Mauritius: Beach Paradise

Beaches are beautiful and everywhere on Mauritius, known to the French-speaking world as l'île Maurice. In the north there are Grand Baie and Pereybère; Rachel and I did an underwater walk" in Grnd Baie. This is where you put a glass box over your head, they pump air into this "helmet" using solar-powered energy, and you "swim with the fishes," only you're not swimming you are walking. I was really nervous at first, but then once you're underwater it's no big deal. The divers come along and give you a tour of coral reefs, fish life, and even bring a bit of bread to feed the hunderds of fish swimming around you. To the west is Flic-en-Flac (Dutch for "flat and free land"), Tamarin, and a few other beach communities. The capital city, Port Louis, is also in the west, though it is not a beach town. To the south lie Le Morne peninsula (think: Rock of Gibraltar), Trou aux biches, and Bleu Baie. In th east is the spectacular Ile aux Cerfs which is only accessible by boat. They take you out to the island for a fabulous day of swimming, give you a barbecue lunch of fish, shrimp, lobster and rum, and bring you back as the sun is setting. This is the life! We did a lot of snorkeling and saw a ton of fish and coral- even a few crabs!