Mahashivratri

Mahashivratri (also spelled Mahashivtratree) is a major festival for the Hindu community of Mauritius. Literally "the Great Night of Shiva" it is the most important festival for the devotees of Lord Shiva. Pilgrims walk from all over the island to the sacred lake of Grand Bassin or Ganga Talao. The water in the lake is said to share a source with the waters of the holy Ganges in India and is thus a holy place. The actual public holiday was on a Friday but people coming from the farthest distances started as early as Monday.

I went with a group of friends from the Rotaract club. We started walking from a town close to where I live around 7:30 pm Thursday. Along the road we met up with thousands of people walking towards the lake and passed thousands more on their long journeys home. Some were carrying cavadees of Lord Shiva. Many were barefoot, many others were in flip flops and many of the women were wearing traditional dress such as saris.

In our trainers and backpacks we passed next to the endless line of cars also headed south. Along the road were shelters providing places to sit, food, candy, tea and juice. But we tried not to stop too much, opting instead to keep the momentum. Even power walking, it took us 4 hours to reach Grand Bassin.

The crowd, the lights, the incense, the rain... the scene was overwhelming and wonderful. Everyone sharing a common experience of devotion and worship but doing so in their own personal way.

Above: a giant statue of Lord Shiva.

We made our way down to the water where we left offerings of fruit and incense. As we lit a small fire we prayed. And when we were finished we stepped aside to let others do the same. Many pilgrims take water from the lake for ceremonies to be performed the next day.

Above: Ervin cracking open a coconut. We left one half there and took one half with us.

After praying we went to a large tented area to eat. The ginormous pots of briani were a welcome sight. But as we finished our meal the reality of only being half way done sunk it. We changed our socks and headed back into the rain, this time at a considerably slower pace. It was a long walk and we were all tired. We ended up getting home around 6:30 am. It was a long night but I went to sleep feeling like i had been a part of something bigger than myself. And my legs were aching with piousness.

A visit to the hospital

Health care is free in Mauritius. Mauritians, however, seem to have mixed feeling about the quality of the free health care. Most who can afford to do so choose to go to the private clinics instead of the public hospitals. They believe that by paying, you see better doctors and receive higher quality care. There are some exceptions. For instance, hospitals are better equipped to deal with major heart problems. As I'm not really in a position to critique the entire system, I will simply tell you my experience:
About four weeks ago I dropped a diving weight on my this-little-piggy-ate-none toe. Really, I swear it wasn't my fault, but don't worry, there will be plenty of time for judging my common sense later in the story. The toe was really hurting and wouldn't bend. But my parents were coming the next day and I had made lots of plans and hate going to the hospital so I decided the best thing to do was to clean it up and tape it to my middle toe. I figured worse case scenario was that I broke it and since there is nothing to be done for a broken toe I decided it wasn't worth spending hours and hours at a hospital just for a doctor to tell me to tape my toes together. So, fast forward four weeks. My toe still won't bend. I've been taping it but have also been continuing to dive, swim, walk around, etc. The knuckle that the weight dropped on looks flat and slightly out of place. So, I finally decide it's time to see a doctor. My worry now is that it was broken but healed wrong and that when I get to the hospital they are going to have to re-break it and start over. As the true American I am, I find my insurance card, pack a book and some homework, bring my ipod and head to the hospital. My roommate and boyfriend assure me that the insurance card is very unnecessary but I figure it's good to be safe.
8:30: arrive
8:40: called into back, take a seat outside the examining room
8:45: baby throws up in the hall
8:46: see doctor, explain my stupidity, doctor looks at my toe and says it doesn't look good, doctor agrees that I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, gives me a form and sends me over to x-ray
8:50: baby throw up is being cleaned. hand form to x-ray desk
8:54: go in for x-rays
8:56: out of x-ray room, wait for x-rays
9:03: bring x-rays to doctor. same room, but new doctor
9:06: look at x-rays. my toe is not broken and I shouldn't have been taping it. probably why it won't bend. told to come to physical therapy tomorrow and written prescription for pain killers
9:14: receive medication from Medical counter
9:15: leave

Not only useful and efficient but entirely free. Now, for the cynics, I can't say Mr. Clean would have crossed his arms and nodded his head in approval and it smelled a bit like Men's Central Jail. But, the lines kept moving and the doctors seemed knowledgeable. I couldn't believe how quickly we were in and out and the fact that I saw a doctor, had x-rays and was given medicine with no mention of cost and no lengthy forms to fill out. They didn't even ask for an ID and it made no difference that I'm not Mauritian. I cannot say that if I had had a more serious injury, or been at a different hospital or come at a different time of day or any number of other things, that it would have been such a positive experience. All I can say is that maybe America has a thing or two to learn from the so called developing world.

