Short posts
X marks the spot.
We spent much of yesterday relaxing in the pool, and despite several sunscreen applications throughout the day, we still managed to get burned. It’s been an especially rough day for Jen. -S 🇸🇨
We spent yesterday enjoying the pool and view from our hotel in the Seychelles. -J 🇸🇨
The apparent centerpiece of our room here in the Seychelles is the shower. As in, it’s literally in the middle of the room. 🤷♂️ (don’t ask about the weird window installed in the toilet room so you can make immediate direct eye contact with anyone who hears a plop). -S 🇸🇨
Whew boy! That’s the third increasingly worrisome flight in a row. This time we had to abort our landing less than 1000ft from touch down.
At the end of our first day tour in Mauritius, we walked around and enjoyed a Botanical Garden that also served as a refuge for giant tortoises . ~J 🇲🇺
I found another fun Umbrella Street in Port Louis, Mauritius. -J 🇲🇺
Slavery and Indentured Servitude in Mauritius
When the Dutch colonized Mauritius in 1638, they began a long history of slavery and slavery-related practices on the island; kidnapping people from East Africa and bringing them to the island against their will. The French continued the practices when they took possession of the island in 1715. Slaves were primarily used to grow and harvest sugarcane, but they were also used to build the buildings in what is now Port Louis. The British captured Mauritius from the French in 1810 and abolished slavery in 1835.
Mauritius is still coming to grips with its slavery past and making restitution to the families of former slaves (as is the United States). There is a new little museum dedicated to showing the country’s slave past and working with various families and NGOs to gather artifacts, information, and documents regarding slavery and those involved (both masters and former slave families) and help the country move forward. We visited and they are working on a more permanent exhibit, and hopefully this interesting place continues to expand.
Once the British abolished slavery, they pivoted to a system of indentured servitude that lasted until 1910. Importantly, Mauritius was the birthplace of indentured servitude. While technically free people, the conditions for the workers were still harsh and the contracts still favored the plantation owners, but sometimes this life might have been better than they would have had back home. During this period, almost 2 million individuals came to Mauritius as indentured servants, mostly from India. The majority of Mauritians today are decedents from this Indian population.
The administrative buildings where many indentured servants first set foot in Mauritius and were processed for 2-3 days before being directed to their respective plantations is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. -J 🇲🇺
📷 I think this trip has really inspired Jen to get into photography a bit more seriously. She’s been really loving her new camera and clearly enjoys taking photos with it. -S 🇲🇺
This bird has some pretty great eyelashes.
After a month of mass produced African lagers, we finally had a chance to visit a local craft brewery. Crafty Dee’s, here in Dar es Salaam, is Tanzania’s first craft brewery, and one of Africa’s most awarded too. The beer was a welcomed improvement, and the food was delicious. 🍻 -S🇹🇿
Roadkill fines in Mikumi National Park—listed in USD, not local currency. -S 🇹🇿
A story in three photos… 😂
-S 🇿🇲
🎶 …Everybody was kung fu fighting… 🎶
Some vervet monkeys playing around our campsite at Lake Malawi on New Years Day. It was fun to watch these two chase and wrestle around; should have stayed longer to get more shots!
Elephants peacefully snacking on some grass in Mikumi National Park in Tanzania. -S 🇹🇿
A little bit about the overlanding vehicle we’ve been traveling in the last three weeks through Africa. -S
It wasn’t on the itinerary per se, but I managed to do both Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti on this trip! 🍻😉 -S 🇹🇿
We did a sunset game drive a few days ago, but a rainy night made for a less than stellar experience. But the two highlights were a (rather vicious) zebra fight and elephants playing the mud. The sunset was pretty nice too! -S 🇿🇲
Many of our meals on this African tour are made by our guide/chef from the side of the Nomad truck. We have been pleasantly surprised by how tasty they have been. Last night in Malawi, some locals joined us and cooked us some of their local dishes, which were delightful. -J 🇲🇼
When we renewed our ASU football season tickets in early 2024, it was beyond our wildest dreams that we’d be listening to a radio broadcast of ASU going into a second overtime of a playoff game while we laid in our bed, in the dark, under a mosquito net in Malawi, fighting off swarms of bugs. 🇲🇼
