Mauritius reunion
WEDNESDAY, 5/31/00: Phone rings for car at 4:08, JUST as I finish WP5.1. Ken had LOTS of traffic and WE have lots (but NICE chat) but still get there at 5:05 and buy Harvey's for $11.95 and sit to read stuff at Gate 8 at 5:25. Board 6:25PM.
THURSDAY, 6/1/00: Off at 7:40 (12:40AM London time), BUMPY from 8-9, finishing at 9:45. NO sleep. Land 7:08AM, VERY cloudy and rainy and 56°. Into LONG passport line at 7:30. Passports to 7:45. Onto subway ticket line at 8:10. Onto Piccadilly line at 8:20 after bank changes 72£ Scots to 72£ British notes! Bought three-day Underground pass. Leave hotel at 10AM: #14 at 10:12, "The Boltons." To Victoria and Albert at 10:45 and in to Art Nouveau at 10:55 (after sculpture detour). Absolutely incredible: Rops, eroticism, Gauguin cabinets and engraving works, Lalique and Mucha and Tiffany and Mackintosh. Almost sick with fatigue as I sit and write at 12:25. 1PM, buy catalog and have it SENT by SEA---6-8 weeks, 36£ = $60! HUNGRY and TIRED. #16 2:30PM Gamble Room (1868 dining room). #17-18 at 3:30, bronzes and ivories, LOTS of viewing to 4PM, then tube two stops to room 12 (at the top!) at 4:30PM. Unpack a bit, wash face, shit, and lie on bed while Ken fusses and chats and goes down for a SOLO drink at the bar at 6PM. At 6:35 we go to Langon's Coq D'Or for mediocre meal and cheery (gay?) Martin. Best is "compote" of pecan shortbread, praline cream and cherries. Ken pays with card and INCLUDED 12% tip. Out at 8:30, back to room feeling almost sick again, and bed at dot of 9PM.
FRIDAY, 6/2/00: Pee at 12:30AM, Ken wakes me at 3AM. Up at 6AM to shit again. Back to doze till he leaves at 7:40. Up to quick shower, down at 8:10 to breakfast with Bruce, who designs 18th Century wallpaper, and Egal, who's from Tel Aviv and lives in Cleveland! Upstairs at 8:45 and pack and down to get directions to Millennium Dome at 9:25: Piccadilly Line to Green Park, transfer to Jubilee at 9:45 to North Greenwich "for the Dome." Londoners don't like recent 30M£ poured into it just to keep it going: "Be better spent in hospitals." CUTE student in khakis, and intelligent riders and clear instructions and clean cars. Temperature about perfect, cool but no jacket needed. Bag heavy, cloudy sky. Plan to meet Ken for dinner at Gay Hussar, Tottenham Court Road stop, 2 Greek Street on my map, phone 7437-0973, at 7PM. He does British Museum and "Law Walk" from 2-4PM. To Dome at 10:15, 18£, $30 for senior entry. Group ahead on entry takes FOREVER. IN by 10:25, to body LINE at 10:31 and IN at 10:41. Body: nerves, vein, heart, sperm-egg, brain (jokes), eye (film), not knowing WHERE you are, "out of body" 11:40. DNA, aging, face wrinkles, beauty, mother at 68. "Time Keepers" out of order. To "Play" at 11:42. Millennium show 12:05-12:50, NO video, lots of pictures. TOTALLY incomprehensible scenario. Video FINAL stage (and star taking his pants down) and at 12:55 sit to watch Elgar Piano/Violin at 1. Concert to 1:25, cute pianist and costumed women sing "Pomp"'s words. Millennium Jewels line at 1:28, in at 1:36, to 1:39 one big diamond and eight little blue ones. My long-nose picture. To "Mind" at 1:46. "If EVERY person on earth made 200,000 phone calls, THAT'S number of connections in cerebral cortex!" To "Morph" line at 2:18, SAID 45 minutes. Concert going again. Leave at 2:22, too long to wait. 2:30 6£ for chicken/bacon sandwich, OJ, lemon pie in Meridian Cafe. #1 Canada Square on Canary Place. Outside and docks and boats and meridian line and Spiral of Innovation to 3:10. 3:20 decide to see SECOND of only 3/day Millennium shows, this time from front of BALCONY, in a SEAT, not on floor. To 4:04, WITHOUT tree-growing at end! To "Living Island" 4:09-4:22: waste, recycle, kid's arcade ecology games. "Journey" 4:24-4:47 all VISUALS and sound. Decide on Skyscape (to sit) at 4:15, and enter 4:50. SILLY Blackadder time-travel to 5:28PM. Onto "Home Planet" line at 5:34, on at 5:40, and GREAT ride to 5:51 with tornado, glacier, volcano, and river, the best of the lot: Disney-worthy. Into "Talk" at 5:53 to 6:04 and decide to GO! Shit 6:11-6:15 to Bond Street, take Central line train, off 6:21. To Central 6:46, to Gay Hussar PRECISELY 7PM. Good dinner for 86£, out 8:45, walk streets to Piccadilly Circus, home, bed at 10:50.
SATURDAY, 6/3/00: Wake and shit about three times! Up at 7:35 to shower and pack and down at 8:10. TIRED/FRAUGHT during breakfast, and up at 8:40 to LIE DOWN while Ken checks out. Up 9:15 to brush teeth and put bag in kitchen and out 9:55. Onto "London Eye" line at 10:25, JAMMED. Inside 10:37. 10:43: 10.95£ for SENIOR and book. "Queue 11:40 to get on at 12." Into AQUARIUM 10:47. GOOD to 11:37! Onto "12-12:30 line" at 11:42. Sun hot, hat on, read Essential Guide, GOOD to have, by 12:10. Ken phoned hotel at 9:50 to tell me where he's having lunch, if I get OFF in time, I'll meet him at Circle line. Across to "real" queue at 12:23, UP at 12:33, and it STOPS. Great smooth "heightless" ride, pictures, off at 1:05. To Westminster 1:15 and LONG wait for CIRCLE line. 1:29: "Circle line via Kensington High Street 5 minutes!" On at 1:36! Richard Branson's (Virgin Air) roof garden at 3:15. #27: Branson's "House" and St. Mary Abbot SPIRE, HIGHEST at 250 feet. #28 garden and top of BARKER building. Garden atop 99 Kensington High Street. Off at 1:50, find Ken, grab a tuna niçoise wrap and blackberry smoothie for 4£. EXHAUSTING tour 2:05-2:40, roof garden last. End at Orangery 4:45. Elderflower cordial and cake to 5:45. I'm TIRED! To subway at 6, wait to 6:12 for train. To hotel 6:30, and Ken's in bathroom AGES. Ken at LAST out at 7PM. On train 7:12, HOT! To Heathrow, boarding gate opens ONLY at 9:30, so we go to bar and I have QUART of Staropromen and get nicely high. We chat, buy 22£ 400 g chocolate, and get to boarding lounge 26 at 9:54, not MANY people yet. Board 10:40, having done one puzzle and reading New Yorker. 11PM passes; flight of TWELVE HOURS! Off at 11:11, and lights over England and Brighton were GLORIOUS, but we cross the Channel and---NOTHING! NO lights until 11:44 and PATCHES show now. LIGHTNING on left, and starts BUMPING. Take two Rohypnol at 11:53 with red wine. This could be AWFUL; plane bumps MORE. Go pee. Decide NOT to have dinner (at 3AM Mauritius time!) and take evening pills at midnight (3AM, OK for AM pills at 3PM, since I forgot to PACK them) with two Rohypnols. Shit a bit and pee. Back to seat, stretch out---and sleep! Wake at 3 for a moment, and again at 6, and at 7:15 start watching Kenyan winding rivers, square farms, and hills, and watch coast near Mombasa give way to high cloudscapes over Indian Ocean. Drink two waters, pee, have more Cadbury's "whole nut" 400 g bar, and JUST finish in time for hot towel and a tiny glass of cold orange juice. We've had 250 kmh headwinds, and top speeds of only 850 kmh. Now at 8:30AM only low spots of cloud over calm, white-flecked Indian Ocean as breakfast comes around. Why does Indian father behind my empty (thank God!) next seat INSIST on SHOUTING at his constantly fidgeting son?? We're at 37,000 feet, 11,300 meters, one of highest? #30 Indian Ocean atoll. #31 north tip of Madagascar! Change watch after OK breakfast, only 52 minutes left at 1:15PM. Land 2:07PM, raining, 24°C=75°F! 2:40 wait for bags. Ken goes BACK IN, and I'm outside, but get into bus for Cannoniere at 2:58. WONDERFUL drive past sun and clouds over volcanic dikes, a LARGE set of buildings in Port Louis, and a couple from the Netherlands. To main highway, then rustic Indian-filled north streets, campers at beach, and speed-bumps at thatched-roof hotel. Welcome drinks and information, to room 133 and find Happy Hour 5-6 at Frangipani Bar, where doves and wrens besiege our nuts. Walk in gloaming, back to unpack, buffet seafood dinner 7:30-9:30, back to room to find "Spoon" of Ducasse closed Monday. I poop out at 10:10. VERY hard shit to 10:35, and Ken GOES (they don't answer!) to reception to complain about blaring (American) music from restaurant. Sleep after longish bit.
