So this was one of my stranger trips. I usually adhere to the "forced march" school of vacationing where I do and see as much as I can to "maximize" my experience. But this time I spent most of my time lounging at the pool, reading, strolling along the beach, etc. I did go into Port Louis and do some shopping, and also spent a day at the races, but I really needed some "chill time" after a busy busy time at work.
Luckily, the resort at which I was staying - the Westin Mauritius Turtle Bay - was beautiful, so even though it did still occasionally feel strange to not be DOING more, it was still a nice break. And Mauritius itself is beautiful. Then again, now that I've been to about a dozen different islands, in some ways they kind of blur together. But in a nice way.
One "island thing" I noticed while there is that island birds sound better. It's almost like it's a prerequisite for island birds to sound better. The birds in Lesotho, with some exceptions, are mostly crow/raven/"cawing" type birds. Of course the general quiet on an island resort lends itself to hearing birds more. But it was nice. There was also that S-L-O-W pace of life like when I lived in Hawai'i. The time went slower, which was nice for my break.
On the negative side, transportation costs were insane. Even though we were maybe 6-7 miles from town, it set me back over $60 to get there and back. Getting to the resort from the airport was $70. If I'd known better, I would have rented a car - so tip for those considering going.
I got a really good deal on the resort - still not even sure how I lucked into it. Apparently, it was TOO good a deal coz they initially tried to tell me I did NOT have half board, just breakfast, but I showed them the confirmation from Hotels.com and it got squared away. And thank god, coz food was also very expensive--hell everything not already paid for at the resort was expensive. I spent almost $50 a pop for the two days I ate lunch there--including an unfortunately awful burger my last day.
But the breakfasts were good and the dinner buffet was among the best I've had. The variety, the quality, it was awesome. Besides Mauritian food, over the course of 5 nights I had Italian, Chinese, Indian, Thai, seafood, American, and more. I added Marlin to my "animals eaten" list and enjoyed it. And bonus: they had a cold stone ice cream bar that I availed myself of every night. Yay.
As mentioned, I spent one day at the races. I'm thinking I've been to a horse race SOME TIME but can't remember when. Anyway, when I was looking at "Top Things to Do In Mauritius" the Regal Crown Club box at the races was #1, so I figured what the hell. It was kinda pricey - 6500 Rupees (about $180), but they picked me up from the resort, and took me back, and that's about 2000 Rupees right there. There was also free-flowing wine, beer, and cocktails, and "little nibbly things" all afternoon. So I hobnobbed, drank mimosas, and rum & OJ, and rum & coke, and ate nibbly things, and watched 8 races. Turns out the Champ de Mars Racecourse is not only the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere, but the second oldest in the entire world! Oooooooh!
Since I had no idea about the horses, the jockeys, etc., I'd decided ahead of time to just bet 200 Rupees each (just over $6) on my two lucky numbers (2 and 5) for each race just for shits and giggles. As it turns out, the #2 horse won half the races--and only one as the favorite! If I'd bet all my money on just #2 and skipped the #5s, I would have cleared a couple hundred dollars. As it was, I still came out about $20 ahead on the day, which was fun enough considering my "system." Met some fun people. Most all Brits.
Also at the resort I did do a glass bottom boat trip which was okay, but beyond the races, and a day shopping and sightseeing, it was all pool, beach, pool. :) Oh, I also decided Hindu temples are my very favorite of all temples. Mauritius is heavily Indian due to historical indentured servitude, although most everyone speaks French as well as English.
Final fun fact: I did not realize until reading up before I left, that Mauritius is the only place where the Dodo bird ever lived! So of course I had to find a Dodo bird Christmas tree ornament and also bought a pint of Mauritian rum mostly for the cool bottle with a dodo bird on it. :)
7/21/15
7/4/15
Postcard from Swakopmund
Turns out Swakopmund is taken from the Nama word Tsoakhaub, which means "excrement opening" describing the Swakop river. The town sits along the Skeleton Coast, so named coz of the thousands of shipwrecks along the coast due to often foggy conditions. The town also borders the Namib desert, which is called, "the land God made in anger." Early Portuguese explorers called the region "the gates of Hell," due to its harsh conditions. Does this sound like a great place for a Peace Corps conference or what? HA!
Anyway, it was kind of weird being in a former Germany colony, as both RSA and Lesotho are both former British colonies. The difference? Those rule-following, more polite(!) Germans left behind a legacy of better drivers who actually follow traffic laws, stop at red lights, and yield to pedestrians. Score: Germany 1, Britain 0
The architecture was better/more interesting, too! Score: Germany 2, Britain 0
"Unfortunately," both Swakopmund and Maseru have the same "non-consumer-friendly" hours for shops. That is, 9-5, M-F and then 9-1 Saturday, with some shops also (or either) being open Sunday 9-1. In a way, it's kind of cool coz it "de-emphasizes" consumerism, but I was bummed since we arrived Friday evening, and I was hoping to do some souvenir shopping after the Sat. morning "pre-conference" meetings I had scheduled. Luckily, I did manage SOME shopping. Whew!
