I am sure you are all well aware of the devastating tragedy that has happened in Haiti.
The 7.0 earthquake that hit the poorest country in the western hemisphere on the 20 January 2010, has affected around 3 million people and has left tens of thousands dead. The survivors of the tragic disaster are in dire need of food, water and medical supplies.
The Mauritian government has apparently donated Rs15 Mil and we to can do our share.
Please see below a list of online organisations where we can donate money to play our part in helping those who are in a tragic and heart-breaking situation.
Wyclef Jean, who is in fact Haitian, has created a website Yele in order to aid those affected by the earth quake as well as merchandise for sale which goes towards the relief program.
So go on, lets raise a fortune for those less-fortunate, they really do need it!
No, it’s the OCULUS! This, my little friends, is what we call a Super Yacht. And isn’t it super? The 250 ft pile of awesome was designed by Kevin Schöpfer, and while it is still only a concept, the Oculus is the flagship yacht (i’m sorry – Super Yacht) in Schöpfer’s new line.
Nice.
Schöpfer describes the Oculus as
Designed to accommodate 12 guests in extraordinary comfort and style, Oculus is a long distance cruising yacht capable of speeds upwards of 25 knots. The exterior styling is representative of the jaw and eye socket bone structure of large oceanic fish and mammals. Featuring a dramatic reverse bow configuration, the yacht’s armature balances an elegant expression of symmetry and structure. In addition to the bow, Oculus also features a “low rider profile”. This slightly lowered surface allows for new side recreational areas, alternate dockage access and light cruising openness. Lateral retractable side panels close this area when heavier wave action is indicated. The interior features of Oculus focus on a 12 foot high ceiling in the main salon, a cylindrical double height dining room, central stair and elevator tube, and seemingly anatomical ceiling and floor lighting extensions giving definition to the seating areas. The second level is the dedicated Owner’s suite. Living areas and bedchambers are divided by a series of four freestanding tubes, which house bath and storage necessities. In addition to the main common stair, the second Owner’s stair connects to the third level, a private salon and deck / water feature. The third level also contains the forward pilothouse and separate captain’s quarters. The generous open decks with separate water features are located forward and aft for convenient guest use.
A Low-Rider profile?? Well daaaaamn somebody’s gonna be getting some Wave Action! And I think the water feature’s a lovely touch…. even thought it might look a bit small when you’re travelling across The Ocean. Go HERE to order yours (it’ll only set you back about $95 Million).
I don’t enjoy negative writing about our island, and fortunately I don’t often have to. In the last month, however, there have been a number of attacks on residents, leaving them traumatized and making many of us begin to feel unsafe in what we thought was a secure community.
The fist attack happened to a friend of mine a few weeks ago as she was walking from Buddha Bar to Banana Bar in Grand Bay. A man came up to her and grabbed her, trying to drag her into his car. Fortunately a group of men came around the corner and scared him off. 3 Weeks later, another friend of mine was walking near her home in Pereybere when a white Toyota Corolla stopped beside her. A group of men wearing balaclavas and carrying a metal rod started intimidating her. Thinking that they wanted her bag, she dropped it, but they ignored it and tried to get her into their car. Fortunately she managed to run away from them.
Last weekend 2 more families became victims of increasingly violent crime. On Sunday evening, just after 7:30 acouple was sitting at home with their 3 year old granddaughter when 3 men entered and held them up at knife point. Once again, the men were in balaclavas, two of them holding sugar cane pangas and one of them with a knife which he held to the woman’s neck, while one of the others attacked her husband.
The couple was forced to hand over their electronics, money, documents etc and were then locked in a bathroom while the men fled. All of this happened in front of their grandchild, who ran upstairs and hid in her bedroom. Shockingly, it took four phone calls to the police to get a response!
Look, I know that there is crime everywhere, and that it generally rises during economic recessions, but it’s still quite shocking to see that even our little oasis is not safe. Islandlings, please be on high alert. Don’t walk alone after dark, and if you see dodgy cars lurking around your home, get out of there and report it to the police immediately! In both cases with the men in balaclavas the gangs were driving old white toyotas, so be on a look out for those. These are not isolated incidents, as many of you already know, burglaries have been increasing dramatically over the past year. It was only a matter of time before the criminals got more daring, and more violent. So please, please, please be AWARE and be SAFE!
The post looks at the question that many SA expats have been faced with lately: Are there too many SA Expats, or any expats for that matter, living in Mauritius. Are locals feeling invaded?
Personally I have been confronted with this question on a few occasions. How have I answered? Well it’s a hard one. Firstly I need to decide if I see myself as Mauritian or South African. I was born in SA and my passport is south african, but I grew up and have lived on this island since I was 6. My second language is French, not Afrikaans. My parents are Mauritian citizens. At the same time, I cannot ignore my ties to South Africa either. I suppose I consider myself a hybrid. The Prius of the People, if you will…
In his article, the Captain says of the recent surge in new SA expats,
“The effect is that one hears and sees South Africans everywhere. The local Mauritian has that overrun feeling. It doesn’t help that South Africans are very often loud, brash and culturally dof when it comes to Mauritius…..a number of resident South Africans set at about 3000 which is about triple the pre-flood number.
Is this too many?
Ask any Mauritian and he will say there are too many South Africans in Mauritius. Ask any South African in Mauritius and he will ask ‘What’s the problem?’
The problem, in my personal view, is complex and mostly emotional.
I can totally understand the Mauritian who stands in his empty restaurant looking at the packed one run by a South African accross the road.
I can totally understand the Mauritian lawyer who sees new South African lawyers eating away at all the juicy corporate clients.
I can totally understand the Mauritian Estate Agent watching as the South African competitors engulf the market.
These and other South African success stories show the positive side of South African competition, raising the stakes, improving the service, doing stuff that wasn’t done in Mauritius.
Unless you are the loser in this competition…….The real problem is that it is now very easy to blame all bad things on South Africans. This helps us to give order to our Mauritian world. Politicians find it extremly convenient to blame these new settlers in Mauritius on a mulitude of ills and their electorate is only too pleased to agree.
The intellectual half of my brain acknowledges that South Africans have brought a lot of money, skills and ideas to Mauritius. The emotional half of my brain wants to kick some of them out, particularly the slow adjusters.”
The article has provoked a number of mixed emotions. Have a look at the comments. On one hand, people love the article, saying “Fabulous! I honestly think this is the best piece I have read in ages! Great! Great! Great!” while on the other hand the article has offended people, such as Anonymous who wrote, “…I believe you should withdraw your article and apologise to those South Africans presently in Mauritius trying to do what you did here 16 years ago…”
What do you all think? Has mauritius been overrun? Or is there room and opportunity for everybody?
On the 9th of July my mind was officially blown as I stood at the Grand Bay Yacht Club watching a four-man crew rowing towards me. arrive The team of 4 kiwis, “Rowing for Prostate,” had just rowed from Australia to Mauritius.
Rowing for Prostate arrives at the GBYC
Are you paying attention? Australia to Mauritius! That is FAR people! About 3132 nautical miles to be exact.
The crew comprised of Tom Wigram, Peter Staples, Billy Gammon and Matthew Hampel, all expat Britons living in New Zealand. Their goal: to become the first southern hempisphere team to ever cross this stretch of water in the Indian Ocean Rowing Race 2009.
Some very hairy men: Tom Wigram, Peter Staples, Billy Gammon and Matthew Hampel
The trip was not an easy one, in fact due to a faulty battery in their satellite telephone, the crew lost contact with land for 10 days. During this time they had to deal with broken seat rails (which had broken 3 weeks into the race, meaning that they had to row without moving backwards and forwards for the remainder), severe food rationing and even capsizing! Um guys, I think it’s time to re-look the hardcore rating of the Mauritian Ocean Classic.
Not a race for pansies.
And this should give you an idea of what conditions can be like:
Throughout the race, the rowers kept a blog about their experience. After reaching the shore, this is what Billy, the main blogger, had to say:
This had been an absolute mine field of emotions, and a catalogue full of experiences beyond our wildest dreams…and nightmares…including a physical and emotional test way beyond anything we could have ever prepared ourselves for – but as I’ve said so many times before, I wouldn’t have changed any of it for the world. We set out some 81 days ago safe in the knowledge that we were entering a world we knew very little about and what bit we did know would be of little assistance in a world where mother nature could and would be so unpredictable – so beautiful on the one hand, yet so desperately angry on the other…but at all times so very very powerful.
The purpose of this adventure was to raise money for prostate cancer, and to find out how you can get involved, go here. The men placed second over all, behind a British crew who finished in 68 days, achieving their goal of becoming the first southern hemisphere team to row this stretch of water.
