The view from the terrace is simply beautiful. Every house has four trees in minimum. As I see the view from here I can see lush green trees all around and bungalows in between them. Traveling here does not take much time as one can reach the north in an hour, south east in an hour and a half and the island is small with one city and 5 districts in all. 

We had gone all over the country, but the north side was left. We were heading north this time, as we left for the beach, we went for some sightseeing and throughout my mind scuba diving was going on! I was confident but at the same time nervous. Despite of knowing swimming, I was really confused on how does it work and what is the exact process. Some people who had been for this water sport told me different experiences. Some said it takes time to adapt to the water and once it’s done, it is time for you to come back. And some come back to the water surface in just 5 minutes. And the others said that the divers leave you for a while once you are adjusted in the water and you can swim by yourself, and they are right there behind us. It is an extended version of snorkelling – just that you cannot come to the surface by yourself. I was thinking about it so much that I dreamt about scuba the previous night 🙂

Finally, the day was there and I was striking off one “TO DO” from my bucket list. I wad super excited. This was one of the things I wanted to do since forever and was sure as I heard about the Mauritius trip. We reached the beach which was the most beautiful one that I had seen so far. The water was shining bright and the blue, clear water felt so good. After snorkeling for a while we were called for the training. We were given instructions about the oxygen cylinder that we had to carry, and what should be done if your ear gets blocked or water comes in the swimming mask. While he was giving so much of training we were wondering what all would we remember?? Would it be the breathing trick, handling the oxygen cylinder, ears being heavy or what if the nose is blocked with water when you are in between? I was just perplexed as the others were.

 We were given training for half an hour and in the shallow water we were trained for the next half and then we were taken on a jet ride I was feeling uneasy for a while and the trainer told me to RELAX and he said that he is going to be around from the start and till the end. And once I heard this I was less worried. Not apprehensive at all. As we were set with our belts and cylinders, we were given a particular position and just did as we were instructed. And I should tell you it was an unforgettable experience – observing colorful tropical fish, searching for rare fish species, exploring spectacular caves and underwater world. It was the most awesome feeling being under the water for 30 minutes straight. There were times when the water went in the mask and doing as the trainer had taught was the best way. The next part is not to panic and trust the divers. That’s the magic and what you do is just believe and do what you are supposed to. Once I was back in land after a wonderful experience – I was standing happily with a new pet of mine and guess what – it’s a starfish.

A vacation is no fun without shopping. So it was a shopping day for us. It’s mostly the same thing that you get everywhere. And usually the clothes and most of the fabrics comes from India and Thailand. If you are good at bargaining,it’s a bonus. So I was remembering some friends of mine who are really awesome at it. You can actually bargain till  less than half the price, it’s just how much you can talk and charm them. It reminded me of the street markets in Mumbai and Thamel in K-town:) Everything gets over really early, the days just starts and it ends here. The residents are an early risers and work starts from 9 but guess what it gets over in 7 hours. The shopping area gets shut  at 3.30 and people just chill at home !!

 

Then it was a safari ride for an hour. Zebras, ostriches and deer all around. And we made them eat bread. The ostrich  has no teeth and the bite felt like a clothespin clamp. And the driver showed them bread and the ostriches started running and came ahead of the bus and as it is the bird with the fastest land speed. The park also had a very beautiful Petting farm. The Petting Farm is a great joyful experience for people where they can meet and pet “Bambi” the deer,cockatoo and the wild boar among other animals.We missed the experience on that.

Mauritius is just beautiful. With each passing day it looks more amazing. And each beach has its own charm. And each coastline is different. Some have lots of people around, and some had the least crowd with kids to teens enjoying at their best in the waters. This cousin of mine was wondering what we would do for ten days at the island but he is in love with the place now. I feel I can surely stay here endlessly (At least that is the thought that came to my mind while writing).

So today we had a late start to our day and we went to Trou Aux Cerfs. Also known as Murr’s Volcano, it is a dormant one with a well-defined cone and crater and gives a great view around the island. We just could not stop taking pictures on the tarred road and then headed to a ship factory. The workshop was closed because of May Day, but we could see varieties of models and each one was made with so much of precision with the finest of materials and I thought it would take a day time to make one model. We got to know there is no time constraint in the creation of any ship model, the art of accuracy is liberated from time. Different designs, different models all at one place.

