Soudha's Travel Log 3: Shopping by the Sea!

Hi guys! Today I'm back with a new entry in my travel log series. 

So today, I'll be taking you on a virtual trip at the Caudan Waterfront. Simply put, it's a set of shopping malls, food courts and hotels built along the harbour. You're basically doing your shopping by the sea! It comes with a docking area for cruise boats as well and is always bustling with people, both locals and tourists. 

When I arrive at the Caudan, I am greeted by the sight of boats docked for the day, bobbing lightly above the deep blue sea. The parking area stretches along the harbour and as soon as I leave the car, the smell of salt on the wind hits me. Regardless of the season or time of the year, it always feels like summer at the Caudan!

I enter the main area of the Caudan and flanking the steps leading up to the first mall, I find the famous wood sculptures of local artist PEM. A favorite spot with tourists and Mauritians alike, the beautiful hand carved display is a little teaser for the other local pieces of art and handcraft scattered throughout the Caudan.

A few steps into the first mall and I find one of the several art galleries of the Caudan. Under the brush strokes of local artists, Mauritius come to life through the vibrant colors of the local scenery and beaches captured at standstill on canvas. Spotted in almost all pieces, the Mauritian dodo, extinct since centuries, seems more alive than ever under plumage of bright reds and blues. 

I leave the first mall and head to an open space leading to various shops and food spots, walking under the shade of a myriad of colorful umbrellas that overlook the entire alley. 

To my left, a few people are sitting under the colorful shadows of the overhanging umbrellas, sipping fresh fruit juice from the fruit cart stationed on the side of the alley. This is the ideal place to stop by for a taste of local fruits and freshly pressed juice.

Just a few steps further, there's a cart selling the traditional 'manioc galettes', local treats made with cassava. These galettes are perfect on their own or with a warm cup of tea.

I now head to the other side of the Caudan. To cross between the different areas of the place, you get to walk by the harbour. To my right stretch high end restaurants and popular fast-foods, the sounds of laughter and clinking of glass occasionally cut by the splash of the waves. 

The Caudan is home to both local art and delicacies and high end shops. The Vendome does not only offer beautiful pieces of jewelry, but the shop itself is worth a stop. With its stone façades and balconies, the shop itself is as beautiful as the little treasures displayed inside.

Another visitor favorite is the boat shaped casino with the massive figurehead of a prancing lion. The casino, housed within a boat docked right in the middle of the alley, is one of the highlights of the Caudan at night, both with visitors and the people staying at the hotels in the vicinity. 

I enter another of the malls and this time head towards its craft market. Inside, you can find all sorts of locally made crowd pleasers ranging from sweets, local tea, scented candles and carved wooden decorative pieces to scarves, boat models and handcrafted soaps. 

Leaning on the balcony of the mall's top floor, I take a moment to glance at the sprawling view of the mountains looming above the coastal city. The bridge, which leads to another entrance to the Caudan, unfolds into the edge of the road beyond which lay the town of Port-Louis, the capital of Mauritius.

Any tour of Mauritius would be incomplete without a stop at the Caudan. With its countless shops and food spots, galleries and food carts, it's the perfect place to hang out on a sunny day, as well as for tourists as with its local visitors.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know your thoughts in the comments ^^

Soudha's Travel Log 2: Reading in the Garden

Today we're going to take a little stroll in the Southern Hemisphere's oldest garden, the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden. Pamplemousses, which is French for grapefruits, is also the name of the district where the garden is located. The garden was created in 1770, while the island was still occupied by French settlers. Years later, remnants of the long gone French days still linger in the silent paths that weave through the garden, leading to the old chateau hidden away within. 

Let's Take A Stroll In The Garden...

It's by a warm Sunday day that I make the trip to Pamplemousses, eager to revisit the old garden that has come to be one of my favorite places on the island. As I arrive there, I am greeted by an alleyway of trees, and it is under their gently wavering shadows that I walk inside the garden.

Although it is Sunday, the timid winter sun hasn't drawn a lot of visitors in and the garden is almost empty as I walk under the soft but delightful sunshine of Pamplemousses. We are in the North, where the days are always a bit warmer than where I live, farther away in the colder regions of the island. 

Every now and then, you can hear the occasional singing of birds and the rustling of the leaves overhead as the wind slips through the knotted canopy of the branches from nearby trees.  

After a few minutes, I arrive at the statue of Bernardin de St. Pierre, a French writer and botanist who notably wrote Paul & Virginie, a tragic love story set in Mauritius. Although the book has today been widely forgotten, in the 18th century it was actually quite famous. Today, Paul and Virginie are recognized as Mauritius's own Romeo and Juliet and can be found in works of art all over the island. 

Leaving behind the whispers of tragic love and forgotten centuries, I reach the garden's most famous attraction, its long pond of giant water lilies. Scattered among the large circular leaves, the occasional water lily amazes the approaching visitor with its dress of pure white petals. 

I am carefully walking around the water-licked edges of the pond, trying to figure out the best angle to capture this beautiful painting of glittering waters and floating leaves when I notice someone sitting in front of the pond, an actual paintbrush in her hand. I walk a bit closer to the young woman, an Asian tourist, and can't help but stare when I see the beautiful painting she's making, having captured the exact same image I'd been trying to capture through my camera. Awed and definitely a bit shy, I ask her if I can take her picture and she nods with a smile. 

I simply love coming across artists and getting to meet them. My encounter with this young woman was definitely the highlight of my visit to the garden that day. It's always nice to meet people who share a love for art, isn't it?

