A Fly Through Dubai

When I made my reservations to fly back to Boston, I did lots of research on which airlines offered flights from South Africa, the schedules and of course, the pricing. I was expecting the prices to be exorbitant around the Christmas holiday and steeled myself for the disappointment of not flying home because the tickets were too expensive. I was pleasantly surprised.

There were several airlines operating on the route … South African Airlines, Emirates Air, KLM, British Airways. Some offered crazy routing with long, long layovers. Some offered high prices with long layovers. Some connected through West African cities like Dakar, Senegal (no, thanks!). In the end, I whittled it down to Emirates Air, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. I knew nothing about this airline, other than what I'd read which was mostly positive. I was willing to take a chance.

Unlike many people, though I might grouse a bit about flying when the delays are long or flights are canceled, I think of the flights and the connections as part of the adventure. I would be flying an airline I'd never flown before and connecting through Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I'd be leaving out of King Shaka International Airport in Durban and spending a few hours in the Middle East. I know, spending a few hours in an airport isn't really like visiting the place, but still … it sounded pretty unusual and a bit glamorous. How can you pass up that kind of opportunity, especially when the ticket prices were less expensive and the schedule was considerably better than the closest competitor.

I've got to tell you that from the minute I checked in, I was impressed with Emirates Air.  First of all, the female flight attendants have really cool uniforms with burgundy pill box-style hats with an attached white sheer scarf that drapes to the neck. A unique, very exotic look!

More important than the fashion statement, we boarded on time and arrived on time. I was able to  check two 50# bags. The seats were comfy and roomy enough considering I was traveling in Economy class. Wine and liquor were free and plentiful throughout the flights. The meals were quite good and snacks were frequent. There were hundreds of on-demand movies to choose from on personal monitors. There were USB and power outlets at each seat, so I could charge my iPad and laptop while flying. They even distributed hot, moist towels at the beginning and end of each flight! All that plus there were tiny lights on the ceiling that looked like a starry sky when the other cabin lights were dimmed. I like that kind of detail.

Dubai International Airport is something else. It's modern and glitzy … just what you'd expect from an oil-rich, opulent Middle East country. I relished seeing the signs in English and undecipherable Arabic. I liked hearing all the announcements in Arabic and was extremely thankful they followed up in English, too. Everything was shiny and new … from the trains that took me from terminal to terminal to the restrooms to the restaurants. In addition to the top-shelf Chanel and Tagheuer and Hugo Boss variety of duty-free shops, there was also a Starbucks and a McDonalds!

I looked at souvenirs with thoughts of buying something I couldn't live without, but gave up when the best options I could find were painted, wooden camels and stuffed dates.

Having traveled 10,803 miles (17,387 km) in about 24 hours after departing from King Shaka International Airport in Durban, I arrived at Boston's Logan Airport, exhausted, but excited to be  back in the USA. Immigration and Customs were a breeze. I stepped out into Boston's brisk winter air and spotted Lin at the curb waiting for me. Let the sister fiesta begin.

An Accidental Tour - Black River Gorge NP

There were no cabs as we were leaving Grand Bassin, so we decided to walk along the narrow road back to Bois Cheri to catch a bus. A 5km walk (3 miles) was good exercise and besides, we always see more when we walk than when we ride. Sure enough, we hadn't gone a mile when David spotted a gigantic snail slime-ing his way along the side of the road. We were thinking escargot, but this guy looked big enough to fight back (you know how vicious snails can be), so we let him be.  

We walked past tea fields, thick and green with leaves to be harvested. About a mile from the bus stop, a small car stopped and a Mauritian fellow waved us over. Robin asked where we were from and we chatted amiably on the side of the road. He said he was a senior advisor to the Prime Minister and he'd just come from the temple. He had a free day and in the interest of friendship, would we like to perhaps tour the Black River Gorge National Park and return to Port Louis along the coast road. We were skeptical. He allayed our concerns, assuring us he wanted no remuneration other than perhaps a contribution for gasoline and after due consideration, we hopped in the car and off we went.

This was not quite a 90-day event as we were to find out. He stopped for gas and we asked how much he needed … 1,000 Rps ($33.33US), he suggested … that seemed fair. He then asked if we'd like to stop for lunch and he described a Hindu restaurant along the way that he thought we'd like. It sounded wonderful and we, of course, felt obligated to pay for his lunch since he was such a generous host. It was a wonderful lunch of several Hindu specialties, served on a banana leaf and eaten with our fingers. The check at the end was a bit hard to swallow, however we chocked it up to a delightful eating experience and moved on. We were a bit suspicious that everyone at the restaurant seemed to know him and he disappeared for a few minutes after we paid the check, ostensibly to wash his hands.

We headed to the Black River Gorge National Park, high in the hills. He definitely knew his way around and skirted through alleys and back roads to avoid traffic. He just seemed too familiar with the area to be anything other than a tour guide. We viewed a few waterfalls along the route and he asked if there was anything in particular we wanted to see. “Monkeys”, I requested. He said we'd see lots and he was as good as his word. Long-tailed macaques (ma-KACKs), introduced by the Dutch in the 17th century, were quite numerous as we moved along the road through the national park, especially in areas where they received hand-outs from humans.

