This is the final episode of our improvised holiday trip to Reunion island. After spending 2 1/2 weeks here and experiencing an absolute roller-coaster ride of emotions because of a slight job mishap, we have decided to move on to our next destination.
But before I tell you where we've landed next, here is an overview of some of the things we've been up to just before embarking on our next adventure.
This is Franck and Sophie's beautiful place called La Baie des Mangues, on the upper parts of St-Gilles. We set our bags here for our last 7 days and couldn't have chosen a better option.
They are amazing hosts, welcoming and more than happy to chat and help out with anything you need. Franck speaks excellent English and has a genuine interest in all his guests, while Sophie is very generous and always happy to share her best tips to maximise your stay on the island. If you are planning a trip to Reunion, I can only highly recommend renting one of their 3 apartments (at super affordable prices too).
One of the bonuses we found from staying there was that not only we were a quick 10-minute ride to the beach, we also benefited from living in a greener area surrounded by fruit plantations - which provided us with that extra freshness (ok it's barely felt but still) much needed especially after spending a long day at the beach.
If you look around you from the swimming pool deck, you will find what is called "The bay of Mangoes". One late afternoon, I decided to take a stroll through this plantation and discovered not just mangoes but a range of various fruits, just like these custard apples you see above.
It is formed of several small fruits. These are stuck together and form a round fruit, with a scaly surface. Inside is a delicate and sweet cream, which must be eaten before spitting out the seed.
 Papaya |  )Bananas |
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This is what a mango tree looks like. I thought some of you may be interested as I had no idea... in fact, many of the exotic fruits I eat grow on trees or in ways I couldn't even begin to imagine.
Did you know that 50 different varieties of mangoes can be found on Reunion island?
 Ripe mango just waiting to be picked |  Combava or kaffir lime |
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And these are just a few! Reunion offers an incredibly diverse range of fruit and vegetables, some of which are regularly found on the mainland, while others can be a bit surprising, although always delicious.
The little guy you see on the right is a 3-spotted green lizard (Phelsuma laticauda). Originating in Madagascar, it was introduced in Reunion island around 1975. Its body can be studded with tiny yellow dots, which earned it the name of "gold dust lizard". It has a large yellowish green tail.
I was extremely lucky to catch this one on camera as they are typically very shy and have a tendency to run away quicker than the speed of light if anything moves near them.
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Above is a collage of all the different birds I saw in Reunion island. These are the most common ones anyone would have the opportunity to see. The little red/firy one, called a Cardinal, has the most charming little chirping sound, and is often heard in the early morning at the Bay of Mangoes.
The one on the bottom left corner, the "Martin triste" has quite the personality - it creates a great variety of sounds (it can even imitate the sound of certain animals) and is the least afraid of humans - in fact he acts a lot like humans as he is more often seen walking than flying!
These birds can be found all around the Bay of Mangoes, nesting and singing throughout the day.
This is a weird looking crab we found on one of the volcanic sand beaches towards the South-western side of the island. I had never seen a crab with such a difference in color between body and legs. I wonder if the body is darker due to the sand being darker (camouflage? diet?)
Back for one last drive in the upper parts of the island, I discovered the lovely little swervy road of Hubert Delisle. It offers beautiful views of the West coast and a tour of typical creole villages in lush greenery and multi-colored flora.
It is such a treat to drive along these roads, windows wide open, listening to the radio playing its oh-so-famously festive and joyful creole tunes - which I found myself actually singing along to after just a few days :) (yeah... you hear a lot of the same songs)
Geraniums to me have always been a very common flower - grown in all parts of France, I had no idea it was originally one of the reason that made this island famous. The greatest perfumers travelled to Reunion to hunt down the best geranium essential oil in the world: Bourbon geranium. Originally from South Africa, this geranium was considered one of the greatest treasures of Reunion island because of it exceptional quality.
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On my way back down the mountain, I thought I'd hit the beach one last time before leaving the island the next day. I picked up Asher (who stayed home writing a post) and found another little corner of paradise:
I'm not quite sure what it was exactly, but these beaches were so quiet... rarely anyone could be found.
Reunioners do tend to go to the beach on weekends and French school holidays had just ended so maybe this was the reason... it could have also been due to the fact that it was particularly boiling hot that day.
In any case, it was far better that way than being on any overly crowded beach barely able to find a spot to lay.
After roasting just about enough :) I'd remembered Sophie telling me about the beautiful sunsets which can be seen from the Southern part of the island, in Etang-Salé.
Here, there is a beautiful and easy 1 to 2-hour walk you can do all along the volcanic coast. We started off at the seaside cemetery - Reunion has some of the most poetic cemeteries I've ever seen, very often looking out to the sea.
Little multi-colored rocks placed inside cavities created by a giant lava rock. I thought that was very cute and creative nature art - I did place my little stone (it's the yellow one at the bottom).
 Sunset over the land of cairns |  Natural beauties |
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This last image marks the end of our trip to Reunion Island. But, as the graffiti says "Si vous voulez rever" - If you want to dream... well, I shall continue a little bit of our dream on the islands if you wish to keep following us as we have decided to travel to Mauritius island, a short 1/2 hour flight to yet another one of our planet's paradise.
 Our unexpected journey - Reunion island 3 |  My great-grandfather and Burgundian houses |
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 ICE challenge |  Our unexpected journey - Reunion island 2 |
“Learning is not a race for information, it is a walk of discovery” - Jane Healy
