Pictures with Commentary - 2

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diary Entry 3

A delay I know but also decided that the day-by-day entry was getting boring so I have changed the layout to by topic ramblings...

Precipitation, Perspiration, Condensation and The Pacific

Let’s start with the weather, the weather in Mauritius has ADD! One minute it is pouring down torrential rains and the next it is blue skies and sunny, sometimes it does both and you can’t even tell where the rain is coming from! This makes laundry day very interesting, especially because it takes hours/days for things to dry due to the humidity and general damp weather. We had mostly overcast and wet weather for the first two weeks and from then on we have had hot, occasionally wet weather. Sometimes we can hear storms during the night and early mornings, sometimes, just as I have got the washing on the line, it rains but in between these storms we have clear blue skies. The weather is warm, a different heat to Johannesburg summers, probably averages around 28°C.

Doing housework causes perspiration and lots of it, I generally have a sweat towel on hand to wipe my face, got to be good for the pours! It was almost unbearable until I found The Pacific, a stand fan and the new love of my life. Sometimes I find myself just standing in front of it just trying to cool down. It has multiple uses too as it helps cool down the downstairs, which has no aircons, as well as keeps the mozzies at bay. Today we found a new use, once Beatrice has mopped the tiles, the blowing fan dries the tiles far quicker.

Another thing I have to mention is the condensation, no wooden table is safe in this place and even regular coasters don’t stand a chance, we have resorted to using folded tea-towels under our drinks. With the warm air, the ice in your drink melts quicker than I am used to and you often find your drink diluted and warm before you reach the bottom, I have two solutions to this problem, use smaller glasses and fill up often or drink your drink quicker!

Shopping in Mauritius

Grocery shopping is an interesting adventure, Ash and I think we have found the formula. Fresh produce we can buy from either the Port Louis Market, which looks like something out of movie, where everything is displayed in huge baskets that is brought in fresh daily from the farms or Food Lovers Market. The FLM looks exactly like the ones in SA, a bit too familiar but we like knowing the produce is fresh and there is one close to our house. FLM is good for meat as well as bread and apparently the only place for decent sushi.

For non-perishables we like Pick n Pay, the prices are not as bad as you would imagine and we are able to find a few of the home comforts that remind us of home. The Super U is also ok for these grocery items; they are also good for the Chinese imported goods like cheap kitchen products, glasses, appliances and décor.

For clothes shopping they have Woolies, Mango and a few local stores. You can also find “fake” brands in some stores which advertise 60% off everything but the discounted prices are close to what you would expect to pay. You don’t find much that is cheaper than Joburg, surprising due to the Chinese influence here. I would say we can get things more cheaply at our Chinese Markets than here. Items in Mauritius are on par or just above SA, so I would say in general shopping costs you 10-20% more.

On Sasch and Drey’s visit we also found a local “Flea Market”, the prices here were cheaper than the main stores and beachfront shops but you do get hassled a lot. These traders are super switched on and will even convert your purchases to ZAR if you ask them to. At The Grand Baie Bazaar (Flea Market) you can get anything from Foakleys to Fiesel, as well as souvenirs, table clothes and more! Sasch and I (mainly Sasch) bargained a guy down from Rs 1200 (about R350) to half! Rs600 (R175) for a Mauritian table runner for our home, not super cheap but a nice little local addition.

Restaurants and Nightlife

When choosing a Restaurant in Grand Baie, you should not look for the cheapest option, it is better to spend slightly more money and get much more in terms of quality of the food. Our favourites so far are The Grill at Banana Beach Café, The Beach House and The Patch n Parrot. Some on our list to try together are three restaurants with the same owner: Paparazzi Pizza, Cocolokos and Sunset Café. I have tried 2 of these and keen to take Ash and any other visitors we have soon.

We have now established that if you are invited out and the meeting time is 8:30pm that you do not eat before, this is a dinner invitation, Ash and I learnt this the hard way and ate dinner twice that night. Because social meeting times are so late, everything starts late and before you know it, it is 4am and you are making your way home.
 
Driving in Mauritius

I mentioned shopping in Mauritius was an interesting adventure, nothing is an adventure until you have driven in Mauritius. Here are the basic rules of the road:
1) Never under any circumstances let anyone in, if you do then the sixteen guys behind him think you have fallen asleep at the wheel and push ahead of you.
2) Look out for pedestrians, cyclist, scooters, motorbikes and dogs, you need a sixth sense for these loose cannons, one waiting around every corner to jump out at you and scare the living daylights out of you.
3) Park anywhere, I mean anywhere, middle of the road, no hazards needed! Just don’t park in dedicated parking bays in town, for this you will get a ticket.
4) Use your hooter but only as a warning, not an instrument of violent rage (as we do in SA), for example if you are about to overtake a scooter, give a little friendly toot-toot to let him know you are passing.
5) When an oncoming driver flashes their lights at you, this is not a friendly gesture to let you go ahead, this is a warning that they are about to cut you off, even if you have right of way. It’s a kind of thank you before you have had a chance to accept the action.
6) Most import rule of all, never get upset, no matter how many times you get cut off, pounced on by a pedestrian or hooted at, never get angry, remember we live in Paradise!

Pictures with Commentary - 1

Arriving at the airport...9 bags, 2 golf bags and a guitar!

Welcome to the Republic of Mauritius!

Pereybere Beach (3mins drive from home!)



Raining on our the first morning

Shopping Malls still decorated for Chinese New Year

World Poker Tour - For Sasch and Ryan

Our first braai with SA Jockey Mark...

Kareena in white

The kids pretending to be "Escargot"

Green Island Rum cocktails!

Lobster tails on the braai (Mark and Friends)

Ash at work on the first day that i went with to Port Louis

Port Louis Street View

Port Louis Street View

Port Louis Street View - China Town

Port Louis Street View - Reminding us of Friends!



On the list of things to buy - around R2,245

On the list of things to buy - around R4,285

On the list of things to buy - around R942

On the list of things to buy - around R8,257

On the list of things to buy - around R1,142

Cocktails at La Croisette - Singapore Sling and a Phoenix beer (THE local beer)

My cheap washing hanger thingy

Our house

Chillaxing by the pool

Our Ranger - perfect Island Vehicle

Our Ranger - perfect Island Vehicle

Our Ranger - perfect Island Vehicle

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers - Sega Dancers

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers - Sega Dancers showing us the intruments

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers - Sega Dancers and band

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers

First Dinner out at Sea Lovers - AKA The Red Cat

Rainy drive into work on Casual Friday

Rainy drive into work on Casual Friday

Rainy drive into work on Casual Friday - Ash's parking spot in Port Louis

B52 with Vicky and Alan

Breakfast being cooked for me on our first Saturday

Breakfast on our first Saturday

Cheeky vistor who comes in and asks for bread

Perfect spot for our gift from friends

Snacks and drinks at Le Rendez-vous Cafe

Snacks and drinks at Le Rendez-vous Cafe

Chinese Festival celebrations in the street

Chinese Festival celebrations in the street

Alvin's birthday celebration at The Beach House (Mark, Kim, Ash and CC)

The Beach House - A food and booze feast!

The Beach House (Kamal and Ash)

The Beach House (Ash, Mark and Cabous)

The Beach House (CC, Kareena and Kim)

Les Enfants Terribles Nightclub (Translation "Terrible Children")

Les Enfants Terribles Nightclub (Translation "Terrible Children")

SA Braai Style - Beer Chicken and Phoenix Fresh

SA Braai Style - Beer Chicken and Phoenix Fresh

SA Braai Style - Beer Chicken and Phoenix Fresh

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