Africa & India 2006: 9 - Comoros, Reunion, Rodriquez

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

We went for a swim again before breakfast, and then just took it easy until it was time to go to the airport for our 3:45 PM flight to Reunion Island. The power was off for the whole day - electricity and phone are both very unreliable here - and the room gradually increased in temperature to unbearable. We packed up and headed for the open lobby, but there was no movement of air there either.

At check out I was short of Comoros Rupees to pay the bill and credit cards are not accepted in Comoros, so I worked out the exchange to pay in US dollars, however the dragon who manages the hotel insisted on her exchange rate - 325 instead of the 387 I got at the bank, an additional cost of $20. Considering the 19% mark-up on the exchange usurious, I took a taxi to the bank to change the money while Marilynn waited at the hotel.

The dirty, hot airport was and experience. To check in one first waits in line for a security guard to permit one person at a time to enter a chained off area where tickets and passports are checked, and baggage is tagged. The manual process took about 20 minutes per passenger. Another employee at a different counter assigns seats. Then there is a long wait on hard benches in stifling heat until a few minutes before the flight. Everyone was soaked with sweat - the place smelled like an unwashed sports team's locker room.

Eventually a line formed to go through customs and security for more passport checks, then to wait again in another sauna-like area. We were finally permitted to climb aboard the spotlessly clean, well maintained, wonderfully air conditioned Air Austral 737 that left thirty minutes early. The service was impeccable on the plane. It was like suddenly being transported into a five star hotel. First thing for me on the plane was the toilet - there was no way I was chancing the airport facilities!

We had to leave the aircraft and wait in a transit area before re-boarding in Mayotte, our first stop. Of the 4 Comoros islands only Mayotte voted to remain with France. I wonder if the residents of the other three islands wish they could have another vote on the independence issue! As with most French islands, Mayotte is modern and relatively prosperous - even the transit area was air-conditioned!

Aboard the aircraft again we flew to Tananarive, Madagascar, where we waited on the plane half an hour before flying the final leg to Reunion in the dark. Central Madagascar was a carpet of forest, broken by numerous of muddy rivers, with no habitation in sight. It was only when we began to approach Tananarive that there were farms, tiny villages and roads.

The glittering chrome and glass airport at Reunion propelled us back into the 21st century. The island was a sea of lights as we approached. Immigration proceedings are straightforward as long as an onward plane ticket can be produced - don't try entering Reunion without one. Surprisingly, there was no currency exchange facility in the large building, and only Euros are accepted. The helpful woman manning the information desk called the hotel to explain our predicament, and they sent a taxi to pick us up. He agreed to put off payment until we rode back to the airport with him the following day.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

In the morning we decided to walk the town. It is about 220 km to drive around the island, but the cost would be $US 300 and from brochures and photos we could see nothing we hadn't seen elsewhere. There is a pedestrian shopping street cutting through the centre of the city, so we moved slowly along stopping for croq messieurs in one spot, and drinks in others. We toured the main market, walked past the colonial administration buildings and back to the hotel along the waterfront. The people were very friendly and helpful, but few spoke English. It was unbelievably hot, and VERY expensive!

The residents of Reunion come in all colours and creeds, many wearing the national dress of a number of different countries. Reunion was uninhabited when discovered by the Portuguese in 1513. Immigrants in the 17th to 19th century were from Africa, China, Malaysia and Malabar Indians, giving it a very diverse population base.

Reunion has been attacked with a new type of virus called chicken something of the other - nothing to do with chicken flu. It is mosquito bourn, and produces severe headaches plus serious muscular problems in the unhappy recipients. It usually goes away in a couple of weeks, although some people weakened by heart conditions or other health problems have died. Over three thousand people were in hospital in Reunion, and more than ten thousand have cancelled holidays on the island.

At 2,507 sq. km. Reunion is about the same size as Luxembourg, or slightly smaller than Rhode Island, USA. The high point on the island is Piton Desneiges at 3,069 meters (10,066 feet). The population is 777,000 of which 86% are Roman Catholic. The literacy rate is 88%. Male life expectancy is 71 years, and female is 78 years. Politically it is a department of France, and though French is the official language most people speak Creole.

Our driver picked us up right on time and transported us to the airport on the four-lane expressway. To check in for the flight to Mauritius we had to show our tickets to leave the island. It was fortunate that earlier in the day we spotted an Air Mauritius office and bought tickets. The original arrangement had been that we would pick up the tickets at the airport in Mauritius, and that would have caused real problems. Air Mauritius does not accept credit cards for prepayment of tickets, and does not have electronic tickets.

As we sat in the departure area enjoying snacks and cold drinks it was impossible not to compare it to the primitive conditions in which we waited for our flight yesterday! Right on time we boarded the same Air Austral plane we had arrived on for the 40-minute flight to Mauritius. Reunion is Air Austral's main base and head office.

