Confusing I know…Rodriguez is part of the Republic of Mauritius but they do not necessarily consider themselves “Mauritius people”…rather they are from “Rodrig” (Creole for Rodriguez). So don’t do what I did and call them “Mauritian”…that is a big “no-no”. But after spending 3 weeks in Rodrig and now currently on Mauritius island, we have a slight understanding of the difference between Rodriguez and Mauritius islands (the people, the culture)…even though they are technically the same country.
Rodriguez is such a cool and relaxed place with a unique history and a strong identity. From the Chinese owner at the mini mart to the local DHL office to the manager at the post office we were helped in every way they could. Having been in other island nations where France has left it’s mark (not a good or a bad thing) but never been to France ourselves, we have observed that people may come across as “rude” at first…but as soon as you break through…it’s all smiles and Bonjour’s in Rodrig!
I won’t bore you with my version of history and cool fun facts so I found a quick summary in the link below:
https://mauritiusattractions.com/rodrigues-island-i-37.html
ok…I can’t resist…just a few of our observations and things we were told about the place:
- I saw women wearing high heels!!!! We are no longer in the land of covered shoulders or knees and women wear what they want (there is a small Muslim population here but not as significant as in the Maldives)
- Town closes around 4 pm, but most people are up at 4-5 am
- Lunch is at 11am…not noon like in the US
- Trevor fell in love with a green chili paste here..should of bought more!
- The honey of Rodrig is known internationally for having won twice a silver medal at the London National Honey Show (source…is from the above website it was so cool I had to share)
- “The supply ship is really full of beer when it comes into port….and leaves with garbage”
- Healthcare is free
- Education is free (though there are private schools)
- We were told after being a Mauritian citizen for 5 years, you receive a plot of land for FREE!
- The endemic flightless bird, the Solitaire, has been extinct since about 1730’s as it was an easy “catch” for settlers
- The Giant Tortoise was traded as food on ships because they could be kept on board easily and stay alive with minimal effort…making it easy for the cook
- The coral reefs are self-seeding which means these reefs do not receive other nutrients other than it’s own due to Rodriguez’s remoteness in the Indian Ocean
- Every day/night, depending on the tides, people would hunt for octopus on the reef just behind the anchorage
- At least 5 different people “warned” us about theft and pickpockets on Mauritius island and told us to be careful when shopping in the markets and at the marina
- Rodrigians are very proud people of their island!
Tour of the town ….
Let’s get a tour out of the way before we get into the fun : )
Map of Authorities
Clearance Office right by the wharf 
The Cashier… 
Health Authorities office directly above the fresh market. 
Bank of Mauritus Building where customs office is… 
Customs office is upstairs on the second floor…. 
Customs office look for the MRA sign. 
Immigration office is right next door to the Police station…. 
Immigration office door…. 
Immirgation office and their list of boats.
Map of Services
Office of Tourism 
View of the diesel pumps from the street 
Telecom for SIM card….it’s more expensive but much better speed than Emtel. We tried both! 
Bus station…each bus has it’s route so you just have to ask around. 
DHL office and a rental car place right next to each other…Really good people here! 
This hotel does laundry and actually irons your clothes?! We loved it…no self laundry mats available and it was time to get a good wash after months of hand washing ; ). 
Post Office…also great people here…very helpful! 
Random view of the main street in town 
We all agreed that the dogs on this island look really well cared for! 
No idea where he got his hair cut but they missed a spot (LOL)!
Map of Shopping and Restaurants
The Fresh market….Wednesday and Saturdays are when there are more vendors but they are open Monday-Saturday until about 4pm. 
Little meat and fish stores right behind the fresh market. They are only open on Wednesday and Saturdays. 
Random photo of an octopus…they fish on the reef behind the anchorage everyday. The season is closed between September and November. 
Food from the food stalls across the street from teh fresh market. These 2 meals cost $2 usd each! 
Fruit Lovers grocery store is small but has a small selection of semi-western foods. 
Alimenta grocery store was the only store open on Sunday until noon. This was a very small store with not many fresh items. 
Local Phoenix beer sold at the “chinese mini mart”. Here we found UTH milk and the eggs were fresher here. 
The boulangerie….they only really have bread and buns and a few hot baked goods. This is not a patisserie which sells sweet baked goods. We did not find a close bakery with yummy sweet goodies : ( 
This snack place is right across the stret from the wharf and sells roti curry and dhall puri for 30 cents each?! 
Here is the dhall puri….such a yummy snack! 
Trevor at the only resturant that was open late at night in town. Pretty much the town closes up at 4 pm. 
The meal we had at the late night restaurant. 
