Diving deep and coming up had excited me and I was wondering what more can one day to top that up and anyone who knows me knows I am an experiential! My friend, guide and occasional philosopher – the indomitable Kaviraj Dusame looked at me and asked “ You look bored , how would you like to try sky diving here .” My eyes lit up and I exclaimed “why for heaven’s sake not and no not yes, yes lets do it now, today .”
Enquiries where made and sky diving costs around Rs. 14000 Mauritian rupees, $ 385 with an extra Rs 4500, $125 for the video and photos. Money was not the issue and I was craving for this high flying experience and cost – though seriously high was not a bar! But the best laid plans of mice and men as a poet once said are oft awry. A bombshell of bad news, a damper extraordinaire was delivered and Kaviraj said “ The only catch is your weight has to be below 95 kg.” Never the thinnest among men I was certain I put on a some weight and it is time for the litmus test! Kavraj managed to get a weighing scale from somewhere and I stood on it and to my horror i was 5 kgs over the limit at a respectable 100 kg. I did not exactly time to loose those kgs and thought could have some money on the diving weights, would have sunk like a stone anyway! So we said goodbye to the idea but not one to stand by idly an eureka moment struck us and left us amazed and just a wee bit shaken by it’s brilliance. “ Why not seakarting then?” Kavi asked. I was keen on that too and we headed for Riviere Noire – the black river on the western side of the island. I took a quick shower after which the instructor told us how to operate the sea kart – perhaps a go kart for the sea?!! It is a speed boat with a automatic start stop button and a lever for speeding the ‘kart’.
Kaviraj sat beside me and we had our life jackets on as we sped all over the sea, zipping and zooming the cart as it ran over choppy waters thudding and at times flying in the air.
The view of the open sea was breathtaking and awe inspiring. The instructors boat was in front as we all followed him with each kart maintaining a distance of 50 m to avoid any collisions.
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I raced against the the team from Singapore and won hand’s down although it was my first time i had zipped around water scooters in Boracay in the Philippines before and this looked easy.
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We stopped in the middle of the sea for a swim and I smoked a cigarette while right in the middle of the sea.
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Back at the base we got all the photographs as me and Kaviraj headed for the Sunset Point at Le Morne.
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The sun looked like giant orange ball on the shimmering blue sea as I took my camera out and went wild, clicking away at the most beautiful sight my eyes had seen in a long time !!
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Behind me was a giant rainbow and above me the heavens opened up with rain pouring from the cloud floating by.
It was a mesmerizing dance of nature and I only had a few minutes to capture it through my lens which I duly did.
The drive back to Coco Villa my hotel was thrilling and Kaviraj played all the latest Bollywood songs . “ I know we will meet again when your this trip is over Anuj , may be not in Mauritius but somewhere else for sure and it feels to me that our destiny’s are intertwined .” I looked at him with a smile “ who knows what turn my stay in Mauritius would have taken if I had not met you. The last few days have been adventurous indeed and I thank you for that.” Imagine befriending a cop in Mauritius and having him as your tour guide this in itself was a wonder.
