For hiking, we did a couple different trails, one of which
had three volcanic crater lakes. Another was to Lily waterfall, and we also hit
a little geyser, which was beautiful.
The food was fantastic! The other place I’d gone to with a
group had highly touted food that was just as highly disappointing, but this
place had great stuff. I had some kind of baked fish – out of the lake – the
first afternoon. It was amazing, but I was so stuffed from the late lunch that
I couldn’t handle dinner. I opted for a “dessert” fruit plate, which had a
medley of tasty stuff including strawberries, which are a rarity here.
But my highlight was my first shot at parasailing! I had no
idea it was available and when we learned it was an option most of us signed up
to do it the first morning. At the crack of 8 a.m., a cigarette smoking guy
from Reunion came and took us up one by one. When someone asked who’d go first,
my hand shot up – no trepidation at all. I guess once you jump out of a plane,
as I did in Australia, it’s all downhill.
Oh, the views were lovely! The takeoff was a bit weird
because the flight price included a video. I could have done without that, but
it was non-negotiable. The Reunion guy mostly held the GoPro, but I had to hold
on to it during takeoff, when the boat would speed off and we’d launch into the
air. As I’ve never used a GoPro before and don’t really do selfies anyway, I
had no idea how to hold the thing. You run as you launch—not far, but it was
like taking fast steps with some guy strapped to your back while you’re holding
a small flagpole in front of you like Florida State scored a touchdown and
you’re spelling S-E-M-I-N-O-L-E-S in flags.
Once up, and once I figured out what to do with my hands, it
was smooth sailing. The flight itself wasn’t more than 10 minutes but it felt
like a peaceful eternity. We went over the lake a and then they cut us loose to
sail up the mountain and back down. It’s beautiful from above.
We went one at a time and those who weren’t flying were
enjoying a cup of cocoa and some croissants on the shore of the lake. Quite a
lovely start to the day.
