Holiday in Mauritius - May 2014

So I'm back in Mauritius this time for my cousin's wedding and it's still boiling as ever! The difference is that it just gets darker earlier because it's winter time but apart from that it doesn't get any colder. It's 30 degrees out here and people still get cold at 18 degrees! 
(As a joke I tell them to open their freezer to see the kind of whether I have to deal with and it doesn't always go down well) 

I took a direct flight on the 29th from London and arrived at 5:30am in Mauritius (Mauritius time). Man was it uncomfortable. My head kept spinning so I had to keep drinking water to prevent getting a headache and I didn't even sleep well on the plane. 

Just arrived in Mauritius and looking quite tired and I didn't wear any make up either because it's such a hassle taking it off plus it would make me break out if I kept it on too long. Was on the plane for 12 hours from London and couldn't sleep. 
Note: I also have this thing where I look oriental in my photos sometimes (because I'm partly Asian) and some people can't believe it's even me so don't be surprised if I look Chinese all of a sudden lol

I even managed to meet my cousin's new dog -Lucy 

She's still a puppy and only four months old but she's sooo clever. She knows when she's being told off and when there's no one there, she takes a nap and gets excited when we come back. She goes all crazy and jumps on us as if it's been years since we last saw her! 

By the way that's my uncle Dave in the background.

I got to hang out with my cousins and they've changed so much in the last 8 years (I was 13 when I last came to Mauritius). But I last saw them when I was 17 so that's technically 5 years. 

I even saw my uncle Satiwan (in the picture below) who owns a well known restaurant in Mauritius called Algoo Snack in a town called St Pierre. Sorry about the picture looking fuzzy I don't think I'll be taking any more photos using my iPad it's nowhere near as good as an actual camera. 

He says the most popular dish people know him by is called "Mine bouillie gros pois" (which my cousin helped me spell because my French spelling isn't great lol) and in English it means noodles with peas. This is the only shot I managed to get of the front of the restaurant which I took using my phone. This is at night time when it's usually quiet but it's normally packed in the day time. 

My other Uncle Prem owns another Algoo Snack also in St Pierre and they were in the Mauritian Sunday newspaper which as you can see is in French. If you're ever in Mauritius be sure to visit them their food is awesome! 

Tip: Learning French will help a lot in Mauritius because it's their first language so the better you are, the more you'll cope. 

Meanwhile back at my villa I did encounter this creepy crawly which I was not fond of! Luckily this cockroach wasn't poisonous or anything but even so I just hate it when they fly around it's just scary :O 

Mauritius doesn't have any dangerous animals but it's still a good idea to wear things like mosquito repellent if you don't want to be constantly bitten. I recommend Jungle Formula and really good after bite pen called "After Bite". 

I swear by this pen that every bite I got and applied this on almost disappeared and reduced the itching so much I forgot I even got bitten! The sales assistant at Superdrug recommended it to me and he even said it's better than their own brand *shocked face* 

Also seeing as it was near the time of the wedding I decided to experiment with different nail polish designs. This one in particular was inspired by the Mauritian sky at night when the stars come out. My uncle pointed them out to me and they looked beautiful so I paired up three coats of OPI sheer tint in I Can Teal You Like Me with Alpine Snow and got a day time effect but for a night time look try Road House Blues. It would look amazing for an evening out. 

To make the star pattern I used the design on the right of this nail art plate in CH5 from the Cheeky Set of 26 Nail Art Plates that looks like this: 

Scanners are a life saver I would have never gotten a shot this good with a camera. 

If you're new to nail stamping take a look at this video and you'll know how it works. I used a Konad stamper with these plates which I bought separately because I find the other rubber stamps too fiddly. 

I also loved how my cousin did a henna tattoo on my hands. I felt like an Asian princess! 

A bit of a shame I didn't manage to get the brand of Henna but a trick I learned is to layer another lot of Henna on top of the first layer (once it's dried and chipped off). 

