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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Dec 04, 2010 07:00 PM Day on the Indian Ocean
I am again the only European on board. "Mauritius Pride" has the capacity of 260 passengers. Only 18 of then can travel in the individual cabins. Others have airplane chairs in the huge saloons. Meals are included in the price of the ticket. Menu is very basic, even in the 1st class but is acceptable.
We had quite nice weather. I had enough time to walk the open deck and to make my notes for the last days. A lot of kids travel in the lower class - I had opportunity to talk with them and to take interesting pictures. There is big demand for the ship tickets to Rodrigues because they are subsidize by the government of Mauritius. One-night sailing to Reunion costs more then 36-hours to Rodrigus... Wonderful sunset - I love to travel by the ship in the old style!
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Dec 03, 2010 07:00 PM Boarding the ship again...
Saturday morning in the hot, tropical Mauritius. Crowd of the dark-skin people on the streets... I am getting ready for the departure. But not to the Europe, yet...
Mauritius has two cargo/passenger boats used for the transport to Reunion, Rodrgues Island and /interesting option!/ to Madagascar. I decided to go to the distant Rodrigues aboard "Mauritius Pride". They have big demand for the tickets so if you want to try you have to make the reservation and to pay by your credit card you have to do that two months ahead. They have a website where you can find the provisional schedules and contact information. Their other ship is called "Mauritius Trochetia"
I was lucky to get an one way-ticket for the 2-days travel in the cabin. It cost me 93 euro and the meals are included.
I hope hat we will depart on time this afternoon. It is still cyclone season but I believe that the voyage will be smooth and I will reach Rodrigues on Monday morning. Ahoy!
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Dec 02, 2010 07:00 PM No shower at night!
My hotel in Port Louis - Mauritius has its secrets. First - it has a second entrance around the corner (bus station side) and here its name is "Victoria Plaza Hotel" not "Tandoori Hotel". Second: there is no water available at night if you did not take the shower in the evening, say 7 pm you have to wait till the morning. But this is another adventure included in the low price :)).
I took the local bus to the Pampemmouse Botanical Garden. (bus ticket 23 MUR each way + entry fee 100 MUR) It is one of the flag tourist attractions of the island. Established in 18th century is has a great collection of tropical trees and plants. Can you imagine a huge talipot palm from India who die after the once-in-the life blossom? I had there a good time making my notes in the shade of the trees.
Back in the Port Louis you can visit the postal museum where they have on display the famous "blue Mauritius" - the most expensixve stamp fr collectors. But in facts it is only the copy - they keep the valuable stamp in the bank safe.
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Dec 01, 2010 07:00 PM Rum in the papaya - again!
Do you remember my culinary invention from the Philippines? Mauritius is famous for its rums, papayas are also here, so I have the opportunity to enjoy my favourite rum in the papaya...
Mauritius is easy to explore by public bus. They are dirty cheap /sample prices: PL to Eureka 20 MUR, Casela Park to PL - 24 MUR/ and if you do not care about the comfort (5 hard seats in the row and open windows work as air conditioner) it is good way to go around the island.
I went today to Eureka House - an old, traditional plantation house with paintings, furnitures and 109 windows (that what they say!) They charge 180 MUR entry fee but it is worth... Then in the western part of the island I enjoyed the nice beach in Flic and Flac (what a name!).
The only problem you have to take into account traveling by public bus is that Mauritius have already traffic jams - es[pecially in the capital and the little towns. Buses go slowly and sometimes you have to wait for the connection. But it works!
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Nov 30, 2010 07:00 PM Port Louis - Mauritius
Till the time of tapoleon Napoleon Mauritius was a French colony, then British took is and now it is independent country. English is the official language, but on the streets locals still speak French. But everybody learn English in the school so I do not have any problem to comunicate with the friendly local people. Most of them are Creols, but on the streets of Port Luis you can see many escendents of the imigrants from India. This makes streets very colorful.
I found a clean room in the little, family- run Tandoori Hotel conveniently located near the South Bus Station. They charge just 800 rupees for the room with bath, a/c and fridge. Every day you have fresh sheets, soap and towel. Ooops! Only the ants are present, but those of you who travel in the tropics know that thay do not bite... :))
You can change your money in every bank, but the money changers opposite the waterfront give slightly better rate: 39.5 local rupees (MUR) per euro or 30 for the dollar.
I took a walk to the citadel or Fort Arelaide /free entry/ for the nice view of the city and the surrounding hills. In the citadel shops for he tourists are located now - it is worth to see diamonds, rum, souvenirs. Just before sunset I came down to the cathedral of Saint Louis - well worth to see. Just let you know that all shops and institutions close very early - like 4 pm - this is the local style of life...
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Nov 29, 2010 07:00 PM Merci beaucoup pour votre aimable companie!
