10th post - Two days in Cilaos

The plan for this weekend was actually to climb the Piton des Neiges - the highest mountain in the Indian Ocean. But then there was a misunderstanding about our accommodation on the mountain, and so the plans were changed on the morning of the hike.

So we met at the train station in Saint-Denis at 7:00 a.m. to go to Saint-Louis, but we couldn't get into the Car Jaune because it was full. So we waited for the next bus and arrived in Saint-Louis around 10:20 am. From there we continued towards Cilaos, the starting point of our journey.

The bus ride there was the first adventure of the day: Once again I took a public bus up the incredibly narrow serpentines and at every bend I was sure that it wouldn't go well. The highlight were the two tunnels, which were almost exactly as wide as the bus, which had to feel its way through centimeter by centimeter.

When we arrived in Cilaos, we wanted to leave our luggage at the accommodation, but found that it didn't open until 3 p.m. We were kindly allowed to leave our things at the Office de Tourisme and so we set off for our first hike: Cascade du Bras Rouge . We got lost in the first few kilometers, which cost us a good hour, but once we found the way it was really nice. (Despite everything, the view from the bus couldn't be beat :D)

Unfortunately, towards the end we had quite a bit of time pressure because the Office de Tourisme closed at 5 p.m. and we had stored our things there. So we decided to split the group so that Chloé and I could hurry up and get there on time. And we really hurried, we managed the route within 40 minutes (Google Maps said 50 and it was a steep climb - at least 250 steps). Afterwards we were definitely exhausted, but it was worth it: we were able to get the backpacks in time.

When the other two arrived, we made our way to the accommodation (" La Case Bleu "), where we were greeted in a really friendly manner. The lady was really nice and accommodating, the accommodation was very cute and really clean. The couple who spent the night in the bedroom with us were also really friendly.

After we arrived and showered, we looked for a restaurant and I ate gratin de papaya - an exciting combination but really quite tasty!

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The next day the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. and by 5:35 we were on the road, ready to tackle the next hike. Unfortunately only the two of us, as the other two weren't doing so well.

It was pitch black, extremely cold and my motivation was pretty low, but the first rays of sunshine quickly appeared and gave me new energy. So we made our way to Roche Merveilleuse . Already on the first quarter of the route we decided to take a short detour to the Bassin Bleu , but it was surprisingly unspectacular ( pas vaut la peine ).

After a while we came to the viewing platform and it was even more impressive. For the first time you could really understand that you were actually standing in a volcanic cauldron and there were only enormously high mountains all around you.

From there you could also see the Piton des Neiges perfectly, which we will probably tackle in four weeks.

Three hours and about 9km later we met up with the others in front of the Église Notre-Dame-des-Neiges and briefly visited it.

We then went back to clear the accommodation. On the way there we came to the market, which of course we had to take a look at. This one is a little different than the one in Saint-Denis, there is more craftsmanship than fruit and vegetables.

There was also a small stand that sold various homemade cakes, so I couldn't avoid it - after all, I hadn't had breakfast yet and had already completed a hike :D

The last stop of the day was at the Boulangerie Chez Tatie Rosine , because we had been tipped off that the best cakes could be bought there. Of course we had to test it ourselves and I can say: it's true. There is a huge selection of "regular" cakes, gluten-free cakes, vegan cakes and even savory cakes. It was truly a pleasure to be in this store. I bought a Gateau banana-citron and a Gateau with chia seeds or poppy seeds and a honey seed - both incredibly delicious and together just €6.50!

The bus ride home was a bit difficult because we had to wait a long time for a bus that wasn't too full (you're not allowed to stand in the Car Jaun e, there has to be a seat for everyone). So we only arrived home in Cilaos five hours after departure.

But whatever, it was a great experience and I'm so excited to go on more longer hikes and excursions and maybe even spend the night in a hammock :)

It's also absolutely worth mentioning that everything in Cilaos smelled extremely good! The flowers here smell much stronger than in Germany, especially the jasmine here is really an olfactory experience!