Back from Mauritius (Photos)

Sharing a few of my hundreds of photos taken from my Mauritian experience.

I've had the opportunity stay at four different properties, but I inspected more than that number. It was quite a long, tiring week, but really it was full of new experiences that I will remember. Overall, I would say that Mauritians are a very nice bunch of people. Amidst the poverty that the country is in, they do try to make the most out of their lives. After all, their country is such a beautiful place to live in. On a number of occassions that I engaged in small talk with the locals, I would always tell them that they are lucky. Lucky to live in paradise. They would give me a sweet smile afterwards. A smile that is partly shy, partly boastful and everything in between. Really. They are lucky.

Checking back in!

I've just been back to work. Well, my body was, but my mind was still adrift somewhere on an island in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius). So funny, but when I took a nap on the day I arrived, for about 10 seconds upon opening my eyes, I didn't know where I was. Literally. Since being on the trip, in a span of 6 nights we stayed at 4 different hotels! At one point I was giving out my room number to the waiter/front desk people mismatched room numbers belonging to previous hotels! Oh well! The joys of travelling!

It's been ages since I blogged here and I feel I am out of the loop. Just like the jetlag I am feeling. A bit here and there. I'm glad to be back in the comfort of my room. Back on the ground in my apartment, and back to the "joys" of working. Really, just the certainty of tomorrow and knowing that I will be logging back into work as usual, doing my rounds of passwords, dishes, laundry, etc. Seeing the familiar things can give a bit of satisfaction, the same way as seeing some place for the first time. I guess it just really is about having a break, and getting back on track after that deserved time off.

Will post photos and give feedback on my lovely Mauritius trip, when I am totally settled back in. For now, I am glad to be checking back into my blog. Ciao!

What I would probably be doing if I wasn’t a travel agent

I have always thought to myself what I would be doing, if I wasn’t a travel agent. I would most probably be working on a luxury cruise ship! I suppose I really can’t stay away from travel, even if I wanted to. It’s some sort of calling I guess. I could just imagine traveling to different cities or ports, and just living the real professional traveler lifestyle. I would prefer the ship line of work though, rather than a flight attendant job. That’s just me though. I know quite a number of friends who have worked, or are still working on luxury cruise liners. One of them working for Royal Caribbean Cruises, just told me they will be adding to their cruise fleet the ship called Oasis of the Seas. This Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas will start sailing towards late 2009. Like other Royal Caribbean cruise ships, the Oasis of the Seas will be sailing in the Caribbean seas providing excellent service to guests. This new liner will carry up to 5,400 guests onboard, and has so many different dining options to choose from. It even has it’s own Central Park for the guests to enjoy! I just can’t imagine how cool this ship would be, to have it’s own park onboard I guess is a big plus especially for park lovers as myself. It will be just like strolling in a mall downtown in some city. The only difference is that a few steps away I am overlooking the sea. Really, there are so many features that the Oasis of the Seas Cruise ship has to offer. One would be getting the best of all worlds by deciding to cruise with one of the best liners in the world.

My Travel Map

I was looking for a nice map that I could plot places I've been to, places that I want to visit. So far this is the application I found. I am still looking for a nicer more detailed one. A few of the cities I've been to weren't on this map! This will do for now!

A Traveller's Check List

I am going on my Mauritius trip on tuesday, and I've come up with a traveller's check list of things to bring:

• Passport/Document organiser


• Ticket and Itinerary copy


• Business cards


• Wallet


• Camera/Camera charger


• Camera Memory Cards


• Mobile/Mobile charger


• Iphone/Iphone charger


• Sunnies


• Smart casual outfits for hotel inspections


• Dressy clothes for nights out and gala dinner


• Beach clothes (bikini, sarong)


• A couple of jumpers


• Sunscreen


• Cap


• Black ballet flats, thongs, black heels


• An extra bag (or two)


• Book/Magazine


• Bag locks


• Kikay Kit


• Toiletries


• Medicine kit


• Ziplock bag

First wedding on top of the Harbour Bridge

This week, rain poured nonstop. As I write, it is still raining, the wind howling and raindrops tapping on my window. Pretty much since monday (or was it sunday?), we haven't seen the sun. And I hear it will be so up til the weekend.

The gloomy weather, rainy day did not stop a couple from getting married on top the Harbour Bridge! It was a first in the bridge's history to actually hold an official wedding on the bridge. Scottish tourists, Tierney and Tullan exchanged vows on the 3rd of June. It was something that the lady apparently has always dreamed her wedding to be! This officially marks the harbour bridge opening to such wedding ceremonies. If this was your dream as well, then you should visit BridgeClimb's website for more details. It's not for everyone of course. I know I still want a traditional church wedding one day!

Note: You still get strapped on to secure bolts and chains and make your way up on a harness. And, no wearing of gowns or jewelry on top of the bridge, just the black jumpsuit! Minimalist wedding! Saves you on a lot of things... and, you have a whole city for a witness!

June Countdown

I find myself having so much countdowns. Whether they are mental notes or actual crossing off the calendar countdown or a cute internet countdown. For this month, I'm looking forward to a few things.

1. Going to tropical haven! (Known as : Mauritius, Ile Maurice, MRU)

2. Hubby's birthday! We're thinking of doing an overnighter somewhere. Or, maybe just go on a real nice dinner date.

3. Just getting back from Mauritius (yes,weird of me I know). But I am looking forward to having a bit of normalcy for a while.

4. Thinking of a new hobby.

5. After June, I'm excited for July! It will be hubby and mine's 7th anniversary!