Leaving behind the pond of water lilies, I'm now approaching the deepest part of the garden, where centuries of unspoken history awaits within the walls of an old French chateau. The Château de Mon Plaisir has been the home to various French officials back in the old days, including Pierre Poivre, the man who developed the garden. While today the colonial house is home to dust and phantoms of past lives, a visit to the garden wouldn't be complete without stopping at least once before its ancient walls. If walls could talk, huh? 

What I'm Currently Reading 

I'm currently reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I'm absolutely loving it. I'm already familiar with the story, having seen the movie countless times with my sister before. I actually bought the book months ago as part of my birthday book haul in February but hadn't really dared pick it up. Having already watched the movie, I guess I was scared of not loving the book because I already knew the story. Turns out I had been worrying for nothing after all. As a matter of fact, I'm glad I'm already familiar with the characters and story because that way, it feels a bit like reuniting with old friends. I'll keep my full thoughts for my wrap-up but I can already tell that I'm going to give this book a very good rating. 

The Souvenir(s) 

I bought this postcard at a little stall near the exit of the garden. It shows a few touristic spots of the island, including the famous water lilies of the garden in the top left corner. 

More travel stories & Giveaways

So that was another post in my new Travel Log series. If you want to read more about Mauritius and see pictures of my other trips, click the link below:

Soudha's Travel Log Series

And if you haven't already done so, click below to check out the two giveaways that I'm hosting this month. They'll both end on the 30th of September, so you still have time to enter if you wish to ^^ 

Giveaway 1 (International)

Giveaway 2 (International)

I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments :)

Follow me here:

Bloglovin'

Facebook

Pinterest

Google +

Instagram

Cover Art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo

Soudha's Travel Log 1: Let's Hit The Beach!

Hey guys! As announced in a previous post, today I'll tell you a bit more about my home country. Mauritius is a small island in the Indian Ocean. To tourists and visitors, this usual evokes images of white sandy beaches, blue lagoons and picturesque nature spots. As you'll be soon discovering though, the island is also home to a culture melting pot, wide expanses of sugarcane fields, rich historical sites, remnants of past colonial times and even an extinct bird. Ever heard of the dodo? Like the one in Alice in Wonderland? Yep, that bird was Mauritian. 

In each post in this new feature called Soudha's Travel Log, I'll take you on a virtual trip of that particular day's location. I'll then show you the book(s) I'm currently reading and which I brought with me on the trip. Then, at the end of the post, I'll show you the memorabilia I collected during my trip. I thought it would be nice to pick up some souvenirs each time I go for one of these trips. I'm actually pretty excited to be playing the local tourist! I hope you'll have as much fun reading these posts as I'll have making them ^^

Since this is the first post in this feature, I thought I would start with the tourists' favorites: the beaches! 

Let's Go To The Beach!

Today is Saturday the 22nd of August and we're going to the beach of Flic en Flac, in the West of the island. Get ready for lots of places with funny names because as you'll find out as I make more of these posts, Mauritius has lots of places with French and Creole names. My dad is tagging along, with me not having my license yet and all of that. We leave home at 2.00 pm and hit the road. Although it's winter here right now, we're lucky to have selected a particularly sunny day for this trip.  

After driving for about 20 min, we finally reach the coastal road. This road crosses through coastal villages and touristic shopping spots. A few minutes after entering the village of Flic en Flac, we decide to stop to snap some pictures.

I spot a postcard rack and decide to grab one for my souvenir collection.

Time to take the road again. Now we're finally approaching the beach. Since today is Saturday, there are plenty of people already here. We find a nice spot and I get to work taking some pictures while my dad goes to hunt down the nearest ice-cream van. 

It's 3.30 pm and I'm starting to feel a bit hungry. My dad and I decide to walk along the beach to see what we can find. At the beach you'll usually find stalls offering local fruit salads and juices. There are also people selling coconut water, fresh out of the coconuts. If you've never tried it, I promise it's as delicious as it sounds. 

It's now 4.00 pm and we decide to head back home. Along the way, decide to stop at the nearby fishing village. In most Mauritian coastal villages, the main activity is fishing and the fishermen usually occupy a part of the beach where the water is too deep and tricky to swim in. Since it's afternoon, we find the spot empty as most fishermen go out at sea very early in the morning. As the waves roll in the distance and a gentle sea breeze sweeps across the beach, we enjoy the tranquil sight of the fishing boats docked for the day.  

What I'm Currently Reading 

Now let me show you what I've been reading. I'm actually reading a few different books at the moment but the one I brought to the beach with me is Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. I've recently read To Kill A Mockingbird and absolutely loved it and while I would have been fine without a sequel, I am too much of a curious person not to read Go Set A Watchman.   

Reading about an adult Scout in the first few pages was a bit weird for me but as I'm reading, the book is slowly growing on me. I'll keep my thoughts on this book for my wrap-up though.

The Souvenir(s)

I bought this lovely postcard at one of the little tourist shop we visited on our way to the beach. I love the colors and how it screams sunny days and good times. The picture on the card was taken at La Pirogue, a four star hotel found in Flic en Flac. I actually did spend a week there with my family two years ago, so I was happy to find a postcard with a picture of the hotel. At the back of the postcard, I wrote the date and the purpose of our trip. I also decided to have the people accompanying me in my trips add their names and signatures at the back of the postcards and other memorabilia I'll be picking up. One day, I'll look back on all those souvenirs and remember the fun trips we had together while we played the local tourists. As my dad jokingly said to me in the car, "Along with your readers, you're also discovering Mauritius!" 

So this was my first post in the Travel Log series. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! And now I'll leave you with shots of this exceptional fail XD

 

Follow me here:

Bloglovin'
Facebook
Pinterest
Google +
Instagram

Cover Art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo