African Continent, did you know?

by Ocean Ngobeni (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find Reunion

'I didn't expect to find' A place with eclectic, one sided history of how they view the world, Reunion Island a French island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagscar and southwest of Mauritius Renuion Island is known for its rain forest, coral reefs and Piton dela Fournaise a 500 000 years old volcano with a population of about 886 506 (2017 stats) While travelling with my best friend I didn’t expect to find that the country as beautiful as is there was still a lot the society need to learn in relation to the rest of the world. First off everything is in French, there’s not even a compromise that you might have English speaking tourist to accommodate, and it was none negotiable for our guide to utter even one word in English, which had an impact on our holiday and how we explored Reunion. As part of our itinerary, Day 1 tour was to explore Cilaos, a town in the centre of Reunion, because of the strong French connection in the country we did not understand one single word, which means we missed out on understanding the history and abundance of the place, but we were not phased as the beauty of every place/country can be experienced from your own perspective without being judgemental of what is the status quo in that particular place. As the tour continued, we had an opportunity to stop and get in touch with the locals, and our favorite place was Mouton Gourmand, a quaint bar in the middle of nowhere owned by a Polish man who found love in Reunion and decided to stay. When visiting try their freshly squeezed juices, you won’t regret it. Day 2, was volcano trekking day, it was an early morning start and long drive to Piton de la Fournaise a 530 000 years old volcano, I have never seen a volcano that up close and personal, we did a 3hrs hiking trail and the experience made me appreciate and respect nature, if such destruction can exist then we still have a lot to discover as human beings and travelling is one way to do it. For lunch, we stopped at restaurant Etoile des mers serving local cuisine, and they did not disappoint, the Reunionese cuisine has influences from Europe, Africa, India & China combined to bring out the best flavours. The most popular dishes are, traditional chicken cooked with vegetables, different curries of meat and you can wash all that down with local juice, bourbon (local beer) & wine depending on your poison of choice. On our way back, we were shocked by our guide, who found it significant to explaining to African woman that in Reunion, locals and specifically man use the word “Cafres/kafs” in referring to black woman, this was a shock to us because as South Africans the meaning of the word is loathed considering the dark history that our country has been through because of apartheid …..Now that I did not expect to find. For the rest of our holiday we also got to experience the La Saga du Rhum museum, if you are a rum enthusiast this is the place you must visit as it showcases the link between the history of the Island, its culture and rum production, did I mention that everything is in French, but luckily the museum had audio devises translating the tour in English so not all was lost. The Island architecture puts into perspective the history of the Island with French culture, such a contrast considering that the Island is in Africa. Our hotel was a breath of fresh air, Ness by D-Ocean, the staff was helpful and made sure our stay was to remember, we met Victoria (staff member) who explained a lot about the history of the place and how the locals view the world, it was quite inspiring and we learned that you cannot judge anyone based on your own perception or point view. Travelling is about finding out that the world is our encyclopaedia and gives an opportunity to test your tolerance while not forgetting who you are and embracing what comes with the experience. Travel with no expectations Ocean Ngobeni