Time flies when you are having fun so the time came around quickly.  Passing a shallow lagoon I saw people were kite surfing and I was very envious. The conditions looked perfect.

Having checked out all the beer options I can say they are dominated by the giant Phoenix owned by the global SAB Miller that has associations with Guinness.

The two rivals are the independent brewers, Thirsty Fox and Flying Dodo. Recognising their success, Phoenix released a craft beer under the Manawa name.

Having tried them all I pronounce the ‘Flying Dodo’ as the best beer. They are only sold refrigerated as they are the only one that is not pasteurised. The closest you will find to real beer in Mauritius, I think.

Pouring a Flying Dodo beer with my Phoenix beer t-shirt on. Don’t think the Flying Dodo owner would approve!

We continued our circuit of the island to find the wildest coastal section yet at Gris Gris. Arriving at the sign was too much temptation so I had to give it a try.

Shortly after we left we found a reminder of the past history  of slavery – a monument dedication.

Veen told us a story of slaves that escaped and climbed Le Morne Brabant mountain. The Dutch had introduced slavery and the British continued the practice until they decided to abolish slavery in 1835.

When the soldiers climbed the mountain to tell the runaway slaves they were free, they were so frightened they were going to be recaptured that they jumped from the cliffs. We also read accounts of a massacre so it is the subject of legends.

There is a strange phenomenon here referred to as an underwater waterfall. You need to take a flight to see it, which was outside of our budget.  I’ve read that it is shifting sand falling from an underwater shallow plateau to the deep ocean below, so it creates the illusion.  Mauritius was formed eight  million years ago and is likely to disappear from erosion in the far distant future Good job we decided to visit now!!

The area we are in now is home to a National Park. Every day of our holiday has been forecast to have thundery showers. It was only today that we experienced the brief but heavy rain. It’s very localised and passes in an hour but keeps the place lush and green.

Unfortunately it resulted in the closure of some hiking trails but we did visit Chamarel, popular for its seven coloured earth.

The colours come from levels of iron and aluminium in the soil.

Together with the attractions of a waterfall and giant tortoises it was an enjoyable day.

As it was Valentine’s day we celebrated with a special meal at Il Padrino, an Italian restaurant. Starters of beef carpaccio with pistachio mash, black rice with salmon and avocado and a spinach and cheese stuffed bao bun. The main course was Wagyu beef ravioli  and the dessert a tiramisu cake with strawberry coulis.  All very inventive and very tasty!

We are making our way down the West coast so lots of sunset views.

Our host at the last guest house cooked us a Mauritian curry, so we got to sample the unique flavours, so different from Indian curries.

At our current stay owned by a French couple the lady gave us breakfast with a homemade mango and vanilla jam, made from the garden produce.

We started the day with a short nature trail named after my daughter.

We thought we had found baby hedgehogs foraging for food.

Apparently they are Tenrecs!

We have also seen some native birds, the Bulbul, a noisy songbird and a bright red fody.

Some of the wildlife came to our apartment. Gordon the gecko and of course the resident cat!

Our surprise highlight of the day was a visit to a Martello tower constructed by the British. We thought the man in Napoleonic uniform was part of the museum staff. Apparently he was a member of the Napoleonic society from Birmingham!

We were treated as celebrities and posted on their Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BLBGcxF8g/

Finally a place I can pronounce without too much embarrassment. It comes from the Dutch language meaning flat and free and has been ‘frenchified’ like everything else.

When we left Mont Choisy there was a dragon dance and firecrackers from the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Now it’s a Hindu festival with the Indian community lining the streets.

We decided to hike the Tamarind waterfalls today. When I say we,  Laurel was less than keen. We met a guide at the entrance and it turned out to be a good thing as we may have not survived (at least as a couple) if we hadn’t. His name was Tannoo. He told us he was Hindu and Christian but most of all he was a lover of nature. We had a little awkward moment when he adopted a yoga pose and started chanting but actually he was a great guide, paying special attention to Laurel’s safety. The trails were more than challenging but also rewarding.

Tannoo would make convincing bird calls and birds would appear. The waterfall stops were lovely and he managed to keep us away from the big groups making it a private excursion.

An interesting rest break at a rock pool became a fish pedicure!

The highlight of the day was swimming in natural water that was actually cool being 25 metres deep.

Leaving the waterfalls was equally challenging but very photogenic.

Goodbye to Tannoo, a spritely 65 year old, well worth the guide fee.

We spent the day exploring, starting with an old sugar plantation and factory, now a museum. The museum was not just about the sugar production but also the history of Mauritius.

Right at the entrance is a boiler and being a tropical country it is completely exposed unlike anything in our country. I closely inspected the components while Laurel yawned!

Sugar cane was brought to the island by the Dutch and it was amazing to see the short timescale of the original forest being replaced by sugar cane planting.

I was fascinated by the process of the machinery stripping and pressing the cane to release the juice and then the subsequent heating, lime treatment, centrifuge and drying to produce granulated sugar and molasses.

It was good to see that nothing was wasted. The stripped cane or bagasse was used in 1870 as fuel for the boiler. This is something that happened one hundred years later in the UK as an attempt to make power stations ‘greener’. The residue was sent for use as fertiliser.