MONDAY, 6/5/00: Up 1:42AM to pee and shit more, decide to drink glass of TAP water to test "Tap water is drinkable, but we suggest mineral water." Ken sets alarm for 7:30. I'm up at 7:20, tired but passable. Turn A/C OFF, Ken likes it so cold we change BEDS last night, so he had MORE cold air. Wait for morning pee and shit at 7:50. Breakfast 8:05-9, good omelet, weak hot chocolate, good grapefruit juice, good service. Still birds. To Nicole at Mauritour at 9:05. Plans (Tuesday: Port Louis tour at 8:25AM, return 4-4:30; Thursday 9:30AM for submarine, and more) take till 10:07! So much for HER day here 9-10:30, 1-4:30. Ken pays with credit card and we go to Cyndy and Roshan to look at room 220 for 400R ($16 more per day and Ken WANTS away from music), so we MOVE to 11AM, separating beds (and AWAY from beer smell when Ken BROKE two bottles when he opened fridge door without watching). New view over Indian Ocean! Taxi 11:10-12:20 to Casela, 176R entry, 1500R for Casela and full DAY. Leave 3:37! THREE falls at Chamarel to 4:30; two "mangrove" shots at 4:42PM. Home TIRED at 5:52. Rest, request Friday and Saturday at "Paradis," dine at WORST buffet 7:35-9, then wait till 10 to go to "Navigateur" for AWFUL pep-talk for free drink and talk to pleasant Hanoverians Roger and Caroline till bed at 11PM, sneezing 2x.
TUESDAY, 6/6/00: Up at 12:30AM and 2:01AM (for watch alarm!) and 3:30 to pee, and Ken's up before I wake at 7:14. To breakfast, reserving for Navigateur, to 8:10 and back to shit satisfactorily to 8:17. Meet Nadine at 8:25 and to bus around hotels to pick up four others and get caught in Port Louis traffic to meeting point at 9:25AM. 9:47: #15 Signal mountain, Virgin, part of 12 colors of bougainvillea. #16 Port Louis and sugar store to left. Only 4% unemployment, 520,000 million tons of sugar, 400,000 million exported, 120,000 in Port Louis. "Religions": Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Shopping, and Chinese Buddhism. #18 HEAVENLY pagodas-houses. #19 Racecourse. To Chinese-market shopping (and Ken's cash) 10:40-11:25. 11:40-12:25 SECOND shopping stop. "Backstairs" turns into "Black Steer" Restaurant, but I'm ABOVE it, to Chinese buffet for 250R, and they say I can look, so I photo and video. MUSEUM, upstairs from Eastern Star Fabrics, is of course closed. FINALLY, TODAY, blister at top of right thumb, CLEARLY from Prague first-afternoon meat-skewer, drying at last. Schweppes Citron for 35R at 12:16PM. Off at 12:32PM. Government House, ground floor built in 1785. Restaurant Lai Min. Mei Kuet Lu "sweet" cocktail for 125R and beer for 33R. Ken takes the alcoholic cocktail in trade for my taking his litchi-flavored mixed drink. Phoenix beer OK, and spring rolls OK. Shrimp in tasty noodle basket, sweet and sour chicken in pineapple, chicken vegetables, fried rice, and "Chinese pastry" like Rice Krispies with oolong tea and two beers. Full. Into bus at 2:03PM. To HINDU temple (shoes off, NOT allowed in central chambers) until 2:22, only Pamplemousse left. Feel worn out. In at 2:40. Four-spice tree: cinnamon, cloves, peppers, and nutmeg. #31: 3:16PM Victoria Regina (flowers last FIVE days, leaves seven days). Bo tree is also called Pipul, NOT Banyan. Black ebony WOOD only good over 100 years old, otherwise GREEN and will WARP. Viah, from Madagascar, sap POISONOUS to touch, looks like banana tree. Tour over at 4. Back to hotel 4:45 and find we're OK for Paradis Friday and Saturday. Lie down while Ken plans tomorrow, then wants to drink at the bar, and at 5:20 I look at the pink and gold clouds and say OK. Drink and chat during sunset and a lighted sail flowing past and back to room at 6:30. Shower and write 10 addresses on cards and to Navigateur for SLOW service (almost no water- and wine-pouring) and SMALL lamb chops and Ken's lobster till 9PM, then I go to Indian, belly, African, and South American dancing, then with Ken to 10:20, and back to sleep at 11PM.
