If you are looking for a new beach to try with beautiful sand and the bluest water that goes as far out from shore as you can see then you should consider a trip to Mauritius. This tiny country east of Madagascar has a population of 1.2 million. Independent since 1992, it is a parliamentary democracy led by President Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Prime Minister Paul Berenger. Prior to independence Mauritius was ruled over four and a half centuries by the Dutch, then the French and then the British. Currency is the Mauritius Rupee, about 33 to the US dollar now. 13 languages are recognized on Mauritius; most common are French and English. The country has become a popular tourist destination for France, India, and South Africa. The borders are full of hotels.
Of special significance are the coral reefs and the now extinct Dodo bird. Coral reefs are under stress and reducing in size for a number of reasons. Sugar is the primary crop of Mauritius. Excess fertilizer from sugar production is running off the land and into the ocean, decreasing coral production. Global warming also takes its toll with more and larger storms as well as heat waves that all increase erosion. Conservation efforts have been in place since 1954 to protect the reefs. We took the opportunity to travel 35 meters beneath the sea in the cabin of a submarine to see the bottom of the ocean which was pristine with coral reefs and various fish species. A Japanese fishing ship was sunk purposely to encourage the development of more coral on its hull. This trip took us to a beautiful beach and out on to the water on a beautiful sunny day. Other students enjoyed a day at the beach, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling and travel on a catamaran.
The story of the Dodo bird fits with many themes of the voyage including migration and evolution. (We had a birthday celebration for Charles Darwin on ship.) The Dodo evolved on Mauritius. It adapted to not having any mammalian predators. The Dodo became larger and larger, up to 40 pounds, until it could no longer fly. This made the Dodo vulnerable to invading species. It was a revelation in 1840 when the locals realized that the Dodo had become extinct. Now there are Dodos for sale everywhere in every medium. Check our Christmas tree in ’09 for our souvenir. An interesting failed experiment in Mauritius involved trying to get rid of rats. Rats were attracted to the sugar cane and multiplied. In order to get rid of rats the mongoose was introduced. The problem was that rats are nocturnal and mongoose (mongeese?) are diurnal. No rats were eaten by the mongoose and later they had a mongoose proliferation problem too!
After our beautiful morning we enjoyed lunch with friends at an Indian restaurant called Namasté. The population is largely Indian, many first brought in as slaves or indentured servants. Later we did some shopping on the Caudan waterfront and then back to the ship. Mauritius was our only one day stop, an island paradise worth returning to.
Shipboard life: Immediately on the night of return from Mauritius the Sea Olympics started. This was a 26 hour event that was a competition among all participants, divided into teams called Seas. A Sea is comprised of students from one living area of the ship. Names and colors are assigned; we use actual sea names such as Adriatic, Baltic, and Caribbean. Our sea community is made up of faculty, staff and life-long learners. We were asked to come up with a sea-like name and chose the name Odyssey but elected to spell it Oddies-C. First night competition had to do with team building, best flag, best mascot and best cheer. Then came a full day of competition with no classes. Some events were volleyball, dodge ball, and relay races. Less physical events were Pictionary, a spelling bee and Sudoku. My favorite to participate in was synchronized swimming in teams of ten which, of course, was hysterical. Ours was choreographed to an opening Flamenco and then busted into James Brown’s I Feel Good. Oddies-C took gold for the cheer and the spelling bee, won by a prof for whom English is a second language! We also medaled in the scavenger photo shoot, the human knot, and the paper boat float. Of special note was the mashed potato sculpting. The winning group sculpted the Taj Mahal from only mashed pots and food coloring. I have attached a photo of the work in progress. It was a fun day, lots of screaming and craziness. Now we are back to classes and midterms. Midterms give life-long learners a free class session since we do not take exams, a notable benefit for being an old head on ship.
Last night the Dean and Academic Dean hosted a tasting of South African wines. We sampled eight wines in the faculty lounge, an area of the ship reserved just for seniors. Hogan favorites were the reds, specifically a pinotage and a shiraz. We extended the event in our cabin where we shared a shiraz that we bought in South Africa.
