Ile Des Deux Cocos; Mauritius

Bonzeur (Hello in Creole)

We just left paradise. I cannot even believe how lucky we are for that experience. The most incredible, beautiful, romantic place I have ever been to! We started the morning with an hour and a half bus ride from Port Louis to the other side of the island. Bus ride = not a whole lot of fun. It was hot and cramped, but Sean and I can make any situation fun and we got to drive through the green beautiful hills past the sugar cane fields and tea plantations and learn more about the history and economy and languages of Mauritius. When the clouds sank away behind us, choosing to stay on the green jagged mountaintops, we reached the south side of the island and drove off the main road onto a little pathway surrounded on either side by sugarcane stalks as tall as the bus. This path turned out to the prettiest little opening looking out at the sparkling water all different shades of blue. To the right and left, coves housed mansions on the beach with sailboats dotting the water line. Far out from the clear blue water you could see the surf breaking beyond the island cove entrance. The water below us on the dock was so clear you could see the coral designs and fin patterns of the fish that swam in and out of the reef. Across the way, this beautiful tiny island faced us amidst the diamonds glinting off the water surface. You could see only one villa on it and chairs scattered among the trees lining the beach. We were ecstatic; this was our private island for the day: Ile des Deux Cocos. We were shuttled across the cove in glass-bottomed boats to paradise. There were covered cabanas with pillows and couches for us to nap in, lounge chairs in the shade of coconut trees, and white sand outlining the clear blue of the water. I have never seen the color blues that I did on that island; clear water turned turquoise the farther out you went and the dark blue patches told you where the coral reefs were. You could see the white sand reflected underneath the bright aquamarine out by the snorkeling bay right next to the darker sky blue of the current framed by the white surf 20 meters out. We found our chairs, got our drinks and laid back to look out at our view, truly believing we had just found heaven. The whole day was spent in the sun, playing in the water and snorkeling among the coral reefs, laying in the white sand and napping in the shade. Sean and I swam out to the turquoise strip of water just to feel it and found out how strong the current really was. We swam hard for about 15 minutes not moving anywhere and my muscles are still sore. A buffet lunch was served to us of fresh-grilled lamb, tuna, marlin, and prawns. Dessert was a buffet of fresh island fruit (with coconut!!!). The whole day was incredible. I’m having my honeymoon there for sure, we found out you can rent the villa and practically have the whole island to yourself (staff included). Everyone was so sad to leave, we could have spent so much more time enjoying the finest Mauritius had to offer. It was paradise at its best. Nothing about that day can be thought of without smiling.

I’ll finish the South Africa blog today and post it as soon as I write a couple papers (yes, I still have to do school). I just had to write about Mauritius first because I cannot get over how beautiful it was and South Africa is a lot to write about.

Love &peace,

Ally