Antics in Anahita

We have been busy doing nothing, punctuated by some sort of daily workout and some kayaking, hiking and bike-riding. Things are definitely different than our normal "busy" vacation. Today we even slept in and missed breakfast (which is included). It is a steady 25-30C and I know that doesn't sound hot but the humidity is always 80% minimum, making it very sticky. Yesterday, we walked down a few fairways on the golf course and I think there was only one group out golfing.

The Four Seasons Resort that we are staying at is located near the village of Anahita, in the District of Flacq, one of nine districts on the island. Flacq District is on the easternmost part of the island. Since our villa is on the easternmost part of the resort which is on the easternmost part of the island, we should have seen some great sunrises since we got here. However, because of Cyclone Glenda which skirted by here just after we arrived, it has been pretty cloudy out towards the east. Don't worry, I think Cyclone Glenda has now fizzled out because the winds have died down and the sea was dead calm today.

Yesterday, we took out a 2-man kayak (we won't be doing that again). It was a pretty good workout though and I think we need one for the lake. They have an excellent fitness area here and we have been there almost every day. You pick up your bikes at the fitness club and just about everybody uses them to get around the resort. There are three restaurants here and everybody rides their bikes to the dining venues and other areas of the resort, where bike racks are always somewhere near the entrance of every building. They attach a little license plate to your bike that shows which villa it belongs to, so there is no grand theft bicycle.

The gardens here are the most impressive I have ever seen on any resort property. We've been told that there are 100 gardeners working the grounds full time. My mother would have loved it here.

We have been doing a little bird-watching. It is pretty easy since the gardens here attract all kinds of indigenous and introduced species of birds. We want to see the Pink Pigeon and/or the Mauritius Kestrel which are rare indigenous birds but no luck, so far. To our dismay, the most numerous sightings of birds have been of the common House sparrow and the common Myna, since they tend to dine with us at every meal, in these open-air restaurants. But Mrs. Gym gets top award so far, for spotting a Red Fody which she failed to capture on film but if you google it you will see what a cool red bird it is.

We both have seen another larger, winged creature which initially, looked to us like a significant bird of prey. However, there was something different about that first one we saw, so we watched it until it got close and we realized it was not a bird at all. To Mrs. Gym's dismay, this area of Mauritius is blessed with a healthy population of Flying Foxes. These are native animals to this island and they are related to the giant flying foxes of Australia. These animals put the bats at the lake to shame. Some specimens have wingspans of 2/3's of a meter and can weigh up to 2 pounds (twice the weight of a crow).

Just at the end of our yard there are often crabs that
hang out on the rocks. This one is Frank.

We share our backyard with Pete. He loves the sun as
much as Mrs. Gym

On the left is one of the open-air restaurants on the resort
and on the right is the main lobby and the bar.

This fisherman is standing on a baby mangrove
island about 75 meters of our backyard. I think he
is using a hand-line.

Linda had to go to the bathroom but this Mauritian kept me
company while she was gone. It is a Myna that was probably mad at me
for finishing my toast.

We will try to get a picture of a flying fox tonight.