This is the design I wore for the wedding day. It was a four day celebration and I was so knackered constantly changing my nail polish but it was fun anyway. In the picture underneath I'm using the OPI Gwen Stefani collection in Love.Angel.Music.Baby which is the gold base colour and I Sing In Colour for the red ninja star style squares. 

I'm using the top design on the Cheeky Nail Art plate in CH13. I love the geometric look and these colours look classy yet edgy.  

My rule of thumb for nail stamping is that you need two strong contrasting colours for any design to stand out like a really dark colour with a really light one that isn't too opaque unless that's the kind of look you're after. I like loud colours that scream because they're noticeable straight away.

I even managed to get my Mauritian passport at the passport centre in Rose Hill. I had to apply twice because last time I ran out of time and had to fly home so I'm glad I at least managed to do it this time. 

I got to see a concert and just had to take pictures of the popcorn because it was so yummy. I love sweet things and ate three quarters of it so I wouldn't be surprised if I gained weight haha

Speaking of sweet things... over here is a coconut bun cake which looks like a jam doughnut but this is the Mauritian version of it. I loved this as I am a huge fan of coconuts! It's like a basic fruit to me because I'm Mauritian myself and things like Coconuts,Pineapples, and Mangoes are just like Apples, Oranges and Bananas to us. There are loads more tropical fruits in Mauritius so you can see where I'm coming from here. 

Before I ramble on here is how it looks like inside. The coconut is in the middle and if you look closely you can just about see it. I really liked this tropical jam doughnut *sigh*.  

Again with the sweet stuff we have a traditional Mauritian Banana tart to the left and on the right we have Mauritian vanilla tea. This was at the airport so it's easily accessible.  

If you loved this blog then you'll also love my video on typical Mauritian food which you can check out below so please give me a thumbs up and maybe a comment below while you're there :D 

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Love Nina 

xXxx

My holiday in Mauritius January 2014

I know it's only been three months since I last went on holiday but what can I say? I had a great time and felt really connected to my Mauritian heritage. Of course I want to go back!

I initially went for two weeks but then extended it to three because I had to get my Mauritian passport which by the way never happened. If my application was earlier I don't think I'd have been in this situation. I had two weeks in my hands and the passport takes three weeks to get. Also the lady who deals with foreign passports in the immigration office wasn't there which held me back big time.

Becoming a Mauritian citizen is tough especially for me since I'm classed as a foreigner to them even though my parents are Mauritian. The reason for this is that first of all I was born in London therefore making me British but secondly and most importantly, the fact my parents didn't apply for my Mauritian passport when I was younger.

The first time I visited my native island was when I was around five years old and man did I pick up the language quick ;) I've been bi-lingual from an early age and my parents didn't even show me how to speak Creole (the native language of Mauritius being mostly French). It has helped me in so many areas of my life it's unbelievable. I can speak to my relatives who can't speak English, other people in Mauritius, and even French people (although they may not understand all the words). Also not to brag, but I even aced French without revising, what an easy A it was ;) Although now I'm not sure whether I can speak because it's been a while and I don't normally make the effort unless I'm with French people as a sign of respect (Mauritians typically give the French the most priority).

Anyway Mauritian Creole is pretty easy to speak and it consists of three quarters French mixed with Afrikaans I believe (or some other kind of African language). Unlike French there are no conjugated verbs and I guarantee I could teach anyone how to speak Mauritian Creole in one month! Even less if they're French haha    
However if French is your first language, you have the upper hand and be lazy because everyone will understand you anyway (My French cousin does it and I'm so jealous! She doesn't have to think about what she says and they'll understand her).
In some ways I think it challenges me and pushes me to learn something useful which is what I like. I can also put it on my CV as a language skill because who doesn't think being bi-lingual is useful? You never know when you need it and learning never stops!

So far:

Managed to de-bug my computer and clear a virus


Need to book vaccination before holiday