WEDNESDAY, 6/7/00: Pee at 12:22 and shit and pee at 5:22, and Ken says I surpass HIM in snoring: sore throat, three Fisherman's Friends, and I take four vitamin C to try to prevent COLD that's maybe coming. 7:46 dream in many parts: 1) Joan Sumner sneaks into a tiny porno bookshop and goes to cash drawer and counts out a large number of singles and stuffs them into her purse and walks out for me to ask her, "He owed you?" and she says "Yes." 2) A young guy is trying to be charismatic by saying, "You've got to clear out your negative thoughts," and we all leave him. I join a guy like Andy Monroe who's eating a self-made sandwich in a coffee shop, but I don't want to eat there, and leave. 3) A Chinese fellow LIKE Fred and I are walking around blocks in Bangkok LIKE where we stayed and walked, and I FIRST say, "All these roads under construction a few months ago are now FINISHED," but we go ANOTHER block and the builders have huge brown-concrete blocks around corners to obstruct views of TOTAL excavations and reconstructions. Sit and shit and write this to 7:51AM. Dress and out to breakfast at 8:10 before Ken's ready. Breakfast 8:15-8:50, Nicole fusses to 9:15, we're in taxi 9:35AM. Le Reduit closed, visit Eureka and falls (CUTE guy) to 11:40. Arrive Domaine du Chasseur 12:40 and TOUGH 1 km climb to viewpoint to 1PM. GREAT boar ribs (though small; besieged by a persistent cat; relegated to outdoors by smokers, music, phones, and later kids and gabbers) for 1600R bill, and leave 2:30 for hike, chasseurs assuring us they won't shoot us. Start walk 2:35. Down at 4:30. Cab at 4:42. Home, JUST dark, at 6PM. Lie exhausted, taking six vitamin C with sherry as we chat about "hereness" of Mauritius until dinner 7:30-9. Not bad Indian buffet, beer, and back to take MORE C and get to BED 9:10, asking Ken to BRING Fisherman's Friend, and trying only ONE pillow to stop snoring. Sleep quickly after Ken turns off light from reading, maybe 9:20-9:25.
THURSDAY, 6/8/00: Up at 12:30 to pee, and again at 3:30, then not till 8:10 and Ken in bathroom. Up and quick breakfast and to desk at 9:05 for taxi to "submarine" at 9:10, seeing SQUID, a pair of babies, floating off pier and did NOT take pictures. It HOLDS four passengers, but "Aussie driver" sits on STAIRS, so we're five. Long slow trip out at 9:35, and out at 10AM and back exhaust is blocked and we sit nose down at surface for a LONG time. Down at last to "aquarium" rocks, with scorpion and lionfish; and Titanic, a Japanese fishing ship, sunk only two years; and reef for unseen moray, and red "Play" button on RCA REMAINING red, while my shirt turns BLACK-striped. 34 meters down, he confesses it's not clear, but interesting despite towel-wiped windows, humidity, and three German-only passengers hogging the front seats. Up at 10:45 and long wait for next group to go down, and back to shore at 11:10. Ken pays, I video thin fish and we start walking back along beach at 11:49, not getting to Navigateur till 12:40! Pass titted Club Med, child-filled public beaches, and trash-filled "terrain privé." Watch waves and distant rain and fishermen up to knees a kilometer from the beach. Lunch of beer and Penne Bolognese and passion-fruit sorbet JUST right, while Ken has rum and wine and shrimp and aubergine and ghastly tasting GREEN almond ice cream for 1350R. Back to room at 2PM and fill in TODAY to 2:15. Brush teeth and watch TV to 2:40. Start to write cards and find my binox CASE is missing! Phone office and get number for ship, phone ship 2:58 and "call back in five minutes." Ken wants to play Ping Pong. I'm tired. Submarine DOESN'T have binox case. DAMN! 4:45PM Gaiyatri is three-headed FEMALE god. Get gas at 3:50 and to Hindu temple and to St. Geran gate at 5PM. Guard: "Who are you?" Ken has to WRITE DOWN "Levin, Spoon des Iles." In, concierge gives tour, we TAKE tour, he shows us HUGE suite, we drink and eat nuts and olives and get into Spoon first at 7:40 and leave LAST at 10:10! See menu, good, but $169.89?? From "Cuilliere à cocktail by Sori Yanagi" Spoon des Iles by Alain Ducasse sheet: Chef is Maxim Luvara, 29 years old. 1) Vegetable "tartare" and melba toast *. 2) Soft-boiled egg and minced pesto with heart of palm and green peas. (Ken: Steak Neem and salad). 3) Tuna (lightly seared) and wok-steamed vegetables * (Ken: pork/shrimp ravioli). 4) Veal steak and truffle sauce and macaroni and cheese (VERY rich, almost unable to finish it all!) (Ken: Dorade and spinach and mushroom/yogurt). 5) "Iced cocktail" ti (petite) (Green Island) Rum on lime ice, pickled lime rinds and ladyfingers (Ken: Rodriguez honey ice cream and papaya and fruit.) Imaginative cutlery and dishes, very expensive wine that we end up getting by glasses, and only four tables taken all evening: ten of us. RAIN and frog chorus and fast back to 11:10, and put Ken's anti-itch on two bites on left ankle and finish this at 11:28. Bed 11:45, hoping NOT to have cold. 3 more grams of vitamin C. Up at 11:48 to take two NyQuil, perturbing Kin by turning LIGHT on WITHOUT ASKING him.
FRIDAY, 6/9/00: Pee at 2:46, feeling knocked out by NyQuil. Wake at 7:33 with Ken in bathroom, and up for a GREAT shit at 7:53 and ready for breakfast at 8:22AM. Back VERY content at 9:07. 9:25 I finish packing and photo #36 Ken on balcony with view over ocean that he wanted. Ironic that at this BEACH resort we touched neither OCEAN nor ANY mode of transport furnished by hotel: glass-bottom boat, canoe, parasail, pedalo, surfboard, inner tube, whatever. We DID do submarine. AGAIN noise (this time vacuuming) comes from seaside; it was roof-banging before, with dogs and kids at times. Even at Le St. Geran there were dogs and kids, and add to that the INCREDIBLE frog night-chorus. Nine full days at fewer than THREE pages/day, as I travel MORE (particularly as CONCENTRATED as these last FOUR trips in FIVE months), I photo less and WRITE less. Coughing now for THIRD day, 3 grams extra C this morning and probably for lunch. Hope I don't run out before end of TRIP, which is 3/8, or 37.5% through, not NEAR "endy" enough for my general tiredness. Knees sore from climb two days ago, and LIVER area hurts ONLY when I go to or get up from BED. SWEATED lots last night and snore-sore (?) throat. Demanded Fisherman's Friend first thing this morning. Ken finishes in bathroom and skims Excursions as I finish this at 9:38. 9:49 Ken is SO ODD (though I DO appreciate his extraordinary willingness to DO): he insists he "prefers to pay the bill BEFORE taking the luggage to the lobby" (I can't imagine WHY), as he makes EXTRA trips JUST to mail cards, JUST to check on NOTHING with Nicole, and as he makes DETAILED explanations about his extra-strong coffee to wait-staff who have no IDEA what's he's going on about. But he DOES DO, which makes it VERY nice for me. Forgot to record the deer and three monkeys in Chasseur, and two wild boar in PEN, AND the hall-corner frog, wall lizard, and floor land-snail in Hotel Le St. Geran last night. AND moths and maybe one bat flying in hotel lights here at night. Now 9:55. NOW roof-banging and heavy-mover noise, as there was sand-moving tractor at Club Med. Forgot to give Ken my KEY at checkout, I fret, but then HE needs HIS key to get back into ROOM. AND lots of butterflies, mostly small, some medium (monarch-size). Leave hotel at 10:15. To new roads (East Port Louis) and old (road to Chamarel) to gated Le Paradis with huge grounds by 11:35. Welcome drink and Tina says we can schedule Mauritian Ravenne for 7:30 for us. Then she calls down Nadine at 11:50 and she and Ken talk and try to plan, but we can only lunch 12:40-1:50, I on AWFUL shrimp, Ken poor pizza, GREAT waves in LARGE distance. Back to MORE talk with Nadine, and we go to Ile des Aigrettes tomorrow! Shit and leave at 2:30 for Le Petrain. Start walking 3:15. #37 and #0 Alexander Falls at 3:40PM. 4:20 to "kiosk" and great panoramas (INTO sun on sea). Start back 4:30. Big dove and PARROT fly over (and MONKEY on road!). Back to car 5:35. 6:06PM video part. Back to hotel in dark at 6:20. Up to BATHE and soak and shower and lie nude till 7:20, when Ken says we take BOAT to Ravenne Restaurant, and CROSS Paradis Restaurant and go ACROSS to Blue Marlin and through that to jetty where boat is JUST leaving. NICE waterfront trip. Table at MAGICAL "white surf-line" that comes and goes. Poor mixed grill, good drink, poor dessert and MAGICAL trip back to 10:15 to put out a breakfast order for 7AM (they don't START serving breakfast till 7:30!) and REDO room they "fixed" for us and at LAST find stuff for safe and take two NyQuil and night-pill after I finish this at 10:47, alarm set for 6:45AM!!
