8/6/23 Thurs: PotaTOHs woke up at 6am and we drove out to
the makeshift carpark at the bottom of Le Morne Brabant to meet the other hikers
at 6.50am for our half-day hike to the top (rs1300 per person). *There was a
pregnant lady in our group too.*
Our guide Allan is a local and he’s humorous and passionate about Le Morne. He told us the history on the slaves and how he lived in a village there as well. *I admire the slaves for their bravery and the fact they stayed for years up in Le Morne Brabant omg.*
The views were nice along
the way but I was already tired when we barely even finished 10% of the hike! *I
don’t know if it’s compounded by Thalassemia and anaemia, but I know my lungs
are not very strong from experience. I need more break than others when
climbling.* Allan showed us leaves that smell like green apple when crushed
and a sticky part from a tree that the slaves used as “glue” to trap animals.The sun was glaring by the time we finished about one-fifth of the hike. *Very glad and grateful to have Potato help me carry my bag and looked after me along the way!*
At the halfway mark, we saw
the moon in the sky but Allan told us that was the start of the “real hike” and
I thought “oh no!” lol. *我庆幸我最厉害的是能咬牙坚持下去，不论我要做什么都会。*
There was no fencing along the edge of the mountain that we were walking on, so
one had to be very careful lest we slip.
It was non-stop upward
trails and then came the most difficult part, where it was almost vertical and
we had to climb on all fours, literally. Allan was there to point out to us at
tricky stages and after like years of climbing… we all conquered this!
But that wasn’t the top. We
still had about 20 minutes or so to go before we reached the highest point? *There
were “human traffic” up and down so we had to give ways too.* Saw the cross
used to remember the slaves that lived and died at the top and our group was
busy taking photos of the wonderful views all round! *Allan said to leave our
fears on the top of Le Morne Brabant… I did it then at such a low point of my
life after learning about STC’s closure a day before I flew. Now, I need to
open my arms and be prepared for new future!*
It was peaceful just sitting there and staring out into nature. What a beauty. After 20 minutes of break at the peak, we had to face the reality again: climb down haha.
Allan helped us take really
beautiful panoramic photos at one point too. Met possums which were very noisy
as we were nearing the bottom again. Completed the whole hike in 2.5 hours~
achievement for us! *Hey I climbed it before Mike the Mauritian did lol!*
Drove back to the Airbnb to
meet WL and WS before we drive over to Le Morne Beach again for lunch. It was
about 1pm and we decided to queue and have lunch outdoors at Emba Filao
Restaurant. Their lemongrass ice tea (rs100) was good for the hot afternoon. I
ate mine frite (rs275) while Potato had beef burger (rs170). Mine was a bit salty
and sadly, there were no shrimps too.
Saw many students and people doing kite-surfing so we stayed
by the beach under the shades to watch. Very cool activity but I doubt you can
do it in Singapore or countries nearby because you need such strong wind for it
to work.
Came back after two hours and we took a rest before going
out for dinner nearby at Aloha restaurant at 6pm, recommended by our host. *Nice sunset on our Airbnb rooftop!* Four
of us ordered two seafood nasi briyani (rs430 per plate) and it was the best
food we had so far in Mauritius! Their mis of local fried snacks (rs240) was
good too, especially the samosa and their local green chilli had the taste of
cucumber in it.
Walked over to a nearby mama shop to buy apple and peach
tea (rs80) before we ended the day.
Comments