2023 m.s. Zuiderdam – Leg 5 – Indian Ocean Islands & Cyclone Season

Since leaving Perth, Australia, our 3,900-mile westward track crosses the vast Indian Ocean during Cyclone Season.  We were fortunate that Cyclone Enala passed north of our route, but a more intense and exceptionally long-lived Cyclone Freddy has been churning for 5 weeks. Aboard the Zuiderdam, there is much conjecture of whether we will/will not be able to visit Madagascar in a weeks’ time.  The captain has been closely monitoring Freddy and providing daily updates. In the meantime, we have two ports on our schedule before we reach Madagascar: the islands of Mauritius and Reunion.

The Republic of Mauritius is an almost 800 square mile island in the Indian Ocean and the only known habitat of the extinct dodo, a flightless bird.  

Located 1200 nautical miles southeast of the African continent, it has a predominately West Indian and African influence.  English is the predominate language, but Creole and French are still spoken. Their most common places of worship are ornately decorated Hindu temples, but there are also Christian churches and Muslim mosques. 

Tourism may be their coastal source of economy, but textiles and sugar support the rest of the island.  It’s a volcanic island with dramatic, steep mountains.  The volcanic rock is widely used; pulverized and reconstituted as building and street construction material. 

We dock in Port Louie, an industrial port and a popular mooring field for at least 40 large Chinese fishing vessels, all rafted together.  

While the island boasts magnificent beaches, posh resorts and scuba diving, we sought to go see the ‘real life’ Mauritius first, since we’ve never visited here.   It’s a wild mix of battered, run-down buildings as well as newer districts with modern high rises. The most unique was a bank building that may have found its inspiration from an old cyclops horror movie.

We’ll begin 30 minutes away in Curepipe, the second largest city.  The drive and views from its elevation give us a panoramic view of their environment, tempo and livelihood of life on the island. For instance, they are known for their intricate and sometimes elaborate model ship building.  Diamond jewelry factories are also found here.

Travellers can learn a lot about any culture by visiting their central market.  Always fascinating.

Common local snacks are bhujia, a crunchy and crispy deep-fried Indian savory dry snack made by using boiled grated potatoes, chickpea flour, and essential spices.  Also popular are bouchon dumplings, typically pork in wonton wrappers.  

The market offers cooked foods, produce, clothing, shoes, backpacks, fabric, woven goods and jewelry, all from tightly packed stalls.

In stark contrast to the central market, the modern Caudan Waterfront shopping plaza back in Port Louis is filled with cafes and restaurants, including a Pizza Hut.

After a long day visiting Mauritius, Zuiderdam casts off her lines and we settled into a lounge chair on Deck 3 to watch our sunset departure.  With full bellies from dinner, we remained until the moon had risen, listening to the swish of the wake against her hull before retiring to our cabin.  We will push 175 miles through the night and awaken as we approach Reunion Island.

Once alongside the pier in La Possession, Reunion Island and the ship is cleared by Customs, we proceed to a shuttle bus that will take us 12 kilometers to the neighboring town of Saint Denis.  Part of which is a 7-kilometer bridge, which appears to have been built within the last 10 years.  Impressively engineered, as well as the levees that protect it. 

Reunion is part of the European Union and while considered a sister island to Mauritius, it couldn’t be more different.  It’s cleaner for one and appears to have a more stable infrastructure. 

Many well-preserved historic buildings, beautifully shaded squares and parks, central market, pedestrian mall of several blocks with many shoe, clothing and jewelry shops, cafes and restaurants.  

We snacked on a crusty French baguette sandwich and bought some lovely cheese from a local la fromagerie.

Our 5-mile walk gave us a good feel for this quaint town on lovely Reunion Island. Someday, we may have to visit again to explore the rest of this volcanic island which is 40% national park.

Unfortunately, Cyclone Freddy dashed our hopes of visiting Madagascar. Forecasters have been astonished by Freddy’s persistence and lack of movement. Cyclone Freddy has earned the designation as both the longest-lasting and highest-ACE-producing (Accumulated Cyclone Energy) tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide. The captain altered our course southward to avoid the highest winds and seas. The yellow boat in the chart below represented our original intended course around the southern tip of Madagascar, while the red boat shows our altered course. We gave Freddy a wide berth, and therefore, felt only moderate winds and seas.

And so, we set a new course for Maputo, Mozambique on the African continent. More to come…