Various things we've drug Brian to...

Really cheap Christmas trees for sale in Port Louis.  They also double as toilet brushes.

Lichee salesman in Port Louis.

Brian wanted to see where the kids had gone to school so we drove to Moka and visited the grounds.

Eureka, which is a 'replica' Creole plantation estate built by an Englishman in around 1904 that is very close to Clavis school (the boys' school), so we did the tourism thing and visited.  This is a stop on the tourist schedule and when we arrived three busloads of tourists were just finishing their lunch on the veranda.  We took this picture using the self timer on the camera, on our hike down to see the waterfalls on the estate.  The hike is just treacherous enough that not many do it (and I had on flip flops - what fun) but it is absolutely beautiful.  In that classic Mauritius way you can swim there if you want, and there is not a lick of safety railings or warnings in sight.  What fun!

Clavis school.

On Thursday we (all the Fulbrighters, Melia and Neya) all went on another tourist thing - a sailing excursion to St. Gabriel island.  You go to Grand Baie (the very very touristy area in the North) get on a big sailing catamaran with 20 other people, sail to deserted St. Gabriel (deserted except for the 200 other tourists that are all doing the same thing that day), have a BBQ lunch and drinks on the beach, swim and snorkle, and then sail home.  Everyone got slightly seasick on the way out but we all recovered quickly, enjoyed the lovely island and cruised home in good shape.

On the boat outside St. Gabriel.

View of Grand Baie from the boat.

Yesterday we went to the races - the last of the season.  It was a very big weekend with jockeys coming in from all over the world and Princess Anne was there to give away a trophy for one of the races.  From L to R you have Karen, Will, Sam, Matt, Salini and Anna.

Off they go!

Princess Anne leaving the races.  She came in for a few days in Mauritius - visited some things, came to the races, and today she is opening some new cricket ground.  The President of Mauritius and the Prime Minister all go everywhere in BMWs  (black 7 series) but someone had the presence of mind to get a Jaguar for the Princess.