SATURDAY, 6/10/00: Pee at 3:55, wake 5:45 and hear alarm at 6:45. Breakfast arrives at 6:53 and we eat lots till 7:40 and I get out to call Clancy to door and we leave 7:47AM. RAIN at first, then bright sun on great WAVES crashing on south "no bathing" beaches, FIELDS of flowering sugar, and lanes LINED with reddest poinsettias and yellowest hibiscus. "Every flower that can flower is flowering!" Get to La Croix du Sud at 9:05AM, ask for Pierre and get blank stares. Pee, and Ken shits till 9:12AM. Go to dock and see people lined up for two boats, but the boats are for Ile des Cerfs and no one knows Pierre Bessac. Back to desk and phone at 9:25 and guy says, "They're on their way." I want to go to two OTHER piers on hotel diagram, but Ken says, "I think that's a very bad idea." So we sit and I write to 9:28 and Ken reads, "Hotel visitors become accustomed to kestrels flying over from the Ile des Aigrettes, which can be visited from hotel!" Darryl arrives, a Malaysian U.K. DOLL, the "ranger." Sanjay is our guide, and we're to the Ile at 9:50. #15 at 10:27 only when YOUNG rat-tree leaf, RED veins. #22 Pandanus at 11:14AM. BEFORE: nursery of pink pigeons! #23 young RAT tree on left, and young OX (Bois de Boeuf) tree on right. Buy T-shirt for 200R and Ken gives Sanjay 800R for both of us. Picture of Sanjay and Darryl and back to shore 11:45 for beer to noon, for 120R. Leave 12:15 and arrive at Chinese Wok in Curepipe at 12:45: it STARTS quiet but THREE screaming kids come in and our curried lobster and AGAIN unshelled shrimp lose their savor. I escape ("Chicken!" says Ken) at 1:45 (and spend two minutes TRYING to get 13:45 to read 1:45 on my watch!). To Tamarind (Sept Cascades) Falls and try to video tropicbirds to 2:25. Arrive at National Park Building at 3:20, tired! Kestrel in a cage! Two bats, two parrots. Onto trail 3:35, cross river 3:45, start back 4:32 (part in rain), and back to look at kestrel trying to hide, bats and parrots, and people giving us brochures. We leave 5:30 and get back to hotel at 6PM to find Ravanne booked until 9PM. So Ken walks me across to Blue Marlin for meat meal. Crash. Up at 7 to pack to 7:30, taking a shit, and cucumber and avocado soup doesn't work, duck is poor, and caramel ice cream is good. Back to room at 9PM after paying bill for tomorrow (leaving 7AM after breakfast we HOPE at 6:30, Ken up at 6!!) and brush teeth while watching TV (poor) after closing blue bag, and start this at 9:50, Ken reading---the phone book!! Write this to 9:56, prepared to take NyQuil and pill and STILL cough some. Cough. Bed at 10:06PM.
SUNDAY, 6/11/00: Pee at 3:35, wake 5:15 and doze and fret till alarm rings at 6. Shit fairly loosely and pack last things and get tickets and passport out and write this at 6:26, ready to go and breakfast (NO 100R charge since we're LEAVING so early) and sky is BARELY light only 9 days from their SHORTEST day. Tired, but NUMB might be more accurate. Cough. Thirsty. Ken wanders about, suit jacket above rolled-up jean-bottoms, truly ludicrous! Now 6:29 and no 6:30 breakfast YET. 6:32AM I OPEN door to hall and find our BREAKFAST ORDER still there! Ken PHONES and says RIDICULOUS things like, "Can you get us anything in next five minutes?" 6:38 "Car here" on phone. 6:42 into car. MONGOOSE on south road. Arrive 7:48. Check-in 7:58: "Boarding Gate 1 at 9:15." Through immigration 8:07. Only SNACK bar. Order "breakfast" for 210R to 8:18. Breakfast to 8:45; go pee to find GREEN PLANTERS separating banks of pissoirs! Shop, see nothing but Harvey's for 75F, about $11 at just under 7/$. 9:05 sit and wait for boarding. 9:19 Ken sees that Gate 1 still has flight #103 boarding! Board BUS at 9:30 from Gate 2. Board 9:40, losing my PEN! NO, it's INSIDE magazine! Take in-flight magazine dated 12/98! Move at 9:45, 40-minute flight. Off at 9:48, SCRAMBLING to change film, and go from 3A to 4E to photo. Flight is on 46-passenger, overhead-wing, twin prop plane, about 1/2 full. 77° in Reunion. Land 10:25, in 37 minutes. To Papangue Tours at 10:40, finish and pee at 11:09. Cash machine doesn't work. To Au Bas Prix car to 11:30. Leave parking lot at 11:45. Into room 414, Hotel St. Denis, at 12:10PM. Unpack and out 12:30. Get money to 1:05. Walk DEAD Sunday streets to Le Roland Garros for GOOD melon salad, GOOD fricasseed chicken with girolles, and pithivier tart and noisette ice cream. To quote Ken: "Bloat!" Museum Dierx closed. Hotel to 3, walk; JARDIN closed. Museums closed and tomorrow's PENTECOST---a holiday! Get to mosque, open, and go UP when toothless wonder beckons us. Tamil Temple till 5PM. Back to hotel and I sit and watch sunset to 5:40PM and then we go to L'Oasis, where I have TWO 25 cl Bourbon La Rousse and FILL up, then back to room to listen to Ken's planning. Then HAVE to go with him to get SOME dinner because he REFUSES to have breakfast at 6AM (going to bed NOW) and start EARLY. But then he "compromises" by saying he'll ASSUME we can't do laundry tomorrow (waiting to 9AM to phone), but start earlier. Leave for dinner at Roland Garros at 7:45. I eat VERY LITTLE and pay HALF of 311F! Good Muscadet de Sevre et Maine for 115F. Back at 10PM, Bed at 10:10, STUFFED. Sleep gratifyingly quickly.