We have started lectures in preparation for India, our next port. Arrival is on Thursday. Thanks for reading and thank you to all who have sent us email. News and comments from home are wonderful to receive. We are especially curious to read of the snowstorm due to hit Philadelphia on the 2nd as we are near the equator.
Whew, it’s hot out!
Of special significance are the coral reefs and the now extinct Dodo bird. Coral reefs are under stress and reducing in size for a number of reasons. Sugar is the primary crop of Mauritius. Excess fertilizer from sugar production is running off the land and into the ocean, decreasing coral production. Global warming also takes its toll with more and larger storms as well as heat waves that all increase erosion. Conservation efforts have been in place since 1954 to protect the reefs. We took the opportunity to travel 35 meters beneath the sea in the cabin of a submarine to see the bottom of the ocean which was pristine with coral reefs and various fish species. A Japanese fishing ship was sunk purposely to encourage the development of more coral on its hull. This trip took us to a beautiful beach and out on to the water on a beautiful sunny day. Other students enjoyed a day at the beach, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling and travel on a catamaran.
The story of the Dodo bird fits with many themes of the voyage including migration and evolution. (We had a birthday celebration for Charles Darwin on ship.) The Dodo evolved on Mauritius. It adapted to not having any mammalian predators. The Dodo became larger and larger, up to 40 pounds, until it could no longer fly. This made the Dodo vulnerable to invading species. It was a revelation in 1840 when the locals realized that the Dodo had become extinct. Now there are Dodos for sale everywhere in every medium. Check our Christmas tree in ’09 for our souvenir. An interesting failed experiment in Mauritius involved trying to get rid of rats. Rats were attracted to the sugar cane and multiplied. In order to get rid of rats the mongoose was introduced. The problem was that rats are nocturnal and mongoose (mongeese?) are diurnal. No rats were eaten by the mongoose and later they had a mongoose proliferation problem too!
After our beautiful morning we enjoyed lunch with friends at an Indian restaurant called Namasté. The population is largely Indian, many first brought in as slaves or indentured servants. Later we did some shopping on the Caudan waterfront and then back to the ship. Mauritius was our only one day stop, an island paradise worth returning to.
Shipboard life: Immediately on the night of return from Mauritius the Sea Olympics started. This was a 26 hour event that was a competition among all participants, divided into teams called Seas. A Sea is comprised of students from one living area of the ship. Names and colors are assigned; we use actual sea names such as Adriatic, Baltic, and Caribbean. Our sea community is made up of faculty, staff and life-long learners. We were asked to come up with a sea-like name and chose the name Odyssey but elected to spell it Oddies-C. First night competition had to do with team building, best flag, best mascot and best cheer. Then came a full day of competition with no classes. Some events were volleyball, dodge ball, and relay races. Less physical events were Pictionary, a spelling bee and Sudoku. My favorite to participate in was synchronized swimming in teams of ten which, of course, was hysterical. Ours was choreographed to an opening Flamenco and then busted into James Brown’s I Feel Good. Oddies-C took gold for the cheer and the spelling bee, won by a prof for whom English is a second language! We also medaled in the scavenger photo shoot, the human knot, and the paper boat float. Of special note was the mashed potato sculpting. The winning group sculpted the Taj Mahal from only mashed pots and food coloring. I have attached a photo of the work in progress. It was a fun day, lots of screaming and craziness. Now we are back to classes and midterms. Midterms give life-long learners a free class session since we do not take exams, a notable benefit for being an old head on ship.
Last night the Dean and Academic Dean hosted a tasting of South African wines. We sampled eight wines in the faculty lounge, an area of the ship reserved just for seniors. Hogan favorites were the reds, specifically a pinotage and a shiraz. We extended the event in our cabin where we shared a shiraz that we bought in South Africa.
We have started lectures in preparation for India, our next port. Arrival is on Thursday. Thanks for reading and thank you to all who have sent us email. News and comments from home are wonderful to receive. We are especially curious to read of the snowstorm due to hit Philadelphia on the 2nd as we are near the equator.
Whew, it’s hot out!
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