Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion

Sunday, October 20th, 2008

Last Thursday we drove the 400 bends back to the coast from Cilaos, and as might be expected met a bus on a hairpin bend. We drove east along the coast to checkout the lava flows. The last major eruption of Piton de la Fournaise had been 18 months before in May 2007, when the lava had crossed the highway and increased the area of Reunion by 47 Ha.  The road has been repaired, but the lava is still steaming/ smoking and there were notices warning against walking on it.

We retraced our steps and turned inland towards the Plaine des Cafres and the town of Bourg Murat where we stayed. It is surrounded by undulating country where cattle graze. It just does not look like a tropical island!

On Friday morning we set off towards the volcano, Piton de la Fournaise and soon left the grassy plain behind and came first to a cryptomeria forest and then onto stony plains. After climbing higher we descended onto the Martian landscape of the Plaine des Sables. From the Pas de Bellecombe there is a view over the outer crater with several small scoria cones

On Saturday, for a change there was no mist and we could see the Plaine des Palmistes, but not many palms as apparently they have been eaten in Palm Heart Salads!

Our Saturday stop was in Hell Bourg in the Cirque de Salazie, As you can imagine, the narrow steep streets make parking difficult, but there are spectacular views and lovely gardens.

Sunday was our last day on Reunion and we meandered back along the coast to St Denis, the capital. Sunday was a good day to visit as parking was easy and we walked around and inspected the colonial buildings.

This will be the last post for sometime, as I am still planning our next excursion. I hope you have enjoyed reading my Blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

 Looking down to the coast from the Cilaos road.

Fruit of the pandanus palm

2007 lava flow.

Already plants are recolonising the 2005 lava flow.

2004 lava flow and the plants are feet high.

Plaine des Cafres

Cattle grazing near Bourg Murat

Just a bit further along the road and the scenery has changed dramatically as we get nearer to the volcano.

Hairpin bends as the road descends to the Plaine des Sables

Walking along thr rim of the outer crater of Piton de la Fournaise.

This scoria cone from about 1753 is known as Formica Leo

Vallee de les Rivieres de les Remparts

Forest of Bebour et Belouve. Note the giant tree ferns called fanjans

Wild fuschias in the Forest of Bebour et Belouve

Folio House, a lovely old Creole house in Hell Bourg. It is surrounded by a lush chaotic garden with all sorts of plants.

Anthurium in the garden at Folio house.

Patchwork in Folio House.

A Hindu temple at St Andre. I particularly liked the Dodos on the gateposts.

Niagara Falls at Ste Suzanne

The former Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) in St Denis.

Classy street lamps in St Denis

Bourbon is the beer of Reunion, but it has appropriated from Mauritius the Dodo for its ads.

An inviting bar on the beach at St Denis.

Sunday barbeque on the beach Reunion style.

Roland Garros Airport is tucked in between the mountains and the sea.

Cilaos, Reunion

Wednesday, October 16th, 2008

 

View Reunion - Ile de Bourbon in a larger map

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

Last Monday morning we made the half hour flight from Mauritius to Reunion and picked up our hire car, a cacky green Renault at the airport.
Reunion is similar in size to Mauritius with a smaller population, i.e. ~800,000 people living on an island 2,500 sq kms in area. The scenery is spectacular and the vegetation extremely diverse, yet in 2008, only 800 Australians visited. However there is a steady stream of European tourists mostly French - hiking is a big attraction.

We were a bit surprised to find the supermarket did not open until 12.30 p.m. While we waited for it to open we went for a drive up into the sugarcane fields. The road also passed a big wind farm.

After stocking up at the supermarket we drove to St Gillies a resort town with some similarities to the old Mandurah (sandy and scruffy). We had an afternoon nap and then set off on an exploratory drive. After Madagascar, the roads are excellent, although winding and narrow with incredibly deep gutters.

On Tuesday morning we left St Gilles at 7 heading for Le Maido, but due to difficulty in finding the correct  road it was after 9 before we reached the view point looking over the Cirque de Mafate and the clouds were starting to come down.. It is certainly spectacular and I can understand why the runaway slaves chose to live on these isolated plateaux, but I am puzzled as to why today people still choose to live in areas which are only accessible by foot or on horseback.

After a picnic we set off on another white knuckle drive to Cilaos. Meeting a bus or a lorry on a hairpin bend, I find unnerving.

Cilaos is a pretty town in the shadow of Piton des Neiges, an extinct volcano more than 3000m in height.  Our hotel, Le Vieux Cep has lovely gardens, an unusual mixture of English cottage garden and subtropical exuberance.

Cilaos was celebrating the Festival of the Lentils so there were Marching girls and bands and the usual range of market stalls, selling lentils of course and strawberries and good local wine. Incidentally nearly all the wine is drunk in Cilaos. It does not even make it to the coast.

View over the Cirque de Mafate

Another view of Cirque de Mafate. Even though runaway slaves found such inaccessible places to live, they were hunted and shot in the 1860s.

 Looking down on a coastal settlement.

 These bushes were growing around Le Maido lookout.

Pretty flowers.

Le Vieux Cep, our hotel in Cilaos.

Piton des Neiges broods over Cilaos.

Typical brightly painted wooden house with fretwork decoration. Note also the Bourbon rose on the right. They are reputed to have originated here in the early 19th century.

 Fancy a haircut.

 Catholic church in Cilaos.

Looking over Cilaos.

Bananas, coconuts and roses in the gardens at Le vieux Cep.

Marching girls at the Festival of Lentils in Cilaos.

New bridge under construction on the freeway, maybe it will relieve the incredible traffic snarls.