Madame Marcel…for all the “unsavorable” folks (LOL)…it’s the only bar close to the wharf. A great place to end the day and meet the locals!
And the fun begins!!!!!
For us, we stayed on our boat quite a bit as the winds were strong and we were not quite sure of the how our anchor was holding and we generally had 1 person stay on board just in case…but when we both felt safe to leave the boat and especially when the winds calmed down for a few days at a time…we were off to adventure! But first up…we had to get everyone together and meet our new friends so we had an impromptu happy hour on Slow Flight to get to know everyone the first chance we got!
Bruce and Laura (SV Neptune’s Highways), Louise (missing Claude on SV C. Coquin), Trevor…. 
Iker, Noemi, and crew (SV Mirari)…Sorry Iker for the hangover you expereinced the next day!
One of the highlights was our hike we took with Neptune’s Highway (Bruce and Laura).
We took the bus from Port Mathurin to Point Coton then hiked the coast line until we arrived to the next town of Gravier then we took the bus back to Port Mathurin.
The bus is always a great way to see an island as it’s slow enough and stops enough to get a glimpse of everyday life. Plus it’s cheap! The buses stop running all around the island about 4pm (not really a written schedule) so it’s best to catch the bus around 3 or so to make sure you aren’t stuck somewhere (LOL).
The bus station. We just had to ask which bus took us to Point Coton and Vioala! The bus cost us about $1.75 usd for 2 tickets. 
The beauty was at one main stop street vendors boarded the bus to sell fruits and snacks….perfect…a pre-hike deep fried yummyness! 
Here is the end of last stop for the bus at Point Coton beach where the hike starts. 
On the way home, all the school kids were out….my sad attempt to get a selfie with these guys…they were not amused : ) 
Yes…that’s literally halk a slaughtered pig…we watched the other half delivered as well.
The hike took about 4 or so hours and that included a nice long stop for lunch. I have no idea how many miles/km we walked but we all did a nice easy pace and didn’t feel rushed. This coastal hike we saw some beautiful secluded beaches and being on the windward side of the island we got to see jagged volcanic rock.
Starting out…the trail had blazes so we don’t get lost… 
We only encountered a few roads… 
River crossings…. 
Ahhhh…. 
The boys are way in front…. 
Really well maintained trail… 
Still headed in the right way… 
Incredible secluded beach…just stunning! 
The trail was a nice balance of sun and shade… 
Lunch…we brought our own lunch of a baggette, sliced pancetta, cheese, mayo, and onion….yum…and what a view!, 
No one mentioned “uphill” (hahaha) 
Sceneray change: lots of little jagged volcanic rocks 
All the vegetation had a “lean” to them from the salt water blowing them in one direction for years! 
Water crossing… 
Nice ridge 
End of trail through a local park
Here are a few fun finds along the trail…yes I was very far behind the group taking random photos : )
Do you see the hard hats?! 
Tranquil! 
That is a catameran…Bruce and Trevor went on board…looked like it has been there a long time 
Blooming cacti… 
Mooo….. 
All washed up….. 
The trail meanadered through small villages…here we interrupted their farming…. 
Lots of goats…everywhere… 
Sand dunes?! 
The only mushroom I saw…. 
We walked though what looked like a vacant resort…or was it?
Well you never know who you are going to meet….Laura met Tino, who plays in a local band and plays traditional Rodrigian music, on the bus heading to our hike. Tino said he and his band, were playing at a resort near Port Mathurin that weekend. We had no idea what to expect …but …. I am sure you can guess what happened next : )
This resort is located in Grand Baie, about a 45 minute walk. We needed to call a day ahead to reserve a table for dinner since we were not guests at their resort. 
We rallied the fleet and headed out and thought we could just catch a cab. The town was empty so we called a local cab number….however, when we called, the taxi guy he said he was not working that evening. So we called the resort and they picked us all up in their van and charged us a fair rate : ) 
The resort dinning area..with a BAR?! 
Buffet dinner with local cuisine…. 
No idea what it was but it was delicious!…note the bottle of wine..splendid! 
The band…Tino plays the accordion. 
We were not alone…it was wonderful to be with other local tourists, mostly from the island of Mauritius. 
The drum has to be “dried” and heated to keep tuned…. 
Of course…”you know who” had to get her jig on! 
The fleet with Tino…what a night!
SV Mirari, Iker and Noemi from Spain, had us over for dinner with a traditional Spanish “one pot” meal, fancy appetizers, and dessert! So we were happy to reciprocate on Slow Flight. It’s not to often for us to find cruising boats who are near our age group so we marveled in their energy and we hope to see them again in Reunion : )
These guys are literally the cutest couple EVER!!!
