Off of the east coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean is the island of Mauritius. We docked at Port Louis. The day started off in the rain but there were many places to visit and the weather at the port was not the same as the weather on the mountain tops.
The first stop was at the spot marked [5] on the map above. It is in the Vacoas-Phoenix region and offers some nice views of the surrounding land.
In this town, there is a wonderful factory shop that makes model ships. We had a tour through the factory upstairs and had time to shop below.
Next, we travelled south to visit a Hindu temple [11]. At the entrance to Les Mares Nature Reserve Hindu Temple, there are two very large statues. One on each side of the highway. They are bigger than a bus.
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on the right behind the bus, not on it, across the highway.
Last on our one-day excursion was a visit to the Black River Gorges National Park. First a stop at a restaurant for a delicious lunch of local foods. The views from the balcony overlooking the lush green hills were very relaxing. This is the southwest corner of the island, [11] on the map.
After lunch, we went to see one of the many waterfalls on the island. On the map above, [4].
One feature that is unique to this place is the seven-coloured earth. Minerals in the lava flow show different colours depending on the time of day and angle that the light reflects off of the iron and alumina rich clay.
seven colour earths
Like other islands in this region, there are Giant Tortoises. Here are a few hanging around the seven colour soil exhibit.
The most popular sport in Mauritius is football and the national team is known as The Dodos. This is because this island is the place where the Dodo bird lived before colonists made it extinct.
We returned to the Pacific Princess to enjoy the sunset and eat on the rear patio deck.
-Where do you want to go today? –
Seven Colored Earth <link>
Port Louis video <link>https://youtu.be/W0MCrvPxMog
