Mauritius

        Mauritius was the spring break for Semester at Sea students.  The ship docked in Port Louis, which is on the northern side of the Island.  The minute we were allowed off the ship I got a cab across the island with two friends.  Our plans were to check into a hotel and spend the day on the beach.  We just relaxed and walked along the shore all day.  Its such a beautiful place. 
        A few friends were supposed to meet us at the hotel later that night.  A van filled with about fifteen people show up and expected to check into the two rooms we had reserved.   This clearly did not work out.  The hotel knew we were trying to squeeze more than 4 people in each room.  I ended up sleeping on the beach, in a lounge chair.  After about nine o’clock the hotel wouldn’t let any of us back into our rooms. Only a few people got to stay in the rooms there was a lot of free space and all of our stuff was in there as well. I would’ve loved to been able to grab my sweatshirt and put long pants on but they wouldn’t allow it.  It was extremely windy all night, which made the beach seem very cold.  I shared a lounge chair with a friend to keep warm and barely was able to drift off into a light sleep. 
        The stars were unbelievable.  Looking up at the night sky it seemed as if the stars were only inches away from my eyes.  Even though I was kicked out of my own hotel room, it was a privilege to wake up to such a beautiful sight as the sunrise on a Mauritius beach. Well after the sun had completely risen, our friends finally tore themselves away from the comfy hotel beds.  They went to the complimentary hotel breakfast and stuffed their pockets with croissants for the rest of us.  They were delicious.  Now on to Cape Town South Africa!