Yesterday when we arrived we didn't have any set plan for the day. We got a guidebook from the Field Office and set out into Port Louis, not really knowing what we were going to do.

To get to Port Louis we had to take a water taxi; it was interesting. It was another one of those times where you cram way too many people on a tiny little local boat. First we visited the markets where you can buy beautiful fruits and vegetables. Well, we can't buy them because we can't take them on the ship! The Central Market felt a little friendlier than the Moroccan markets. As were walking down the street a man asked us where we were from, we told him, and he said "Follow me, I have some good t-shirt for the man." So we followed him into the center of the market, knowing that we were not going to buy a t-shirt. But it turned out that he had some beautiful tablecloths that were hand embroidered. The one we bought was a big white rectangle with colorful island people stitched in an oval all around the cloth. We did a great bargaining job here: we got him to throw in extra napkins and we talked him down 50%.

After we walked around the market and continued our chorus of "no thank you" to all of the local shop owners, we went over to The Waterfront. This is a mall area with nice shops and restaurants. We had Indian food for lunch at Namaste and it was delicious. Then, we decided to be adventurous and hop on the public bus to see more of the island. We found the bus station but we couldn't find any signs that told us where any of the buses went. So, we asked this random guy and he pointed us in the right direction. After we changed over 10 dollars into about 300 rupees we boarded the bus. It was so hot and stinky. But when we started to go they turned the air conditioning on and it was much better. The fare was 1 dollar, or 30 rupees for about a 45 minute ride north.

We got off the bus in Grand Bay and walked the coast line and shopped around a little. Then we walked along the beach in front of all of the nice resorts until we got to a public beach where we rested for awhile.

On the way home, we barely caught the bus in time. As we were running to catch it, it started pulling away, and then a bird pooped on Geno's head... perfect, right?! As we ran, I threw a tissue at him and kept going. The bus driver allowed us to board, but there were no seats and the isle was full, so we set on the area by the entrance steps where the engine cover was and hoped that he didn't brake too suddenly! We made it home safe and sound!

Fun Fact:

-Because people drive on the opposite side of the street, they also walk on the left side of the sidewalk... hard to get used to