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

We were then off to the ancient Fort Adelaide. This fort is at a height and you get a birds eye view of the entire city. While the fort talks about many warriors, the single battle you have is to get the picture of a lifetime and the weapon of your choice is the camera in your hand.

Photo of Fort Adélaide / Citadel, Sebastopol Street, Port Louis, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Fort Adélaide / Citadel, Sebastopol Street, Port Louis, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Fort Adélaide / Citadel, Sebastopol Street, Port Louis, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

We had a quick stop at the iconic Marie Reine de la Paix which is featured in many films including Bollywood. This celebrity is an open church with a view to die for. A definite stop for all bollywood enthusiasts.

Photo of Marie Reine de la Paix, Port Louis, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Marie Reine de la Paix, Port Louis, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

We were then transported to the country’s capital Port Louis. The city had a french touch to its building possibly from its colonial lineage. It was beautiful to see the roads and the cleanliness. We then wandered into the Caudan Water Front, a commercial development in Port Louis. It has some amazing shops and casinos. While we refrained from gambling all our money in, we did try our luck with the slot machines, alas with no luck. Lip smacking snacks and refreshments kept us going in the warm sun.

Photo of Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Day 2

Before we headed back to our hotels we had a quick stop at the Phoenix departmental store for buying certain essentials like beers ;) and water bottles.

Back at hotel when we relaxed by the pool we encountered what I believe was the best experience so far — An evening with the Sega dancers. These bunch of zealous local dancers whose smiles and steps are highly infectious. No one in the resort was spared and every one ended up forming a huge circle twirling their hips to the sensations performance.

Photo of Historic Marine, Goodlands, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

Finally was the last day of our guided tour. It was a trip to the mast famous island of Mauritius — Ile Aux Cerf. This was the reason most of the people had come to this bay. A beautiful island with full day of fun and activities in the sea. Typical activities included para gliding, deep sea walking, snorkeling, etc. There were some motor boats that took you to the base of a waterfall and was definitely a view of a lifetime. The day was meant to be adventurous and went by just like that.

Day 4
Photo of Île aux Cerfs, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Île aux Cerfs, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Île aux Cerfs, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Île aux Cerfs, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

Lunch was served on the island itself while you had the opportunity to treat yourself with the delicious Mauritian rum.

Day 5

The next day was when we were left to ourselves and we essentially spend excellent time with each other, while we made some fantastic friends. This day we lazed around in the Mont Choisy beach and did some complimentary water activities like —Kayaking, Travel by the glass bottom boat, Snorkeling and some pedal boating. It was definitely a quality time spent where the calmness in the setting and the warmth in the air brought two wandering souls closer.

Photo of Mont Choisy Beach, Grand Baie, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Mont Choisy Beach, Grand Baie, Mauritius by Anup Merkap
Photo of Mont Choisy Beach, Grand Baie, Mauritius by Anup Merkap

Evening we decided to try on some local cuisine and wander around the local markets. While it was a delight to relish upon the amazing Dholl Puri, we was equally surprised to see the local markets as well. Definitely a must try if you want to break yourself from the shackles of being a tourist into doing things the ‘local’ way.

Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap
Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap

Oh yes.. we did try their local bus!

Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap

And went to their local beach as well :) :)

The next day was when we decided to be on the sea for the entire day. That’s when we decided with the seven island tours — a signature deal to make you go around 7 islands along with barbecue lunch, unlimited Mauritian rum and some more scintillating Sega dance performance. This was the highlight when we were so drunk that we didn’t even remember how we came back to our hotels. We did click some amazing pics though — see for yourself :P

Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap
Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap
Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap
Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap
Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap
Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap

And with all smiles and cheers we embarked on our last part of our journey — the journey to the airport covering all the important landmark on our way. We saw some amazing landscape and a lot of vegetation.

As the journey was about to end, reality suddenly struck me crying out loud for the end of an amazing dream. A dream of convenience, a dream of royalty, a dream of beauty! I might forget a lot about the trip but the feeling stays.

Photo of Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime! by Anup Merkap

This was my first journey with my wife and we loved it!

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