MidTerm Break

Well, the boys have had no school since last Friday.  It is midterm break.  Since they just started in the middle of August it seems a bit early for a break for me, but everything moves just a bit slower here.  On Saturday the boys and I and all the other Fulbrighters (Anna, her boyfirned Daniel, Karen and Matt) went to the races in Port Louis.  Mauritians really like to gamble, and horse races are a perfect place in which to indulge.  Races are every Saturday until the first week of December.  When I take the bus into campus on Fridays a good number of guys on the bus are going over their Racing Form.  You can do off track betting - offices are all over the island.

 The racetrack has existed since the 1850s and is the oldest in the southern hemisphere.  It is right at the edge of Port Louis, and is an easy walk from the bus station.  Matt got us all 'carte something - French word I cannot remember' box seats, so for 250 Ru each we were perched above the riff raff, and in nicer boxes with horse owners and others.  Actually, the riff raff was looking like they were having a great time, but the boxes were good since I had the kids.   Out of 5 adults no one remembered to bring a camera, but we had so much fun we'll go again soon and I WILL get pictures.  I won about 300 Ru (spent 800).  Sam was the big winner - he won around 300 Ru, betting some of Moms' money by simply selecting horse #3 in each race.  His system worked better than those of us who poured over the Racing Form.

Sunday we did not do too much.  Market, grocery store, lounging, Mom worked.  Today the boys came into school with me and I taught, and then we headed to Port Louis to see the Dodo exhibit at the Natural History Museum.  That was pretty much good for about 20 minutes.  Actually, seeing the Dodo sleleton was neat, but that is about all of interest at the Museum.  The Museum is quite old, and heat and humidity have taken their toll on the exhibits, which are taxidermied examples of sharks and fishes.  The poor things are in bad shape, so it takes a bit of imagination to get a lot out of it.   The Dodo - cool.

The Sunday textile market.  This is the same market area in Quatre Bornes that on Wednesday and Sunday is our vegetable market.  On Tuesday, Fridays and Sundays it is clothing and textiles.  I have had two sets of sheets made here for me (custom made sheets - 600 Ru - $20.00).  The problem is that you take your measurements and you may or may not get sheets that fit.  If they don't fit, no problem ('no problem' is the unoffical Mauritian state motto), but you do have to keep going back for different ones.  I'm currently on set #3 of one bottom fitted sheet, and it is still about four inches too short.

This is the Victoria bus station in Port Louis.  The old building is the original train station, now surrounded by market people. 

There were signs everywhere saying 'no pictures' so I had to turn the flash off on my camera to try to sneak pictures.  Let's just say that security here is not  at a fever pitch.  This is the rebuilt Dodo, which was the highlight of the Natural History Museum.

I was not going to come all this way and NOT get a picture of Will and the Dodo.

  (or, as Sam said, one Dodo with another!)