Over the past few years, we have grown accustomed to escaping the long, dark days of late winter to warmer climates. We started with Tenerife and a while back ventured to the more exotic by traveling to South Africa. This year we decided to go fully tropical and explored Mauritius.
Mark Twain wrote that, “Mauritius was made first and then heaven, heaven being copied after Mauritius.” I figured with this kind of endorsement, we could hardly start our first tropical vacation together anywhere better. And the timeless wisdom of Twain was once again proven, with the vibrant flora, saphire waters, brilliant reefs, and mixture of cultures, it was a great experience. We swam with dolphins, hiked a volcanic peak, snorkeled the coral reefs, visited a tea plantation, viewed Hindu shrines, saw how rum is made, all while enjoying the best seafood we have ever had.
I found myself drawing a lot of parallels with Tenerife, which we have visited often. Tenerife was a new experience with its unique climate and island flair. Maritius was similar in it being wholly new to me with its tropical forests, endless sugar cane plantations, and snorkeling with fish we had heretofore only seen in aquaria.
And though I always enjoyed Tenerife (seeing as we have been there so many times), I found myself ready to go home when the end of our trips came. Not so on Mauritius. Never have I so regretted the end of a vacation as I did that last night. Though regret did not translate to lamentation. We did not want to go, but were at the same time so thrilled with what we had been able to see and do, we could not help but leave happy and focus that regret of saying goodbye into planning the return trip.