After 24 days of sailing it is time to say goodbye to "Marion Dufresne" nad my fellow French travellers. They were very kind tome and I gain from them a lot of knowledge about territories. I also do hope that they know now a bit more about my country except the standard "Boire comme un polonais" French proverb I heard on arrival. In fact on the ship they were drinking much more then me: there is a behaviour that before every lunch and dinner they are coming to the bar for the drink or two. Sorry, not me - un polonaise :))
When I was telling them my travel stories from all conners of the world I had a feeleng that for some of them it is hard to accept that there is a guy in Poland who saw more of the world than they did. Sorry, let they know that there is also one in France: my friend Andre Brugiroux!
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Nov 28, 2010 07:00 PM Port Louis on the horizon!
Our sick sailor is much better - said dr Celine and according to her he is disappointed that he will go to the hospital for the examinations instead of sailing for the next loop voyage to the Kerguelens. At 11.00 am we saw Mauritius Island on the horizon. Soon we came closer to the huge rock on the cap. Then we were sailing more than two hours along the coast enjoying the views if the green cane fields and sharp peaks of the island. I remember from my first visit years ago that Port Louis - the capital of Mauritius is located in the beautiful scenery. It is still valid. Photographed from the town this scenery is already not so impressive. But when the ship is entering the port you have to be on the deck to enjoy the view. It is great! Now we are waiting for the border formalities. Mauritius is independent country. They say that immigration formalities for the EU citizens are simple: what they require is to show them your ticket out of Mauritius.
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Nov 27, 2010 07:00 PM Barbecue on the ocean
Warm and sunny Sunday. Today our hosts from TAAF offer special attraction: instead of the lunch in the restaurant we have a BBQ meal on the open deck: on the landing pad of the helicopter. But the sun on the open deck was so strong that they decided to move to the back of the ship (they poetically call this part of the ship "la poupe" ? ) La poupe was not cleaned up - but doesn't matter - I enjoyed anyway the vegetable salad and the ice-cream on the open air. It was also a chance to take a picture in front of the French flag, historical flag - we sailed under this flag all over the way through the "roaring forties". Due to the strong winds this flag is a little bit "fatigue" but for me is has a great value even if dirty. I asked the navigation officer if I can take this dirty flag as a valuable souvenir. No response so far. Perhaps they do not have a new one to put it on the mast. Great sunset today. We will cross the tropic of Capricorn tonight.
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Nov 26, 2010 07:00 PM From passerelle to the hell.
Day at sea. They wanted me to be at 10 am at the passerelle. No announcements in English. Thanks God I know already that "passarelle" means the bridge. Charming Mary - the first engineer took us from the bridge some 8 decks down for the "machine tour". We were walking the stairs down and down. (they have elevator on this ship but at the beginning of our voyage they warned us: -Better do not use it at all! I wonder why?). And down there I felt like in the hell: cramp rooms without window, noise, heat, pumps, smells, motors, alarm beeps, kilometers of pipes, steel doors. That's like Mary's kingdom looks. By the way: second engineer on our ship is also a lady. Her name is Emily. Of course I took the opportunity to ask about the cabin heating system, regarding my sick in the cold cabin. Can you imagine? "Marion Dufresne" has 5 independent systems of heating. During our sailing through the cold south only one was working (the other ones need to be repaired or are too expensive to use because they charge extra portion of the fuel). -Second engineer is responsible for that! - said Mary. Those ladies-engineers! Thanks God we are back in the warm region - the ocean
is calm today and I can walk the open deck in the shirt only. The temperature in the cabin is acceptable now. What I am afraid: maybe those ladies from the "hell" will try to freeze us now, because tomorrow or the day after we possibly will enter again the tropical zone.
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Nov 25, 2010 07:00 PM Urgent evacuation.
In the morning our ship was drifting few hours at the bottom of the high cliff - near Entrecousteau Point. Helicopter was taking to the coast people and the supply to the little shelter ashore. The top of the cliff they call Grand Balcony. Endemic albatrosses are nesting there. Access is restricted to the scientists so we only enjoyed the view of the high cliff and birds flying around. Every second day in the Martin de Vivies base they launch meteo transmitter attached to the balloon. It is flying 25 kms up and sending accurate data about the temperature, winds etc. We assisted such a ceremony. Then a visit in the post office is obligatory for the postcards and stamps, the shop for the souvenir T-shirts. On the outskirts of the base we found little chapel of the Our Lady of the Ocean - very quiet place. In the afternoon we were ready for the next walk along the shore when the guide received via walkie-talkie the bad news: we have a seriously sick member of the crew on board who needs to be in the hospital as soon as possible (that's what they say). Captain decided to shorten our stay in Amsterdam by one day and to depart immediately. Nearest hospital is four days and four nights of sailing away. "Miraculously" all the supply we brought to the Amsterdam Island Base is already delivered ashore. Before sunset we left Amsterdam Island behind.
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