MONDAY, 6/12/00: Pee at 1:30, take two NyQuil because I feel "cough-y." Wake 5:20 and lie till 6:45 when Ken gets up to shit. "Good morning?" I ask. "You can use the bathroom first." I shower quickly and get LAST underwear-change out and PACK all laundry "in case we find a place," and write this to 7:20. Read last Friday's Herald Tribune that Ken bought at the airport for 400R! He's out at 7:45. He's touchy about my "wanting to start early." How's THAT for paradox, since breakfast starts at 6 and we won't even be there at 8. OK breakfast 7:58-8:35. Up for Ken to fuss about laundering pants. Ken phones and phones and fusses to 9:08. Leave town looking for shopping center/laundry that isn't there, then go into and THROUGH Ste. Suzanne and pass and return to Cascade Niagara, a cow's piss 30 meters high from cliff into blue sky down into pool and river. Out to drive village dead ends looking for road to lighthouse, and finally at 10:10 I stop on STREET (as fellow in front of me does) while Ken goes into a shop to try to phone a probably closed vanilla plantation AND tries to find where to SEE the lighthouse, since we SEE a road BELOW one of our futile pullovers. Write this to 10:15. "Spider-plant" is ylang-ylang. Four-spice SET of leaves, cinnamon single leaves, nut from breadfruit-like tree, but will ANY of it KEEP? Pee and wash fingers at 11:55. Stop at Carrefour Creole after being LED to a closed La Coupole in Ste. Anne. Order at 12:40, escalope de poulet and legume verdure, good, but Ken's duck and vanilla not good and he doesn't eat his guava ice. My Visa and HIS Visa don't work at 1:40. To car 1:46, to Salazie at 2:15. No information booth at Salazie. End-roll: CENTRAL is Piton D'Anchaing, 1352 meters, BEYOND are the highest central peaks at 2277, 2268, and 2226, on RIGHT is 1802 meter and 1618 meter visible at 2:55PM. To Hell-Bourg and beyond---lots of pictures. 4:15 drive around St. Andre looking for Hindu temples. To 4:48 to "Le Phare" in Ste. Suzanne. Back to hotel (complicated?) by 5:15. Sunset evaluated at a C+ again. Sit on seawall and watch ONE bat circle and circle and circle in the sky, and then TWO bats circle BELOW horizon, ALL AROUND MY FRONT HEMISPHERE. Back to room at 6:15 and put sweater on for dinner. Sit outside and have over-rare entrecote and two boules of Citron and vodka and Beaujolais at Roland Garros. Back at 9PM and finish New Yorker "Gulf War" article and one about Beaubourg at 10PM, ready for bed. Bed at 10:05.
TUESDAY, 6/13/00: Pee at 3:15, shit at 6:05. Ken's up at 7:15, and I'm into shower at 7:30-7:45. Breakfast and drop in at Papangue at 8:30 to find orchids CLOSED and "simpler" helicopter (without dinner between flights) tour possible from St. Gilles in the morning: 7:30, 8:30, and 9:30. To room at 8:50 almost ready for day. LOOKS windy and cool but it's warm. Flight staff eats breakfast with us. Leave hotel for laundry at 9:10. To SPECTACULAR Takamaka-view at 10:30, impossible pictures of cliffs and falls. Down trail 10:40. Start videotape #41 at 10:45AM. CLIMB toward Bras Patience and hit stream 11:23. Turn back at 11:35. Back to car 12:24. Ken's DESPERATE for lunch, but St. Benoit is a traffic jam and we end up asking at a garage that sends us to a beach, but just down the road is Hotel Armony, at 1:15, for vivandeau and rouget, both local fish. Out at 2:20, and 2:45 to Grand Etang. TO the lake at 3:15, rainy and cloudy. Into car 3:45 for Echo Viewpoint to 4:05, and rain. FIND Domaine de la Confiance, DRINK at L'Hostellerie de la Confiance for 70F and shit to 4:45 and Ken drives back to 5:35. Watch sunset (two pictures) and go to laundry (I THOUGHT it was south!) and back to hotel at 6:10. Fuss with pills and Ken's plans to 7PM. We leave for Le Labordenaise at 7:18, while Ken argues with hotel about leaving at NOON rather than 10:30AM. To Le Labordenaise for foie gras (OK), paté with Prune Armagnac (good), and confit (poor SKIN) du canard with pommes Sarladaise (with NO black truffles) and cream with Creme Bourbon (Ken had snapper with combava, a lime-like fruit), gewurtztraminer and Cilaos water for 720F, not BAD. Back at 9:40. Clean teeth and bed at 10:25.
WEDNESDAY, 6/14/00: Pee at 4AM, COLD from Ken's air conditioning, and snuffle a LOT of mucus and try Actualism because I feel GOOD to be doing it, for a change, and think about my "remaining four": book, movie, Angel Falls, and publishing a book. Then dream of "XZAKQUERY," my Internet-enriching program, in addition to (and it takes me a LONG time to remember the name) "Interrography," for "Internet Geography," as thought of in the South Atlantic---as this is in the South Indian---Ocean, involving finding out (querying) EXACTLY why (X) from MY (ZAK) program, purchased for, say, $20, (so for 50 million purchasers it would be a BILLION dollars), would make me and an implementer RICH. The user would query "Page not available" to find out a) site being WORKED on, try TOMORROW, b) site OFF-line, try in an HOUR, c) site SAYS when page will be available (given by reason of Xzakquery's universal use), or transmission is SLOW because a) 5000 users on now, a better time would be 2AM, b) it's getting worse, stop and come back later, c) it's getting better, hang around and hope---and we'll let you know status in five minutes, all numbers supplied by program, site, or user. Or some other problem is due to a) data incompatibility at SITE, b) temporary problem at SITE'S ISP, or c) temporary problem at YOUR ISP, or d) temporary problem at some transmitter BETWEEN. Sites could be CLASSIFIED as XZ-friendly, letting XZ inquire into "Why?"; or XZ-intolerant, and should be blacklisted until they become XZ-friendly! I'm sure an Internet webmaster would have LOTS of possibilities of GIVING a customer using XZ MUCH more help (something wrong with, or lacking by, or update-needy on, USER'S system---or ON site queried) could be TWO-WAY: User: site is THIS way, preventing you getting what you want; Site: user wants THIS, which you aren't giving him for THIS reason you'd better KNOW about and maybe should think of making more USER-FRIENDLY, unless you want to go on XZ-shitlist, a list of sites WARNED they "need to do something to make them usable" and HAVEN'T, so they should be NOT TRIED until they CONFORM. Also have XZ-goodlist, those sites that are EXCEPTIONALLY friendly in LETTING XZ find out why the site can't furnish needed information. All lists constantly updated, with COUNTS of "good"s and "bad"s to give a RELATIVE listing of "MOST unfriendly/friendly." And XZ could RULE THE WEB! Look at watch at 5:15, awake for 75 minutes in cold, and at 5:40 Ken gets up to shit and turns AC off. I lie and think till 6:40, get up and shower till 7:10. Ken's up to shower, and I look out window to GLORIOUS golden clouds in east---SUNRISES will be fun when we FINALLY adjust to short hours by rising EARLY, going to bed at 9, and getting up at 6 for sunrise at 6:30 and early breakfast and FULL day sightseeing, rather than THESE days that start at 10AM, end lunch at 2:30, leaving only THREE hours of sightseeing before SUNSET and dinner and bed. Finish all this (thumb holds up well) at 7:40AM, ready and raring to go. Pack and to breakfast at 7:55. To Papangue 8:30-8:45 for Heligon and Epices, to room to leave for museum at 8:55. Dierx Museum to 9:22, Artexpo with sexy Naples-nudes to 9:30, to Gallery with huge wood nude, to blasted interior of Cathedral, to Papangue for final word, to hotel 10:20, feeling THROUGH with St. Denis, ready for more spectacular hills and falls and sun-sights. Shit fairly loosely, but not considered WARM out, maybe cooler in countryside. Pack, pay bill, to car at 10:35AM. Ken drives off at 10:40, traffic! To Domain de la Confiance 11:20-12:10, CUTE "guide" for 40F, mosquitoes! Taste Bilimbi: "Round star apple," VERY acid, Ken won't touch. To L'Auberge Creole at 1PM across from Ste. Anne Church. Pizzas OK to 1:55PM, NOT accepting my Visa, so cash 137F. 3:15 VERY slow traffic jam before St. Philippe. CHURCH thing, past at 3:40! Arrive Hotel Le Baril at 3:44PM. INCREDIBLE waves at 3:59PM. Watch and film and finish sherry and walk and shit to 7PM, to drink. Pork and pineapple OK with Ken's hot sauce for his Vacoas and shrimp (before that my awful shrimp cocktail) that made the dry Cilaos white for 98F taste SWEET. Look at surf from "Privé" next door and back to room to this at 9:30. Bed at 9:37PM.