Robin asked if we liked wine. We said “yes” in unison, then thought we'd spoken too soon. He said Mauritius made a special lychee wine and liqueur that he knew we'd like and he'd taken the liberty of ordering some for us. “Oh, no... that's okay.” “Oh, I insist”, he said, “this wine is saved for dignitaries and only drunk on special occasions.” Obviously, we were special enough to buy some. Lucky us. We could have refused, I guess, but we didn't. We went with the flow and $50 later, we were the proud owners of two bland-looking, dull labeled, screw-top bottles of lychee wine and liqueur. We'll tell you how it tastes as soon as we have a special occasion to try it. Can hardly wait!

We continued along, Robin providing commentary as we went. As is many times the case, what is viewed as particularly special on a little island is not necessarily a unique world class site/sight. We didn't realize there was a fee to enter Chamarel, until we were in the queue for buying our tickets with no place to turn around. We would have given it a pass, but Robin insisted we'd never seen anything like it. The “Earth of Seven Colors” at Chamarel was interesting and scenic. Had we never seen the Painted Desert, the Badlands or Yosemite's colors, we might have been impressed, but we had seen them and Charmarel paled in comparison. Robin dropped us off and waited … hmmm … much like a tour guide might do.

Perhaps we're becoming jaded. Waterfalls, unless they're Niagara, Iguazu or Victoria, do not impress us any more either. Again, they were scenic and lovely to look at, but not all that dramatic. Of the several we saw, the Chamarel Falls were probably the best.

We descended from the mountains on narrow, switch-backed roads that Robin negotiated at a higher speed than we would have expected. Passing on curves and on steep, narrow stretches seem to be the norm, not the exception here. We had a few close calls, but no harm, no foul. We stopped at an overlook of the coast at Ilot Fortier that was really beautiful with a good view of Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, Mauritius' highest mountain at 2,717' (828m).

The ride back to Port Louis was long and tiresome with heavy, slow-moving traffic. Robin was obviously tired, as were we. He worked hard to keep up the conversation, but we'd depleted all reasonable topics and a quiet set in until he tuned the radio to some lively Indian music and hummed along. As promised, he let us out near the marina and though we felt he was a bit of a charlatan, we hadn't been fleeced all that badly. We chocked it up to an island experience.

Hindu Temples and Grand Bassin

 Hindus represent over 50% of the population in Mauritius. Most Indians have been here for generations, descendants of the the indentured laborers who immigrated here in the mid-19th century to work the sugar plantations. There are large Hindu temples in most every town and small temples along the roadside and in front of people's homes. There are several here in Port Louis. In fact, one right next to the Immigration Square Bus Terminal. They are colorful, busy, intricate … almost to the point of garishness, but I find them fascinating.

hindu temples in port louis

I'd read about Grand Bassin in the south central part of the country. It's a natural lake high in the hills of Mauritius and it's sacred to the Hindus. Legend has it that the waters of the Ganges River in India flow under the ocean to Grand Bassin, known to the Hindus as Ganga Talao. We took an early morning bus to La Flora, then changed to a bus to Bois Cheri and then caught a collective taxi (shared rides) to the temple. It was quite cool after the heat of the city and it rained off and on during our visit. Figuring out where to go isn't a mystery. You ask and someone points the way. We follow directions well. We knew we had arrived when we saw a huge statue of Shiva, the supreme being in the Hindu religion.

big shiva

There are temples all around the lake and we just followed the path to visit them. There are few restrictions for visitors. Remove shoes before entering a temple. No consumption of alcoholic beverages in the area. Be respectful of the temple and those praying. Otherwise, we were free to wander, observe and learn a bit. The first temple was absolutely beautiful. Perched high on a hill overlooking the lake, there was an archway which led down a steep flight of stairs to the water where the actual temple was located.

archway to the lake

We walked along the lake's edge keeping a respectful distance from those worshiping. We caught the scent of incense burning and we could hear a mantra, chanted over and over. The lake was calm and still and the place was peaceful and serene.

lake temple

There are small altars all along the edge of the lake. Several had offerings called prasada on them. Placed on a banana leaf, the offerings we saw consisted of fruits, coconut, flowers and sweets.

altars and offerings

Once left unattended, the local birds and monkeys evidently finish up what the gods didn't eat.

bulbul eating offering

We walked along the lake and came to what we determined was the main temple. There were large statues of Hindu deities, many with offerings at their feet, scattered along the lake's edge.

statues

We have a special affection for Ganesh. With his elephant head and pot belly, he is revered as an obstacle remover. He's considered a patron of the arts and is known for his wisdom and intellect. He's an all-around nice kind of guy, for a god, that is.

ganesh

At the entrance to the temple, we removed our shoes and walked inside. A ceremony was being conducted in the inner temple. We wandered past several displays of different deities, trying to keep them straight. We couldn't, of course. There are purported to be some 33 million different deities in Hindu religion, which, by the way, is claimed to be the oldest religion in the world.

shrines inside temple

A Hindu pandit (priest) approached us and asked if we would like a blessing. David deferred, but I needed all the blessing I could get. He applied a “tilak”, a red Hindu religious symbol on my forehead, then placed his hands on my head and blessed me and my family, asking for peace, safety, harmony and prosperity. I took this blessing as a positive sign for our upcoming passage. We are not religious, but I'm interested in the way different people practice their religion.

being blessed

There were no cabs around when it was time to leave, but having enjoyed our visit to the temple, we felt more inclined to walk back to town anyway, about 5km away. Interestingly, there are about 90 different religions practiced freely in the tiny country of Mauritius. The mix is something like 52% Hindu, 30% Christian, 16% Muslim and 2% Chinese religions. There seems to be no conflict at all on religious grounds, but rather a harmonious acceptance of the differences in beliefs. Wish we could accomplish this in other parts of the world.