I think this must be the first time I’ve published a blog piece with a subject line in French. It translates as “Goodbye Mauritius, but not forever”. I shall return, the sooner the better. Mauritius is a small island in the Indian Ocean, East of South Africa and Madagascar.

I’m about to fly back to the UK, having just spent four glorious weeks on holiday here. I simply fell in love with the place. It has so much going for it including, (a) the citizens are very friendly, (b) everyone speaks English, having learned it at school, although between themselves Mauritians generally speak French or Creole, which is based on French, (c) the cost of living is markedly lower than in the UK, accommodation rental being particularly affordable, (d) the Mauritian government is keen on tourists and offers residency visas to a number of classes of people including British pensioners, (e) having a residency permit entitles people to free healthcare, (d) the climate, (e) the UK government increases state pensions annually for British citizens residing in Mauritius.

May and June are possibly the best months to visit climate-wise. Well away from the coasts the climate is somewhat cooler and wetter, which I personally prefer. The country is the most economically well-developed country in Africa – although maybe two-thirds of Mauritians are of Indian ancestry, the descendants of indentured Indian workers following the end of slavery in the early 19th century, when Mauritius was a British colony. It had formerly been a Dutch colony, then a French colony.

I’ll happily have a Zoom chat with anyone thinking of coming here on holiday, or emigrating here. Email me (mike@j4mb.org.uk) or call me when I’m back in the UK (07967 026163).

Air Mauritius run daily direct flights (12 hours) from London Gatwick, while British Airways have less regular flights. Other carriers also fly to Mauritius. You can save money on flights if you stop on the way – the most common stops being Istanbul and Jeddah.

I shall leave the final words on Mauritius to that great American writer, Mark Twain. In Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World (1897) – I’ve just bought the Kindle edition for 49p, to read on my flight back to London – he wrote this:

“This is the only country in the world where the stranger is not asked “How do you like this place?” This is indeed a large distinction. Here the citizen does the talking about the country himself; the stranger is not asked to help. You get all sorts of information. From one citizen you gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius.”

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