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Sleeping Beauty
Hello everybody!
Hello Bollywoodman!
Well, I’m going to write the most detailed and most energetic op I have EVER written! My op is going to be about the beautiful island of Mauritius.
MAURITIUS: “A TINY NEEDLE, IN A VERY LARGE HAYSTACK.”
Where is Mauritius? / Pre-Mauritian history
Mauritius isn’t a household name, like Italy, or Egypt or even the Maldives. Mauritius is mainly hidden in people’s minds, they may have heard of it, but they cant place a point on where it is. People have asked me, “Is Mauritius in India?” or “Mauritius is near America isn’t it? – I knew it was!” – Well, the answer to both of those questions is NO!
Mauritius is a tiny, little island, of the coast of its massive neighbour, Madagascar, who is 800km away from it. Mauritius is quite small, but it has a brother and sister. The islands of Rodrigues, and another island called Agalepa are part of Mauritius. When I was quite little, and it was my first time I visited Mauritius, I asked my aunt, why Mauritius is so small, and what about those other islands. She told me there was a massive volcano in the middle, and there was a MASSIVE eruption, that made the island split into 3, Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Agalepa. I’m not that sure if the story she told me is true, hey I was young, and this kind of stuff was exciting! – Well it was for me anyway!
MAURITIUS: “GIVE ME MATTER, AND I WILL CONSTRUCT A WORLD OUT OF IT!”
Airports / Journey times / Airlines / Arrivals
From my experience, I only know of Heathrow and Gatwick that you can travel to Mauritius from. I doubt very much that you can travel to Mauritius VIA Standstead, but I don’t know about the other main airports in the United Kingdom.
So, you’re on your plane, heading for the most beautiful place in the world. How long are you going to sit down for? – Well, I believe it takes around 11 + hours to get there. But if you are using different airlines (see below) times can vary.
There are 3 main airlines that fly to Mauritius on a regular basis, these are:
British Airways (BA)
Air France
Air Mauritius
British Airways: - We have travelled with these guys, most of the time, when going to Mauritius, and they are great! – Because of the distance, it is normal for a stop over, for the plane to re-fuel. We stopped over in Kenya, Nairobi. (The prices in the Nairobi airport are off the charts!) – To buy one chocolate bar it costs around £2 - 3! Overall we were mega impressed by the top class service.
9/10
Air France: - We travelled with these guys once, and it was the last time. We were stuck in France for about 12 hours! The staff where totally unhelpful, and just plain rude!
2/10
Air Mauritius: - These guys go directly to Mauritius. I haven’t travelled with them, but my mum and sisters have travelled with them. My sisters were very young at the time, and the staff just totally ignored my mum!!
1/10
When you get off your flight, and the captains says “Welcome to Mauritius” you can start to get excited! The airport that greets you (called Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport – don’t ask about the name!) is nice, bright, and has a pleasant atmosphere. The setting is beautiful, I don’t know how they decided where to build an airport, they could have said “Lets bung it here!” or they could have said, “Look at these wicked mountains, visitors will be so happy to see these when they arrived!” – I think they said the second one! There are mountains surrounding the airport, and they are truly beautiful. There was just a drizzle of rain when we where arriving, and that effect it had on me when I saw the mountains and the rain together was indescribable!
Airport (Mauritius) Rating: 10/10
The airport is a far distance from the capital city (Port Louis), and quite far from the hotel resorts you would be staying in. Most of the hotel resorts are near the beautiful beaches. There is a taxi service at the airport, and also, you could arrange with the hotel VIA your travel agent, for a car/taxi to pick you up.
MAURITIUS: “YOU ARE A KING BY YOUR OWN FIRESIDE, AS MUCH AS ANY MONARCH ON HIS THRONE.”
Hotels / Prices (estimates) of hotels / Prices of flights
Because I have family in Mauritius, and our own house, I don’t need to stay at a hotel. But because most visitors to Mauritius are just tourists, you will need to stay at a hotel. There are hardly any hotels, inland. Most of the hotels are situated on the coasts for your pleasure. (See on ciao or other websites for hotel details, because I cannot supply any!) – But I do know that most hotels DO have their own private beach, and they are wicked!
