“You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then Heaven; and that Heaven was copied after Mauritius” -Mark Twain, 1897

On March 23, we landed in Port Louis, Mauritius early in the morning. We had an on ship diplomatic briefing and then cleared the ship for two days in paradise. We ported in a beautiful new terminal and were greeted by local Mauritians in the port, singing and dancing as we left the gangway. From the port, we walked towards downtown Port Louis. Not really sure where we were headed, we were helped by the nicest port security guards who gave us great directions. After winding around side streets and back roads we eventually reached the downtown area where we exchanged our Indian Rupees for Mauritian currency. We explored the vibrant downtown area and eventually wandered into a wonderful little market. We spent the majority of the morning there, visiting little shops and talking to local residents. We had a great lunch outside on the boardwalk near the market. Later, we ventured back to the ship to meet up with our group that all got a hotel together in Grand Baie, another part of the island. It ended up being about an hour taxi ride to Grand Baie, and the lightest warm rain sprinkled as we drove. It was a beautiful ride, all us crammed into a tiny cab. On one side was the coastline and the other side were miles and miles of sugarcane – with a stormy overcast sky in the background. By the time we reached Grand Baie, the skies had cleared up and we checked into the Merville Beach Hotel – a wonderful little hotel right on the beach. We left our stuff there and walked into town, stopping at several points to take in the incredible views from the beaches. I don’t really know how to describe the beaches other than the water was clear, the sand was white and it looked like a postcard paradise landscape. I thought beaches like these existed only in pictures and in the movies until our day in Grand Baie. We eventually made our way back to the hotel where we put our bathing suits on and spent the next several hours swimming in the warm waters of the most beautiful calm little lagoon. We watched schools of tiny jumping fish swim through the water as the current changed and later we watched the sun enter the water as the afternoon turned to dusk. It was picturesque. We later had an amazing meal at a very trendy restaurant called Cocoloco – I had the greatest raw tuna I’ve ever eaten.

The next morning we woke up and headed to Flic en Flac Beach, on another part of the island. It was a beautiful clear day, the perfect weather for the beach. Our cab driver drove us through different sections of the island, describing each community along the way. I was glad to try and at least get a little of the culture, I felt a little guilty spending our entire time on the beach. But then how couldn’t we? We were actually in paradise! We had a wonderful afternoon laying out, swimming and taking in the gorgeous scenery. We eventually made our way back to the ship to depart for South Africa. Mark Twain’s quote is the essence of the island, and Mauritians know it – they are very proud to be residents of such a beautiful nation.

I had never heard of Mauritius before I saw it on the itinerary for Semester at Sea. I couldn’t even pronounce it correctly. And honestly, I spent the majority of my time there soaking in the beauty while lying on the white sand beaches and enjoying the company of the awesome friends that I have made on this trip. Yet, I still feel like I learned – I learned the history of the island, which included the fateful tale of the Dodo bird. Mauritius is notoriously known as the onetime home of the extinct Dodo bird. Dodo birds were killed off by settlers when the island was first discovered. Weighing nearly 40 pounds and standing a few feet high, the Dodo bird was typically clubbed to death and eaten. Instead of running away when they saw what was happening to their friends, the Dodo birds would just wait for themselves to be clubbed and were considered really stupid. That’s where the term “you’re a dodo” comes from! Anyway, for some reason, Mauritius likes the history of the Dodo bird and it is sort of their national symbol. I also learned that the people are incredibly tolerant. Home to several different ethnic groups with a wide variety of national languages, the people of Mauritius have peacefully learned to coexist.

I liked the attitude of the people, they were warm and friendly – but also exuded a feeling of pride and confidence. While not yet on the mainland, my first visit to an African nation was wonderful. I would have thought that by now I would get used to the ocean, seeing it out my window every day. But I don’t think you ever really get used to it. It shows me something new each day, a new tinge of color in the water, a different sun set each night. And the waters and shores of Mauritius cannot be compared with anything else in the world.