Cavadee

The festival of Cavadee originates from an ancient Tamil legend. The story goes: Idumban was a reformed bandit. One day, his guru Agattiyar ordered that he should set off for the mountains and bring back the two summits. He was instructed to attach them at the ends of a cavadee, a simple yoke. Obedient and faithful, Idumban went to the mountains and firmly tied the two peaks to his yoke. As he set out to bring them back to Agattiyar, however, Lord Murga, son of Shiva and Ouma, changed himself into a little boy and hid in one of the peaks in order to weigh down the load. When Idumban discovered him he was furious and, unable to recognize his god, began to fight with the young boy. In the fight, Muruga pierced him with his spear and Idumban died. The guru Agattiyar and his followers prayed for the Divine grace of Idumban and their God agreed to resurrect the dead man. To thank God, it was commonly decided that all those who will carry the Cavadee to the temple will have their wishes granted. It is also an opportunity to thank God for the favors that have already been bestowed.

The festival is celebrated many times during the year but the most famous is "Thaipoosam Cavadee" which took place on the 30th of January this year. It is an incredibly spiritual day for the Tamils of Mauritius. Before the actual day, the faithfuls have been fasting (not eating meats and certain other foods) for ten days as well as abstaining and praying. The day begins with ceremonial ablutions in the river or the sea. Milk is poured into small brass pots that are covered with a piece of cloth and tied to the cavadee or held on heads. Many offer their flesh to the "vels" which are sharp needles or silver pikes pierced through cheeks, foreheads, tongues, backs, chests, legs and arms. It is said that adorning these piercings without showing signs of pain is good triumphing over evil.

The crowed then moves from the water to the temple forming a colorful procession of devotion. I met up with my boyfriends' family en route. The sun was incredibly hot and bystanders had attached hoses to their houses in order to wet the concrete and ease the pain of those walking barefoot. Others were handing out juice and food. Men, women and children carrying the cavadees often winced silently under the weight of the ornate structures.

Reaching the temple on the hill requires a final hike up hundreds of steps. Some choose to walk some or all of these steps on sandals made up nails turned sharp side up, cavadee still balanced on their shoulders. Reaching the temple, devotees enter to pray. There is food and and drinks. The physical pain and spiritual devotion is palpable in the heat. The procession of people and cavadees seems endless. It was incredible to witness such devotion.

(information above taken from http://www.mysterra.org/webmag/cavadee.html)

Rodrigues

While my parents were here we spent 4 days/3 nights visiting Rodrigues an island dependency 560 km east of Mauritius. With a predominantly roman catholic creole population of approximately 37,000, the island seems very different than the main island of Mauritius. Before I visited, people kept telling me that Rodrigues is like Mauritius 30 years ago. If this is true, Mauritius has truly made rapid, unprecedented progress.

Although the tourism industry is beginning to grow in Rodrigues, the hotel accommodations are no where near the luxury, 5 start resorts found in Mauritius. My parents and I stayed at a lovely hotel in the southeast of the island call the Mourouk Ebony. Pictured to the left is the view from the pool where we ate lunch and watched the kite surfers.

Although you cannot really tell from the greenness of the picture to the left that we took while hiking/exploring the island, water is a huge problem for the people of Rodrigues. Each house is equipped with a storage tank. At a designated time during the week (the schedule for water distribution is given via radio) residents open the water valves and fill their tanks for the week (or sometimes two weeks). In the summer, lack of rain exacerbates the problem.

In addition to the free social services in Mauritius such as education and health care, in Rodrigues, land and water are also free. Even with this large amount of social spending, the poverty is obvious and there is a lack of viable employment. There is not much of a private sector in Rodrigues and fishing and agriculture provide the livelihood of most people. Onions and garlic are grown for export to Mauritius and maize and chickens are produced for domestic consumption. The island is also know for its dried Octopus which is both consumed and exported. There are paved roads for the 200 or so privately owned vehicles on the island but the preferred mode of transportation seems to be public bus or motor bike.

The main market is held on Saturday morning in the capital of Port Mathurin. Pictured to the left is my mother shopping for various chillies. Also found at the market are various chutneys, drinks, woven basket and hats as well as fruits, vegetables and meats. There are also various other souvenir type items aimed at the growing tourism industry.