Meet Harry! Harry was the first person we met as he helped us with our lines as we came into Port Mathurin. He has worked for the Mauritius Port Authority (MPA) for decades and is up for retirement in about 5 years. He is married. His wife and his daughter, who is receiving her university education, live on the island of Mauritius and visits often. Harry has traveled to many countries and we specifically spoke about his most recent trip to China last year. He is defiantly adventurous as I can’t even image going to China, by myself, not knowing the language like he did…but he loved it! We would see Harry every time we took our dinghy in as he stays on the tug boats so we would chat it up often. He asked us to lunch one day…we were honored!
Harry took us to the food stalls near the fresh market. He told us that many people who work in Port Mathurin live far away and ususally do not have time in the morning to make lunch. This made sense to us as there are so many places open for lunch while dinnertime, everyone is back home with their families. 
The food stalls are all home cooked meals so each are a little different that the others. Harry obviously had his favorite stall. It was a great way to taste the local cuisine…. 
I choose the pork, black lentils on couscous, served with pickled mango 
After lunch we had coffee together, listening to his stories about his travels and his advice for us when we arrive in Mauritius island
Bon Jour….. Bonsoir….Merci….Voiala….Parlez vous Angles?.…this is the extent of our the French language Trevor and I have….mind you this is not enough! Even though the republic of Mauritius (that includes Rodriguez) has been independent from France since 1986, French is still spoken A LOT! Creole is the local language and is spoken when the conversation is not “business”. English is taught in schools so many people do speak English, but learning to speak French is defiantly advantageous!
Louise on SV C. Coquin is from Quebec (French speaking) and luckily for us, she offered all of us a few hours (we came prepared with beers of course) ! We all boarded SV Neptune’s Highway with SV Mirari (Spanish) one afternoon… we are still practicing!
Louise prepared a lesson and distributed a “cheat sheet” for us all…so generous of her. Louise….Merci Beaucoup!!!!
One of our last group adventures was our visit to the Tortoise park. Touristy….yes…still a bundle of fun…oh yeah! They are very proud of their work here…as they should be! Some of the information I provided is from the nature reserve’s website in the link below. Check it out!
http://www.tortoisescavereserve-rodrigues.com/en/tortoises
Renting a car for 6 people is not so easy. We decided on a truck that could fit 5 people no problem. I offered to sit in the cab but we were told it is illegal to carry persons this way. So I took the “seat” between the driver and co-pilot seat…aka “B!@*$ seat”…LOL 
The drive was only about 25 minutes and gave us a chance to see the some of the southern part of the island. Google maps was spot on! 
We saw some strange rock formations…. 
And we arrived just in time for the late morning tour 
Our tour guide who was incredibily good translating in French, Creole, and English. He would switch after each sentence just about so you had to keep listening until we recongized the language and then he would switch it up again…well done! 
It was a large group comprised of folks from France, Germany, Mauritius, and Reunion, possibly India or Sri Lanka. 
We all had to wear hard hats…..it was for the cave tour later on…..Trevor being his silly self (LOL)
Let the tour begin!!! I could of put up hundreds of photos and videos….these “few” will have to do : )
The radiated tortoises are considered to be one of the most beautiful tortoises in the world, with a carapace (shell) decorated with brilliant yellow lines radiating from the centre of each plate, creating a very distinctive pattern which also provides them with camouflage in their natural habitat in Madagascar. 
Short walk…. 
They are so beautiful! 
We were told by “ruing” the shell (placing numbers on them, also to track them), this deters people to harvest these turtles for their shells…brilliant!
The Ploughshare Tortoise has been introduced under an agreement with the Government of Madagascar. This species is almost extinct in its natural habitat in Madagascar due to illegal pet trade. The aim is to breed them with the hope of eventually returning them to Madagascar. 
These cages use to be for the endemic Rodriguez Fruit bat (Rodriguez Flying Fox) but are now home to the Ploughshare tortoises.
It took humans only 100 years to drive both of Rodrigues’ endemic species to extinction – Approximately 280,000 tortoises were taken away on ships or killed for meat and oil between 1730 and 1770. These are not the original species that lived here but are the closest relative to replace the extinct species with ones that are related, and fill the same important ecological role as browsers and grazers, eating and then spreading the seeds of native plants.to replace the extinct species with ones that are related, and fill the same important ecological role as browsers and grazers, eating and then spreading the seeds of native plants. They are endemic to the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelles 
Our guide next to HUGE tortoises. I can’t remember how old these guys were I was too transfixed on all of the tortoises around to hear a word he said…sadly! 
Tortoise poop!…this one is for the kids ; ) 
Bruce…it’s love at first sight!!! 
They were everywhere…no joke…and free range! We were told the park tracks them with a data chip to see their movements and such…got to love technology! 
