Mauritius: Expectations vs. Reality PART 1

I wanted to go to Malawi.

I’m just putting it out there.

As I was booking tickets, a little voice in my head (also known as my fickle friend, Common Sense, who usually only shows up at the tail-end of BAD situations…) said check.the.weather. So, of course, I followed my gut, my intuition, the omens …as any good Millennial would (through Google Weather, of course).

It was raining.

The. Whole. Damn. Week.

…and the week after.

…and the week after that.

…and the week before that.

I like rain. But I don’t like rain that much.

So, I consult my unfickle friend, Google, again, and a short search shows a well-trodden path to a place with similar distance, similar price, beautiful pictures of beautiful waters, but… A thoroughly different vibe. Or so I’d heard.

Most everyone I know has been to Mauritius.

I was very late on that boat …or plane. And, yes, I have been to my fair share of interesting places, but, as with everything, a combination of 1. lack of planning 2. excess of enthusiasm, and 3. strange compulsive drives which even I don’t wholly understand, means I don’t aaalways follow the beaten track, but, I do aaalways end up in the most beautiful places. Somehow. Booked the day before.

So I keep this method. This method has worked for me.

Up until now.

…or so I thought.

To level with you completely, I wasn’t overly whelmed by the notion of Mauritius. The messages I had gotten from friends and acquaintances were… it’s a honeymooners’ haven, think expensive resorts that cater to your every whim, think beautiful beaches and think …well, don’t think much more. Lay on your beach, and drink your cocktail.

If I gave it a subheading it’d be: man-made lux in tropical paradise with little local offerings. Or so went my interpretation.

Inside, I grimaced.

My excitement levels dwindled (no … deflated).

For a holiday or mini travel expedition, I like a bit of both worlds. I want to feel the heart of a place …and then do what I do best: lounge around.

I want to eat different foods, I want to make new friends who speak a different language to me, I want to hear insiders’ stories about times past, and forecasts of times to come, I want to see new types of buildings, weird animals, trees… I want a taste of a different way of life, and I want to be forever re-evaluating mine…

I didn’t want to go into English-speaking heaven, and eat burger and chips.

I can do that at home.

So Mauritius, I apologise, for my hideous misconceptions, but, in a way, I am glad I thought so little of you because….

…I got a mighty surprise.