The Last Sunset Viewed from the Island of Mauritius

 

Day 055: This was our last day in Flic en Flac. We took the bus out to the junction and looked around the mall for a last time.

We also watched our last sunset from the Flick en Flac beach.  It was much like the dozens of others but it felt different because we knew we'd probably never get to Mauritius again.  We've had a restful time here for four weeks.  

We're excited about the rest of our winter away though.

 

Familiar After One Month. Never Seen Again?

Day 054:  These two pictures were taken at our current Airbnb home in Flic en Flac, Mauritius. If you're reading this message, you've already seen the photo I snapped while in the swimming pool. The second one was from the sofa looking out to the balcony this morning.

I remind myself to take pictures of the ordinary because time and distance always tend to make familiar things and places much seem more interesting and unfamiliar.

A Visit to Our 90th Country

 

Day 047: I added this picture to my online Flickr album soon after we arrived in Mauritius a couple of weeks ago. Somehow I knew it was going to be representative of our stay near Flic en Flac beach on this African island in the Indian Ocean.  Indeed, we have found that we walk to watch the sun set nearly every evening

A few years ago, I created the album to showcase a single image from each of the countries and territories visited. This list is my own as Jay and I visited just 88 of these locations together. We met in 1985 and each had done a bit of travelling. He has never been to Syria or Kuwait. However, he had travelled to Cyprus and Pakistan, both of which I've never seen.  Our total number of countries remain the same though!

Today, I switched out several images in order to select a more representative or a better-photographed image.  Today, I updated Thailand with an image taken earlier in the year.  I also replaced a newer image from Cambodia with an older one showing a magnificent temple at Angkor Wat on our initial visit.

  Open this album by clicking on this link or image.

So we end 2024 with 90 photographs in the album.  However, we start off the first month of 2025 with a visit and stay in two countries new to us.  As the year continues, we have plans to add a few more countries to our exploration of the world.  I cannot venture a guess as to what year we might hit #100.

The Cat of the Month

Day 046: We always have a winter cat or two (or six). It seems that during most winters away, we get temporary use of a few neighbhourhood cats. This one has to be our favourite in Flic en Flac. This young one is bold and has no trouble walking right through the opening in the gate. It once even came inside the apartment to look around. 

This evening, Jay put out our saved table scraps for a Boxing Day dinner. I'm sure this gal is taken care of well but she enjoys occasionally having a meal out.

 

No, YOU'RE a Dodo!

 

Day 036:  This morning, Jay and I decided to walk down the beach a fair bit.  We saw that the bus route ends in a place called Womar and we found where that is.  We saw a small supermarket and decided to go inside.  I saw several things I thought were interesting.

 

Inside the shop, there was a collection of souvenirs for sale.  So, far I hadn't mentioned that Mauritius is the island of the famous, but extinct, dodo bird.  You must have learned about the bird species in school.  It represents one of the first times that humans had a hand in the extinction of an entire species.  That's why it was in your school book and you probably remember it because it had a funny-sounding name.

A second interesting thing I spotted was Corona beer for sale.  Granted this is a beach town and a smooth sweet beer can quench one's thirst.  Yet, I sort of thought the Indian Ocean was an odd place to sell Mexican beer.

Sunday Evening

Day 035:  We had a lazy Sunday.  I guess this week has been a bit of a rest after our month in Dubai, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Antananarivo, and our road trip to the west coast of Madagascar.

It's a great place to relax, actually.  Locals crowd the Flic en Flac beach near us.  The busiest time is the evening.  People are sure to come to see the sunset.  Families make a meal of it.  Younger adults come with music and alcohol.   Nobody tries to sell things; they simply come to enjoy their time.

We expect things to get most crowded during the next several weeks.  Actually, we are here until January 5th and we will see people flying in for the Christmas and New Year's.  Fireworks are for sale in the big, local supermarket.  So, we are expecting quite an explosive time welcoming in 2025 at our beach.