Travelfood

Mauritius is one of those paradise islands in the Indian Ocean, and the people certainly look more as the island would be closer to India than the African continent. The country has a well-developed tourism, but there are also towns and villages with almost only locals. The islanders are extremely helpful towards tourists, and they speak both English and French. The help is needed as soon as you arrive at the airport, since as the independent traveler you wish to find the local bus stop, and there are no signs leading you to the far-away stop anywhere. Information about the bus lines is easily found on the Internet, but unfortunately the information is not accurate (December 2023). From the capital Port Louis there is a well-functioning tram line as far as to the center of the island, Curepipe. It usually operates until sunset.

The paradise beaches are open for everyone, and they are easily accessible by local buses. The buses have their own cashiers, and they accept only cash. Even if the island is small, the weather may vary a lot between the villages. It rains often (at least in November and December), but by the coast it can nevertheless be sunny. The capital Port Louis seemed a bit difficult for pedestrians, since there are lots of narrow streets. You may need to walk around in order to reach a certain part of the city, since the new tram line divides the city and there are still few tunnels and bridges to help the crossing.

The food in Mauritius resembles a lot of Indian food. In restaurants there could be a lot of local, exotic fish, but instead they often use refrigerated, imported fish in the Indian sauces. For example, the smoked marlin I had, was not local. Surprisingly you might have deer meat or lamb as protein. If you wish African-inspired food (Creole food), you often find roguille sauce, which is a hot tomato sauce. If you desire an exotic drink (except for the local Phoenix beer), you may choose alouda, which is often found at stalls in local markets. It is a colorful drink with agar-agar, basil seeds together with milk or ice cream!

Africa, food, Mauritius, travel, travel experiences