Mauritius is a popular tourist destination, mountainous and very picturesque, situated in the south west Indian ocean. The beauty of the varied landscape is captivating. It is exotic and there is a lot more to Mauritius than the beauty of the lagoon, beaches and the pleasant climate. Draped in hues of red, orange and dashes of green, the winding roads of Mauritius are a spectacular site in summer time. The colorful flowering trees and shrubs and tropical fruits trees like litchis and mangoes quench the thirst and delight the palette. Driving along the coastal roads, the turquoise blue ocean beckons invitingly. The smell of freshness and sweetness fills the air as one strolls down the soft and sandy white beaches and heads straight into the clear waters of the sea.
Mauritius emerged from oceanic volcanoes about eight million years ago and is considered to be the oldest of the Mascarene Islands. The Mascarene Plateau is an undersea plateau that extends approximately 2000 kms from the Seychelles to Reunion island. Untouched by man, the island was one of the richest oceanic islands in terms of avian bio-diversity. Exotic birds such as the dodo, are now extinct as they thrived in isolation against man and predators.
Human settlement of the island is relatively recent, dating to 1638. The Dutch were first to attempt settlement and named the island 'Mauritius' after a Dutch Prince called Mauritz Van Nassau. Dina Arobin, 'Star of the Indian Ocean', Ile de France are other names by which Mauritius was known. Mauritius was colonized both by the French and English, acceding to independence in 1968. The population of Mauritius is very diverse ethnically and a diversity of religions is practiced. The influence of early settlers has moulded our agriculture, fauna, flora and culture. The dense rain forest which covered the island has been replaced partly by vegetation introduced by settlers. Dogs, cats, monkeys and deers were also introduced by the European settlers. The Dutch introduced the cultivation of sugarcane. The French brought in their 'know how' in architecture and the British strengthened the pillars of agriculture introducing tea and tobacco.
Struggling with a mono-crop economy after independence in 1968, our island now stands tall with strong economic pillars. Tourism and the ICT sectors forge our path to the international scene but we still depend on our Sugar industry and Textile industry as solid foundations. To spearhead the development of business parks, the government has recently allocated land in a picturesque environment at the heart of the island for the construction of Cyber city and intelligent buildings which will be allocated for global business.
The Tourism Experience
But the tourism industry remains our key growth engine. The tourism sector is also being diversified and medical tourism is being developed to provide for high quality medical care in the region.
Tourism has been remarkably resistant to the changing economic and political conditions. With the recent liberalization of air space, the industry will definitely witness a steady growth. Our island has earned a good reputation through the quality service, friendliness and professionalism in the tourism industry. The visitor can stay at top resort hotels such as the Le Prince Maurice and Royal Palm which are among the best in the world. Or choose other resort hotels or cosy self catering villas, all set in very scenic locations next to turquoise lagoons, surrounded by a unique flora of coconut trees, green palm trees and Filao trees and fragranced by scented Frangipane trees. Hotels provide various water sports such as wind surfing, sailing, kayaking, glass-bottom boats to see underwater corals, snorkeling and diving and other eco tourism facilities.
Tourists visiting the island can indulge in other activities besides water sports. They can visit places of interests such as SSR Botanical Garden which is home to a variety of plants including the unique Talipot palm which flowers once in hundred years or the seven colored earth at Chimeral, a unique experience where nature offers us a breathtaking site where the earth is in the shade of rainbow colors. Horse riding is also one of the activities difficult to miss when visiting the island. Inherent to our culture is horse racing and a stop by le Champ de Mars in the capital of the island, Port Louis, provides true excitement and frenzy. Those in the quest of adventure will easily spend days in the south of the island where you can go hiking, sightseeing at Black River gorges or surfing at Tamarin. Amateur and professionals alike will be delighted by our 18 hole Golf courses which are considered to be the finest courses and which also host international events such as the 'Mauritius Golf Open'.
Mauritian hotels and restaurants offer the finest cuisine. The visitors have a variety to choose from… Indian, Chinese, French, Japanese, European or the local cuisine. All major shopping centres and malls have food courts. Among the fine restaurants is Salaam Bombay.
