ROAD TRIP BEAUTIFUL MAURITIUS 24 old lady. She is sitting under a bus shelter, but she is not waiting for anything. She’s just enjoying the “lontan” (could this mean long temps, the fact that time is long, or the lointain – the far distance?). The neighbouring village is preparing for the processions in honour of Ganesh Chaturthi, she won’t go but she’s glad that there’s plenty going on. The festival celebrating the birth of the god Ganesh is in full swing in Baie du Cap. Banners strung with red pennants decorate the roadside along which the procession passes. The packed cortege of saris and dhotis advances, bearing Left: sugar cane cutter at Chemin Grenier. Right: the Pont Naturel was carved out over time in the basalt rocks battered by the ocean waves. À gauche : coupeur de canne à Chemin Grenier. À droite : le « Pont naturel » s’est formé au fil du temps dans les roches basaltiques assaillies par les vagues océanes. Right page: the village of Le Morne, dominated by the mountain-refuge, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage register. Page de droite : le village du Morne, dominé par la montagne-refuge, classée au patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco. clay statues aloft to the seashore where they will be buried (along with people’s sins). The air is heavy with incense and sandalwood, shouts and mantras, floral wreathes and camphor. Once the lengthy litanies, prayers and offerings are over and the statues are buried, the officiants hand out apples to everyone present. LIKE A STRING OF PEARLS Only history and geography could dream up such place names as Bel Ombre (Beautiful Shade). Was the village named after the cool shade provided by the majestic tree at the entrance to this former sugar
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