Rodrigues: Sixth, and final day We're finally starting to feel the effects of the anticyclone battering the region, that had been threatening to ruin our short break, away from home. No biggie, not much planned in terms of fun activities today. Just a set of 'things to get' from the cliché Rodrigues selection from Port Mathurin Market, before hitching a ride back home. To sum this very short week up, lots of short activities packed back to back, in what has probably been the most restful holidays EVER! I don't recall having that many days with consistently 8-9 straight hours of sleep in the last 15 years! Awful Wi-Fi at the hotel, coupled with limited TV, meant early night every single night. We had planned to go star gazing at some point, but that didn't happen because of the cloud cover at night. Escale vacances, the hotel which was our base of operations, was adequate for the price. Pleasantly surprised with the food, which has been well above my expectations, ...
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Rodrigues: Day 5 We've been alternating active and lazy days to minimise fatigue, although to be honest, even the active days have been very chilled. Today is one of those lazier days! First plan is bird spotting at reserve la Grande montage. Two targets for the day are the warbler and the Rodrigues fody. Lucky for us, we bump into one of Denis' MWF friends working in the conservation area! Private guided tour for us, thank you very much! The reserve itself is home to almost exclusively endemic plants. We're told that there are around 40 species specific to Rodrigues, and an additional 20 for the mascareignes, on the island. The few invasive exotic plants in the area have been left there deliberately to show visitors the damage they cause. Very few plants around the huge sintok guava tree, that literally sucks the life around it. Compare that to endemic plants that grow fairly harmoniously together elsewhere in the park. Around the edges of the park, work being done to ex...
Rodrigues: Day 4 What do you do when you are so ashamed of your own 'flesh and blood' that you absolutely must get rid of it without delay, and not give anyone else the 'chance' to have a peep before elimination? What do you do when, the only means of getting rid of said "offspring' is by flushing it down a toilet with an empty tank that's not filling up quick enough (courtesy of a very low water pressure in the domestic water distribution)??? What do you do when the 'cable' you had been so lovingly nursing in your entrails for the last few hours is causing so much shame and panic that sweat beads are forced through the pores of your forehead!! that's the conundrum that one of our team members faced at the beginning of the day! Lucky for him, he was blessed with the powers of improvisation, and a soft 500 ml gel flask I'll let you imagine the rest So, the plan today is to hike down from cascade pistache, to the coast at pointe pistache, ...
Rodrigues Day 3: After yesterday's ‘semi active day’ today we go the more traditional touristic route, sightseeing. First order of business however is to sort out the car shoes, else, friendly as Murphy is, it's either a breakdown in waiting or a fine for running on worn out tyres! Show up at the car owner’s literally la boutik sintok and we're told we need to have the offending consumables swapped, since there was no spare car. Lose a good hour in the process. Nothing can do Head to Francois legat tortoise and cave reserve. We really were only interested in the caves there, but the whole thing comes as a package. The park is owned by the same people running la vanille crocodile park back home and is a conservation area for endemic plants. In a nutshell, aforementioned endemic plants, tortoise galore (aldabra, radiata and the now extinct in the wild, 'a soc') and cave discovery, all wrapped up by a very imaginative and entertaining guide. Quite pleasantly surpris...
Breakfast on a banana, couple of sunny side ups, chicken ham sausage and bread. Nothing stellar, but does the job. Limo for our trip is a Toyota Rav 4 that gets dropped at the hotel by the car guy. We have 2 confirmed and a baby driver, @Pascal, in our group of … .. … 3 need to find an L plate to attach to the back of the ride until we do, he's our navigator Let's aim for the top. Mount Limon it is, peak of the island. Park by the roadside, and a well marked mini hike leads us to the summit. Somewhat obstructed views, but enjoyable nonetheless. The area around Mont Limon has been largely replanted with endemic species and birds abound. Pascal the bird shooter and Denis our conservationist, have a blast. Denis seems to be an expert at flora, his fauna knowledge though, needs some work! Hesitates on bird identification, and can't even tell an ostrich from a canary from their respective chants For info, apparently endemic plants are sold for a rupee or two per plant on...
Baby plane boarded, Rodrigues, here we come. Note to self, just because Rodrigues technically is still part of Mauritius, doesn't mean you don't have to fill in disembarcation card, and therefore, pen is a mandatory travel accessory! Additional note: shaving is also mandatory, unless you don't mind being stopped at customs @Denis . Overcast day. Walk to bus stop, 20 mins wait and our adventure starts. First to hop on an empty bus that gradually gets filled to the brink as we approach Port Mathurin, our destination for the day. Check in escales vacances, and out we go for lunch and to explore the ‘city’. End up on top of the hill overlooking the port mathurin. Place looks like an open air amphitheatre. Retreat to the hotel for dinner and shower. Early night since we doubt have the rented car yet. Menu as per attached picture