I wanted to share these lovely videos of underwater images from Reunion with you.
Do you have any underwater videos you'd like to share?
For more diving-related posts follow this link.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
An entry by Luc Perrot in the National Geographic 2011 Photo Contest.
This is what the photographer has to say about it:
For more posts with L. Perrot's photos, follow this link.
This is what the photographer has to say about it:
"This photo was done in the mountains of Reunion Island in the middle of the night. We can observe the center of our Milky Way and the constellation of Scorpio. In the lower part of the picture is my silhouette, illuminated by my headlamp, which appears between two old tamarin trees."
(Links are mine).
Saturday, November 26, 2011
First home-grown production from our prolific bananas since we arrived back on Reunion from South Korea.
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| mmm! |
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Although I've been to the cirque of Salazie many times (I even worked for nine years in a company located at the entrance to the cirque), this was the first time we'd been back there since we returned to Réunion after spending three years living in South Korea.
The word 'Salazie' is thought to come from the Malagasy word soalazy which means ' a good refuge', although I have also seen it explained as coming from salazane which means '(sentry) stakes'. I think there's even another explanation saying it comes from salazhon which means 'tripod for a cauldron' ... as you can see, nobody is really certain where the name comes from.
Salazie is located on the windward, east coast of the island which means it's the wettest of the three cirques (the other cirques are Cilaos and Mafate), and also the most accessible (Mafate is only accessible on foot, and the road to Cilaos is very long and winding). All the rain means the vegetation is extremely lush and green, as you can see in the photos, and when visiting you should get an early start as the cloud cover will generally thicken during the day.
When you enter the cirque the road leads to the main town of Salazie, called ... Salazie. There are some shops and restaurants here, but most people travel further into the cirque.
A few kilometres further on is the photogenic Cascade du Voile de la Mariée ('Bridal Veil Falls') which you can see on the other side of the road.
A short distance after the falls there's a fork in the road, and you can either turn right to go to the village of Grand Ilet, or left to continue to the village of Hellbourg.
Grand Ilet is mainly a destination for those planning to enter Mafate from Le Belier via the Col des Boeufs ('Ox Pass') hiking path. The village has a beautiful shingle-covered church, Saint Martin. On this day out however we were only going to Hellbourg.
About one kilometre before Hellbourg is a lovely viewpoint called Panorama du Point-Du-Jour ('Daybreak Viewpoint').
If the weather's good you can see across to Grand Ilet, and you will also see the magnificent 1352m-high Piton Enchaing which has a distinctive flat summit.
Legend has it that a runaway slave called Enchaing took refuge on top .
Hellbourg's unusual name comes from Anne Chrétien Louis de Hell, a former island governor (1838-1841) and a man, despite his name!
The word 'Salazie' is thought to come from the Malagasy word soalazy which means ' a good refuge', although I have also seen it explained as coming from salazane which means '(sentry) stakes'. I think there's even another explanation saying it comes from salazhon which means 'tripod for a cauldron' ... as you can see, nobody is really certain where the name comes from.
Salazie is located on the windward, east coast of the island which means it's the wettest of the three cirques (the other cirques are Cilaos and Mafate), and also the most accessible (Mafate is only accessible on foot, and the road to Cilaos is very long and winding). All the rain means the vegetation is extremely lush and green, as you can see in the photos, and when visiting you should get an early start as the cloud cover will generally thicken during the day.
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| see what I mean by lush vegetation? |
When you enter the cirque the road leads to the main town of Salazie, called ... Salazie. There are some shops and restaurants here, but most people travel further into the cirque.
A few kilometres further on is the photogenic Cascade du Voile de la Mariée ('Bridal Veil Falls') which you can see on the other side of the road.
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| Cascade du Voile de la Mariée |
A short distance after the falls there's a fork in the road, and you can either turn right to go to the village of Grand Ilet, or left to continue to the village of Hellbourg.
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| "view from a bridge" |
Grand Ilet is mainly a destination for those planning to enter Mafate from Le Belier via the Col des Boeufs ('Ox Pass') hiking path. The village has a beautiful shingle-covered church, Saint Martin. On this day out however we were only going to Hellbourg.
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| en route to Grand Ilet |
About one kilometre before Hellbourg is a lovely viewpoint called Panorama du Point-Du-Jour ('Daybreak Viewpoint').
 |
| part of the view from Point-Du-Jour |
If the weather's good you can see across to Grand Ilet, and you will also see the magnificent 1352m-high Piton Enchaing which has a distinctive flat summit.
 |
| Piton Enchaing |
Legend has it that a runaway slave called Enchaing took refuge on top .
 |
| passion fruit growing wild on a banana tree |
Hellbourg's unusual name comes from Anne Chrétien Louis de Hell, a former island governor (1838-1841) and a man, despite his name!
