Mauritius – See? No Sea! Part-2
Mauritius is a peculiar island. No snakes exist here. In fact, even when they brought snakes from India, those reptiles did not survive. Another interesting feature of the island is the endemic giant water lily. Its coracle-shaped large flat leaves provide a vantage for the birds to hunt for fish in the ponds. For a traveller, the best place to spot these is the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden or Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden. But it has been there for a long while. So what’s new? Let’s check out some fun activities for all age groups.
To read Mauritius – See? No Sea! Part-1, click HERE.
Giant Beasts, Rainbow Colours, and Rums
One morning took me to Casela, a nature reserve spread over two thousand hectares. My guide walked me to a fenced enclosure that housed a few lions! Upon checking, he told me I would soon enter and pat the lions. This casual message sent a chill up my spine! Sure enough, I patted the lions – under the strict vigil of the caretaker armed with just a stout stick for protection!
Here, in Casela, one can spot many rare and exotic creatures like rhinos, ostriches, kudus, and more during a short safari drive. Another first for me was to not just see, but touch the graceful rare felines, the caracals. These lovable pointy-eared cats snuggled up to me and were fearless as they moved about while the visitors were all ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ around them. I also fed giraffes here and missed my daughters. It would have thrilled them to be here!
Another vast estate in South-west Mauritius, Chamarel, had a pen-full of 7-coloured sand – a result of volcanic eruption many centuries back. I went around admiring some waterfalls here and made my way to Rhumerie de Chamarel.
Besides a guided tour of the rum-making facility, sampling their specialty rums like VSOP, XO, spiced, vanilla, coffee rum, etc. gave me a quick high. Their fine-dining restaurant served a delectable Duck Confit with their unique orange dip. Just-right textures and tastes in a unique surrounding were an experience to savour!
The Mind-benders
Close to the Rhumerie, a nondescript building displayed a rather flamboyant name – Curious Corner. Here, in a small library-cum-cigar room, they said ‘find a secret passage if you wish to go further’. Falling back on the various detective books of my childhood – from Five Find-outer mysteries to Hardy Boys exploits – I tried with all my might to figure a way through. But to no avail. They had to show me the way forward!
Once inside, my entire world went topsy-turvy. The room inside seemed to defy gravity. Here, I went crawling on the ceiling and did a few unusual headstands. Or so it seemed! Further up ahead, there was a room full of video illusions – not-so-parallel parallels to not-so-straight straights, Mobius strips, Penrose triangles, flat bulges, and more. Entering an elevator, I gaped down the elevator shaft, as if the elevator floor had given way!
Their Hall of Illusions reminded me of the climax scene fight between Mr. Han and Bruce Lee in the 70s hit, Enter The Dragon. While there seemed to be a passage everywhere, bumping into mirror walls now and then happened. After getting out, there still was no let-up as the illusions even filled the outdoors, like the stuff that turned a normal human being into a midget. This place lived up to its name!
Estate life – A peep into a bygone era
Next stop – Château de Labourdonnais. This well-appointed mansion dates back over 150 years, and they have restored it to give the visitors a glimpse of plantation life in Mauritius. It is in a 1400-acre estate that houses sprawling orchards overflowing with many tropical fruits, including over 50 varieties of mangoes. I consider varieties of rum made here well worth the premium they command.
There is a link between sugar production and the history of Mauritius. Sugarcane plantations cover the island, and the first sugar factories came about over 300 years ago. I visited L’Aventure Du Sucre, an old sugar factory that is now a sugar production process museum. Each old exhibit here was not just quaint, but also told an old colonial tale. From old modes of transport to old sugar making machinery, every item on display transported me back to the 1800s. Visiting this unique museum took my understanding of this island a few notches up.
While some hitherto untried adventures in the ocean punctuated our stay, what I experienced on land in Mauritius made me resolve to not make light of any future island visit. This little dot in the Indian Ocean is adding newer on-land attractions faster than the change of seasons! Visit and experience them soon, before they become old hat!