From watching television programs (holidays programs) on Mauritius, prices for hotels, in Mauritius are quite expensive. I believe its around £1500 per person for 2 weeks. (Prices may differ from where you go to) But it is worth paying those prices. A friend of mine, who stayed in a hotel called, “Le Coco Beach” told me about the absolutely fantastic services at the hotel! – And judging from the video clips I have to agree with him!
Hotel Ratings (based on viewing them on TV): 10/10
Flights to Mauritius are quite expensive. It costs around £800 per an adult, and around £600 for a child.
MAURITIUS: “WHEN THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH.”
Religion / Poverty (?) / People / Languages
Mauritius is a mainly Hindu island. There are absolutely beautiful temples, dedicated to the Gods, and they are just truly amazing. You might think that I am being biased, because I am a Hindu, but truthful these will knock you dead! The temples are filled with so much colour, and warmth, that it draws you in. May be it’s the connection (if you’re a Hindu) that draws you into a temple, to perform Puja/Arti. Non – Hindu’s are welcome in to the temple, but you are not expected to perform Puja/Arti, you just have to watch. Also because your are in God’s presence, you MUST take of your shoes, but you can leave your socks on if you want. If you are not a Hindu in Mauritius, you might be a Christians, a Muslim or haven’t got a religion. There are a few Mosques in Mauritius, and both Hindu and Muslims live together in peace. There are also quite a few Churches in Mauritius. Mainly Creoles (People of African origin) are Christens. The churches are large, and very modern.
Now, I get extremely angry when people say Mauritius is poor, or not well off, or any other words describing poor. Mauritius is tiny compared to the United Kingdom, and many other major countries in the world. Most people probably haven’t heard of Mauritius before. So I cant really see how people can DARE call Mauritius poor when 1) they probably might of not heard of it before and 2) because Mauritius it tiny. I admit there are a few areas of Mauritius where people are living in horrible conditions, but 99.9% of the island is able to work, and earn an income. Sorry I just felt that I had to express myself.
There are ranges of different people, who have different religions in Mauritius. Everybody you meet in Mauritius are extremely friendly. If you meet an old man, and you need direction just say “Bonjour ton ton” – meaning “Hey uncle” – Even if you don’t know people, you can address them by aunt or uncle. Mauritian life is very laded back; not to the extent that everybody is lazy, but where, you can just go and causally talk to people. If you need a light, just go up to a bloke (I have never seen a lady smoke in Mauritius before!) – just ask or a light, and he light up your cigarette for you!
People Rating: You can’t rate these great people, because there isn’t a number large enough!
The main language spoken in Mauritius is called, Creole. Creole is broken French. It’s like French, but Creole changes, and bends some of the rules. For example: Je mange” – (I eat – FRENCH) – Mon manger (I eat – CREOLE) – sorry I don’t know if I wrote the first one right! – Because the main population of Mauritius have Indian descendants they talk Hindi. I don’t actually understand Hindi, so when my gran is talking (she can talking Creole as well) I have to ask somebody what’s she saying!
MAURITIUS: “WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE AN EDUCATION, YOU’VE GOT TO USE YOUR BRAIN.”
Education / Hospital Treatment / Hygiene of the country
About a year ago, there was an article in the Times newspaper, about Education in Mauritius. When I finished reading the newspaper, I was shocked! The news article was about how the education in Mauritius was better than countries like Egypt e.t.c – I was mega chuffed! The Education system in Mauritius is similar to the one in the United Kingdom. Parents tend to be strict with a child (not physical or anything) when it comes to education, and normally most children will have private tutors. Children start school in primary school, and then move up to secondary school (which they called “college” in Mauritius, and then off to Uni! (Most students actually go abroad to go to University)
My cousin unfortunately suffers from epilepsy, and he had an attack while we where in Mauritius last year. He was rushed to hospital, and taken care off in there. The hospitals are a bit cramped, but very nice. A pleasant atmosphere where every you are. I don’t actually think that they have an ambulance services, I have to check and update this op.
