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| Malaysia & Mauritius-Rtn Rakesh Gupta |
 We reached Mauritius for a sojourn in the first week of May, to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and beaches, after a 4 day halt in the hi-tech city of Kuala Lumpur. Our vacation started with 2 days in Genting Highlands, about 2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. Genting is a perfect holiday destination for the family, complete with indoor and outdoor theme parks. Entirely owned and managed by a private Chinese businessman, this is also the favorite haunt for gamblers, who treat the casino's here as their weekend getaway. Though 2 days were very less to cover the whole place, we still managed to enjoy the outdoor Theme Park with some thrilling and hi-tech rides. We traveled by the cable car, which is the longest distance covered by cable, this side of the world. Hill-station climate due to the high altitude made the whole stay at Genting like a walk-in-the clouds (literally). The moment we saw the airstrip of the Ramgoolam International airport of Mauritius from the sky, it was a dream come true. The airport is in the southern tip of the island, and is just off the beach. The arterial or central road of the country runs from this tip to the Northern part, a distance of about 80 km, which can be covered in just under an hour. Mauritius is broadly divided into 4 main cities, Curepipe (South-West), Quatre Bornes (West), Port Lois (North) and Flacq (East Coast). The beaches are sprinkled with resorts of all types, mostly along 330 km coastline of the island. Port Lous (capital) is the most advanced city, and is host to the government and all the top offices of companies operating in the country The main economy of Mauritius runs on Tourism and Sugarcane. Mauritius also received their independence as a British colony around the same time as India, and is still one of the preferred choices for Europeans to get 'sun burnt'. The whole country goes out of their way to keep the tourists busy, and any visitor can feel the warmth and respect of the locals, irrespective of the color of their skin. Indians and our culture are well represented, as 60% of the population has their ancestors from India, especially Bihar. Hindi language, movies, songs and food are as common and popular as in India. Incidentally, Bhojpuri is also one of the spoken languages. The places of interest, which we visited over a span of 12 days were Grand Baie (one of their best beaches), Blue Bay (only place in the world where you can see the corals at shallow depths), Pamplemousses (botanical garden), Port Lois, Flic-en-flac (beach), Casella (wildlife zoo), Ile-aux-Cerfs (island with beaches, sea sports). The country is prone to cyclones, and the climate varies between 20 to 27 degrees during the year, with rains as a standard feature. Most of the international hyper-malls are present in the country, and sale of locally produced Wines is fast gaining attention. The attitude of the locals is very casual, with weekends (beginning from Friday evenings) reserved for enjoyment, mostly at any of the beautiful beaches. Mauritius can truly be called a picture post-card country, and it is important to have your camera handy at any moment. The best advantage to an Indian tourist is that it is not too far from India, our language and food is common and the people share similar looks and colors like ours. Temples are seen across the nation, and they celebrate the same festivals. |
| Mauritius Facts |
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Capital: Port Louis Area: 2,040 sq km Population: 1,250,882 Languages: English (official), French, Bhojpuri, Morisyen Religion: Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 3.2% Currency: Mauritius Rupee Mauritius is the most accessible island in the Indian Ocean - a budget friendly tropical paradise. Though nestled up alongside Africa, it's actually more influenced by its British and French ties and predominantly Indian workforce. The depths of Mauritian 'winter' occur from May to November, when daytime temperatures drop from sticky to balmy. With less rain and humidity, this is one of the nicest times to visit. Weatherwise, the least agreeable period is from December to April, when the long days can prove too hot and humid for some and the threat of cyclones is in the air. Visitors should be prepared to spend several days cooped-up indoors during extra-heavy rains. Excluding peak cyclone season (January and February), December to March are the best months for diving, when the waters are at their clearest; June to August is best for surfing; and October to April is excellent for big game fishing, when the large predators feed close to shore. Apart from the period around Christmas and New Year, Mauritius doesn't really have high and low tourist seasons. The situation is more dependent on outside factors (such as French school holidays) than on the weather. |