Go with Henry: Sleepy Coastal Mahebourg and sugarcane plantation countryside

Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Sleepy Coastal Mahebourg and sugarcane plantation countryside

Honeymoon in Mauritius

Exploring Mauritius by car

First trip - Part 1

July 2015

Background

Seven years after we got married, we were able to have the honeymoon we always wanted. We could only afford it after working for 6 months in Saudi Arabia, earning very good money. So I booked a full 7 day -7-night hotel package for us at the four stars Preskil Beach resort in Mahebourg, Mauritius through Flight Centre. It cost R40 000 for the two of us after we calculated all the hidden expenses and the extra things we did. We spent time on the beach at the hotel, but like the explorers we are, we were not content sitting still. So we rented a white little Hyundai i10 car and took day trips all around the island.

This island has such a rich culture and various ethnic, cultural and religious groups make up the population of the island. There are also a huge amount of expats, especially South Africans who have made this compact tropical island their home. Even though it is not a big island, it will probably take a year just to get a taste of everything and visit all the places. Pristine beaches to the exterior and sugar cane fields with beautiful mountain scenery make up most of the island. I took more than a thousand photos, which I will only post the best here. This photo expose will hopefully paint a picture of our experiences on this beautiful island.

Mahebourg countryside road near the international airport

First exploration

This was our first drive with our little i10 Hyundai rental car. We rented a GPS along with the car and just started to drive in a direction. After driving around in Mahebourg for some time we found ourselves on the road towards the airport, with beautiful natural scenery and sugar cane fields.

We ended up in Curepipe and Trou aux Cerfs dormant volcano (Part 2), although we never saw the actual crater and volcano. We decided to input directions to Blue Bay Marine Park (Part 3) on our GPS and we spent a lovely late afternoon at the beach there before driving through Blue Bay towards the Preskil Beach resort we stayed at.

Mahebourg fishing boats

About Mauritius

Mauritius (French: Maurice), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometers off the southeast coast of the African continent. The country includes the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues [560 kilometers east of Mauritius], and the outer islands (Agaléga, St. Brandon and two disputed territories). The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues form part of the Mascarene Islands, along with nearby Réunion, a French overseas department. The area of the country is 2,040 km2. The capital and largest city is Port Louis. Formerly a Dutch colony (1638–1710) and a French colony (1715–1810), Mauritius became a British colonial possession in 1810 and remained so until 1968, the year in which it attained independence. The government uses English as its main language.

The people of Mauritius are multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multicultural and multilingual. The island's government is closely modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system, and Mauritius is highly ranked for democracy and for economic and political freedom. Along with the other Mascarene Islands, Mauritius is known for its varied flora and fauna, with many species endemic to the island. The island is widely known as the only known home of the dodo, which, along with several other avian species, was made extinct by human activities relatively shortly after the island's settlement (Wikipedia).

Mahebourg monument of some sorts

Mahebourg

Mahébourg is a small city (population 15,457 as of 2015) on the south-eastern coast of the island of Mauritius and is considered the main village of the Grand Port District. It is named after Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, one of the most successful governors of the French colonial period. It was originally built by the Netherlands during their brief period of colonization of the island. It was close to their landing port because it had ample water supply from many rivers and streams and had a scenic view of the large bay area.

Mahébourg knew major development around 1806 during the French colonization era. The well-planned wide streets in the old section of Mahébourg still bear testimony to this Dutch and French colonial past. After the French chose Port Louis as the main port Mahébourg declined into a sleepy coastal city. It is well known for its lagoon (the biggest of Mauritius) and for its fishing industry (Wikipedia).