Nobody likes to see rubbish all over the place when visiting a new country. So the Mauritian government are very keen on keeping Mauritius as clean as it can be. There are people who keep the streets clean (mainly in the capital city) – You don’t see cartons all over the place. Citizens of Mauritius also respect the island as well, because nobody drops hardly any litter, its only in the Capital where the litter is a problem.
MAURITIUS: “CITIES ARE THE ABYSS OF THE HUMAN SPECIES.”
Capital city (Port Louis) / Major cities / Villages / Roads & Transport
The capital city of Mauritius is a port, called Port Louis. Port Louis is a vibrant city, full of life, and culture. Port Louis is where the Government is. The city is beautifully designed with the streets cleaned, and everything totally lovely. There are many things to do in Port Louis, and everything you would expect from a capital city is there, for you! The main types of shops in Port Louis are clothes shops (lucky for the girls!) and home improvement shops. Because Mauritius is so hot, they don’t have carpets, they have tiles, so there are tile shops everywhere.
Capital Rating: 9/10
The major cities surround Port Louis, in a circle. There are 4 main major cities, which are Rose Hill, Quatre Bornes (my dad was born here), Vacoas and Curepipe. All of the major cities are little copies of the capital. You will find many things in these cities.
Dotted around Mauritius are little villages. I personally think that these villages make Mauritius what it is. Because I say “villages” I don’t mean houses made out of mud e.t.c, I mean close community of people. Everybody knows everybody (which can be both a good thing and bad) and everybody helps out, no consideration of religion or race. For example, it was the Hindu festival of Diwali, and the lamps caught alight with some fabric, and all of a sudden the house was on fire. Everybody helped out to save the house. If nobody did this, the house could have been burnt to the ground!
The roads around the main cities are what you would expect. But when you head outside the cities, the roads are a bit funny. But they are still driveable. There is a bus services to everywhere in Mauritius, but be warned, they are not what you would normally expect. They are fast, and normally take you my surprise, so hang on to your seat! There are also taxi firms in Mauritius. Always look for the taxis with the yellow sign on the car. It should say where it goes, and the telephone number. There are also people wanting to earn a few rupees, who will drop you. If you’re not sure, always go with the taxis with the yellow sign.
MAURITIUS: “BEAUTY IS NOT CAUSED. IT IS.”
Beaches / Mountains / Waterfalls / Pamplemousses, (- Botanical Gardens.) / Overall weather / Daytime activities / Night time activities / Sega / Hindu Temples
As I said before in my op, if you are stay at a hotel, you should have a private beach, which (for the price you are paying) should top class. But if you want to go and have a look at other beaches on the island, you can. A beach that everybody goes to is “Grand Baie” – Here you can have a barbecue, because there are ready-made stoves, here to cook. There are also rooms to shower and get cleaned, but be warned, the supervisors are VERY bossy –and treat you like rubbish! – Well, they did to me, until my uncle turned up and had a go at them!! LOL! There are other beaches dotted around the island, but this beach is truly beautiful. The sands are crystal like, and warm, because of the sun beating onto it. The water is clear, and sparkles, when the sun’s rays bounces off of it. It is truly beautiful!
Beach Ratings: 10*/10
Mauritius is surrounded my beautiful mountains. There are some that are like high hills, and other which are mothers! – But I wouldn’t advise climbing these, only if you have professional skills or training e.t.c - They are just truly beautiful to look at.
Mountain Rating: 10*/10
There is a truly beautiful waterfall called Rochester Falls. The gushing water looks totally wicked amongst the black stone. This place is definitely something for the camera! Once you’ve seen it, you have to look back!
Waterfall Rating: 10*10
In a part of Mauritius, called Pamplemousses, there is a beautiful garden, called the “Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens” – The main attraction of this garden are the massive water lilies! And admission to the garden is free!
