CradLe to the GraVe: My Travels: Mauritius, November 2007

What can I say about Mauritius except that it is quite obviously a beautiful holiday destination and it goes without saying that we experienced 7 days and nights of pure island paradise (we stayed in the North Eastern village of Grand Gaube). However, I should point out that "tourist" Mauritius is a parallel universe to the "real" Mauritius which is a small developing country and when you step outside of your 5-star resort, expect to see a lot of run-down, derelict buildings and small sundry shops. I liked the "real" Mauritius because it reminded me very much of my beloved Melaka. Anyway, there's really no point in me going into all of the minute details of the trip (well, mainly because I've left it so long to blog on that I really cannot be arsed at this point), so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

P.S. I will say that doing yoga on the beach will take you to a surreal level of serenity.

P.P.S I will so spare you and myself shots of any swimsuit pictures.

We stayed at Legends Hotel and I cannot fault it one bit. The service was impeccable, the surroundings divine and the food absolutely mouthwatering. Highly recommended

The view from our balcony

Self-indulgent shot of myself on said balcony

The hotel beach

One of the many nauseating "romantic" weddings that took place on the beach. Excuse me while I vomit and be cynical

Grand Baie was the nearest town. Very chilled out place, inexpensive, like I said, kinda reminded me of Melaka. I kept looking out for a Jaya Jusco

We really indulged in a spa in Grand Baie (the name escapes me) as the prices were just so damn cheap - Balinese massages, facials... and that was just Matt! And of course the sign above ensured we behaved ourselves amongst the staff

Matt taking advantage of the hotel's free water skiing lessons....

...alas, he did not take like a duck to water on those skis

We ventured out of the hotel on bicycles to explore the surrounding area so here's a random shot of the ocean taken during the excursion

I was chuffed to find a Made in Melaka Rota Potato Snack! Manufactured in Ayer Keroh baby, a stone's throw away from home!

Glass water boat trip. I am afraid I don't have any pictures of our Open Water style snorkelling expedition where I seriously thought that was the end of me. I was struggling to save my life so taking pictures really didn't top the list of priorities. Here's a tip - if you're a beginner, don't go snorkelling in the middle of the Indian Ocean during high tide