TreeLog

It is common in Mauritius to go on school trips by bus with the whole class, what we commonly call “excursions” in French. As a kid I would always look forward to that annual trip where we would usually visit a new place and enjoy a picnic by the beach.

Now as adults , we can keep the same spirit and have family or friends as co travelers instead of classmates.

This month we visited the Vanilla Plantation in St Julien d’Hotman, found in the district of Moka ( located in the middle of Mauritius if you look on the map) .Yes, I did look at Google map before the trip and missed my Atlas book!

We made a stop at Alma on our way to St Julien to have a coffee from our thermos bottles while eating sandwiches and admiring beautiful flowers and the iconic chimney, remnants of sugar estate.

Once we reached the Vanilla Plantation, we were greeted warmly by a nice lady in the cooperative shop where they sell vanilla, spices, homemade jams and other Mauritian Souvenirs.

She gave us a guided tour of the Vanilla Plantation where we also saw Cacao plants and other beautiful fruit trees. The plantation also cultivates spices and aromatic herbs through aquaponic and permaculture methods. 

Homemade jams are also prepared there using the local fruits and sugar cane juice and we had banana fritters ( gato banane) with the jams for tasting. We also tasted their honey.

I had booked lunch at the Vanilla Plantation and it was a surprise vegetarian menu ( personally I am perfectly fine eating vegetarian but to be honest I was a bit nervous in case others in the group did not like the food). Fortunately they were all delighted with the food, presentation and service. Everything on our plates came from the garden, including the edible flowers.

I particularly loved the fresh fruit salad of papaya and pineapple which we had for dessert. I could see the vanilla caviar mixed with the fruits and it was so refreshing and yummy. 

I highly recommend this place if you like vegetarian food and want an educational and relaxing trip.

Beautiful fruits on trees and on display

We finished our excursion on Palmar beach where I had ice cream, admired the sea, and beautiful coastal views.

As we bid farewell to March and look forward to April, I find myself reflecting on the magical month of March. 

I celebrate my birthday on 20th March. It is also the international day of Happiness and Equinox fell on the same date this year. I feel that even if I did not have a big party, the universe is celebrating 😊.

This year my birthday was the day following the Marathi new year, Gudhi Padwa and I was still in the spiritual vibe to go for prayers and turn inwards. I am still on a vegetarian diet since my trip to India.

I decided to do a solo trip to Grand Bassin, the sacred lake with Shiva temples. It was my first time to go to Grand Bassin alone and I thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful and calm vibes. I usually go to Grand Bassin for Mahashivratree festival and it is always crowded with people and loud music which make us miss the authenticity of this sacred place.

I also went to the Hanuman temple on the small hill and to my joy and surprise, Hanuman’s dhoti and my pants were of the same colour. These small things make my quirky self happy.

After the sacred lake, I went for a swim at my favourite spot in Le Morne with my bestie ( my 11 months old niece). The day ended with dinner together with my family. 

As I wrap this month, I also participated in prayers for Ekadashi at the oldest Marathi temple in Mauritius, nestled in the village of Cascavelle. It was a fulfilling experience which made my soul happy.

I also have close relatives who celebrate their birthdays in March as well as my Godmother. 

This month I am also celebrating my work anniversary, being back in Bel Ombre since one year. Life comes full circle. This is the place where I started my career in 2005 and I have spent 14 years of my life here. 

Have you ever experienced life coming full circle?

Mauritius was an uninhabited island before being colonised. The Dutch (1638- 1710), French ( 1715-1810) and British (1810-1968) colonised the island and shaped its destiny. 

Mauritius obtained its independence from Britain on 12th March 1968. The island therefore has a lot of French and British influence in its language, architecture and even names of villages and towns. 

“Chateau de Riche en Eau” in the South West of Mauritius is one such relic of the French era. It was my first time to visit this serene and beautiful place; surrounded by greenery and majestic trees. The estate is open for free to the public every year on 12th March, in honour of Independence day.

The “Chateau”, the main building is a colonial style house with an open veranda all around. The house is not open for visits but we could see through the glass doors and have a glimpe of the beautiful antique pieces and furniture. It made me feel like visiting a movie set in the 17th century. 

You can stroll in the garden, admiring the plants and landscaped trees. I loved the open green space and peaceful atmosphere.

It is definitely a place I would recommend to visit as it takes you back to another era where green spacious estates were a way of living.

 P.S. I have read about the Chateau online prior to my visit but for those who did not, I think it would have been useful to have informative signages and narratives to educate about the history of the place.

The Chateau being part of our architectural and historical heritage, open days throughout the year would have been interesting for students.

To finish off writing about food I had in South India, let me walk you through a couple of dishes.

In the ashram at Isha Yoga Center, I did not take any picture of the food as there is a certain ambience and rules while eating which I respect. The main meals are served twice per day; wholesome satvic food with fresh fruits ( I love the watermelons). I can briefly list the menu which consists of groundnuts, salads, millets, dal/ sambar and rice ( white or flavoured). We even had desserts – sweets made from jaggery which I absolutely relished! Second serving please🫣

There are two cafés at the Isha Yoga Center which serve food and drinks and I love their tea in small metal cups. The base which looks like a small bowl is used to pour the tea to cool it down faster. We pour the tea back and forth until it reaches the desired temperature.

I would say the staples of South Indian cuisine are idli, dosa, vada , sambar, rasam and pongal as I have seen them on the menus and even for breakfast in the hotels. 

Idli is a steamed round shaped dough made with rice and pulses which is eaten with sambar and a variety of chutneys, the most popular being coconut chutney.