 Blue Bay was our next destination, as the name sounds; you see the turquoise blue colour of the lagoon and could just chill and have a great time. There you are at one of the best marine parks in Mauritius. We drove towards the south and enjoyed half an hour Glass Bottom Boat trip at the Blue Bay Marine Park. Once you reach the Blue Bay you will feast your eyes on some of the bluest waters. The colors of the sea are incredible and are of variety of many different blues.  You will have a great view of the reef, fish and of large selection of corals (there are more than 50 different species of corals at the park!). All these make the glass bottom boat trip at the Marine Park a wondrous experience. I had just heard about coral life from a friend who is studying marine life and I could relate to it so well when I saw it today. We could see the corals visibly from the glass bottom. There were Sea Plumes, Brain Corals, Ginger and Rose, Plate, Potato and Mushroom and diverse type of fishes.

Then it was time for Snorkeling  for the crazy part of the day and my first time too. We could see the colorful fauna and flora found at the park and the feel is absolutely stunning. We just did not want to come back. Even the non-swimmers can try it as you have life jackets and you just need to breathe in and out with your mouth. That is the only trick. It was just the feeling of swimming around the fishes and felt like a mermaid for some time. And there my wish came true. YAY!! The most spectacular white sandy beaches you will ever see at Blue Bay. Its me on the right 🙂

We ended our day by going to two more islands which were equally pretty. I am in love with the island all the more as each day is passing by and it is already the fifth day as I am writing my travelogue. And I just forgot to mention about the sugarcane farms that we came across and most of them were privately owned. We finally managed to get hands over some. And with the tired and lovely day, I got to end my writing here. MO TRUVE TOI TALERA (I just learnt that today and it means See you later ) .

We left for Belle Mare which is towards the east of the island, right in the morning, and today’s schedule was sport activities and more of water games. Quickly we finished the breakfast by 9.30 in the morning and were all set for an hour drive. And we started with tube ride and then para sailing was super fun. Some of us had already done them before but some had tried it for the first time and loved the experience. The water was virgin blue and the corals could be seen clearly. Sparkling water all around, we were awestruck by the cleanliness at the beach .The sea urchins around made us a little harder to walk around the shore. Then was the best part of the day that all of us were super excited for – UNDER SEA WALK – Had a wonderful time. As we put on the oxygen helmet in our head with jelly shoes we went straight under the sea. It was walk under the sea with fishes and corals. Going for the underwater Sea Walk is like going for an underwater tour inside the reef, walking between corals, seeing variety of fish, and discovering the rich sea life underwater in the crystal clear blue water of the lagoon. And there I wish I was a mermaid J and felt like one for one for next fifteen minutes. Under sea walk is not scary at all and usually people are afraid when they are more than 9 feet down, but with the oxygen helmet it is just fine. And they also give you instructions properly, in case you are troubled you can just show them a sign with thumbs up that means you got to go up and shaky hands are that you have a problem. And when you love it they just get to know with your expression. It is a true once in a life time experience for all the non-divers out there! And one off from the list of water sports:-Under sea walk 🙂

And the next half of the day we went to an island – Ila Aux Surfe on a speed boat ride. We could just spend a whole day there but we got only 2 hours to be there or else the boat back to the place where we started would be missed and we would be left deserted. It would have been WILD. And now when I think about it “What would we do if that happens?”. Call for help by burning shoes, oops we were wearing beach slippers. Damn, some other option then. So, it was swimming and chilling at the island and the next on the list is SCUBA DIVING.

All excited for the next day and with lots of chit chatting with cousins and deciding about the itinerary, we did not realize how we slept off really quickly. And as I wanted to see the morning view and sunrise I kept getting up every three hours not realizing the time had not passed much. How overjoyed was I that I wanted to see the same view that I saw in the evening, right before 14 hours.  And the funniest part was that I did not change the time as per the local one on my watch, and I was so early by one and a half hours. So the first thing that I did was going up to the balcony and took that fresh air and was enthralled yet again with the spectacular scene.