THURSDAY, 6/15/00: Wake at 12:30 and 2:30 to pee, awake LOTS to 6AM, when I sit and shit and record two dreams: 1) I'm facing someone who draws a gun, and though I say, "No, please," he shoots me in the THROAT, and I feel nothing for a bit, but then feel myself falling backward toward my death. 2) Dennis has been forced out of his apartment and lives in a hut, gathering ferns "for a company in Philly who wants them a few times a year." His bookcases are all falling down, but no one will help him. I went to ticket office in Columbia's woods to get tickets tonight for 1:15PM, but schedule CHANGED to 1PM, so I must wait for 5:45PM show, which frustrates me. I say I GOT on a three-seat-wide sofa for the three of us to sleep on, but Dennis wants me to do something ELSE before I can get to sleep. Odd! 6:45: Swifts darting, dog snuffling on rocks, WESTERN sky pink and FINALLY at 6:49 "Sunrise" pictures at 7:06AM. 7:20: "Pool" sunrise picture. Breakfast 7:35-8:15, look at surf, pack, to lobby 9AM to check out. Load stuff into trunk to 9:05AM. Get gas 9:15 in "[S]aint-Philippe." Leave tour office (4 of us) 9:34. Start Epices 9:45. #14: one of 800 types of banana---this only flowers. 40 types of epices. To 11:15. Start "Route forestiere" at 11:25. Start BLUE trail (touched yellow) at 11:58. Ate a REUNION "wild strawberry" on trail. End trail at 12:25. Leave Baril at 12:37. To Cap Mechant at 12:45, BUS clients filling place, but we order anyway, baby crying from inside. Route had DOZENS of same trees, LUSH moss like Olympic National Forest, and ROUGH going over mostly aa and some bits of pahoehoe lavas. Few birds, no flowers, lots of "bois de" trees: pomme blanc, pomme rouge, fer batard, papaye, bambou, cabri rouge, remparts, bois noir de hautes, etc. Finish lunch (GOOD) poulet et champignons noirs, Chinese) at 1:35 and I go to Cap. GREAT waves and photos to 1:55. #20: 2:24 near top of D3 to volcano. Arrive Hotel Le Volcan at 4PM, closed, and the RESTAURANT is closed till she pulls drapes aside and lets us IN, then again across to hotel room 5 and she gives Ken PASSKEY to ALL rooms for "second" key! Long twisty drive up D3 and N3 to almost-center of island, at km 28 from coast, places named as numbers. Cloud IMMEDIATELY over town and it looks like an evening of constant rain at 4:08PM. Restaurant CLOSED (except for breakfast tomorrow at 6:30AM) and she recommends Auberge 24 or Geranium for dinner. Ken shits first and obliges me with a match. Out to buy lunch ingredients and have sandwiches made, take them to Madame to refrigerate ("We could keep them outside," Ken says), and to Maison du Volcan at 4:50, just past 4:45 "last entry" and too short for 1.5-hour visit before 5:30 closing. Back to lie down and finish chocolate while Ken showers. No 5:30 heat by 5:50, so Ken calls and guy comes over and puts heat on. Ken reads about tomorrow's 13 km trek. Ask to try dinner now at 6:36PM. Pass Geranium Hotel/Restaurant and turn back for it, cute black waiter. I have 135F menu of warm goat cheese and walnut salad, fish with vegetables, and fruit salad. Ken has salad and ocean platter and we have Entre Deux Mers wine for 370F. Talk to Swiss couple who take our walk tomorrow. Leave at 9 and back to shit and listen to Ken complain about my driving at night. Floor is cold. Catch up with this (and bills) and bed at 9:35, hoping to get more sleep than last night.
FRIDAY, 6/16/00: Pee at 12:05 and 2:40, putting on slippers against cold floor and taking off a layer of covers because I'm sweating and heat is STILL on. Dream: I'm in some kind of group therapy involving children's mental health, and I find myself choking with a great emotional release when I say, "Why do we insist on treating babies as if they were NOT babies?! 'Oh, you're so strong, you're so smart, you know so much, you can do so much,' when they're just helpless BABIES." A man starts playing my father playing rough with me, poking me with a large metal pole as if I were some sort of fish or eel, insisting I can RESIST him, but I CAN'T. Then a woman on the periphery says she trained with the originator of this therapy, now in England, and our facilitator says, "We only deal with the American administrator, who has an office in this building, so you can talk to HIM." A few other interactions with members of the group complete the dream. This was my SECOND dream, but I don't remember first dream now. Wake again at 4:50 and doze and look at watch at 5:45 and next hear alarm through my earplugs, so I call Ken's name, who wakes, fumbles to turn off alarm, fumbles for the light, and shaves and shits as I finish this by 6:05AM. Up to shit a VERY good, full, good-consistency shit, dress and pack for trip till 6:30. To breakfast at 6:35 to loud radio, bread and jam and butter and juice and good hot chocolate to 7AM, carrying THREE liters of water (Ken has two!), food, sweater, footies in case I need GLOVES. #25 Plaine des Sables at 2260 meters at 7:56AM. Arrive Pas de Bellecombe at 8:02AM. SUN! #26: 8:16 Piton des Neiges (3069 meters), New York 17,310 kilometers away! 21°13'S, altitude 2345 meters. Piton de la Fournais, crater Bory at 2631 meters. Start trail 8:20. 8:30 start 13 km 4.5-hour aller-retour. #32: 8:53 Ken (a Leo) in front of Formica Leo, STAIRS to center top. Rest 9:12-9:25. #33 Chapelle de Rosemont at 9:37. 9:45 start 2 km to Fournaise. 10:17 #0: people at left, steam vents below right. 10:50 Ken stops, we divide food, I say, "Give me 40 minutes to go to top, look, and return." Ken: "After 40 minutes, I'm going to the car." Lots of photos and videos at "top" 11:20-11:28. #12: 11:38 "2.5 hr. to Bory Crater." 12:32 stop to eat! But CLOUD clumps THICKEN, so after yogurt rainbow and some bites, I go again at 12:38! MEET Ken at 12:44! To Chapelle de Rosemont 1:06 and eat to 1:17, more than half the food. Rest at 1:45. To BLESSED shade and start up stairs 2PM. To car 2:35, exhausted! CUTE shirtless guy passes us. CUTE! Leave Commerson Crater 3:20---DEEP!---too deep for picture. #26 Piton des Neiges in clouds at 3:34PM. To Maison du Volcan at 4:03PM. Leave 5:24, Ken before that. Make breakfast time (Ken hates me for it) at 7:30 tomorrow. Back to sort things out and take shower by 6:20. Lie down, listen to Ken moan, drive out at 6:45 for Auberge 24, found, and GOOD smoked dorade and marlin and black lumpfish caviar and capers, goat with LOTS of skin and membranes, good shrimp and eggplant, Poire Belle Helene and a SEXY-armed bleached-blond "friend of chef" Ken goes CRAZY over. 609F and back to hotel 9PM to pee. Try watching TV while brushing teeth, but Ken says "No," so I read New York magazine to 9:30, take pill, and GOT to get to bed at 9:35PM!
