La Possession, Reunion, La Belle France (or what remains of it) in the Indian Ocean.
As I had visited the magnificient volcanic 'Cirques' of the Island, up to 10,000 feet high and carved with deep and rainforest covered gorges, during my last (literally almost very last of my life) visit, I decided to explore Saint Denis, the main city on this breathtakingly beautiful island of Reunion.
Lucky us - no boycotting taxi drivers and all proceeded as per plan upon disembarkation.
I still remembered (from last time around) my almost fatal excursion via tour bus up Piton Maido, a precipitous mountain top. The bus had made it all the way up on death defying ss-curves and along 1000 foot cliffs, when it drove into a handy roadside ditch and tipped on it's side. It could have happened at a deadlier spot...
Reunion is French, with Euro Currency, European Life Style, Schools and University, Government, Police and Medical and Social Services. It is more expensive than Paris, and prides itself in generating more tax dollars than any other French Department (Province) apart from Paris.
It was rather difficult to convince one of my fellow passengers on the ride on the (very welcome) shuttle bus to the port's terminal, that Reunion does not have a special Reunion national flag, but uses the official Tricolor of France.
'No way, they have their own flag of The Reunion', he insisted. .
'I want one of those blue Reunion flags with all the stars on it.'
'Thats the 'European Union' Flag', I tried to explain's.
'No, no, that not what I want.'
'It's either the European or the French one here', I said
'Why is it so difficult to find anyone who speaks English here,' he questioned.
No response to that, but, yes, this is FRANCE!!
Cobnfused guides and shopkeepers were trying to understand the 'local flag' problem, whilst he was showering them with mouthfuls of good old mid west US accent.Although a melting pot of ethnic backgrounds, religions, customs etc etc, the island has a distinct Gallic flavour. All landmarks bear French names and rooster or Libertee emblems, stores carry French goods, restaurants offer French fare.
But the market offers fresh produce, grown here on the island. Tropical fruit and vegetables grow at hot and humid sea level and temperate climate ones grow higher up the mountain ranges. Add fresh fish and local spices, and all the ingredients for a French gourmet meal are at ones fingertips.
There is a certain je ne sais quoi 'chic' in the way the locals dress. Traffic and streetscapes could be imported from St. Tropez, except for the many minarets piercing the skyline of St. Denis. Lavish villas still dominate some of the surrounding villages.
Apart from the Tres Francais character of the island, it is also known as a past habitat of the Dodo bird, also known as a Aepyornis. These birds allegedly grew as tall as elephants, and weighted about half a ton, which kept them from flying around. They were all killed on the hoof, and are now extinct.
Another claim to infamy is Olivier Levasseur (aka La Buse, the buzzard) who was one of the most feared pirates in Coastal Africa. Maybe a distant muse and teacher to present day Somali pirates? Monsieur Levasseur is buried in Reunion's Cimetiere Martin, and his tomb is a major tourist attraction. Publicly hanged in Reunion after being caught in 1730, he through a challenge to the onlookers from the scaffold, just before the executioner pulled the lever. He tossed out a map and shouted, that anyone who could interpret it would inherit his treasure. People are still looking...
Reunion does not have many beaches, and the few along its shores are black volcanic sand, almost impossible to walk on when they absorb the blistering heat of the tropical sun. But, for trekkers it is paradise.
The highest mountain, the Piton de Neiges, reaches 3069 meters into the sky, and presents a truly high alpine challenge to climbers. Piton de Neiges is not only the highest point in the Indian Ocean, but its base is located 4000 meters below sea level, and thus is one of the world's highests volcanoes. Piton de Fournaise, almost as high, was last active in 1986. Piton Maido is the lowest dormant volcanic peak, but offers a sample of the wildly dramatic views of one of the three splendid amphitheatres formed by the trio of volcanoes and the deep gorges cleaving through old lava slopes and forming lush green valleys with many cascadng waterfalls.
Of course, one samples the local beer after trekking around town in record temperatures (36 degrees or thereabouts). It was named after the extinct Dodo, and costs a king's ransom in Euros. A wonderful island, very inviting to bide a wee, except for the fact that I would have to find Levasseur's treasure first to be able to afford the exhorbitant cost of living of Reunion.
