Rodrigues Island articolo su Bespoke

in the hands of the experienced Benoit de Baize (a
Frenchman who never left Rodrigues after the first
time he saw it…and who can blame him?) to dive
amidst the 270 species of coral or on to one of the
still unexplored ocean beds.
But the most surprising and involving experience
is greeting one of the smiles of the inhabitants of
the island and accepting what will follow. It could
be that of a “piqueuse d’ourite”, one of the female
fishermen who, at dawn and at low tide, with their
harpoon in hand, go hunting octopuses to then
let them dry in the sun like garments, or those
of Jeannette, who in the kitchen of Le Tropical
(www.gite-letropical.com) will cook them (or one
of the parrot fish that is as blue as the ocean) on
the fireplace, with soya sauce and aromatic herbs.
You might be charmed by the enthusiasm of a
young boy who sells coconuts at the market in
Port Mathurin on a Saturday morning, where you
travel on one of the colourful local buses, or the
mysterious tales of a guide who will lead you 18
metres below sea level in the heart of the Caverne
Patate, a system of coral grottos filled with stalactites
and stalagmites. It is an opportunity for a pleasant
chat (in French, the mother tongue, or in English,
which everyone speaks, a result of past domination)
to get to know more about local customs and a trip
to Ile aux Cocos – not to be missed – an atoll in the
lagoon that is a nature reserve for rare sea birds:
the sea swallow, known as the yéyé for its call, the
immaculate Virgin Bird and the Booby, a rather less
friendly island presence (as photographers know) if
PREVIOUS PAGE.
COLOUR DOMINATES ISLAND
LIFE: THE MANY COLOURS
OF PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET
STALLS IN PORT MATHURIN,
THE TYPICAL GREEN PEPPERS,
THE DAZZLING WHITE SMILES
OF THE WOMEN OR A RAINBOW
AT THE MOBILE PETROL PUMP.
THIS PAGE: THE “OISEAU BLEU”
GROUP PLAYS AND DANCES
THE “SEGA COUPÈ”
IN A COURTYARD.
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