Mauritius is a wild blend of cultures.  Originally a French colony, it became a British colony.  Thus, they drive on the left, kept French law (the Napoleonic code), speak English officially but also French and a creole that is, I’m informed, 80% French but words are spelled more like the English would spell them.  For example the French ‘moi’ is used with the same pronunciation and meaning but spelled ‘mwa.’ 

Black slaves were brought in for labor, but when slavery was abolished in 1835, indentured servants were brought in, mostly from India but also China and other countries.  They all live together now, apparently in harmony, and have created a composite but distinctive culture of their own.  We were in port on a national holiday—one of the Hindu sects’ New Year—so most shops were closed.

Our bus tour took us to a view point—Mauritius is volcanic and has several interestingly shaped peaks,—to the market (open on the holiday until 1 pm), and to the Botanical Garden.  The market was both produce and souvenirs or crafts and we were collared and bought t-shirts…  The Botanical Garden was large and peaceful.  Driving through the city reminded us of Addis Ababa with a lot of trash and mostly torn-down buildings. 

A hot, cloudy day spit out some hardly noticeable rain during our tour which turned to actual rain as we re-boarded the ship about 1:30, and then it became socked in and rainy for the rest of the afternoon.  I was glad we had not joined the passengers who went to nearby resorts for a beach day.  On the other hand I somewhat envied those who visited the underwater world either scuba diving or in a ‘submarine.’  I recall that my only previous acquaintance with Mauritius was that some people with the U.S. State Department in Ethiopia when we were there headed to Mauritius for a diving vacation.

At dinner we met a couple who had decided they weren’t up to 8 days at sea so they left the ship at Perth, flew to Singapore for a few days, and rejoined us today in Mauritius!