Reunion in Réunion

April 17, 2014

Family photo in Réunion? So close...

For the record- I tried to run first, and broke my sandal in the process (and didn't get anywhere near as close as M got)...the things I make my husband do. We did manage to get a proper photo of the four of us, but you'll have to read the post to get to it.

But really, a Connell-Smith reunion in Réunion sounds too fitting to pass up, right?

Oh wait, you're probably wondering where the heck Réunion is and why we would want to go there in the first place (and how on earth we even knew it existed). Well, I first heard of it years ago when my sister gave me a book for my birthday titled "The Road Less Travelled"; it featured out-of-the-way destinations, and Réunion Island was such a place. The book praised the scenery and the hiking, saying it was a little-known gem in the middle of the Indian Ocean that more than rewarded the effort it took to get there. Ever since then I've wanted to see it for myself. 

Owned by France, Réunion is a world away from Africa. Yet, it's just a four-hour direct flight from Johannesburg. Despite the close proximity to mainland Africa, the remoteness of the island seems to have helped preserved the French heritage of this teeny tiny island. 

The culture of the island is every bit French- patisseries on every corner with locals walking home with baguettes protruding from their baskets, brightly coloured shutters on home-fronts, and not a pinch of English to be heard. The topography of Réunion is every bit volcanic island- hairpin mountain roads, jagged cliffs, dramatic clouds, and green green green. 

We knew before we arrived that English would be hard to come by. However, despite what I anticipated to be a considerable language barrier (as a clan we were relying on my high school French to get us by), I was shocked at how people would light-up at my meager attempts to converse in French, and how apologetic people were that they didn't speak English. We had some very heartwarming conversations and as the week went on I become increasingly less dependant on the use of hand gestures to explain my point. A sign of progress, right?   

Packed into our own little French mini-van, we self-toured around stunning coastal roads, quaint inland towns, and breathtaking views of the cirques (all the while drinking rum, eating chocolate and playing Settlers in "rustic" hotel rooms). I've put together a photo-essay of sorts to share some of my favourite moments and memories from our trip; it's probably best to settle in with some tea (or a bottle of rum, your choice).

Merci pour les aventures et les souvenirs, la Réunion! Jusqu'à la prochaine fois...

Our trusty mini-van. Fitting that we got a French car on a French island (A Renault, if you're curious). 

Réunion is known for their rum, specifically rhum arrangé (local homemade rum distilled with a secret blend of herbs and spices) Dad and M gave it a go the first night...

Helicopter flight over the island; while the volcano was too clouded over to visit on the day of our tour, we were still able to take in all three Cirques from the air: Cilaos, Salazie and Mafate (incidentally, this tour is called Le Coeur De l'Île- The Heart of the Island).  

I'll never forget the feeling of the helicopter going over the ridge between Cirques..felt my stomach drop!

Cirque de Mafate: only accessible by hiking (for days) or by helicopter, as there are no roads in or out.

The scenery was stunning...hard to capture it aptly through a plexiglass window though.

The ridges and cliffs were so dramatic it almost didn't look real.

St-Gille-les-Bains, where we spent our first night on the island. Not a bad view of the ocean (and Mom in the pool!) from our room.

Family pool time.

Doing a bit of shopping with Mom in St-Gille-les-Baines. The shops definitely felt very European- from the abundance of French brands to the plethora of gelato shops. 

En route inland to Cirque de Cilaos. 

Vin de Cilaos: what would France be without wine?

Looking down the main street to this iconic church.

Cilaos from Roche Merveilleuse- a lovely viewpoint a short drive from town.

Can you spot the pink bus? These are the public buses that service the island. We were amazed that they could navigate the winding narrow roads. 

Since Cilaos is known for its hiking, I thought we should do a family hike. The Col du Taïbit hike straddles the ridge between the Cirque de Cilaos and the Cirque de Mafate. 

Nobody mentioned anything about crossing a waterfall...

Taking in the view.

Feeling small...