Dosa is like a giant crisp pancake. I loved the one I had at the airport: ghee masala dosa with potatoes inside.

Vada is a savoury mini fried doughnut which tastes a lot like our Mauritian gateau piment but the dough is more spongy. 

Sambar and rasam look like soups and are made from pulses to accompany the main dishes.

I also had other Indian dishes like dal fry, butter paneer and naan; so delicious and inexpensive! Less than Rs 400 (MUR) for these dishes, including lassis ( yogurt drinks).

Chole bature – The fried puris ( bhature) with chickpeas curry ( chole) which I had for breakfast at Taj Vivanta was food for the soul. I am not a fan of eating savoury food for breakfast but I do not regret choosing this one.

Chole bhature

This is the beauty of traveling and discovering new cuisine, places and people. You never know what could make your soul soar until you try…

I spent my last 2 days in India in Coimbatore city, practicing my yoga in the hotel room and missing the ashram vibes.

I spent two nights at Taj Vivanta hotel in Coimbatore and it was my second time staying there.

However this time I have discovered a little jewel called IKON by Annapoorna. I had stayed overnight there before going to the ashram but did not know it had such a great vegetarian restaurant.

So for my last night in Coimbatore my friend took me to this fine dining vegetarian restaurant which completely blew my mind! I was so impressed with the quality of the food, the presentation and creativity behind.

We started off with a “mango mist” , a non alcoholic cocktail made with mango, orange and pineapple juice and saffron syrup. The best part is the presentation with a vapour like dome.

For starters we had assorted dim sum and baked filo with feta. Delicious and so well presented.

I chose three cheese ravioli for my main course. I know I am in India and should be eating Indian food but I also love Italian food😅 . The ravioli dish was perfect and came with a surprise… as I ate my raviolis, the sauce started turning blue! What a nice surprise and I was amazed by the creativity!

Dessert time… my closed ones know that I never say no to dessert🙂 We had a tiramisu and a chocolate cake. All vegetarian and so tasty.

I was thoroughly impressed and look forward to eating there again when I go to Coimbatore.

About Kove restaurant by Annapoorna: It is owned by the chain of restaurants called Annapoorna in Coimbatore which are renowned for their vegetarian only menu.

It has been a dream since 2019 to attend the Maha Shivratree at Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore. 

My desire to visit the ashram kept growing and finally I visited the yoga center in 2024 for my 40th birthday ( a gift to myself as my birthday was on Ekadashi). 

The wish to attend Mahashivratree was still there and two years later, there I was among the crowd of thousands of people.

The event is so well organised that you do not feel the crowd or feel unsafe. Volunteers are around everywhere, always with a smile and offering guidance when needed.

On the grand day, we woke up at 3 30 am, attended guru pooja, did our yoga practice, and Shivanga Sadhana culmination ritual. At 15 30 we left our accommodation and walked to the 112 feet Adiyogi statue. All the arrangements were already made and we sat in our respective bays, waiting for the event to start at 6 pm. 

In yogic culture, Shiva is known as both the first yogi and guru – Adiyogi/Adiguru. He has transmitted the knowledge of yoga to the seven sages ( saptarishis) who in turn shared the science of yoga around the world.

It was a dream come true to see Sadhguru in person and listen to Sounds of Isha playing live. Seeing Sadhguru in front of me filled me with calmness and I just wanted that feeling to stay with me. I did not even feel like using my phone and just wanted to gaze at Sadhguru. 

By the time we did the meditations, I was feeling very sleepy but told myself I did not come all the way here to sleep! As there is an upsurge of energy on that day, we should keep our spine erect and not sleep. 

To stay awake, we danced, sang and my heart was filled with joy! My feet were not tired nor did I feel sleepy after midnight. We danced until the show ended at 6 a.m.

We walked back to the ashram and went for abhishekam at Dhyanalinga. This was a rare opportunity to be able to go up the ladder and pour milk on the shivling. 

This special place always makes me feel blessed and I was so grateful to the universe for this wonderful experience.

P.S You can watch the full celebrations on YouTube:

I am now back in Mauritius, reminiscing about my 10 days spent in India. I had intermittent access to internet and did not have much time to use my phone as my schedule was full.

The “Grace of yoga” programme at Isha Yoga Center was packed with various activities: yoga, meditation, watching documentaries, rituals, singing and dancing. 

I started my three day Shivanga sadhana there with the culmination on Maha Shivratree. Shivanga means a limb of Shiva and doing this yoga practice and rituals really made my heart fill with devotion, preparing myself for the grand night of Shiva (Mahashivratree).

We wore white clothes for the grace of yoga programme and an orange shawl  for Shivanga sadhana. 

In the evenings we had Yaksha celebrations at the yoga center where we experienced Indian classical music, singing and dancing. 

One evening we also had the opportunity to attend linga bhairavi abhishekam at night where the deity was smeared lovingly with neem paste. We learnt a devotional song during one of our sessions which we sang after the prayer was over, making the night vibrant and blessed.

One highlight was seeing the Pada yatra (Shiva yatra/pilgrimage), where people walk from across different regions of south India and come to the yoga center with their Adiyogi ratham ( a chariot with Adiyogi) and the 63 nayanmars ( Tamil saints devoted to Shiva). This was an occasion of great celebrations at the yoga center with singing and sounds of drums.

The food during these days was simple vegetarian meals served with much love by the volunteers. I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh fruits, specially the yummy watermelons!

Some changes cannot be seen from outside, they come from inside… when the soul is happy you experience a state of bliss by just sitting; like nandi sitting and utterly devoted to Shiva.