Gym's Ramblings: Ambitious to go to Mauritius

Yes, we are in Mauritius and it is beautiful here.

Mauritius? It is an island nation and independent republic. It is also a democracy that became independent from Britain in 1968. Britain claimed the island from France in 1810 after losing a naval engagement and later winning a land battle against the French. Britain allowed the inhabitants to retain their french language and continue to settle criminal and civil cases in accordance with the laws of France (that sounds familiar). The French held the island for about 95 years and before them, the Dutch held dominion over the area but it was too hot and none of the trees were suitable for making wooden shoes. Today, the locals seem to be comfortable in both French and English but they speak a french-african creole among themselves.

The nation is about 700-800 kilometres east of Madagascar, Africa. It is on the southern end of a ridge that runs from the the Seychelles in the north, down through the islands that make up the country of Mauritius. That ridge is called the Mascaren Plateau and it is shaped like the eastern edge of Madagascar. The largest land mass in the country is the island of Mauritius but there are other smaller islands such as Reunion and Rodrigues. The country is about the same size as the island of Maui in Hawaii, at about 2000 square kilometres. It is a popular vacation spot for both the French and the English as well as significant numbers of wealthy Chinese and Arabs. Americans are rare in these parts which is somewhat refreshing for Mrs. Gym and I. The Maui comparison ends at the size of the country, as I have not seen a Walmart, a 7-11 or even a billboard since I got here and we are an hour from the airport. More surprising to me was that I have not seen any trash on the side of the road. It is a very green island surrounded by the third largest continuous reef on earth and the water inside the reef is bright azure-blue.

What inspired a trip to Mauritius? Well, my orders were to find a place with a beach where we could have a restful vacation and not have to tour any historic sites, compare architectural themes or wander ancient ruins, so I started with that. I guess the Boss was tired after a couple of years of vacations where we were on the go almost 24/7 from the start of our vacations to the end of them. I have to agree that after the last few trips it felt like it was a rest, getting back to work. So, I thought about the beach venues that I wanted to try out and I think we nailed it with this gem here in Mauritius.

The first time I remember hearing of Mauritius was when I read the 4th book in the 22-book Aubrey-Maturin Series written by Patrick O'Brian. This particular instalment of the series is entitled, "The Mauritius Command". To be honest, many of my travels have been inspired by these novels. However, there is another draw to this island that everyone can relate to. Mauritius is the island where the Dodo bird lived. Who wouldn't have the island of the Dodo on their bucket list?

One of the most noteworthy things related to our arrival here was our delightful transit through the airport. Now, Mrs. Gym and I have been through a lot of airports in the world and I am honestly telling you that this one ranks for us as number one in every category. It had dual level air bridges for the big two-deck planes (Calgary doesn't have this yet). It has a beautifully designed interior with tons of space and a feature wall that is strikingly impressive. Then, most importantly, customs and immigration was quick and efficient and before we knew it we were in the massive hall containing several of the largest and most modern luggage carousels that I have ever seen. Our luggage was already there when we came into the hall. I will swear we were off the plane and in a taxi within 15 minutes. And I am not the only one who was impressed by this airport. The following article was posted from February 27, 2015 just after we were there:

Mauritius’ main international airport, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport won or came second in three award categories at the ASI Air Service Quality (ASQ) awards for 2014.

The airport won the category for ‘Best Airport in Africa’, ‘Best Improved Airport in Africa’ and won second place for ‘Best Airport by Size: 2-5 Million Passengers’.

Pretty cool, eh?

More, on the resort and what we have been up to in my next installment. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what it is like.