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| aerial view of Hellbourg (from Wikipedia) |
In Hellbourg one of the most popular tourist attractions is the Maison Folio.
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| fountain in the Maison Folio garden |
I was lucky enough to visit this traditional Creole house for the first time in 1993 before it opened to the general public two years later.
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| Maison Folio garden |
Now it's a major tourist attraction in the village, with a wonderfully luxuriant garden of tropical plants which grow in profusion in the humid climate.
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| "Trompette la mort" flowers (Brugmansia aurea?) |
Hellbourg has the distinction of being the only member of France's Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ('France's Most Beautiful Villages') located in an overseas department.
There are a couple of guétali in the village too. These are typically Creole pavilions in the corner of a garden, from which, in days gone by, the occupants used to observe passers-by without being seen themselves.
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| A house in Hellbourg main street |
There are a couple of guétali in the village too. These are typically Creole pavilions in the corner of a garden, from which, in days gone by, the occupants used to observe passers-by without being seen themselves.
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| guétali of Barau Villa, Hellbourg |
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| the former Hotel des Salazes, closed since 1988, currently awaiting renovation |
Locally Salazie is well-known for its chou-chou...
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| chou-chou aka chayotte, christophine, vegetable pear ... etc (photo Wikipedia) |
... which, when it grows, spreads as a vine over anything within its reach.
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| chou-chou vine |
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| chou-chou vine |
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| Bamboo also grows well in Salazie |
Because of the landscape when you leave Salazie you notice a tall waterfall you didn't see when entering: Cascade Blanche.
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| Cascade Blanche - 640 metres high |
This post is by no means exhaustive about Salazie - there are plenty of other things to see and do too: an eco-museum, a trout farm, visit to the Old Spa in Hellbourg alone, not counting good hikes all over (and in and out of) the cirque.
Follow this link for more posts about Reunion.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
From NewsWatch on National Geographic:
"This slideshow of 35 pictures is the result of 18 months of night shooting realized on Réunion Island. These images show the diversity of landscapes of Réunion under the starry sky. Most of these pictures were done in the area of the Piton de la Fournaise, volcano area free from light pollution. The night sky is a unique show and this slideshow is here to attest: stunning Milky Way, planetary conjunctions, lunar eclipse, meteor, star trail, moonlight landscape. Each image is built so that the spectators feel the immensity of the universe and realize the fragility of their condition. Astronomy is a great science because it opens the gates of dreams. One of the targets of this slideshow is to carry you in this dreamlike universe and no doubt that the "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven will guide you. These 35 pictures of astro-photographic landscapes are currently the subject of an exhibition in the city of Saint-Denis in Réunion Island. They will be on display until 29 October 2011."
"This slideshow of 35 pictures is the result of 18 months of night shooting realized on Réunion Island. These images show the diversity of landscapes of Réunion under the starry sky. Most of these pictures were done in the area of the Piton de la Fournaise, volcano area free from light pollution. The night sky is a unique show and this slideshow is here to attest: stunning Milky Way, planetary conjunctions, lunar eclipse, meteor, star trail, moonlight landscape. Each image is built so that the spectators feel the immensity of the universe and realize the fragility of their condition. Astronomy is a great science because it opens the gates of dreams. One of the targets of this slideshow is to carry you in this dreamlike universe and no doubt that the "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven will guide you. These 35 pictures of astro-photographic landscapes are currently the subject of an exhibition in the city of Saint-Denis in Réunion Island. They will be on display until 29 October 2011."
Links are mine.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Last week we went with a group to "La forêt de l'aventure" which is a site near the Maïdo with tree top trails. Great fun was had by all!
There are lots of zip lines.
The course consists of several trees linked by different acrobatic elements made of rope and wood.
But also lots of trickier obstacles.
It takes about 2 - 2½ hours to do the whole course.
This one involved launching yourself on a rope towards a net:
Afterwards we had a Creole picnic with lots of different carris.
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| rougail saucisses (a carri with sausages) |
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| carri ti-jacques (with jack-fruit and smoked meat) |
If don't know Reunion Island and want to find out more here's a link.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Following on from the previous promotional film about Reunion Island made by the island's tourism office, here's a new shorter version (45 seconds) in English. Enjoy it!
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