Pamplemousses Garden Ratings: 10/10
Mauritius is mainly warm through out the year. We normally go to Mauritius in June/July (because of the Summer holidays) but it is winter there. Expect a few rainy days, but overall the weather is hot, hot, hot! – The weather gets even hotter in summer, which is in December over here. I haven’t been to Mauritius in December (but will do this year) but my mum says its absolutely boiling!! BUT (there’s a but?) watch out for the cyclone season, which is from November till April.
Weather Rating: 10*/10 – Cyclone Rating: 0/10
There are many places to visit in Mauritius during the day, see above (in this section) for them.
Night-time activities? - What’s this then? – Well there is the obvious one, but you can go out and enjoy yourself in some of the nightclubs. They are mainly situated in Curepipe. The nightclubs are not what you would expect. The music is a mix of Indian and English, and it sounds really good! – So give it a try you might like it! You can also go and check out the casinos all over Mauritius, including Port Louis and Curepipe. Me, my uncle, my sister and my cousin, decided to go to a casino, so I went in first, and got chucked out, then my cousin went in, who’s the same age as me, and she got let in! – That was one funny night!!!
What is Sega? Is it a games console? Nope! – Sega is the dance of Mauritius. I bet every Mauritian knows how to dance Sega. It’s easy. First of all, right foot forward, then the left foot, at the back standing on your toes. Now, with the left leg, wiggle your toes, and move in a circle! – It’s easy! –Sega is so wicked to listen to. Even though the lyrics are weird (for example, one once said “if I go to the cinema, and I don’t come back dead) –LOL! The heavy drumbeats make this type of music very danceable! The main instrument that makes Sega what it is is called the Ravan. Ravens come in all sizes, but only one shape, a circle. All you do is tap the raven (it has animal skin stretched over it) and the raven with make echoes, and beats, and its that what you dance too!
Sega Rating: 10*/10
Because ½ of all Mauritians are Hindu, there are many temples dotted around Mauritius. You will find them everywhere, near the beaches, on the city borders, and shrines where you look. There is a massive re-development of most Hindu temples in Mauritius. Instead of the plain temples, which they had a few years ago, the temples are now changing into large, beautiful, and colourful temples. These temples are truly beautiful, and WILL blow you away. There is a beautiful temple in Saint Qui. This temple has got the size, but no colour. And it’s that what makes it so beautiful. The temple is made out of a natural, soft coloured rock, and it’s truly amazing!
Hindu Temples Rating: 10*/10
MAURITIUS: “FACTS ARE GOD’S ARGUMENT: WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL NEVER TO MISUNDERSTAND OR PERVERT THEM.”
Mauritian Facts / Prices of products / Who is Mauritius suited for?
Population of Mauritius: Around 1.2 million
Languages spoken: Creole, Hindi, French, English (the official language, but most people speak Creole) and other forms of Hindi.
Religion: Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
Currency: Mauritian Rupee. 45 MR = £1
The prices of items here in Mauritius are what you would expect in the UK. They are not too cheap, or mega expensive. DVD players are around £80, and stereos (good ones) are around £250. So overall Mauritius is pretty good for buying from!
Mauritius is really suited for couples, or small family groups. If you have the money for a large family to go, even better! Mauritius is an ideal location to get married or have your honeymoon there. Mauritius is a romantic paradise!
MAURITIUS: “THERE ARE AS MANY OPINIONS AS THERE ARE EXPERTS.”
Mauritius is such a beautiful island, and I love it to bits. To me Mauritius is perfect. I’m sure everybody has a perfect place in the world, and mine is Mauritius. If you go to Mauritius remember to respect people’s beliefs, and enjoy yourself. Don’t be put off because there isn’t your brand shampoo over in Mauritius, or because people wear different clothes, just have fun in paradise!
Overall Mauritius Rating: A number cannot justify for the absolute beauty, culture, and atmosphere of this place.
“MAURITIUS, RUBY OF THE INDIAN OCEAN. DIAMOND OF THE WORLD.” – Sam Engutsamy
Hoped you enjoyed reading my op! - ALL comments welcome! :)
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