Activities in Mauritius

If you thought I was done with the Mauritius posts, you were mistaken.

For everyone that wants to know what we did all day on that little island, I will oblige and provide way too many photos that give you a summary.

1. Moderate Sunbathing. Admittedly, I love the sun. In the same breath, I will also tell you that vanity and health gets the best of me, so I was slathering on sunblock like whoa. I usually wear spf 50 on my hands, chest, and face, and spf 30 on the rest of my body, but the sun was VERY intense. I subscribed to the spf 50 camp, multiple times a day and spent more time than usual under an umbrella.

2. Running. I had grand plans of running everyday and putting in some good mileage during my vacation, but my little health scare put that notion to bed REAL FAST. Clearly, my body was in shock from the travel/climate change/sun and it needed rest, not running. I took a couple days off and when I felt better, I kept my runs short and sweet and was mindful to do it early AM or late afternoon to avoid intense sun.

The resort had an incorrectly marked 8 KM trail run course that was really 4 miles and a paved road to a neighboring resort that was 3 miles round trip, so I generally ran 3-4 miles when I felt like it. I got stung by a wasp towards the end of my trip (see bottom left photo) on the trail, so that confirmed it my suspicion that trail running was not for this delicate flower.

I also need to note how fast my Garmin found signal in Mauritius. I was anticipating slow, but it was by far the fastest I’ve ever experienced. Lack of tall buildings?

3. Pampering. We generally don’t do gifts for Christmas, but my MIL hooked me up with a massage and a mani-pedi. The spa at The Four Seasons was phenomenal and the massage rooms were little huts overlooking the lagoon.

The spa used all sorts of natural products and even Vegan nail polish!

4. Sports. One of the main reasons we did this family holiday to Mauritius was so that the boys could play their beloved golf together.

Tennis also made an appearance. Now you understand why it’s impossible to pack light when I have Mr. Country Club Sports over here. Tennis rackets AND gold clubs made the trip with us half way around the world.

5. Socializing. We met some amazing people in Mauritius and spent a beautiful evening at their home for a braai and fireworks.

We also got to see some friends from Cape Town that happened to be in Mauritius during our stay, and my path crossed with a very special woman from Switzerland that gave me The Magic. This book was EXACTLY what I needed in my life and I can’t help but thinking she is part angel. The world works in some very special ways, and I feel so grateful to have met such special people during my trip.

6. Exploring. It’s a small island, so one day we booked a driver and spent the day sightseeing and experiencing some local flavor.

7. Quality Time with the Littles. Living in Chicago, we miss ALL our family members, but especially our niece and nephew. We lived in Cape Town when they were born, and are accustomed to seeing them at least once a week. Being far away is tough, and it was a delight to have with us for two weeks.

Seeing their smiley faces each morning and seeing their excitement for life was the best! How can you be angry about being woken up at 5AM when the little knock on the door is these cute faces?

8. Romance. Yep, I am going to get mushy and tell you that this trip was amazing for our relationship. We both live busy lives in Chicago, and it was great to spend so much time together without the distractions of work/school/housework/homework/Instagram/blogging/football/social events/phone calls.

We took some runs together, walked the golf course at dust, met for drinks at the bar, swam in pool, and simply sat on the beach and read next to each other. It was such a pleasure to just be together in a relaxed environment. Vacations are SO good for the soul.