Mauritius: day three

 

patting my very first deer / crazy expensive ice cream / incredible mountains / stray cat / giant Shiva statue at Grand Bassin / ice cream van / making friends with a giant tortoise / volcano crater / Grand Bassin / lover's lock / albino deer / eating a pineapple / Chamarel waterfall / Grand Bassin / Bambi times two / Black River Gorges Park / cat family / cool lizard / Seven Coloured Earth / flamingoes / sleepy tiger

Today was one of the days I was most looking forward to as we were doing a South West tour of the island that combined many of the must-do items on my list. The day began with a long drive from one end of the island to the other, stopping quickly at a ship model workshop and the extinct volcano crater at Trou aux Cerfs. Then we headed to Grand Bassin, a lake and sacred Hindu site complete with a giant model of Shiva, before taking in some incredible views at Black River Gorges National Park. Here we snacked on small pineapples cut in half that could be eaten on the spot, which I had always wanted to try!

Then it was onto the area of Chamarel, home to a huge waterfall and the Seven Coloured Earths. We met a cute little stray cat family at the waterfall, including a tiny kitten I just wanted to take home with me. I must admit, all the stray cats and dogs in Mauritius make me pretty sad. Most of them look healthy though which is a relief. On the topic of animals, we next headed to our final stop of the day - Casela Bird Park. Not only did they have a vast array of avian species including big parrots and flamingos but also giant tortoises, monkeys and a tiger. And don't even get me started on the petting zoo! Geese, chickens, ducks, wild turkeys and my favourite animal - deer. It was the first time I had been that close to a deer and was really humbled by how gentle and serene they are. I was so excited to see so many animals in one place that I actually fell down some stairs while watching some small tortoises mating. Serves me right for being such a busybody I guess!