Mauritius (February 27, 2009)

All I can say is…PARADISE! When we ported in Port Louis, I looked out my window and the only thing that could come to my mind was…why would Semester at Sea ever take us here? (Just kidding). The island itself has a number of interesting facts behind it. It formed eight to ten million years ago through a series of underwater volcanic eruptions and is well known for the dodo bird – the first animal to ever be documented as an extinct species. However, around the ship, the rumor was that the scheduled port for a day in the island paradise of Mauritius was supposed to act as our “spring break”. The weather was beautiful the entire day. My friends and I rented out a boat cruise to take us around the island and on a snorkeling tour. Snorkeling is another huge attraction in Mauritius, and it was obvious why – beautiful coral reefs everywhere around the island. The tour guides grilled out for us on the boat after snorkeling; the food and beverages were a great capper at the end of the day. Even though we were only in Mauritius for a day, it felt a lot like the Bahamas, and I am definitely a fan of the island atmosphere in general.