Xmas Letter 2011 Final

8/3/2019 Xmas Letter 2011 Final

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!(looking back on 2011 the year we turned 30..the good bits in about 900 words)

WITH LOVE FROM MAURITIUS... JILL & ROB xoxo

January saw Rob returning to

London for a week on business and

departing with an armful of select

supplies - un-official William & Kate

engagement cups, an array of

London Underground souvenirs, and

half a kilo of duty free tea! Rob’s

epic effort - braving not only the

cold, but crowds on Oxford Street

and curious glances at the Selfridges

cosmetic counters meant that Jill

also now has a year’s worth of

essential beauty supplies (not sold,

nor inimitable in Mauritius - ha ha).

February saw us making a less than

traditional, albeit luxurious (i.e. in an

air-conditioned car) pilgrimage for

the colourful Hindu festival of Maha

Shivaratree to the sacred Ganga

Talao site. Half of the 1.2 million

locals make the 20km journey each

year bare foot, carrying Kanwars -

and indeed it would have been

quicker by foot, carrying a Kanwar ,

with our driving speed averaging

4kms/hr. Maybe this year!



March was quite hectic work-wise,

and with our lease due to expire in

May, any spare-time was consumed

with house-hunting. The final two

contenders ran close. Even on our

modest budget (which is seemingly

not, when converted to Mauritian

Rupees!), the runner-up had private

access to the beach. However the

winner clinched the deal with a vista

over the salt-fields and ocean!

April greeted us with a visit from

Jill’s family armed with enough

vegemite to convert the entire

population of Mauritius (Thanks

Mum & Aunty Lynda!). Their holiday

itinerary was slightly more diverse

than that for most tourists,

enhanced by our local connections -

which saw them attending Hindu

cultural celebrations such as

Varusha Pirappu (Tamil New Year)and a Hindu wedding dressed in

traditional attire; visiting a Mauritian

family in their home; receiving a

personal Indian cooking

demonstration (with butter chicken,

roti and a vegetable curry on the

menu); and interacting with the local

animals from our neighbour’s baby

goat to zebras and lion & tiger cubs

at the nature park.

There were also many opportunities

to master the art of island

photography, from teetering on theedges of salt pans in the early

morning sun to capture the field

workers in action, through to sailing

boats in silhouette on the Indian

Ocean at sunset and the head-

spinning twirls of the sega dancers

by night. Plenty of dinners on the

beach, packed picnics, coastal drives

and market shopping also featured

on the itinerary. Rob was also re-

united with his beloved golf clubs

(polished & in a new travel case –

Thanks Dad!) which enabled a few

games - in lieu of shopping with the

girls, of course!





October was a fairly quiet month.

Though, it sparked up at the end

with some firecrackers for the Hindu

celebration of Divali (the festival of

lights) as well as some backyard

home-entertaining.

November & December saw us

preparing for round two of guests

with the Davelaar family visiting us.

Christmas came early in Mauritius,

with Santa (aka Derek) and his elvesstopping by Rughoo Lane (the street

name of our ‘Mauritian’ family) with

gifts for all. After job well done, the

lounge room floor was cleared for

dancing to latest Hindu tunes

followed by some henna hand

painting! With more work to be

done, the elves proved to be good

market shoppers, driving a hard

bargain in order to fill the sleigh

back to Australia. And the Mauritian

festive season wouldn’t be complete

without Helen and Derek bustingsome moves to La Bumba (albeit a

‘murdered’ rendition of the song) on

the beach, surviving quite a few very

big cats (not to mention the local

cuisine!), rolling out some roti and a

special home cooked gourmet

dinner (Thanks Helen & Derek!). We

celebrated Christmas Day with lunch

locally, by the water and welcomed

the New Year again in Rughoo Lane

style, lighting firecrackers and

drinking the local rum. Training was

provided for us newbies and we

stand as living proof that the

operation was successful.

We wish you & your family a happy,

healthy and safe 2012 and we look

forward to hearing from you. Visitors

are ALWAYS welcome! (hint hint)☺

Love Jill & Rob xxoo

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Xmas Letter 2011 Final