Gym's Ramblings: Haliba trumps Glenda

Since my last instalment, I can tell you that we haven't used much sunscreen. That isn't because we are not trying to get out and do fun stuff. It is because of the effects of the second cyclone we have encountered in as many weeks on our trip. Tropical Cyclone Glenda was pretty well finished by the time we got settled on the island just over 10 days ago and as she was sputtering out, mother nature was spawning another bit of nastiness just off the east coast of Madagascar. Last night, the meteorologists determined that the new storm was worthy of a name and Haliba was christened.

Haliba is being felt more on Madagascar where we understand there has been severe flooding. It is also going to run over La Reunion Island (part of Mauritius) before it heads off to the south and southeast across the open waters of the southern Indian Ocean. At least that is the plan. I feel sorry for the people of La Reunion but better them, than us. Meanwhile, we have been socked in for the better part of three days now and we have been forced to talk to each other for much of that time. In our re-discovery of each other we have come to the conclusion that everything is good in the world, except for the weather.

Yesterday at lunch, a Red Fody nipped in out of the rain, to dine with us. He looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. His nice red plumage was soaked and disheveled and he didn't seem to care at all about it. In fact, the bold little bird came closer than any sparrow or mynah bird had ever dared to come and so, I rewarded him with a big piece of breadstick. Now the normal practise is to take the offering, break it into pieces and then consume it with all the other patrons in the restaurant. But oh no, the Fody had always intended this to be a take-out meal. He did not want to linger when his plumage was in such a state and he picked it up and lugged it away to his perch where he could eat in private and not have to listen to what the sparrows were saying behind his back.

All I can do is keep my sense of humour because I wanted to go snorkelling today.

On a positive note it is still very warm here and we are not getting the winds that the other side of the island has been getting. In addition, we understand there has been some flooding in the capital of Port Louis.

We went over to Ile aux Cerfs today. You can see this island across the bay from our villa and there is a free ferry that you can take there from the Four Seasons. The highlights of this little tour included the discovery of a really neat little golf course on the island and catching two monster snails having sex on the practice tee. We may have been the only ones to take the ferry today because it was so wet but we wanted to check it out so we would know what to expect on our next trip to Mauritius. Speaking about our next trip, tomorrow we leave here to fly to Dubai for two nights. My next posting will probably be from the U.A.E.

Stay tuned!