SATURDAY, 6/17/00: Pee at 1:30 and have a GOOD shit at 6:50. Ken's up at 7 and I read to 7:20. Breakfast 7:30-7:50, pack and load to 8:40. Check out and look over St. Philippe at 8:54, into sun. WINDING road to Cascade Biberon at 9:15. Turn back (without seeing it?) to car 9:45. #28-29 10:50AM, viewpoint "before" Grande Bassin: "vallee perdu" from Belvedere de Bras Court. Drive madly NORTH and EAST of Le Tampon, not knowing how to get IN. Ken stops at supermarket at 11:52, desperate for a street map. He stops in gas station at 12:02 to GET map, but ALL restaurants CLOSED or awful-looking in Le Tampon, so we're down to St. Pierre, past closed pizzas, and finally bar/resto Lapin Agile is OPEN, BASQUE, with assorted charcuterie and salad at 1PM. Sexy blond-tipped profile at bar. GOOD (because we're starved?) till 1:55PM! Now to hotel, or bank. Into hotel 2:55, watch TV while Ken parks, we leave 2:55 for walk. To market a bit, to cemetery and notice MOUNTAINS behind! Find voodoo grave with chicken and blood on it. Ken back to shower at 4 and I sit (in great blowing wind) watching waves (and getting slightly nauseous?) to 5:15. Back to lie down for a bit, then read New Yorkers to 7:30 dinner. Fois gras with tomatillo and shrimp, and tart for Ken. He had saddle of rabbit, tough, and I had fillet of beef in Bleu des Causses. Eventail of fruit and sorbets includes globs of meringue. Piper Heidsiek for 360F not ON, so we have Laurent Perrier for same price. Done at 10, FULL. Write to 10:20, really getting tired of KEN and this endless trip in endless SERIES of trips!!
SUNDAY, 6/18/00: Shit at 4:14, wonderful! LOTS of dreams: 1) I go to Lina's for TV, but she's got a group of women preparing food. We watch TV to end of Act I of opera, but told they don't want to watch REST and I hope I'm taping it for myself---might even be Wagner's Ring, a review of which I read last night. 2) I'm in a room full of students taking an important test, and the fellow to my right is 1/2 through already! Most others haven't started, so I ask, loudly, THREE times, "Have we started yet or not?" and the proctor looks at me expressionlessly and doesn't answer! 3) I'm with a VERY sexy tall German type, and we've had sex before (maybe in prior dream) and he's now dressed in yellow tights through which (like TV-episode in PRIOR dream, where dancer in BLACK tights lies down with his crotch toward camera and I can CLEARLY see outline of two testicles, then camera moves to show a length of cock, and someone REACHES for it and pushes it DOWN, visibly, so it's CLEARLY a dream!) I see his semi-rigid cock, and I clench my fist into a claw and hassle it, which causes him to gasp and it to grow, and quickly he's sucking on me and somehow squeezing off my sausage of a penis and stuffing it into my own mouth! Wake at 7:02 and have to light flash to make sure Ken hasn't left his bed, then he gets up in dark room and gets to john to shower at 7:10 and I put on light and record this to 7:20, then put up shade and start day. Shit AGAIN and go 7:37 to breakfast to 8:15: good ham and cheese, even untaken hard-boiled eggs here at Hotel Protea. Pack and check out at 8:30. #7: 9:54 midway picture on road to Cilaos. To Cilaos 10:30 and start walking at 10:38. #11: Cilaos church at noon. Leave Ken's engravings at 12:20. Leave hotel 12:45. Lunch at Chez Noë, 95F, local wine and good pork. Back to hotel 2PM. 2:37 to Roche Merveilleuse trail. Reach sign at 3:20. End SOMETHING 3:53. 4PM ATOP Roche Merveilleuse! Start BACK on trail 4:10PM. Back at car 4:47, TIRED but happy it DID work out! Back to hotel 5PM for Ken to pick up cash for engravings, BACK to hotel 5:30. Read a bit, lie, listen to Ken planning next few days. Dine 7:30-9:15, at first with AWFUL, deafening singers, creamy vegetable soup, non-rib ribs, and orange crème brûlée and an AWFUL iced pinot noir. Stuffed back to room to decide WHAT to do NEXT? Finished another New York magazine and bed at 10:11, still stuffed.
MONDAY, 6/19/00: Pee at 3:15, wake at 6 to shit. Up at 7:10 to look at smoke pollution and only ONE sun-touched crag above gray cirque. Dress to 7:25 while Ken smells up place. Find the floor in front of the toilet ABSOLUTELY wet and MUST ask Ken about it! To breakfast 7:55 (he actually took it ["Jay DOES say, when he cleans my place, that the bathroom's really grotty"] with good humor). Breakfast to 8:30, sparse, and pee and get out at 9AM on road to Ilot a Cordes. #28 END of road at 9:52AM, kilometer 13. #31 REALLY end at 10AM, kilometer 15. Leave 10:10, at kilometer 673. Back to hotel 11:40 after GETTING ridiculously lost, having SEEN Les Chenets but turning and turning and having streets closed. Leave for lunch at 12. Cirque du Jade at 12:20, back at 1:36, ready to shit. Leave 2:08 for cryptomeria trees. Pretty trunks, but Ken wants to return to church, plain, and Broderie house, 5 minutes, 5 minutes, and five women working, from 3-3:20, and tiredly past Chenets to be SURE how to get through, and back to hotel NUMB with fatigue at 3:45. 4:11, decide to DRIVE right-handed road. 4:20 start at kilometer 710. 4:18, at 720, it DOES go to route N5 at the "Soralu" sign! Also go up to Bras Sec. Two km DIRT road! At 722 CLIMB to Ilet de Gueule Rouge. To 725 END picture at 5:12PM. Pass SCHOOL bus! Km 727, 5:22, back to Bras Sec road. #17, 5:34: 4 students died. Hotel at 5:44 at km 735. Lie down and chat with virus-feeling Ken until 6:40, when I shower to 7PM, hoping hair will dry. Video dark outside for Ken. Start getting ready at 7:10. GOOD dinner at Les Chenets/Physallis Restaurant for 505F: duck and lotte (and banana and chouchou) and Piton de la Fournaise-frozen Chantilly over raspberry sorbet with red-sauce for lava. Good Ferrende wine and a good TIME being had by us. Hotel at 9:40PM and bed at 10:15 after brushing teeth.
