Port Louis

The Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis.
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Only an hour-long bus ride away from Pereybere, Port Louis (the largest city in Mauritius) is a bustling, loud place quite different from the little beach towns we have been visiting.  The bus ride cost us 21 rupees each (less than $1 US) and the bus was easy to catch in Pereybere.  However, where we were dropped off in Port Louis was a transportation nightmare!  Imagine a parking area sandwiched between two major roads, crammed full of buses and people, with no signs or markings to indicate what bus goes where!  And this is the area the guidebook warns about pickpockets and danger.  We ended up taking a cab back to Pereybere (about $15 US altogether) but it was worth it to avoid the hassle and confusion!

Celebrating Chinese New Year on the Waterfront.
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In Port Louis we spent time on the Caudan Waterfront, a lovely area full of shops, the interesting Blue Penny Museum (we saw two rare Mauritian stamps worth about $2 million US!), and many restaurants.  We enjoyed the craft market, full of all the souvenirs a tourist could want, and the lovely Indian restaurant Namaste.  We were also lucky to catch a celebration for Chinese New Year, complete with a long line of red firecrackers exploding and men dancing around as dragons (one for the head, one bent double under the fabric for the back/tail).