30 December 2023 – Day 8 – Pereybere to Trou d’Eau Douce, Mauritius

The vacation in Mauritius is coming to an end, with just two more days left to go. I had booked an apartment in Trou d'Eau Douce - don't ask me to pronounce it - with the idea of spending the better part of the day in Ile aux Cerfs - another unpronounceable - the most talked about attraction in the eastern part of the Island. As things panned out, I was a couple of hours late for the departures from Trou d'Eau Douce.

I changed my initial route to stay on the coast all the way from Pereybere to Trou d'Eau Douce, which meant that I travelled once again through Cap Maheareaux and Grand Gauba, where I had been the previous day. My only halts were in the Pointe Lafayette viewpoint and the Poste Lafayette public beach. At the viewpoint there was a police patrol manned by 4 officials. They were obviously keeping watch to avoid any untoward from the New Year revelry - patrolling has started much in advance. The viewpoint had rocks and shallow reefs making swimming difficult and signposts warned the daring to stay away because of the currents. Anyway, there was no one in sight.

The scene at the Poste Lafayette public beach was different - a few people were already sunning at that early hour, some were doing parasailing and banana boat rides. The wild and tropical side of the beach makes it very much desirable for the nature lovers. The coral reefs are rich in marine and are the most authentic part of this beach, reportedly. At the entrance to the public beach is an abandoned storage cum watch tower.

Not very far from that is a poignant memorial for those who had lost their lives in a South African Airways air crash in the area on 27 November 1987. The aircraft, a Boeing 747 Combi, transporting passengers and cargo, experienced a devastating in-flight fire in the cargo area before crashing into the Indian Ocean East of Mauritius, killing all 159 people on board. The incident proved to be a complicated case, resulting in numerous debates and conspiracy theories, with certain aspects remaining unclear even to this day.

My booking in Trou d’Eau Douce was in an apartment called Golden Shell Residence. Google Maps did not take me to the exact location, but a call to the owner settled matters. I had to park in the street for a while when I completed the check-in formalities, for which I had to wait some time. Once the entries were made and the paperwork completed I lugged the bags up two floors to the suite room with a balcony. I encountered ants in the bed and duly reported it to the owner, who gave instructions to change the sheets and clean the room once again. The accommodation was just about adequate. I parked the car inside the gate of the Residence and went out for a walk to check if I could make it to the Ile aux Cerfs. I warned at the Residence itself that even if I found someone to take me to the island they would be pricey.

Ensconced amidst sugar cane fields and sandy stretches of the east coast is Trou D'Eau Douce, which means “Fresh Water Hole” in English. A renowned fishing village, it is believed to be named after a natural spring. The Trou d'Eau Douce beaches are small, but they are very popular for the rides to Ile aux Cerfs - a picturesque island spread over 87 hectares of untouched land off the east coast of Mauritius. It is famous for its white sandy beaches, its turquoise lagoons and for the wide range of restaurants, water sports and land activities on offer. It is also home to one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, the Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club, an 18-hole championship golf course designed by two-time Masters Champion Bernhard Langer. It is the largest lagoon in Mauritius and people opt to spend a whole day on the island enjoying the luxuriant vegetation, white, sandy beaches and water sports.

As I turned the corner from the Residence I came to a large Roman Catholic Church – the Notre Dame du Bon Secours. Constructed in 1990, the massive stone masonry structure looms large in the village. After exploring the church I spent a few moments in prayer thanking Our Lady for having brought me to the church to seek her intercession. The church was a simple structure but done up aesthetically with many stained glass windows letting the light in. It was neatly maintained.

When I walked out on to the street I saw a couple of accommodations I had explored on Booking.com like the pricey La Koquilliche B&B. There is a watch tower, which looked recently restored, from where one can get lovely views of the Ocean and the surrounding areas.

I walked by a small kiosk where many ‘pickled’ fruits were on display; they are known as fruits confit. The lady who minded the store was of Indian Origin – from Bihar. I bought mango and pineapple slices spruced with tamarind jam and chilli salt. The pineapple was delicious – didn’t think much of the mango.

Having missed out on the scheduled departures I was being quoted ridiculous rates for a hop to the island and back, which I declined. The beach looked deserted as the tourists would be enjoying the idyllic Ile aux Cerfs, I surmised. The outstanding beach houses caught my attention for some time and I walked along the shallow waters enjoying the calm.

While walking back to the accommodation I stopped at a traditional restaurant for lunch. I was more than happy to rest a while in the shade of the restaurant roof; some respite from the fierce sun. It did not take much time for the dimsum and steamed noodle broth to be handed to me. One sip of the broth and my mouth was on fire. As it is, my tolerance for spicy food is near zero. I felt that the roof of my mouth and the tongue were burnt by the broth. I ordered a mawa kulfi to cool the insides and barely got through the noodles and dimsums carefully avoiding the broth.

In the evening I spent time taking in the narrow lanes and by-lanes of the village and visiting the embarkation point, Debarcadere, which was lively with young locals near sundown. Located in a fairly isolated location, the Landing Station in Trou-d'Eau-Douce was once frequented mainly by fishermen. A former village councillor and social worker, the late Louis Ange Sheik Hossen, took matters into his own hands and converted it into a place of relaxation for the residents with a kiosk, bench, as well as floor lamps. Even toilets were provided. As a token of his contribution, the village council, as well as members of the forces, posthumously installed a bust of Louis Ange Sheik Hossen there.

Over the years, with the changes that were made, it has ended up attracting a large number of tourists. Once the skies get lit by the setting sun, the fishermen and boat crew celebrate the close of yet another successful day with a few sundowners and cheerful music, laced with blurry banter.