Blood Thicker Than Money And Climate Change

We’re in Mauritius.   I’ve already written about my ethical concerns of flying to Türkiye.  And here I am in Mauritius.  If we weren’t already planning on a Turkish trip, I might not (was going to say probably not, but unsure) be in Mauritius.  But Turkey is a little more than half way to Mauritius.  

And my daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law are living in Mauritius for six months.  My kids don’t like my writing about them, so that’s all I’ll say.  But we’re here in this island in the Indian Ocean that is considered part of Africa, and is about as far away from Alaska as you can go.

I probably should be giving you some insights, like a brief history, but my head isn’t there.  Here’s what the government of Mauritius says.  Today there is a mix of Indians, Africans, Chinese, and Europeans. Mauritian Creole seems to be the language most Mauritians speak, but French and English are also spoken by many.  French is the default language after Creole.  People of Indian descent are the clear majority, their ancestors originally brought over as slaves to work the sugar cane fields.  

Our main goal is to be with our kin and they’re living in a very comfortable place with a great yard.  So I can sit there and watch the birds.     

The red one is a Mauritius Fody, found, as I understand it, only here.  There are lots of them visiting the yard and generally around.  The bright red is easy to see.  (Which would seem to contradict t their endangered rating.)

I’m pretty sure this is a Village Weaver, an African bird that has found its way to Mauritius.  It was taking thread from the palm and flying away - presumably to do some weaving.  

This one, with the distinctive red-orange beak and the red eye shadow is a common waxbill.  Also an immigrant from Africa.

And a Malagasy Turtledove.  There’s a pink pigeon which is endangered and lives only in Mauritius and at first I thought this might be one.  But I think the turtledove id is the right one.  

A prominent landmark in Mauritius is Le Pouce (the thumb) and it’s not far from where we are.  Some books say it’s an easy 3.something km hike, others that it’s a difficult 6.something round trip hike.  Our daughter said it was extremely difficult - what with mud and steepness and sliding and we should definitely take the easier trail which winds around.  But that’s a much longer distance and still we would eventually get to the steep parts.  And my wife, who does her 10,000 steps a day, is not into steep uphill.  So we took a short bus ride and walked to the parking lot from the main road.  The picture to the left is a shot of Le Pouce on the walk to the trailhead.  

We followed my daughter’s advice and took the easy trail.  It was a nice walk - birds, butterflies, frogs, lots of flowers - but we never got near starting up the mountain.  And it wasn’t clear we were still on the right trail.  

Instead of hiking 4 or so kilometers up Le Pouce, we walked that distance back to our daughter’s place.  

We did have a spectacular Creole lunch nearby few days earlier.  And J and I took a one day tour of the sights in Southwest Mauritius, including a volcano crater, an Indian temple at a sacred lake, some waterfalls, a gorge.  A good trip, but not really my style - “Go up the path and take your picture, I’ll wait for you here.”  But it was a good way to

Grand Bassin

see a lot in a short time.  And apparently it's how many tourists here see the island.  We saw the same people at different stops with their drivers.  

I’m constantly reminded why my preferred way to travel is to have a long term stay some place where you have a purpose for being there (besides being a tourist) and a home base from which to wander out to see other places. You have time to slowly figure out how things work, where they are, and how to get around.  But I also get why people like package tours.  The figuring out can get uncomfortable and having someone who knows what they’re doing is much more efficient.  

Our guide Thursday knew all the shortcuts, and didn’t have to think about where things were or how to
squeeze in seven or eight sightseeing worthy stops.    

Subject shift:  When we try to forge an ethical path in life, we have to balance many values. As we toured the other day, we saw a number of signs like the one below, that highlighted things like conservation and maintaining environments that allow native species to survive. 

I know it’s hard to read so let me copy from the black box on the left of the tree:

“The Black River Gorges National Park is the core zone which is legally protected.  It is home to the last remnant of the Mauritian endemic flora and fauna species thus making it a unique ecosystem.  The main focus of this zone is the conservation and restoration of the native biodiversity.  It also promotes education, research and sustainable ecotourism activities.”

At the same time, tourism is a significant part of Mauritius’ economy.  

“Tourism industry in Mauritius

Mauritius tourism industry has experienced drastic growth in the last decade.

The Island of Mauritius had about 18,000 visitors in 1970 and in the last few years this number is almost reaching 1 million visitors to Mauritius annually.

The tourism sector is one of the main pillars of the local economy, and created 30,000 full time job equivalents in 2000 and the number today it is estimated that almost 40,000 has full direct employment in the tourism sector.

Tourists visiting Mauritius are primarily European, mainly French and British.

The amount of resorts and hotels along Mauritius coastline is increasing every year to accommodate the increasing number of tourists visiting the Island.” (From Mauritius Attractions)

It’s hard to lead an ethical life when most of the important measures of individual and national success are reported in dollars or Euros or RMB.  Those resorts and hotels the website above mentions, are, in some cases changing the economy, but also the culture of Mauritius, the second most densely populated country in Africa. 

It’s easy to just say, “screw it, my trip is just a blip in the climate change scenario.” But a million individual trips add up.  We can look at the impact on the climate of Russia’s war against Ukraine, of Trump’s frequent trips, or flying all the US generals from around the world to be lectured to by the defense secretary and the president. And, of course, a trip to Mauritius is something that financially comfortable people can do.  But our airfare was less than the average down payment on a new car or truck ($6,856)

Am I overthinking all this?  Compared to most people, I probably am.  But we should always be considering the ways we use our money affect the environment, other people, and power.  But our purpose on Mauritius is to visit with family who we otherwise wouldn’t see for a year, and I’m comfortable with that.