Bicycling to Blue Bay

Blue Bay is a beautiful lagoon in the Southeast of the island. My friend Julia and I started in Mahebourg where we rented bicycles from a small shop (at least they fit the general definition of bicycles) and biked the coast to Blue Bay. The bikes were rusted and had some gear issues but the views were spectacular. Small, colorful boats line the edge of the water.
Blue Bay is a small beach, but on a weekday at the end of winter is was relatively quite.




The lagoon makes for wonderful snorkeling, even within the ropes of the swimming area.

Scuba Diving

A Note on lack of pictures/posts: From what I've heard from most of you, it's the pictures that keep you interested in this blog. Don't feel bad, they're what keep me interested too. Unfortunately, about two weeks ago my camera was stolen and I haven't quite gotten around to getting a new one. And without pictures I've been reluctant to write new posts. But I'm working on getting a camera and will be up to speed before you know it. Until then, I'll have to rely on friends and tourist websites.



So, Scuba. Yesterday I went scuba diving in the way north of the island off of Cap Malheureax, near the small island shown in the picture above, Coin De Mire. On the way to the first dive site we saw humpback whales from the boat. We didn't see them from under the water but oh my goodness could we hear them! I felt like I was in a National Geographic documentary. They're long, low cries sound highly emotional and are followed by responsive whistling. Their communication made for incredible background music as we explored a shipwreck surrounded by thousands (maybe millions) of tropical fish. We saw a yellow spotted eel that was not much smaller than me and huge rays which my friend Kenny insisted were still babies, but were way bigger than any I've ever seen. We also did a drift dive, letting the current take us through coral arches and over bustling marine life. So far, all three dives I've done in Mauritius have been wonderful and I cannot wait to do more!

How small is Mauritius?

you mean other than one-tenth the size of New Jersey?

Well, the answer is: small enough for one traffic accident to cause the entire country to shut down for four hours. Tuesday at 7 am on the motorway to the capital city, Port Louis, a truck carrying 30 tons of sugar crashed into a bus. The tragic accident proved fatal for four of the bus passengers. The news of the accident spread fast as the motorways came to a halt. There is only one road leading into the main city and almost everyone in the country works in Port Louis. Therefor, traffic over most of the island was back up for at least 3 hours while the motorway was cleared. Offices were unable to open or were forced to operate without enough staff. University classes were canceled because professors and students could not get to campus. The buses ran off schedule for the rest of the day. In short, one road accident shut down the country.

Moreover, no one thought this was weird.