21 years after I was born I found myself on a beach, on the island country of Mauritius, halfway around the world. I was smiling in awe of the:
5 beachfront villas with large furnished porches and plenty of living space beautifully decorated with blue-green mosaics of sea glass. These paradise homes slept:
58 old and new friends from the ship, all of whom were exhausted from midterms and ready for some fun in the sun. Our adventures together began with:
2 buses brought us from the ship to the closest supermarket. We ran around the store as if we were on a timed shopping spree with no English food labels. Everyone laughed in excitement as we rang up all of our ‘necessities’.
3100 Mauritius Rupees which is over a thousand USD, paid for:
85 six-packs (largest available) of Phoenix brew that we crammed into every space and passed through the window when the bus was reaching capacity.
17 bottles of Island Green Rum that is locally made with the bountiful sugar cane island resource.
5 bottles of champagne, my birthday preference, to celebrate with.
10 or more additional bottles of liquors suiting everyone’s fancy
3 jugs of mango, pineapple, litchi, guava, and orange juices.
2 carts of food including something to satisfy everyone’s craving. Personally I picked up:
6 avocados a few large chocolate bars.
1 ½ hours later we arrived
72 hours of the most righteous birthday celebration began right there where I found myself; viewing the most postcard-worthy beach I had ever seen; throwing our bags that were packed with just swimsuits and toothbrushes onto beds; beading with perspiration from the wonderfully warm and humid island air; some of us running to the beach with snorkels and masks, some lathering sun lotion on to soak up some rays, some sprawling on hammocks in the shade of palm trees, some leading expeditions down the beach to the point of the bay where the volcano was in sight, some mixing drinks, some playing catch, and some standing there-entranced by the surroundings- taking it all in.
5 beachfront villas with large furnished porches and plenty of living space beautifully decorated with blue-green mosaics of sea glass. These paradise homes slept:
58 old and new friends from the ship, all of whom were exhausted from midterms and ready for some fun in the sun. Our adventures together began with:
2 buses brought us from the ship to the closest supermarket. We ran around the store as if we were on a timed shopping spree with no English food labels. Everyone laughed in excitement as we rang up all of our ‘necessities’.
3100 Mauritius Rupees which is over a thousand USD, paid for:
85 six-packs (largest available) of Phoenix brew that we crammed into every space and passed through the window when the bus was reaching capacity.
17 bottles of Island Green Rum that is locally made with the bountiful sugar cane island resource.
5 bottles of champagne, my birthday preference, to celebrate with.
10 or more additional bottles of liquors suiting everyone’s fancy
3 jugs of mango, pineapple, litchi, guava, and orange juices.
2 carts of food including something to satisfy everyone’s craving. Personally I picked up:
6 avocados a few large chocolate bars.
1 ½ hours later we arrived
72 hours of the most righteous birthday celebration began right there where I found myself; viewing the most postcard-worthy beach I had ever seen; throwing our bags that were packed with just swimsuits and toothbrushes onto beds; beading with perspiration from the wonderfully warm and humid island air; some of us running to the beach with snorkels and masks, some lathering sun lotion on to soak up some rays, some sprawling on hammocks in the shade of palm trees, some leading expeditions down the beach to the point of the bay where the volcano was in sight, some mixing drinks, some playing catch, and some standing there-entranced by the surroundings- taking it all in.
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