Welcome To Paradise

Let me just start off by saying that I'm sorry I don't really have time to post all of the photos of all the amazing places that I have been lucky enough to visit.
My job is just crazy busy. #CrewLife

This has been my travel diary so far (in order of destination, in the span of just 35 days):

• Paris, France.
• Amman, Jordan (turnaround. Meaning, I don't leave the plane, sadly).
• Hong Kong, Hong Kong (no, Dad, Hong Kong is not in Japan nor China. It is its own country).
• Brisbane, Australia.
• Auckland, New Zealand. (Then back to Brisbane).
• Paris, France.
• Mauritius.
• Johannesburg (aka Jo'burg/ Jozi/ Egoli/ City of Gold/ time to stock up on food).
• Manila, Philippines.

I'm constantly going from one place to another, seeing new places, and spending time with those I'm travelling with.
I have taken my camera with me to snap some shots, but I'm enjoying the experience of getting lost in the moments rather than try to digitalise them.

The one thing that I have been doing is a McDonalds diary, where I try out the local McDonalds McChicken meal, comparing the tastes and prices of them every where that I go.
Don't listen to what others may tell you, McDonalds does not taste the same around the world.
It varies completely with each city I visit.
Whether it be based on the meat they use, the items they have on the menu, how you place your order, the way they prepare their chips (aka fries), or even the flavour of the cool drink/soda they offer, every place is different, and I have to say that my little experiment is turning out to be rather fascinating, just to see how different the world is based on something that is universally recognised.

So far I have managed to do this in all my layover trips except that of New Zealand and Mauritius.
New Zealand has amazing food, especially sea food, something that Dubai seriously lacks, so I gorged myself on that way too much in just 24 hours.
In Mauritius, I was too busy taking advantage of the free water sports and relaxing to even attempt to bother wandering outside of the lagoon resort.

This morning I got back from Manila and into my apartment at 1am. I was so exhausted I slept straight through 'til 7pm. Now that I'm (partially) awake and have some free time, I was looking back on the amazing trip to Mauritius, and I thought I'd share some of the photos I took.

It's definitely been my favourite trip so far just because I love the simple life of being outdoors.
I've missed being in the water; the people were so friendly; the food was amazing; the sun was (damn) strong so I got a super quick tan (sunburn); and on top of that it reminded me a bit of being home. I mean they have M-Net in Mauritius, come on!
Not to mention the fact that I got to do some really cool water sports, all of which were free.
Ha!
You can take the Coloured out of Cape Town hey, but not vice versa ;)

Our flight arrived at the perfect time, around mid-morning, allowing us time to quickly get changed and meet outside by the beach to plan our boat trip around the islands for the day, which included a trip to the waterfall, free snorkelling, swimming in the lagoon where dolphins come to breed, and lunch on a secluded island.

I was so happy because I got to see my friends, Daniela and Laura, who were enjoying the last of their stay before they had to head back to Dubai.

Laura in a sun-induced coma.

In desperate need of a tan.

Just after I said my goodbye's to my girls, we had found our awesome skipper for the day, Nico, whom we met through a hilarious tour guide who goes by the name of Ali Baba. I told him I'm from South Africa and his response was: "Lekka, bru! Hoe gaan dit?!" and I died laughing while the rest of the crew just looked at me in confusion.

Thunderstorms are pretty frequent in that part of the world, but they're warm and provide an excellent relief for when you're on a boat.
They pass by in just a few minutes.

My friend Yasmine from my Hong Kong trip was pulled out to be on this flight. Yay!

Massive fruit bats about the length of my forearm, which I was obviously geeking out over. So cool to see!

Garlic bread. Fish braai. YES.

At sunset and sunrise I would just sit out on the beach watching the fruit bats fly across the island. It's incredibly peaceful and lush out there.

The thought of having to leave the next day honestly made me want to cry.

Early the next morning I was awoken by the sound of the thunderstorm which had hit hard and it rained heavily for a bit. Even though I had only slept for about 6 hours, I didn't want to go back to sleep, knowing that I would have to leave paradise later that day. So I just sat outside on my roofed balcony taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of the warm air on my skin.

Then the rain stopped, the skies cleared, and I decided to go for an early morning walk around the island for a quick dip in the warm tropical waters.

Literally what I would wake up to.
LITERALLY.

After breakfast we all headed down to go and take advantage of the free water-sport activities that was available to us on the resort, before we too had to pack up and head back to the desert (aka Dubai).

First time water-skiing, which I managed to get the hang of after the first face-plant!

Kayaking is a serious workout that you only feel the next day. I swear I was only out there for 20-30minutes, but the next day when I got back to Dubai, I COULD NOT MOVE.

There's just something amazing about having someone cut down a fresh island coconut for you that you can sip water straight out of.

Disregarding the fact that we stayed at a beautiful resort, I could easily live in Mauritius.

The simplicity of being able to eat what you grow and fish your lunch straight from your backyard, is a thing of beauty that not many appreciate.

My mother comes from an island, it's in my blood; I lived there for the first two years of my life, and even though I was raised in Cape Town, there are still aspects of my beloved city that remind me of what it's like to live the island-lifestyle.

Just enjoying nature, being outdoors, chilling with your friends on the beach, that's my kind of happiness.

Good food, good company, and a simple "free" lifestyle is all anyone really needs, and Mauritius just reminded me of that.

It is heaven on Earth and I cannot wait for the day that I get to go back.

*SIGH*.

I love my job.