And after the breakfast we went around the city, which is really clean and greener. We hardly saw traffic lights but still the traffic sense around the residents was quite amazing to see. Not a very developed city but the inhabitants are really sweet at heart. We went to different points from Ganga Talao where the drive was super fun, and then we went to Black River George National Park , where we saw Alexandria falls and then Bentier Island and Bidhu Cap and the day ended with Le Morne Beach. Each place was really beautiful. And personally I loved the shades of green I could see around. Seriously I saw hundreds of green. How I wish K-town was this green again. And yes how can I forget about the Papyrus tree. They were just amazing. Papyrus is an early form of paper made from the bark of trees. It was used in ancient Egypt  and they used this plant as a writing material for boats, mattresses, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets. The line of trees and the wooden benches and tables is a perfect destination for picnic. All in all we had a great day and amazing memories captured on the first day of the island.

Finally the feeling of a vacation has started . Before a week I did not even realize that I had to pack my clothes and Saturday was right there . My mom kept telling me time and again to sort out my dresses,accessories, shoes, slipon and the required stuff. I would just listen to it and still act ignorant  about it and as always packing was done at the last moment.Thankfully this time I had kept a couple of clothes and beachwear aside else I would miss out on quite a few of things as I had so much of work on the last day.

Each sun sign have their own characteristics .And there are many of us who believe in each quality that is described by our sign and most of us tend to behave as per the horoscope that we fall on. Yes, I am saying that the billions of people who are born on Oct 24 to Nov 22 are similar. They have a particular nature in them that makes them a true scorpion. The ones that I have met are really true at heart and down to earth and are adorable. Time and Scorpion do not go well together. They do not really care about punctuality and are mostly late for anything and everything. Their calculation of timing can never be understood by others. This one time a friend of mine was making couple of his other friends wait for half an hour outside his house as he had the keys, and we had to push him off as we were panicking about him being late. He was happily enjoying our company.

As all the work just turns out fine for them, as they are really good with reasons and are an expert in getting work done from others, the quotient of making them feel at fault is hardly there. Scorpions are really reasonable about situations but at the same time they are stubborn and envious. They can charm and woo people they have just met before five minutes. They can get as friendlier and make conversations very comfortable for a new person. Confusion is their second name and they are the most chilled out people I have come across. Even if they are running late to catch a bus, they will take their own sweet time to get ready, and the bus for some odd reason would be waiting for them.  Is it the luck or the behavior that everything will go on, and they cannot do anything about it, or is it law of attraction. I fail to understand. But it works around them. Are you one in the team?? Let me know if this defines you 🙂

P.S – Being a SCORPION, I can totally relate to this.

On the last show of mine, at Love- A-lution, a show which is all about love, we were talking about flirting, which was quite the topic and that too when one is in a relationship. So there were loads of themes on my mind when it comes to the cupid thing called love and I happened to choose this amazing subject suggested by a regular listener of ours. So while we got onto this topic it was crazy as many people had different ideas, some said that the talent of attracting people and charming is inborn and it cannot be learnt. And some said to keep it going as there is no harm till your intentions are correct. And some were of the thought that once you are in a relationship and one talk leads to another, you should not move forward with it as you are giving hopes at the other side. So what do you think about it?

Flirting is a kind of social interaction. We flirt with people whom we want to know more about, or someone we admire and adore. Some are gifted flirts and anything they say sounds so romantic without trying. Believe me, flirting lines really work; the only thing is you need to be confident in that tone!!

Is flirting cheating??Some say it is when you cross the line. Now what line are we talking about?? It also depends on your definition of cheating again. Would you tell the person that you are in love with that you have been talking to this stranger for a long time and the company of that person is totally awesome. When I have to answer that question, I guess it depends on the person that you are with, if he is cool with the idea of you chilling out with others than you should tell him or else just let it be. Relationships are all based on trust and the space that you can give to the other person, accepting the person how he or she is and not to forget that you fell in love with the same person. So why would you want him to change now?? In this busy life, unless you are in the same field you are not connected all the time, but you are connected with multiple people on the other hand. And it is perfectly fine when your conversations go on and on with people you have just met. There are just two things that revolve around flirting where you need not think twice about it– You should be clear at heart and you have the power of wooing people around you. At times with a little of flirting, you do not even realize that you are .

There are times when it gets totally crazy when the other person is super possessive and would not let the other one talk and make conversations around. I guess for them, somewhere it always stays that they are going to lose the relationship they have and are really insecure. Moreover, I guess what they look for is the attention from the other one all the time. It is so insane when the small things turn out to be a lot more complicated and there is no reason for one.

I would just end by saying:”Flirt away. As long as your intentions are fine and you’re just having fun, it’s really no big deal”