mountain to sea From left: A historic Creole home Maison Eureka, now a museum, stands under the Moka Mountain; Lord Hanuman, a Hindu super god stands sentinel over Grand Bassin - a crater lake
by ringing triangles and rattling shakers. Dancers tease one another by coming close without touching and many of the themes are about love, hardship and suffering. Sugarcane is closely linked to the history of the island punctuated with sadness. To work this abundant crop, slaves were imported from French possessions in West Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar. I understand that even today 85% of the island is under sugarcane cultivation. What better setting could tell the story of sugar than an actual sugar factory redolent with old memories? L’Aventure du Sucre is an interactive museum of sugar housed in the old Beau Plan Sugar Mill in Pamplemousses. The museum tracks the history of sugar, its route through the world to its scarcity during WWI, and the resulting Sugar Wars. From short films, to historical collections of artifacts, documents, as well as modelled ships and old machinery immaculately preserved, it explores the triumphs and failures of the industry. I am lost in a vision of a typical coolie’s day, which was run like clockwork from sun-up to sundown. Beau Plan’s chimney is a little worn, but still stands tall. The chimneys in colonial plantations were akin to banyan tree in an any little village; the chimneys were where the coolies would assemble when not working. That night a gentle zephyr rustles the palms and the sound of distant drums and Creole music hangs heavy in the air. It’s one of those moments when everything seems right with the world…and that classic clichéd Mark Twain quote flashes in my mind.... “Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and heaven was copied after Mauritius.” I have a simple Creole meal of rice, pumpkin curry and a tangy ‘millionaire’s salad’ made from palm hearts, on a beach restaurant at the hotel as the Indian Ocean gently laps my feet. Sabine working with guest relations tells me how as a student she had an Indian friend who invited her to celebrate an Indian festival Ganesh Chaturthi with her – she still recalls the great festivities and the special food. She says in a matter-of-fact tone, “We Mauritians love to celebrate together like one family… it does not matter if you are Christian, Muslim or Hindu.” It’s a message that resonates in me long after I return home. • Photography by Kalpana Sunder –184–
travel facts Getting there Air Mauritius has three flights a week from Perth to Mauritius, codesharing with Virgin. airmauritius.com; virginaustralia.com Where to stay • Maritim Hotels have two properties in Mauritius including the five-star Maritim Resort & Spa at Turtle Bay and the four-star Maritim Crystals Beach Hotel at Belle Mare. maritimresortandspa.mu; maritimcrystalsbeachhotel.mu • Beachcomber has eight luxury properties spread across the island. Stay at the plush Paradis Hotel and Golf Club near the Morne Mountain or the luxurious Royal Palm in Grand Baie. beachcomber-hotels.com What to do Visit Port Louis for its markets and museums, Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, Ile Aux Cerfs for water activities, Casela Nature Park, L’Aventure du Sucre (a sugar museum), Maison Eureka and Rhumerie de Chamarel for rum tasting. Eat/Drink Local specialties like Dholl puri, Rougaille – a tomato chutney, vegetable Fricassee and braised pumpkin as well as desserts like caramelised rum bananas and sweet potato pudding. Try Rum arrange – rum infused with different fruits and spices and Alouda – a drink with milk, jelly,chopped agar-agar and crunchy seeds. Buy Woven baskets, coconut shell artifacts, flavoured rum, wooden models of ships, fresh vanilla pods and different varieties of sugar. Further information Mauritius Tourism: tourism-mauritius.mu
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