Arrival procedures on Mauritius were the most stringent yet. We had to go through passport control, where we needed not only to show our plane tickets out of Mauritius, but also our tickets all the way back to Costa Rica. This is not the place to show up with no ticket back home! Next it was the health check counter where they worried about our stop in Brazil, and finally customs. It was a slow procedure, but finally we got our luggage and the driver sent by Ocean Beauty Villas was waiting for us.

It was an hour drive on four-lane expressway to the other end of the island, but on internet I'd not been able to find a hotel with vacancy closer to the airport. This would have been desirable, as we are only here for the night and have a 7:15 AM departure in the morning. The driver was telling us that the Reunion chicken virus had struck in Mauritius as well, where about 500 people were hospitalized.

We found we were not in a hotel, as we'd expected, but that we had a nicely appointed small apartment about five minutes by car from the hotel. There was no reception, restaurant or bar, but there was a large oceanside swimming pool and a small sandy beach. We didn't use them, as it was dark when we arrived.

A live in guard looked after the place, including registration. He recommended a restaurant only a 2-minute walk away, and it turned out to be a real find. Our table was right on the edge of a sandy beach, the food and drinks were superb, the service excellent and the live music good. Marilynn dedicated dinner to her mother, as she chose curried shrimp, a favourite of her mom. When we finally weaved our way home, we had made reservations for our return on Saturday.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

The driver picked us up at exactly 4:45 AM, as arranged, and drove us back to the airport where we caught a flight to Rodrigues Island on an Air Mauritius twin turboprop ATR aircraft. It plane was cramped and smelly, not a great first impression of the airline. The 1-½ hour flight was domestic (Rodrigues is part of Mauritius politically), so no immigrations procedures were required.

A rental vehicle had been arranged by our hotel and was ready for us, a four-wheel drive crew cab diesel pick up truck. This is a popular vehicle in the area - our driver in Mauritius had one as well. The price was reasonable, the formalities minimal (not even a drivers license was requested) and we were on our way. Driving is on the left, something I'm fortunately accustomed to. The roads are narrow, rough pavement for the most part.

The Mourouk Ebony Hotel was expecting us, and registration was conducted in easy chairs over a welcome drink. It was a bit of a hike to our quarters, but they are fabulous - a huge room with private terrace, Jacuzzi and swimming pool looking out on the sand beach. The facilities are actually shared by three suites, but the other two are unoccupied.

We decided on a swim, but like so many tropical islands a reef about a half kilometre off shore surrounds Rodrigues, and inside the reef the water is very shallow with sea grass growing in many areas. We finally found a place where tidal currents had cut a deep trench between a small rock island and shore. On one side of an anchored boat the current was running strongly in deep water, on the other side there was almost no current and the water was knee deep, so it was possible to exercise by bucking the current, or to drift with the current, then swim back between the boat and shore.

Next we set out to find the island's only gas station, located in the town of Port Mathurin. This involved climbing the narrow switch back road over the islands mountainous interior and descending to the other side. It was an interesting town, but as with most of the island, tourism had not arrived. Rodrigues is still a relatively undiscovered destination. We found a small restaurant and had a delicious lunch of local specialties, a combination of Indian and Chinese cuisine. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the hotel taking it easy. Dinner was included in the room rate, but was not outstanding.

Friday, February 24, 2006

After breakfast we headed for "our" swimming hole again - no one else seems to use the beach, then went off to explore more of the island. There proved to be few places where it was deep enough to swim, so although we had bathing suits on they were not used. To go from one beach community to the next it is often necessary to return to the hub of the island, the town of Mont Lubin at 398 meters (1,300 feet) elevation, as roads do not cross the valleys caused by small rivers. This involves a lot of switchbacks on the narrow roads.

We got off track, and while cutting across on a connecting road to correct the error we spotted a sign for John's Pub. It was lunchtime, so that sounded great. It proved to be a beautifully done little restaurant with fantastic food. Marilynn had Conch salad then black bean crab, and I had crab bouillabaisse then cashew shrimp, accompanied by a bottle of wine. The dressing with the lettuce salad was so good Marilynn made note of the recipe.

We returned to the hotel via a road along the opposite coast to have another long swim in the ocean, and then were in and out of our private swimming pool in front of the room. Dinner was at the hotel once again. We've only been here for two nights, but it seems like it has been a long, restful holiday.

Rodrigues Island was first discovered by the Portuguese navigator Diego Rodrigues in 1528, then the Dutch were here in 1601, 11 and 44 but did not colonize it. The first inhabitants were Huguenot French in 1691. In a1809 ownership passed to England, confirmed by the Treaty of Paris in 1814. By 1826 there were 123 inhabitants. When Mauritius became independent in 1968 Rodrigues became part of the republic. The population is currently 37,000, and Creole is the language. We have not met another native English speaker - all the other hotel guests are Francophone.