On some trips the winds blow so strongly against you it's tempting to believe
destiny is not on your side. So began our trip to Mauritius, with forgotten
luggage, visa troubles, and hotel reservation issues. Was it a sign we should
abandon the trip? No: before long the snafus were behind us and we were
digging our toes into the sandy coastline of one of Earth's most exotic south
sea islands: Mauritius.
We spent our first few nights in the southeast, on Blue Bay, named for obvious
reasons but so truly deserving of the name. An enormous stretch of coral reef
we'd admired even from our descending plane arches boldly out from the shore,
embracing a small, wooded islet and a shallow bay steeped in a myriad shades of
blue. A shallow channel brought in the rising tide from somewhere behind the
islet, and well beyond that, against the ramparts of coral, thumping waves from
the South Indian Ocean sent mares' tails of sea foam flying towards shore.
Shoreside, the beach was shallow and the water was warm, and we jumped in
accompanied by hundreds of hundreds of Mauritians, young and old, enjoying an
afternoon at the beach. This was one of Blue Bay's – and Point d'Esny's
– greatest pleasures: in Mauritius the best beaches are often the public
ones, and the hotels get second dibs. Indeed, our bed and breakfast, which
promised a room at water's edge, offered up a beach that was rockier than
sandy. Adjacent, the public beach was sandier, shadier, and more fun, and
that's where we spent our time.
The Mauritians were on a sort of holiday themselves, as classes were out for
the month of December. Families relaxed under the shade of the pines and
almond trees and enjoyed picnics of spicy sauced dishes, and the children
splashed around in the shallow water. My own children enjoyed it as much, and
even made a few Mauritian friends.
Equally enjoyable about the beach at Blue Bay was all that shade. Stands of
trees lined the water's edge and provided welcome respite from the tropical
sun, as December in the southern hemisphere is high summer. Blue Bay lived up
to its name, as did a once favorite (sadly, now discontinued) bottle of
Waterman fountain pen ink, South Seas Blue. I spotted that shade as well,
somewhere between the sky and the reef.
