4 minute read
Astrid Arlove Welcomes You to Mauritius
It is a real joy to know that the next Eco Resort Network conference will be taking place in Mauritius in 2024! We cannot wait to welcome you and I personally truly look forward to meeting up with some of the great people I had met in Slovenia last year.
For those who don’t know me, I was myself born and raised in Mauritius, and even though I have lived and worked 8 years abroad, I chose to come back to Mauritius to develop OBOĒ, an eco-accommodation and community hub North of the island.
Our nation is considered part of the African Continent, lodged in the South West of the Indian Ocean. It may not be the closest destination for most of you, yet it is one that tourists and expats choose over and over again. Many come back every year, and increasingly these past few years, many choose to live here. Not only for the beaches and the sun, but for the community feel, the opportunities it hosts, and the quality of life. Here’s what I hope you’ll get to discover with us (with of course some insights from a local).
It is most fair to say that Mauritius is a melting pot. With no native peoples initially on land (and therefore no heavy history of communities that were torn or overtaken - which is quite rare in Africa), the nation was initially built by the meeting and melting of Europeans, Africans, Asians. After tugs of war between French and English empires, who have left their (mostly positive) traces on the culture, Mauritius gained independence in 1968. Even though some of us might be more of one or another ethnic influence, most Mauritians consider themselves ‘Creole’ - an ethnic mix that enables an identity of its own. Still today, if not more than ever, Mauritius is still this melting pot, a place where cultures and religions mix and co-live, mostly harmoniously, and often interdependently. My wish is that you meet this authentic diversity, that you taste the food, that you smell the Indian incense, whilst you drink the English Tea and hear French on the radio.That you get a grasp of the Mauritian Creolism, and somehow as citizens of a multicultural world, also feel part of it.
Mauritius is also beautiful natural landscapes (which I actually came to appreciate only after leaving). Of course the sandy beaches at sunset are priceless, yet as you drive across the island, you will be surrounded by mountains in the backdrop, and sugarcane fields that, in the right season, glisten in the sunlight. Above land, there are some nice waterfalls, some well known, and some secret; allowing for some cool treks, some well planned and some still wild. Below the surface, you won’t be surprised that it’s quite a pleasure for ocean lovers. Surrounded all-around by a coral reef, it’s quite safe to dive in Mauritius. And for those who don’t dive, I do encourage you to a snorkelling session whilst you’re here. My wish is that above and beyond all the places that Google suggests you should see, you first and foremost embrace the vibe and the island rhythm, and get to drive around to different corners of Mauritius to see what’s beyond the tour guide lists.
Eat a Dhal Puri. Drink a Phoenix. Visit the Ganga Talao. Go to the wild South. Experience the Bazar Port Louis. Learn a swear word in Creole. Go see the view from Le Morne. Sail a Catamaran. Try a Gato Pima. And of course, come to OBOĒ!:
We look forward to welcoming you in May! I truly hope that many of you will be coming through, and that you’ll have a fantastic time discovering our island in the sun!
