Entry #11 - Mauritius - August 19 - 28, 2023

 

Goodbye to Mauritius…

It’s a struggle to find the right words to begin this last update.  This trip lived in our imaginations for so long, growing more and more precious in our hearts before ever materializing.  Then, it exploded into an extraordinary reality.  For three months now we have met each new day titillated by the excitement for the unknown and the immense pleasure of new discoveries and memorable experiences.  

And here we are, at the end of the journey.  It feels so difficult to write about it because it is impossible to shrink something that has been so incredibly joyous and profoundly impactful into word size.  For us, the scale of this trip will only be measurable many, many years from now, in its longevity in our memories, in the reverberations of impact it will have on Jamie and Jessie, and in the threads of connection to faraway friends and faraway places.  

So, without any frills, here is how we spent the conclusion of our time in Mauritius.

We would oscillate between bucket-list-worthy activities and luxuriating in slow-paced days with sea and sun. For over a week, the town of Flic en Flac was home base.  

After swimming with wild dolphins we had another dream-come-true day when our family took surfing lessons!  The kids were catching waves from their first tries! 

They were fearless and driven and had an absolute blast.  Lee and I were slightly less graceful, but we also loved the pursuit of gliding towards the beach with frothy waves crashing behind us.  

We are so grateful to our wonderful teacher, Cyril, who is channeling a Patrick-Swayze-Point-Break vibe even in his 70s and has been living the dream, teaching people to surf for the past 50 years. 

Trying to avoid sunstroke after several days on the beach, we traded swimsuits for hiking shoes and headed inland to the 7 Cascades trail. 

Thankfully the trail was dry because otherwise, it would have been impossibly slippery on the steep path that took us over, behind, along, and under absolutely spectacular waterfalls.  

We loved being splashed by the refreshing mist as we took in the view from every angle, but nothing beat the invigorating feeling of sitting under the powerful falls and swimming in the crisp, cold pool at its base.

With each descent in the trail, we’d arrive at yet another pool of this multileveled waterfall.  It was a beautiful setting for a picnic.

No matter what, we would always head back to our favourite spot on the Flic en Flac beach.  The kids had extra fun when they met this furry little playmate.

We had a whole week of watching sunsets from this side of the island before heading up north to explore one more picturesque side of the island in the area of Mont-Choisy. 

It felt like each beach was one-upping the last and this sandy embrace of turquoise water seemed like it just couldn’t get any better. 

Here, we took the kids out in the boat with us as we went scuba diving. They were snorkeling and sunning themselves up top, while we were blowing bubbles with the fishies down below. 

Designating the last week of our trip to beach life created a bit of a time warp. Lazy days of playing in the waves and daydreaming in the sun would feel like every minute was stretched out, slowly flowing through the hourglass like thick, dense molasses. Then, before we knew it, we’d be watching the sky explode in a final burst of firey orange and the day would be over. The week was a blur. A really beautiful blur. 

Now, here we are, in the strange process of going in reverse. We packed up and said goodbye to our spec of paradise.  After a sleepless overnight flight, we experienced the foggy déjà-vu of arriving at airports that we had landed in three months prior.

Not gonna lie… it is very emotional to see this journey come to an end.  However, the best souvenirs of the experience are locked in our hearts, bursting full of the most incredible memories. We are proud of ourselves for fighting to make this dream a reality and proud of Jamie and Jessie for being such amazing travellers.  We will be forever grateful for the bounty of blessings we received from this trip; most of all the precious gift of three straight months of quality family time.  We have watched Jamie and Jessie grow in so many ways over the past three months.  We have watched them be brave, adaptable, curious, and compassionate.  Best of all we have shared so much laughter together.  

As difficult as it is to say goodbye to this journey, we know that there is so much love and joy, family and friends, experience and discovery to go home to, and if we think of it that way… the adventure never ends.