I didn’t know that there were so many types of sugar but we tasted them all. After that and tasting the flavoured jams and honey and finally their finest rum we were on a ‘sugar high’. Ok that was probably the rum!

We continued to the ‘Flying Dodo Brewery’, incongruously located at a shopping mall.

I have to stress I was driving so the amount of alcohol was thimble-sized.  (Honestly, your honour!).   I had a sample of their Blonde beer and bought a bottle to take away.

I read a BBC article about the brewery and apparently the owner enjoyed real beer in Europe and decided to start up in Mauritius in 2011.  It is the first and only craft brewery here, so they say.

I like the humour of the owner – as there was previously only one brewery on the island, owned by Phoenix, he decided to use the Dodo for his.  On my bottle it says ‘Flying Dodo Brewing Company’ is the first craft brewery in the history of Mauritius.  We hand produce our beers with passion.  They are intended to be appreciated while sitting in a leather armchair and profoundly enjoying life.  Once opened, to be consumed immediately.   After consumption, do not attempt to solve complex mathematical equations.’!

Continuing North we visited Belle Mare, probably the best beach so far, and one you could stroll along for miles.

Today was mainly for my benefit, a visit to the Botanical gardens at Pamplemousse. The gardens are full of trees and palms, providing welcome shade.

One of the highlights is the pond area full of giant waterlilies. They were dedicated to our Queen Victoria so are known as Victoria Amazonica, the second largest waterlily in the world.

The huge trunk of this Baobab tree is another feature in the garden.

Veen told us about a beautiful red church on the coast so we had to see it – it’s the Notre Dame Auxiliatrice de cap Malheureux. It is such a stunning contrast of the red roof against the blue sky and coastal setting.

It is an active church with evening mass but when we visited most of the locals were enjoying lunch of grilled fish under the shade of the nearby trees.

We stayed at the Yannkoko villa at Petite Raffray and had two interesting evening meals nearby.

The first was at a restaurant we found along a dark, dirt track. It was such a surprise to find they had a disco dance floor!

The second was at equally surprising surroundings with great food as well.

We have started our tour of Mauritius and from Mahebourg we are driving anti-clockwise to Trou d’Eau Douce (hole of sweet water). As the island is only about 38 miles long and 29 miles wide it won’t take long but we are just meandering along the coastal road stopping as we please.

Boats leave from the jetty here to Ile aux Cerfs (Deer Island).  It’s a popular day trip for tourists and also for Mauritians. We booked a Catamaran trip with drinks and a barbecue lunch included. It was a good choice with the freedom to move around the catamaran and a friendly crew chatting with us and serving ample food and drinks.

We stopped at a waterfall where there were wild monkeys nearby.

After a snorkeling stop we had some free time lazing around on the island before heading back on a small boat to rejoin the catamaran.

I thought the Blue Marlin beer would match the day. Still from the Phoenix brewery but a little darker, more flavour and a bit stronger at 6%.

We went to a public beach today close to our guest house. 

The blue bay has so many layers of blue, turquoise and green and is idyllic.

The bay has a marine reserve trying to let the reef recover from years of abuse. It’s heartening to know that it works given time.

Everything in Mauritius seems so relaxed. Nobody seems to get angry even when driving and  music on the beach, which I normally hate, is a soft French melody with an equally soft reggae beat.

I saw a puppy, so excited to be in the water but desperately hanging on to his master. It made a great picture anyway!

Forgot to mention the beer although Mauritius has only one brewery, as far as I know, but I’m still looking. The Phoenix brewery started in 1953, my birth year!

As expected they produce a standard but very satisfying lager with a good sparkling head and a touch of sweetness that I like in a lager. They have a few other offerings but I have not tried them yet.

Dinner was at the Restaurant du Lac, a beautiful lakeside setting that was deserted as people come for lunch and then to watch the sunset. Being British we were the first there for an evening meal. As we were alone it felt quite special, just laid on for us.

Having spent the last few winter holidays exploring Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand I was looking for a new destination.

It had to be somewhere warm in February and my wife said “how about Mauritius”? Our good friend and neighbour Veen Rama is Mauritian and has often sung its praises as a holiday destination.      Veen came from  poor beginnings in the Vacoas region of Mauritius. He came to the UK to work as a nurse and studied law to become a magistrate. Veen is the most liberal person I know who is never critical of anyone regardless of their background and always makes unbiased decisions.

Luckily for us Veen has a friend called Vishal who met us and set us up with a hire car, sat nav and a local phone to start us on our way.

When we arrived I was searching faces for a typical Mauritian look but of course Mauritius is a country of immigrants descended from Portuguese, Dutch, French and British colonists, African slaves, Chinese traders and indentured Indian labourers. That is one hell of a melting pot.

Arriving in Mahébourg it was obvious that the French have left the biggest influence. We had our first meal, at the Chez Francois restaurant. Having said that I guess the meal ‘Mine Frite’, a popular Mauritian dish, is Chinese inspired.

Our first accommodation is the ChillPill guesthouse with a perfect location on the waterfront.