305 nautical miles from Mauritius
Pretty darn amazing don’t you think?
Have a listen to their interview to this radio interview, if you can handle the Kiwi presenter:
In other news…there is a total solar eclipse predicted for Wednesday. Wicked cool except we won’t be able to see it. Isn’t it funny how every time there is a natural phenomenon predicted, someone out there gets the heebie-jeebies and causes a bit of a panic?
Rad!
There have been a number of emails circulating warning people that the eclipse will cause a tsunami, such as:
“Hello there. I just wanted 2 let you know that please stay away from the beaches all around in the month of July. There is a prediction that there will be another tsunami hitting on July 22nd. It is also when there will be sun eclipse. Predicted that it is going 2 be really bad and countries like Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak), Singapore, Maldives, Australia, Mauritius, Si Lanka, India, Indonesia, Philippines are going 2 be badly hit. Please try and stay away from the beaches in July. Better 2 be safe than sorry. Please pass the word around. Please also pray for all beings.”
Come on people. Seriously? Firstly, tsunamis are caused by earthquakes and not eclipses. Secondly, while astronomers are able to predict eclipses, earthquakes are much more stealthy. And thirdly, if you don’t believe me, have a look at what NASA’s Dr. James Foster has to say:
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions do indeed occur at times of eclipses. But records show that they occur with no greater frequency or power than on days when full Moons or new Moons occur (without eclipses), when all the planets line up on the same side of the Sun or on days when the Moon is in a crescent or gibbous phase. As special as eclipses are, they simply don’t have a known impact on any geophysical phenomena.
The guy is a rocket scientist. I would trust a rocket scientist over some douche who writes 2 instead of to any day. So I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna be spending Wednesday at the beach. Where I will be listening to this:
Winter is time for vegging out in front of the TV wrapped in a duvet with a steaming cup of hot chocolate….
If you’re a PANSY ASS that is! But if you’re a hardcore mofo who grabs life by the gonads, if you floss with barbed wire and wipe your arse with stinging nettles, then I have just the thing for you: The Mauritius Ocean Classic.
Yeeee-ha! (pic: Owen Middleton)
The 2009 MOC is made up of two races:
Sporty’s Downwind Dash (02 July ) and Mauritius Ocean Classic (04 July)
Sporty’s Downward Dash is what they call a “3-star” event, 3-star being fairly hardcore but with a soft side too. A bit like The Bride in Tarantino’s Kill Bill, if you will. This race may technically be a girl, but trust me, even if you shoot it in the head, bury it alive and throw 88 yakuza killers at it, it still won’t die. Yes, I’m still talking about surfskiing. But just in case you’re thinking “oh 3-stars, pshhh whatever” THIS is the kind of race we’re talking about:
A 15km downwind course from Tamassa Resort (at Bel Ombre) to Les Pavillons Resort (at Le Morne) offering the opportunity to test the ocean & enjoy the delights of the conditions Mauritius offers.
But don’t be fooled my friends. It’s gonna be kerazy.
If Sporty’s Downward Dash is too girly for you, if you sneeze with your eyes open and are the reason that Wally is hiding, then maybe you want to try Race 2, the main race: The Mauritian Ocean Classic.
This is the Big Deal. It’s over 28km’s from Souillac to Les Pavillions Resort at Le Morn and is apparently one of the best downwind courses in the World Series. If this doesn’t give you some idea of the badassedness of the race, lets call it the Samuel L Jackson of Surfskiing:
Get the message?
Oh it is ON! So if you’re that cool, register here today, and keep up to date on the event here.
A few nights ago someone tried to break into theMahèbourg Naval Museum. You know, just your average sword and map robbery, nothing spectacular. Unfortunately for him (but very fortunately for us my friends) he was disturbed mid-burgle. The Mauritian navy are clever fellows, and fully aware of how valuable pirate swords and maps are these days, had installed an alarm. Alarmed by this alarm the suspect ran out of the museum (he’d broken down the back door to get in – very macho). He then climbed a tree and tried to jump over a fence.
This is when our suspect started to have Bigger Problems. I’m not quite sure how to explain what happened after he lost his footing, I think it’s best to show you:
This guy must have felt like a bit of an arse...
I bet he’s the butt of many jokes.
Definitely the end to a promising car-rear.
Police are doing everything they can to get to the bottom of this.
Sorry. That was heinous.
Cheeky….
Feel free to submit your own captions! The winner MAY get a PRIZE!