Although 4 days was not enough time to see everything, I would have to say that from what I saw the best part of Rodrigues in under the water. Bouba diving club (www.boubadiving.com) conveniently situated at the hotel with a friendly, knowledgeable staff took us to explore the colorful corals and huge schools of fish. I would imagine that the sea really is what it must have been in Mauritius 30 years ago before the pollution of the textile industry and non-ecologically friendly tour operations such as the underwater sea walk (where you literally walk across the corals). I went on one deep dive to see blacktip reef sharks, but even at shallow depths there was lots to see (pictures to follow shortly). The coral in Rodrigues seems brighter and more alive and being the only divers around made it seem like we were truly observing an entirely different world.

Ile aux Aigrettes - video

I have nothing else to say about this. Enjoy.

Ile Aux Aigrettes

Ile aux Aigrettes is a islet less than 1km off of the southeast coast. The entire island is a nature reserve dedicated to recreating a natural environment similar to what Mauritius looked like before any people arrived. The extensive rehabilitation of the ecosystem includes weeding, replanting native spices, restoring the forest and reintroducing endemic birds and reptiles known to have once been inhabitants. Pictured above is the endemic and endangered Pink Pigeon which has been brought back from the brink of extinction (in 1991 only 10 birds remained.) Extinct birds which once living in Mauritius include the Dodo, Blue Pigeon, Broad-billed Parrot, Grey Parrot, Mascarene Swan, Mauritius Night Heron, Red Rail, Bourbon Crested Starling and many more.

The giant Aldabra tortoises roam freely. Originally, there were two tortoise species found in Mauritius. Because the animals can live for months without food and water they were the perfect protein for passing sailors to bring on long exertions at sea and are now extinct. The tortoises pictured here are native to the Seychelles but are the closest surviving relatives of the lost species and were introduced to help restore the fragile ecosystem.

The Ornate Day Gecko is another important part of the ecosystem. Endemic to Mauritius, their brightly colored bodies are hard to miss.

Pictured above, the Mauritius Fody is often confused the Madagascar Fody.

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Gardens

The Gardens were first the property of the foremost French governor of Maurtitius, Mahe de La Bourdonnais who created a vegetable garden to supply vegetables for his household, the town and visiting ships. The garden was also used as a nursery for plants imported from Europe, Asia and South America. Later, under the control of the French governor Pierre Poivre, spices were cultivated and ornamental trees were planted. After the malaria epidemic of 1966, thousands of eucalyptus trees were planted in the garden for transplanting in swamps in order to dry out the mosquito breeding grounds.






Today the garden boasts 500 species of plant, of which 25 are indigenous to the Mascarene Islands. Pictured above are the giant water lilies (Victoria amazonica). Originally from the Amazon, the Victoria amazonica is the largest water lily in the world with leaves ranging from 2 to 6 feet in diameter. Their life span is only a few days.





Picture to the left is the lotus (Nelumbo nucifera).











The gardens covers 60 acres which makes them a wonderful place to wander. The shade from the large palms is a refreshing break from the hot sun. There is also a tortoise pen housing giant tortoises who can weight more that 550 pounds (males) and live for over 100 years.




Pictured here, Bill and I playing on the roots of an enormous tree. Meanwhile, my mother is trying to find the name of the tree in the surprisingly unhelpful guide book. I would tell you its name, but we gave up on the book.





The gates behind us were a gift to the gardens from Fracois Lienard, a Frenchman born in India in 1862 who lived in Mauritius. I'm not really sure who he was but people in the garden seem pretty proud of the gates. In fact, I'm sure it will interest you all to know that the gate won first prize in the International Exhibition of London's Crystal Palace in 1862. Now if that doesn't get you to visit me here, I give up!

Cap Malheueux

One of the places I took my parents diving was at the Cap Divers in the very very north of the island. Even though the water on the east coast had been stirred up from the cyclone that was looming off of the coast, the visibility in the north is almost always spectacular. We had a lovely dive and enjoyed the beautiful view.

Bill took to wearing his sea sick wrist bands anytime he was in eyesight of a boat.

Cape Malheureux is the first place that the British landed in 1810. The church pictured above is called Notre Dame Auxiliatrice. It is a Roman Catholic chapel. It's bright red roof juxtaposed with the blues and greens of the ocean make for an idyllic view. In the background is Coin de Mire island.