or: Having a cold isn’t so bad

Leaving HK, I had caught a cold. Arriving in Mauritius, it decided to stick around.

Aside from the general inconvenience of having to blow my nose every 5.2 seconds, the feeling of a stuffy head and a sluggish body, it also meant that I was unable to go diving. 

I went exploring instead.

I find the Mauritian landscape stunning. There are countless sugar cane fields, volcanic mountains and a picturesque coastline. It doesn’t take much to find a beautiful scene. It is simply a matter of turning my head.

And that’s how I found myself again at Le Morne. This time though, it was for a little walk up the mountain (Le Morne Brabant) rather than observing the kite surfers on the water at one of the world recognised sites. I was at a UNESCO World Heritage Listed Site instead.

This site is important to Mauritians as it was one of the places that slaves escaped to shelter from their captors. The landscape is rough and if a slave was caught, they would be tortured or even killed. It is recognised as a symbol of freedom and resistance to oppression.

The slaves came from all over Africa, Madagascar and India. Some were tethered to a ball and chain, others had large spiked collars around their necks to keep them from running away. These spikes were a meter or so long in multiple directions so running into a bush land would be impossible.

Life on the mountain wasn’t easy either. Food was difficult to find and the landscape, while stunning, is rugged.there were few places to shelter and some caves higher up the mountain.

One story suggests that when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed in 1854, officials went to this area to inform the runaway slaves they were now legally free. Many slaves saw the officials climbing the mountain and rather risk capture, they jumped to their deaths from the top of the mountain in the ultimate act of freedom.

Climbing to this section of the site is for the hardcore and requires a guide.

The part I made it to was still a little rough though I was only in flip flops so that shouldn’t be a surprise!

I even saw a mongoose, a monkey and a ginger feral cat on my way up.

Admiring the view, I thought of those slaves and their desperation.

That put a cold and a delay in diving into perspective.

Thanks to Angie Stone for the title to this post.