But there is nothing more exquisite to your taste buds than true Mauritian cuisine which derives its origins from various international cuisines and which enhances it with the freshness of local vegetables and sea food. A meal of Charcoal grilled lobsters and steamed salads with hot 'creole' sauce is a winner for all palates.
People and Festivals
The visitor can not grasp the essence of the country without having an insight of its people. The natural endowments such as the magical sunsets, double rainbows and extraordinary beaches would be incomplete without the country's rich human and cultural experience. The heart and the soul of early settlers from all corners of the world are revived every second by our culture, our habits and our living style.
Festival of lights, Diwali is celebrated as joyously as Eid-ul-Fitr, Christmas or Chinese New Year. Languages, cultures and religions are diverse in this paradise where East meets West. Unity is truly diversity in our multi racial society where mutual respect, tolerance and understanding are the true assets.
As a citizen, I feel great gratitude that I am the child of Mauritius, my beautiful motherland. Except for snow, the Mauritian landscape offers everything. Although there is not much wild life other than the deer and the wild boar, Casela Park with its miniature zoo is a favorite with children and adults. The beauty of the mountains, the forests, the cultivated sugarcane plantations represent variations of the beauty of the country. There are no poisonous reptiles on the land.
Each season has its charm. In the mild winters we all love to go to the mountains to pick Chinese guavas. During the summers we indulge ourselves with local fruits like pineapples, litchi, mangoes and 'longan' berries. The beach is an all time favorite. The lukewarm waters caress the feet as we stroll along the beach watching the joyful swimmers or marveling at the crystal clear and shallow lagoon. The white foam embraces the lagoon like an aura of protection whilst the waves from the Indian Ocean crash silently against the coral reef barriers. This panoramic site turns to shades of red and orange, streaked with yellowish dashes, painting the skies as the sun silently sets at the horizon. The breathtaking sight holds many captive to its beauty. I wait on the warm beach to see the stars unfold in the clear sky. I feel so blessed to be part of this wonderful place. Every trip abroad, makes me closer to my homeland. Our national anthem truly encompasses our motherland's soul: 'Sweet is thy beauty, Sweet is thy fragrance'. 
The visitors have a variety of cuisine to choose from. Indian, Chinese, French, Japanese, European or the local cuisine. All major shopping centres and malls have food I was asked to write about my restaurant “Salaam Bombay” which specializes in Mughlai and Chinese cuisine as well as Italian pizza. This is our little story of how we promoted mughlai food and how it all began. Salaam Bombay is a story of a labor of love and dedication for good food served in an aesthetic atmosphere with a fine selection of music. Salaam Bombay is centrally located in the town ship of Moka Mauritius, close to the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and it is ranked among the top restuarants of the country.
'Salaam' is not just a commercial enterprise. Each member of the team is connected to the restaurant in a dedicated and personal manner. As a child, I loved helping my mother during the weekends to bake cakes and cookies. Later on, at school the cooking classes became more interesting where I learnt the basic steps of cooking.
Amma (my husband's grandmother) who was from Kerala, was a master chef in the kitchen. She has held captive four generations with her culinary skills, with mouth watering recipes which had us all eagerly awaiting the next to her table. Right up to the age of 82 years, Amma ran her kitchen with dedication and innovation, a lineage she passed on to us. Amma's Chicken Coconut which features on our Menu is her special recipe. My mother in law, successfully ran an Indian restaurant for 5 years called “Piment Rouge” which means 'red chili'. Therefore, it was with a lot of enthusiasm that we decided to launch Salaam Bombay some five years back. Our mission is to serve fine food in an esthetic cheerful environment where the client can relax and enjoy.
As a family we are frequent visitors to India, Mumbai in particular. We research new dishes we can add to our menu and search for art items and treasures that will embellish our place. My husband got everything from India including chefs, plates, cutlery, lights, curtains, music etc. And I unraveled this big jigsaw and put the right things in the right place.
The results were amazing… reflecting the warmth that emanates from the true human touch: It is set in a colorful yet festive ambience and we have a competent and caring team to attend to the customers' needs… and there is no compromise when it comes to food quality.
Salaam Bombay
Royal Road, Telfair
Moka, Mauritius
Tel: 230-4331003
Fax: 230-4331001
Email: salaambombay2@yahoo.com
