A lot has happened since I went back to the mainland by boat. Will never forget that exciting boat trip with the three charming boatsmen. The feeling of going into that lagoon with its turquoise water up at Grand Baie was impressive. It was the feeling of being back on a luscious green island that Mark Twain described like this: “You gather an idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius.”
The six days on the mainland were the ideal thing to do to. What I enjoyed most was to see all the volunteers back in Black River again. That weekend was really hot. In the morning you are somewhere where civilization seems to be far, far away, and then in the evening hitting nightlife in Tamarin and Black River – fabulous experience. On Sunday then it was time to go to a proper Mauritian beach for the first time. People were curious: “How long have you been in Mauritius? Did you see a few beaches?- What, you haven’t been to any yet?” Well, I had been to the small beach at Black River, but never to one of those that people keep talking about, such as in Flic en Flac. And then on that Sunday, it was simply great. Five of us riding down to the beach on a hot sunny day. Even a cool milk shake we had in a nearby restaurant, exactly the right thing after the heat on the beach. What I missed out on however, was the snorkelling. The other guys kept talking about the great variety of fish and other marine life you can see just a few metres offshore. They said something of 30 species of fish they had counted once in maybe an hour – imagine that just a few metres off a marvellous sandy beach.
After a week of preparation, and meeting many people in the office, it was then on Friday time to fly back to Round Island. This time I kept my camera ready to get some shots from the air. Sitting in the front of the helicopter, the whole trip is even more impressive. You are sitting there with an open door, which lets you feel the outside air current. When you look down you see to the bottom of the sea (!). That’s how clear the water is. Now, it has been another 3 weeks on Round Island, and I have had the chance to see more of the natural assets of the island. The first three weeks were really a struggle to just get the project set up. Now, I have the time every now and then to also explore the area.
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