tammikuu 22, 2014

Mauritius is an island with so many things to do and see. We did seven trips in total during the eleven nights we were there. Mauritius is a small island and most of it is covered in sugarcane plantations. The island also has several mountains with the largest one being around 800 meters high. It rains a lot inland, but the coastal side is usually sunny (depending also on the season of course). During our stay, it rained only once heavily so we were lucky considering it’s the cyclone season there at the moment. 

Tourism is the highest source of income, after which it’s textiles and then sugar. I was surprised to see so many cashmere shops everywhere, but apparently cashmere products are produced locally from imported cashmere. The labor is cheap as some of the factory workers only get around 140€  of salary per month. The average salary is around 270€. Mauritius is quite wealthy compared to many other countries for example in Africa, but once we moved around and saw how some of the locals live, it was apparent that many families are quite poor. However, the good thing is that Mauritius offers free education, so all children have the opportunity to educate themselves. 

Also one of the greatest things about the country is that many people belong to different religions (around half are hindu), while still respecting each other and being able to live in peace together. The culture each religious group brings to the island, really makes it special.

I’ll make some posts about our trips and I’ll start with one of my favourite; visit to the east coast on a boat. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and we had the best meal of the trip there as well. These pictures really make me want to return back soon…