26 October 2010
La Reunion is a lovely island and having just returned from three wonderful days touring with John and Jenny we are wishing that we had had a couple of days less on Mauritius and a few days more spent here. There is so much to see and do. Our hire car, the second choice was a battered old thing, the first one rejected because there was no air flow of any sort. However it did get us around and the brakes did not fail on the hairpin bends that are such a feature of travelling into the interior of this island. It is so French and by that I mean that they are quite unused to English speaking tourists and therefore it was good to brush up on our long lost French.
This island is a walkers paradise and reminded us very much of Madeira. It is not so much for the golfers and beach lovers, much of the coast line consists of black volcanic sand or no sand at all, the sea pounding on rocky shores or against jagged cliffs. But before I describe our journeying into the interior I must mention the fact that Paul and Suzana secured free berthing with power and water for the duration of our stay here. Well done to them! In addition the tourist board donated goody bags to all the fleet containing a bottle of rum, jam, sugar, postcards, a document bag and a hardback tourist book which was to prove an invaluable travel guide for the duration of our stay.
First on the agenda was to drive to the nearby town of La Possession and the tourist office. Here we secured two nights accommodation, not easy as either it was all horribly expensive or fully booked up. It is their peak season here. After lunch we drove high into the mountains in the northwest region to reach the village of D'os Dane. It reminded me so much of the highlands of Sri Lanka. Here the land was fertile and green, neatly laid plots of land cultivated with crops of every description. Lantana (Spanish Flag), growing wild by the roadside amongst other tropical plants, reminded me of home. A short walk to work off a good lunch took us to Le Cap Noir. The narrow precipitous path lined by loquat and guava trees, wound its way high above a deep gorge ending at a platform with magnificent panoramic views, the Riviere des Galets far below, and five summits rising straight up from the valley floor. At 3031metres Le Gros Morne was the highest but today wreathed in thick cloud. We returned to our hotel, Lodge Roche Tamarin in the Village Nature where each had a luxurious log cabin complete with jacuzzi on a raised deck. After a couple of cocktails, we dined on the hotel verandah under the moonlight and thanks to all our friends who have sent their good wishes.
Eruptions and Disruptions!
It seems incredible but we learnt that for a second time on this around the world trip of a tsunami, this time triggered by an earthquake on Sumatra. At 04.30am all the crews on board the boats were woken up in Le Port by the fire brigade, and once again the occupants of Voyageur were off enjoying themselves quite oblivious to the drama unfolding. However this time our fellow participants were advised to remain where they were and only a small wave was reported to have gone through the harbour. Now we also learn that the volcano here has become very active again, it erupts about every two years and it seems that we may not be able to view it as the road has been closed. Lastly, the island being a department of France, the students have come out in protest against the raising of the retirement age from 55 to 62 years.
Susan Mackay