Mom doing some shopping at the Sunday morning market in Cilaos with Piton des Neiges towering in the background. We learned later that this is one of the main weekend markets on the island, and people travel here to pick up lentils (we ate more than our fair share of these while in Cilaos- they are served with everything) and other local specialties. 

Yes, Mom and I each bought a basket. C'mon, how could we not?

Views, views and more views.

Making the trek back down the mountain...notice the road snaking down on the far left?

The night before Dad, M and I set out to hike Piton de la Fournaise we took a drive up to the mountain pass so Mom could see the scenery. We stopped at Belvédère du Nez-de-Boeuf just in time to catch the view before it was completely covered in fog and rain. 

Setting off to hike the volcano: Piton de la Fournaise.

"The Gate": they close this gate when the volcano is active.

Starting down the 500+ stairs to the crater floor, Enclos Fourqué, to start the hike towards the rim of the volcano. I got very used to this view of Dad over the six hours that followed.

We're off! The weather doesn't look too bad at this point...

Formica Leo- the baby brother volcano to Piton de la Fournaise.

And the start of the gloom...hiking Mordor. 

It looks like it was snowing or hailing...I have no idea but it was a mess (we are smiling because it was either that or cry...).

We almost turned back (more than once!)- but this sign was the ray of sunshine we needed (metaphorically speaking, of course): only 30 minutes left to get to the rim. 

Hmm...that's it?!

It did marginally clear while we were there- enough for a rainbow to take form anyway.

We made it! Somewhere behind us is the reason we hiked Mordor...this is the Balcon du Dolomieu "viewpoint". 

Walking on solidified lava...or the moon?

Jumping for joy (that this is almost over...).

After a gruesome day of hiking and rain, we had a much more relaxed day the following day: we spent the night in the cute seaside town of St-Pierre and started the day with a visit to the covered market.

La Saga du Rhum: Réunion's most famous rum distillery. Rum tasting is a lot more potent than wine tasting, especially before noon! (think shots of spirits versus sipping fortified grape juice...).

In 2007 Piton de la Fournaise had one of the most violent erruptions in history. Part of the main road around the island was impassable for months, and all that was left in the wake was miles and miles of smouldering lava stretching all the way out to the ocean. 

Lava, the Indian Ocean, the Connells and the Smiths.

La Dodo: the main local beer in Réunion. I loved all the painted billboard advertisements of a giant Dodo head. 

The church of Notre Dame des Laves in the tiny town of Ste-Rose is famous for the fact that when Le Volcan erupted in 1977 the lava flow went through the town, split when it came to the church steps, and reformed on the other side. 

The stained glass windows of the church have been crafted to depict scenes of divine intervention as the church escaped the lava. 

Cirque de Salazie. Not bad, Salazie, not bad.

The tiny town of Grand Îlet sits at the base of the ridge separating the Cirque de Salazie from the Cirque de Mafate. 

Hmm...which hike should we do?

Yes, I conned the troops into one last hike in Réunion...

The view was shrouded in clouds, but was no less dramatic.

Cascade du Voile de la Mariée (Bridal Veil Falls). I couldn't get over how green everything was. 

Natural tunnel in Hell-Bourg.

Given how steep the hills were, it was not uncommon to see someone coming down a "path" that was hidden in brush and just wide enough for two feet. This man appeared out of thin air while I was busy taking pictures of the flowers for Mom. His photo turned out to be far more interesting than the flowers (sorry Mom). 

And finally, a family photo of the Connells and the Smiths complete with a view of Cirque de Salazie.

 We spent our last night in Réunion in the capital city of St-Denis, and found ourselves smack in the middle of an incredible night market!

Some of the various vendor-offerings. The cake-looking things on the right are various types of Chou Chou (a squash-type vegetable served in every form imaginable- including flavoured cake!). Mom and I tried a few different flavours of them just for the sake of it, and unfortunately our initial hesitation over squashy desserts was not unfounded. Yuck.

At the waterfront in St-Denis, together with the guy the airport was named after: Roland Garros.

Bonne nuit, Réunion!