BUT, in Swakopmund, a few, random shops did have Sunday hours where they were only open 5-7 or 6-7. This is actually kind of cool since it gives you that chance to go to the drugstore if you absolutely need something but allows employees/owners to not have to be there all day. So, final score: Germany 3, Britain 0. Sorry, Bex!
Other random/fun fact about Namibia: after Mongolia, it is the least densely populated country in the world. Although the size of Alaska, the population is about the same as Lesotho's (about 2 million), which is the size of Maryland. Rwanda, on the other hand, which is also about the size of Maryland, has 12 million people.
In other news, I added two animals to my "animals I have eaten list." Kudu and Oryx. The Oryx was a little better, but that could be because I had it in a restaurant, and had the Kudu at one of the hotel's mass-produced lunches. At the end of the day, they both looked like beef, and the tastes weren't very distinctive from beef, either. Had I not known ahead of time I was eating a different animal, I probably would have never known.
One ultra-cool thing about the hotel/entertainment center we stayed in was the fact that it housed the town's only movie theater - a small, two screen affair that rotated between 4 current releases. One of which was always a local/RSA flick. I managed to see "Jurassic World," (awesome), "Spy" (fun), "San Andreas" (so-so, but it's my duty as a California native to see all earthquake flicks), and "Mad Max" (fun/a trip).
What made "Mad Max" more interesting/fun for me is that it was filmed in the Namib Desert, where I'd spent the morning 4-wheeling before going to see the movie. The Namib desert is the only real desert in the southern half of Africa and is thought to be the world's oldest.
It was a trip being out on the desert. The vastness, the silence, etc. Coming across ancient, dried up sea/lake beds. (Bonus for you, Llu - I snagged you a very pretty white rock from one of those sea beds, so you can promote it as a rock from the land God made in anger). The other interesting thing about the desert was the changing color of the sand depending on where you were, what time it was, what direction you're facing, etc. If you haven't seen them, check out the pics I posted. Pretty awesome stuff.
Definitely feeling "blessed" to have had the opportunity to go to such a cool/unique place thanks to being a part of Peace Corps. Yay!
Anyway, it was kind of weird being in a former Germany colony, as both RSA and Lesotho are both former British colonies. The difference? Those rule-following, more polite(!) Germans left behind a legacy of better drivers who actually follow traffic laws, stop at red lights, and yield to pedestrians. Score: Germany 1, Britain 0
The architecture was better/more interesting, too! Score: Germany 2, Britain 0
"Unfortunately," both Swakopmund and Maseru have the same "non-consumer-friendly" hours for shops. That is, 9-5, M-F and then 9-1 Saturday, with some shops also (or either) being open Sunday 9-1. In a way, it's kind of cool coz it "de-emphasizes" consumerism, but I was bummed since we arrived Friday evening, and I was hoping to do some souvenir shopping after the Sat. morning "pre-conference" meetings I had scheduled. Luckily, I did manage SOME shopping. Whew!
BUT, in Swakopmund, a few, random shops did have Sunday hours where they were only open 5-7 or 6-7. This is actually kind of cool since it gives you that chance to go to the drugstore if you absolutely need something but allows employees/owners to not have to be there all day. So, final score: Germany 3, Britain 0. Sorry, Bex!
Other random/fun fact about Namibia: after Mongolia, it is the least densely populated country in the world. Although the size of Alaska, the population is about the same as Lesotho's (about 2 million), which is the size of Maryland. Rwanda, on the other hand, which is also about the size of Maryland, has 12 million people.
In other news, I added two animals to my "animals I have eaten list." Kudu and Oryx. The Oryx was a little better, but that could be because I had it in a restaurant, and had the Kudu at one of the hotel's mass-produced lunches. At the end of the day, they both looked like beef, and the tastes weren't very distinctive from beef, either. Had I not known ahead of time I was eating a different animal, I probably would have never known.
One ultra-cool thing about the hotel/entertainment center we stayed in was the fact that it housed the town's only movie theater - a small, two screen affair that rotated between 4 current releases. One of which was always a local/RSA flick. I managed to see "Jurassic World," (awesome), "Spy" (fun), "San Andreas" (so-so, but it's my duty as a California native to see all earthquake flicks), and "Mad Max" (fun/a trip).
What made "Mad Max" more interesting/fun for me is that it was filmed in the Namib Desert, where I'd spent the morning 4-wheeling before going to see the movie. The Namib desert is the only real desert in the southern half of Africa and is thought to be the world's oldest.
It was a trip being out on the desert. The vastness, the silence, etc. Coming across ancient, dried up sea/lake beds. (Bonus for you, Llu - I snagged you a very pretty white rock from one of those sea beds, so you can promote it as a rock from the land God made in anger). The other interesting thing about the desert was the changing color of the sand depending on where you were, what time it was, what direction you're facing, etc. If you haven't seen them, check out the pics I posted. Pretty awesome stuff.
Definitely feeling "blessed" to have had the opportunity to go to such a cool/unique place thanks to being a part of Peace Corps. Yay!
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