Before anyone could get off the ship today, the authorities on this small island required a mandatory immigration inspection which meant that all passengers had to go pick up their passports, show them to the immigration officials, and then turn them back in. The ship did a great job of making this process run smoothly. Since we didn’t have a ship excursion scheduled, we were able to sleep a bit later before going through this.
Mauritius is recently an independent island.
Like Reunion, due to volcanic activity long ago, it is a mountainous island.
2/3 of the island is Hindu. There is an emphasis on art and local artists. Also, this is the island where the Dodo bird originated. Settlers killed this bird off and now it is extinct.
There were two ways to get into town as there was no shuttle bus – walking about 2 miles or the water taxi for $2 each. Given the heat and humidity, we opted for the water! Also, it gave us a good perspective of the edge of town from the water.
The center of local life here is the City Central market with sections devoted to fruits and vegetables, fish and meat, souvenirs, crafts, clothing, and spices. 
Yes, that is octopus for sale. I later heard that they sold “catless” chicken. Yes, that is what you think it means!!!
The only purchases I made were some saffron powder and a “dodo” t-shirt.
Doug bargaining with our new “friends.” Guess who got the good deal—they did!!!
This was the market for the locals. It was hot, crowded, and very smelly – and not from the spices! It was a wonderful experience we wouldn’t have missed.
However, there was also a section for the tourists where everything was clean and rather bland – and with expensive shops like at home. The only reason we enjoyed strolling through this area was for the air conditioning! I guess we were refreshed by the cool air because we managed to make a purchase for our new home.
After dinner (with our regular 8) we went to the ship’s entertainment and heard an excellent pianist play classical music. Her name was Elena Ivanina from Russia. While her music was good, she told stories as well, and was way over the top with her delivery!
Before going to bed, we went out on deck to check out the full moon – which is always so beautiful over the ocean.
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