Partying, sightseeing and petting lions

Anastasia
Phil May and Andrea Twigg
Thu 25 Oct 2012 10:35
Our time in Mauritius has been packed with sightseeing during the day and partying in the evenings.  People are talking about wanting to get back to sea just for a break.  The only problem is that Reunion is less than a day away, so it won't be that much of a break.
 
Last Saturday we had a party on Anastasia to celebrate Andrea's birthday.  There were about 50 people onboard at one point.  It was the first use of the disco ball which Karsten and Sheila (Gunvor) bought for Anastasia in Bali. 
 
Yesterday we went to a wildlife park where you can actually pet the big cats.  The most memorable part was stroking the two month old lion cubs.
 
A beautiful modern rum factory in the south of the island
Mauritian fruit bats hanging out in the botanical garden
A Talipot Palm in flower.  It flowers once after about 70 years and then the tree dies
Patting a three year old male lion
Petting a two month old cub.  We had to clean our hands to minimize transfer of our scent to them.  These guys are already quite mischievous and difficult to catch when it is time to return to mum for feeding.
Like any cat they like to be tickled on their tummy
Once the rarest bird in the world (down to a single female) there are now 500 Mauritian kestrels in existence