Precious!
Trevor… 
..the… 
…tortoise…. 
…whisperer…(LOL)!
This native tree has a natural defense against being eaten by tortoises…. 
The young branch grows low to the ground which is an easy snack for a hungry tortoise….. 
Apparently, tortoises are attracted to the color red…the young leaf has a red ‘vein’ that is poisonous so when the tortoises eats them, they will get sick. 
The adult leaf, as our tour guide is trying to show us, no longer needs to protect it’s self as it is too high to be reached by it’s hungry predators and the vein is green.
The Grand Caverne tour, in which we needed the hard hats for, was well equipped with walkways, steps and lighting and is the only electrified ‘Show Cave’ in the south-west Indian Ocean. As part of the caves tour, we saw the limestone plateau, called Plaine Corail. This unique area was created by the wind blowing coral through the limestone rocks.
After the tour was over, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch at the reserves cafe, toured the museum, and shopped at the little store.
A short walk to the cave which is unique to the island 
More tortises…this one taking a bathroom brake from all the selfies : ) 
Cave entrance…I had a bunch of photos that didn’t come out…but it was a fun walk through 
Photo from the internet…but gives yu an idea of the cute museum… 
photo from the internet…had a wonderful lunch here!
After we returned the truck from our day adventure at the Tortoise Natural reserve, we all unanimously agreed thought we would should finish our day with a few beers at the local “bar”, Madame Marcel….unsavory meets “unsavory” (LOL)!
The most interesting thing happened: When we arrived, there were only a few locals there. When 4 pm came around, remember this is when the work day ends, the place started to filled up. The beers went down faster and we all found ourselves chatting it up with the locals about who we were and where we all came from. One guy came in and sat right next to us and almost immediately the owner asked him to leave us alone. We didn’t think a thing about it and expressed that “he” was fine to sit with us and saw it as a nice gesture of the manager who we thought was trying to let us enjoy our time by ourselves….
…..Until a man named Hughes (also drinking in the bar) pulled me aside and told me “he” was not a good man…Hughes also invited us to his house for dinner…we had to decline because we had plans and were getting ready to leave port. Additionally, another guy who was a police officer, pulled Trevor aside and told Trevor the same message. The kicker was when Louise was paying the bill, the owner told her as well that he was not a good person and to be careful not to give him too much information about ourselves.
We have NEVER experienced this type of self-policing or felt so protected by complete strangers…I mean seriously, why would this community (in a bar mind you) give 3 separate attempts to warn 5 tourists of 1 guy who may want to steal something or get some money from us?….it is curious and interesting so I asked Hughes. He said he personally didn’t want people to think badly of Rodriguez and their people. He said he wanted us to have a good time and feel safe. I didn’t know what to say besides “thank you” and we greatly appreciated EVERYONE looking out for us…..just WOW!
This act of kindness really speaks to how fiercely proud they are to be Rodrigian…and it shows…and we love it!
Our last night we were invited to dinner at Geroges and Valerie Ponnan’s house, the owners of my favorite pizza place, Point Chaud. I am missing a photo of them (they are adorable together!) as I usually get a selfie or something documented but we were having such a great time (Rose wine was involved) I totally forgot! We didn’t arrive back to the boat until just before midnight….we were slightly hungover for the passage but totally worth it!
Though things have maybe been lost in translation but we know that Goerges is Mauritian and met Valerie in Paris. They have been married for years in France with a flat 5 blocks from Notre Dame (we looked it up on Google maps). They or he spent time in Alsace, France where we think he perfected his pizza recipe…it is to die for! We believe Valerie was married before and has 2 kids, still living in their flat in Paris. Their restaurant, Point Chaud, in Port Mathurin has been open for 2 years now. They were telling us they prefer Rodrig over Mauritius island for it’s relaxed culture, but owning a business in a small community has it’s challenges. We even spoke about us flying back to Rodrig to help out in their restaurant during busy season which is between mid-December to beginning of January. They offered their home to stay in if we came back…hummm…maybe…we need to learn French quick!
This is their restaurant…we went there lots and even ordered extra pizza the day before to take with us for food on passage to Mauritius. 
They kindly picked us up at the wharf and drove us to their house about 15 minutes away. The rent this house as they are waiting to receive thier plot of land in a few years to build their house on. 
Geroges’s famous Alsace, France pizza…can you see how thin the crust is… 
A lesson how to eat Alsace pizza, rolled like a burrito…always served with Rose wine (no i made that up) but we had lots of Rose since thst is Valerie’s favorite wine : )
The view from their balcony….stunning!
Well…the next day it was time to leave…a bit hungover…but totally worth it!
Next up….Passage from Rodriguez to Mauritius…