Mauritius. Yes, it’s a little touristy (I didn’t get much of a say) but I wouldn’t say no to doing two weeks of…well, pretty much nothing!<\/p>\n
In case you’ve not heard of Mauritius, it’s a tiny tropical island\u00a0located in the Indian Ocean south of the equator. It’s a tiny country –\u00a0no\u00a0bigger than London; you could drive all the way round in a couple of hours. Historically it’s been ruled by the British and later the French, however today has a\u00a0high Indian population\u00a0as a result of mass immigration of labourers\u00a0in the 19th century, most of whom sadly were slaves under British rule. Combined with the fact that it’s not far off the coast of Madagascar, the country features an intriguing mesh of cultures. The national language is French Creole, sort of a mix between French and ancient African languages. I was hopeful I could understand the dialect having studied French as a child, however it proved challenging to understand any spoken words\u00a0at all, to my surprise (perhaps I should have paid\u00a0more attention in class!).<\/p>\n
Fun fact\u00a0if\u00a0you’re bored already – the Dodo was endemic to Mauritius until it was hunted to extinction by…yep you guessed it, the Brits. Quite ironic that the national emblem of Mauritius perished over 200 years ago.<\/p>\n
So anyway, what’s there to do in Mauritius, I hear you ask? Well, the short answer is – not much! It’s an idyllic place for honeymooners (seriously I lost track of the number of couples) and those who prefer a slow, easy-going life as it’s so cut off from the rest of the world. Of course if you’re after some sun, sand and sea, it’s perfect. The climate is sublime year-round –\u00a0it’s warm but not mind-numbingly hot like Borneo\/Singapore, although a bit cloudy and rainy from time-to-time. I must have spent three quarters of my 2 weeks by the beach doing absolutely nothing, but it was a welcome break – 4 months of intense\u00a0YapDot development\u00a0+ work had truly burnt me out. So in that sense, heading to Mauritius was a blessing in disguise.<\/p>\n
There are a couple of days out that were memorable though. The first was visiting Ganga Talao, a breathtaking Hindu temple located high up in the mountainous south, characterised\u00a0by the massive statue of Lord\u00a0Shiva. Hinduism is one of the main faiths in Mauritius and there are temples everywhere, including outside many people’s homes. This temple, set beside\u00a0a monkey-inhabited lake was a sight to\u00a0behold; and the statue reminded me of the equally stunning one of Lord Hanuman in Shimla, India.<\/p>\n
![\"Ganga](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.shonak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_0644.jpg\")
<\/a>Ganga Talao temple<\/p><\/div>\n
Nearby is\u00a0Chamarel in the south west which forms one of the nature parks in Mauritius. It’s worth going for the great view over the the park and waterfall, although not so much for the “seven coloured” Earth rock formation (*tourist trap alert*) – I could only count about three!<\/p>\n
<\/a>Chamarel Waterfall<\/p><\/div>\n