Thursday October 15-17
“It would seem that Mauritius was built first, and heaven modeled after it.” –Mark Twain
Mauritius, the little island off the coast of Madagascar, was a welcome relaxing reboot. A cool breeze drifted from the sharp green peaks of the island mountains, and the climate was warm yet overcast. I had never heard of Mauritius before I investigated the itinerary of Semester at Sea, and before I went I assumed it was going to be a charming little backwards island. Not so. It exports 70% of the world’s sugar cane, has a huge tourism base, and is currently mobilizing to become a big player in outsourcing. This little island has big plans for its future, and with the proactive and involved government, access to the SAFE cable (a submarine fiber optic cable that provides direct communication between Asia and Europe), and current rate of expansion, I wouldn’t be surprised if it begins to get some big international attention. I think it’s small niche market might be just what some investors in outsourcing are looking for; it’s tangible, able to be transparent, accessible, and the price is right. They will probably be able to provide better, more customized service than the big outsourcing powerhouses of India and China, and a private law firm in Indiana might appreciate that. (Sorry, did a project for Operations Management on outsourcing in Mauritius and spent FOREVER on it. Had to share a bit).
We rented a villa (what they call small little apartments—don’t think of the grand romantic ones of Tuscany) in the Flic en Flac region in southern Mauritius. 15 girls in 2 villas the first night, 9 girls in 1 the second night. Fit comfortably though; everyone had a soft spot to land. A few left to go on a catamaran trip the second day. Flic en Flac was a small town with a few restaurants, blue water, and a white beach with bits of coral strewn across it. We were close to a grocery store and had a smorgasbord one afternoon of fat red and green grapes, a baguette with balsamic and oil, cucumbers, and butter crackers with gouda, brie, and herb cheese. I think we budgeted well; no leftover food at all (in a house with 15 girls, are you surprised?) We just hung out for 3 days… I read my new book, A Passage to India by E.M. Forrester (India’s our next stop, trying to finish it before our passage there is finished) and we went to see the traditional dance of the island, Sega, one night. Basically a mix of hula and Indian dancing. The people of the island look Indian, and there is a big influx of Indians due to the new outsourcing craze. Yet the Dutch, French, and English had a hand in colonizing the island, so you see small indications of that sometimes. Lots of French food, and the people are bilingual in French and English. All in all a fun little 3 day excursion.
