Hello my beautiful Steem people 😀!!!
Today I have prepared for you "a come with me" in my last few days. In the photo bellow I am having my tea at labourdonnais in the Capital of Mauritius Port Louis.
Actually it is more than that, it is more like a thorough touring guide in the exotic land of the island of Mauritius!!!
And on of my favourite tunes from my beloved Stefano Saletti that I keep listening in my hotel before I continue with my narration!
So shall we begin? A little information about the island first.
Mauritius is a 42 mile long island situated in the Indian Ocean, East of Madagascar as it is shown in the photo bellow:
One my favourite writers Mark Twain once said reffering to the island: “You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven was copied after Mauritius.” And the truth is not far from it, well for me at least and for 100,000 British visitors- among other nationalities- that come here every year.
The lush beauty of the nature is combined with stunning volcanic scenery and create this result!!!!
But let me start talking about this beautiful gem of the Indian Ocean by giving you a brief History description.
A few centuries back!
Mauritius was initially discovered by the Arabs that were the leading maritime and not only power in the whole of the Indian Ocean back at the time. The medieval Arab world called the south-western Indian Ocean island region Waqwaq.
Back then the island of Mauritius, was produced on a map by the Italian cartographer Alberto Cantino in 1502. And actually on that map were three islands which are thought to represent the islands of Reunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues and calls them Dina Margabin, Dina Arobi.
Portuguese Conquistadores!!!
Then it was discovered and visited by the Portuguese between 1507 and 1513. At the time Portugal was great and powerful with a blooming maritime force with colonies in America (Brazil), all over Africa and South Asia. Mauritius and surrounding islands were known as the Mascarene Islands Ilhas Mascarenhas after Pedro Mascarenhas.
The arrival of the Northern Europeans!
Then the island was colonized by the Europeans, successively in time order by the Dutch, the French and the British, and became independent in 1968.
Starting off , the Dutch on their second Expendition to Indonesia, landed here, after some really bad weather at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
They decided to name the island "Prins Mauritz van Nassaueiland" after the son of William the Silent Prince Maurits of the House of Nassau the state holder of the Dutch Republic and after the main vessel of the fleet, the "Mauritius".
From that time, only the name Mauritius has remained.
The first Dutch settlement started in 1630, mainly in order to prevent the French and the British to occupy the island. The Hollanders settled on the east coast of the island where the south-eastern harbor is, an area which they called "Haven van Warwijck", where the town of Vieux Grand Port now stands. It was also the time of the Dutch East India Company!
The Dutch East India Company sent Simons Gooyer to become the governor of the island together with a group of twenty five men, they established the first settlement.
Those were the most prosperous years for the island!!!! And if you are wondering who Dutch East India Company might that be, listen closely!!!
We are talking about the most profitable company that ever roamed the face of the earth!!!
Due to the bad conditions in Mauritius though, of droughts, storms, rats and monkeys which prevented agricultural progress, the Dutch decided to abandon the island finally! Then at 1710 the Dutch tried to settle again in Mauritius but this time with some skilled man like carpenters, blacksmiths, tanners, sawyers, and brewers. But again due to the droughts, cyclones and pests problem, the new settlers abandoned the island.
ISLE DE FRANCE!!!
For some years following the Dutch departure, Mauritius remained unoccupied.
In 1734, Bertrand Mahé de Labourdonnais, a great sailor and trader was appointed governor of the island. He transferred the head quarters of the island from Port South East to Port North West. During his governorship he built roads, a big civil and military hospital which still exists near the harbor.
He also built the Government house, Pamplemousses Garden, Chateau de mon Plaisir, Powder magazines, stores, ware houses, the harbor, canals and a line of fortifications and batteries to defend the capital.
In the map bellow you can see the Mascarenes. In the middle is Mauritius which at the time was called "Isle de France"!!!
By the Treaty of Paris in 1814, the "Isle de France" was renamed Mauritius and was ceded to Great Britain.When the French lost the island to the British, the Maroon Slaves of Mauritius, fearing that the new rulers would be as fierce and crule as the previous, commited a suicide by jumping from Le Morne Mountain.
Le Morne Cultural Landscape in Mauritius is one of the most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Maroonage and the resistance to slavery and oppression.
Today is a global touristic attraction as you can see!
British Rule!
Well the main reason British wanted Mauritius was to protect their main sea route from England to British India from the French who threatened the British shipping and naval route.
The British managed to abolish slavery which had important repercussions on the socio-economic and demographic fields. Also in the years of British colonialism, the Mauritians had their first General elections, which were held in August 1948 and the first Legislative Council met on 1st September 1948.
NOWDAYS!
On 12 March 1992, twenty-four years after independence, Mauritius was proclaimed a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, once a haunt for pirates, is now best known as a safe haven with luxury hotels on white sand beaches with volcanic mountain backdrops.
- It is an island for exploring, with Indian temples, colonial houses, botanical gardens, and opportunities to spot rare birds among soaring ebony trees, walk with lions or swim with dolphins.
- The tourism spot is in the north around Grand Baie, which has the greatest concentration of hotels, beaches and entertainment.
A cold morning a couple of days ago at Grand Baie!I can also vouch for that, since I have friends here who are both locals and expats and I rave about their hospitality😘 !!
An artistic approach of the steps at SSR Botanical Garden bellow😉!!
Bellow with Mika and Carola, exploring the centre of the island! Mika has a company that exports fruits in Europe and US. He is very succesful and recently his sister, Carola joined him to help with his business!
On another excursion with my other Mauritian friend Amina and some of the Mauritius Club des Archers members, further ahead. Mind you, she is their champion, she also has a black belt in Karate and she is a teacher of French language, the youngest in fact, in the College she teaches!!! I am so proud of her 😀!!!
The excursion that day, was towards the Lion Mountain and that is the view from the top of the mountain!!!
And a Magnificent sunset bellow at Mont Choisy!!
The "beautiful" south is the island’s wilder, but perhaps more interesting side. There are clutches of hotels in the southeast and more to be found squeezed onto calm stretches near pounding surf and clifftop walks in the "green" southwest.
Talking about hotels, I should highly recommend the hotel I stay, which is by ALL MEANS Magnificent!!!
http://www.stregismauritius.com/?SWAQ=958C
A couple of photos bellow...
Yesterday after snorkeling when I came out to the beach, this 8 feet tall Hammerhead Shark was less than a meter away from me, as you can see in the photo bellow!!
Thank Heavens was dead lol....... still scary though!!!
And with this last photo of the Hammerhead shark, I will bring the curtains down to my Mauritius post and head for dinner 😀 !
I hope you all enjoyed it and..........
Until next time,stay tuned my beautiful people 💗 💗 💗 💗 💗 💗 💗 💗💗 💗 💗 💗 💗 💗 💗 💗
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Mauritius
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Dutch_Expedition_to_Indonesia
https://mauritiusattractions.com/mauritius-history-i-79.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africa/mauritius/