Next-up: Mauritius, Mozambique and South Africa

They say the days are long but the years are short. Well, the days are short around here – I’ve been home for less than twenty-four hours and in five days I’m out the door again. This time with my family, which is possibly an upgrade for everyone involved. Possibly. Jury’s out.

As I’ve written before, I cannot bear not knowing something in this line of work. It’s a character flaw dressed up as a career. People tell me Mauritius is rubbish, but who am I to take their word for it without personally absorbing the pain? It’s like childbirth — you can scream about the pain all you like, but until I’ve done it myself, I’m gonna have to assume “tis but a scratch.”

I’ve made a point of insisting this isn’t some revenge-style blog, that I’m not on some one-man crusade to bring the big-bad, hotel industry to its knees. I don’t go places hoping to hate them; what a spectacular waste of my time and money. Some (Lucie) might say I’m already too proficient in the art of wasting money. But now and again, rules are there to be broken. So whilst I’m not going with the intention or hope of hating Mauritius, I’m certainly going with the expectation. I don’t know a single person with a good word to say about the place, but I refuse to let hearsay do my disliking for me. I’m putting my body on the line and absorbing the pain first-hand, thank you very much. So: One&Only and Four Seasons it is.

Mercifully, the pain is only temporary, because next I’m returning to the glorious Kisawa, this time with family in tow. It’s whale-watching season, so I’ll be continuing the proud ancient tradition, long passed on by our forefathers, of experiencing nature via a drone. One I pray I can successfully land.

And then on to South Africa, closing out at Melote House, followed by the entirely rebuilt Jaci’s, in one of their brand-new three-bedroom villas, fully armed with my snag list.

Three countries. Five lodges. Three weeks.

And then a week break before the next trip…