Relax ! Imagine ! Your seat belt is securely fastened, the plane is ready to take off… You are flying to Rodrigues Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Rodrigues (in French: île Rodrigues) is an autonomous island and dependency of the Republic of Mauritius located in the Indian Ocean, about 350 miles East of Mauritius. Rodrigues, the smallest of the Mascarene archipelago, is a mountainous island with a surface area of 1165 square miles, is of volcanic origin surrounded by coral reef and some tiny uninhabited islands.

With a population of about 38,379, most of the inhabitants are of mixed African and French descent. Economy is based mainly on fishing, farming, handicraft and a “focused” tourism sector.

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The mother tongue of Rodriguans is the Rodriguan Creole, English and French are used as the language of government administration, the courts and business.The Rodriguan Creole is much similar to the Mauritian Creole, though some words are pronounced differently.

One of my emotional moments during my stay in Rodrigues, was my visit to Mont Lubin Government School. I had the warmest welcome ever! Cute little boys and girls who didn’t hesitate to sing for me… One of my most cherished travel experiences…

Scenic views:

I also met Suzie on the bus, we talked a lot…

Another “beaten track” experience was to spend one day on a desert island off the coast… just by myself with nobody around. I had met a fisherman and his family a few days before and showed some interest in visiting one of the small islands off shore. I didn’t mean a touristic one where one can see hundred of birds and so on, just an island where I would be by own for the day… All set, I did it ! It was a very strong experience during which thoughts, feelings were gathered in a very special way. A deep review of my own life in fact…

Let’s carry on visiting :

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Some houses :

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Trying to earn a better living, Rodriguans are diversifying towards making sausages and special type of meals with squids and other seafood.

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They also have special techniques for roads works :

Before leaving the island, let’s go to one of the local restaurant :

No it’s time to leave Rodrigues, but not before sharing this very last image which forever will remain in my heart…