It’s Always A Good Idea To Go Ashore, As Réunion, Mauritius Prove
Day 73, 2025 Grand World Voyage
Tuesday, March 18, 2025; At Sea.
Can writing a travel blog be an albatross around my neck? I wondered about that yesterday morning, when I seriously considered staying on board during our port call in La Possession, Réunion. I’ve learned not to let external expectations control my travel decisions. But I really didn’t want to admit in writing that I skipped the opportunity at hand. So ashore I went.
In 2023 on my first visit to this French overseas department island, I joined an excursion to a resort town to the south, where we swam in the confines of a shark net and admired the French fashions in the boutiques. Due to road damage this year from a recent cyclone, traffic was reported very slow on local roads heading north and south, making exploration on my own less attractive.
We docked at a working port (note the wind turbine components), so the port required a shuttle for the 600-foot transit to the terminal. After checking out the sole souvenir stand, I opted to take a second shuttle, disembarking near the center of La Possession. It turned out just about everything, including the tourist information office and the church, was closed for Monday.
I took some photos, putting a mile or so on my fitness tracker, and jumped back on the shuttle, which made a second stop at a large mall on the edge of town before returning to the port. I stayed on the bus, having no interest in shopping in what others described as high end and expensive stores.
Réunion is one of two islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. On Sunday we stopped at nearby Mauritius. When Dutch explorers arrived there in the 16th century, naming it after Maurice, Prince of Orange, the island was uninhabited. Over the next few centuries, the French and eventually the British took over, developing it into a sugar-producing colony, populated in large part by slaves. Mauritius gained independence in 1968, and today sports modern roads and buildings, including an extensive cyber city.
In 2023, I learned what a beautiful island Mauritius is, as my tour took me to a Hindu sacred lake, an extinct volcano and a hillside of colorful strips of earth.
Today’s highlight was spending an hour or so painting the iconic scene in the Umbrella Square of Port Louis, the capital. Other cities have created plazas covered by colorful umbrellas, paper lanterns and other decorations, but this was one of the earlier ones.
After sketching in the square, I moved on to a coffee shop terrace overlooking the harbor to paint. I’m still not enthralled with my nylon-bristled waterbrushes, but perhaps I just need more practice. I’ve submitted the original painting to the charity auction we’ll have in a few days.
Despite it being Sunday, many of the shops in the tourist area were open, with bars and restaurants following at noon. Our small group enjoying wine and local beer on an outdoor terrace slowly expanded until we returned to the ship.
Sea conditions have been calm and the weather favorable for our cruise until last night as we left Reunion during dinner, as was predicted by Captain Frank in his daily reports. Cyclone Jude passed through here a couple of days ago, leaving us with seas reaching 16 feet. I moved everything on my desk to the floor before going to bed. I find the motion of the seas refreshing, even as we weave our way around the ship.
Speaking of weaving our way, the St. Patrick’s Day celebration continued despite our rolling and pitching. I hear the bar crawl drew more than 80 people, making it the biggest in recent years. For $29, participants got to travel between four ship bars, enjoying a different adult beverage in each one.
Needless to say, I missed it, but I did get a photo of the celebratory cake in the Lido.
It’s been a bit of a reunion with the return of one of last year’s most popular entertainment groups, The FlyRights. This London-based trio brings an energetic evening of soul, Motown and swing to the stage, and gets the audience to our feet to join along. They’re back this year for three evenings of fun.
It is usually refreshing to get off the ship for a while. Glad you enjoyed.
I remember that so called “resort” town on Reunion, with the shark net swimming area. Not exactly conducive for relaxed swimming, was it? I kept thinking “what if there’s a hole in the net”. But it was one of my “must swim in every ocean” spots, so Ed and I enjoyed a short dip before meeting our guide for the aquarium. We had Cyclone Freddy chasing us across the Indian Ocean that time, preventing us from stopping at Madagascar (where I had an excursion to cuddle lemurs)…still sad about that! I love the high seas too…sleep sooo well….but not when they prevent us stopping.
Really enjoyed your writing and photos. Would have loved to have even on board..