TUESDAY, 6/20/00: Pee at 1AM. 2:45 pee and Ken does. I dream: I'm accused of doing something AWFUL (treason?) that I didn't DO and they prepare to TORTURE someone by hanging him upside down in WATER. I'm SORRY for him, and wake out of breath! Sleep apnea? Up at 5:30 to shit, but Ken DOESN'T want shutters opened. I toss and doze till 7:15, and he's finally up at 7:25. I open shutters, he shits, I pee and dress. To breakfast 7:50-8:10, waiting most of the time for cold milk for my cereal. Pack to 8:30. Down to fill trunk and check out (paying for dinner two nights ago that I've forgotten already), watching Ken's "over-muscled" hunk WITHOUT his jacket. Sunrise finally comes over Calumets as moon sinks in the opposite sky. Ken's back to drive at 8:50AM. Leave 8:58AM. Tropicbird video at 9:55AM. AWFULLY LOST in St. Louis. To Bird Park 11:20AM. Closed, birds sent to St. Denis. Pretty flowers to 11:35. Lost, lost, lost, Ken in agonized frustration, stopping at bank machine in St. Leu at 12:14PM and getting MONEY! Into Iloha 12:30 and try five ways to turn A/C on, without success. Lunch at pool 12:40-1:35, GOOD tagliatelle carbonara and 47 cl wine that Ken shares with his 15F punch (least yet) and fish. MOVE to Saffron from Ginger for working A/C. 2:04 leave hotel for National Conservatorie Mascarin; arrive 2:28. Out of GORGEOUS gardens (particularly succulents) at 4:35. Souffleur (waves crashing in blowholes) till 5:40. Back after HORRENDOUS "Oh, it's on D12, NOT N1" re-driving at 6:10. Ken showers, I empty SAND out of my shoes from filming Souffleur and read New York magazine. 7:10 to dinner that "starts at 7," but it starts at 7:30, so we have punch and kir to 7:50 and my and Ken's aumenieres are OK and my "entrecote" really GOOD. 1/2 carafe wine, and then KIDS hit and I LEAVE and watch moon rise and Ken joins me watching surf and moon and stars and lights, and in at 10:20 to set alarm for 7:15 and bed at 10:35, quite CONTENT!
WEDNESDAY, 6/21/00: Up at 3:30 to pee. Up at 5:30 and 6:15 for shit with memory of dream: I'm dressed in some sort of toga, as if I'm playing a minor Roman Emperor in some sweeping television spectacular of the History of the Ancient World. But I'm just coming back from lunch, and I seem to have lost my "minders," and I'm wandering around, looking where I'm supposed to be, and feel as if I'm intruding my anachronistic appearance and costume into enormous shot-once scenes that will either have to be scrapped or from which I'll have to be digitally deleted. I enter a desert setting and two opposing armies of maybe Assyrians and Medes, caparisoned in purples and golds, advance to meet each other in a no man's land where I stand out glaringly. I hear drumbeats heralding some huge, costly, Egyptian barge, and I'm RUINING it! Up at 7:05 when Ken shits, shit myself, shower and write this to 7:38, late for breakfast. Eat HURRIEDLY to 8, awful sausage, muesli back at last, four trips to tray for spoon, teaspoon, fork, then knife. Back to QUICK pack, taking melatonin directions, and finish at 8:09! Almost BACK to Ken at 8:15 where he "was chatting" and "I was trying to give you the time you needed." Leave 8:18. Traffic STOPS at 8:26---long line!! We must be there at 8:45! Arrive 8:38. Ask for "out front" 8:42. Take 1/4 3 g melatonin at 8:43AM. Pickup at 8:45 EXACT! "Fournaise erupted in February, 2000, and may go AGAIN soon" is today's headline in newspaper! Arrive at 9:11 and told to "wait ten minutes to check weather for 9:30 flight." "Fournaise not visible, offering 1180F for 35-minute flight, not 14xxF for 45-minute flight." Fifth woman talks a balky couple into going: flight didn't go for the past three days, flight may not go NEXT three days, this may be our ONLY chance. I get side seat and we're off at 9:30. Cloudy and sometimes rainy, BREAK film after winding about five frames in, video lots of unidentifiable mountains because voice was in my earphones, which video couldn't pick up. LOTS of SHAKING made me TERRIFIED we might hit canyon walls! We fly UP Bras de Caverne and the HOLE is "Iron Hole." Fenotre (?) de Makes OUT of Cilaos. Land at 10:05 PRECISELY. Take out ruined film in john, back to Swalibo Hotel and pee (feel BAD) and leave 10:43 for garden in rain. To garden 10:49. Out 12:39, informative, child-filled ("Are you English?") and exhausting. Pass and back into St. Gilles to find L'Alpha for OK tuna and white wine and water and sorbet till 2:20, exhausted at Ken's planning. Into room at 4PM. Explore place: path "ten minutes to golf and tennis and horses; piscine "too hard to get to AND visible from breakfast," for Ken; private houses quite close at bottom road; and a goddamn CONSTANTLY barking dog that I bet will go ALL NIGHT (it doesn't), to the west at some private UPPER house. Write this to 4:50, so tired I don't even feel like READING, sun too hot on porch to go outside (oh, and tub has ONLY a faucet-unit hand-held shower wand), too early for pre-dinner drinks---so? Lie down! Ken suggests we have a drink, no one's around. We order Vermouth Chinate (with cherries?) and Kir Royale with PEACH at 5:25. Watch sunset to 5:50 and return to room for sweaters and read to 7:35 dinner: three meat terrines with foie gras, ostrich and mashed, and apple tart with Beaujolais from three-day-here cute French waiter who "came with Irish chef!" Back to room FULL at 9:30, not ready to sleep. Read to 10:05, cut up melatonin and get to bed at 10:22, after SEALING broken film roll.
THURSDAY, 6/22/00: Pee at 3:30, up at 5:15 to try to shit and don't. Doze and do an Actualism attempt. Ken's up at 7:35 to bathe and shave and I'm up at 7:50 to shit the good shit and leave for breakfast at 8:15. Back at 8:50 (eating two hard-boiled eggs this time) to pack; Ken wants to get to vanilla BEFORE noon! Pack to 9:33. Into car at 9:40. Through St. Denis to St. Andre, Ken cursing lack of directions, and end at House of Vanille at 10:40, tour at 11. #3 10:52 vanilla VINE tied to tree. The wine flowers (in September-December), is pollinated (in two-hour window), fruits nine months later in a vanilla bean, then dried. #4 split end means it's PAST flavor-time. #5 vanilla drying (1 week outside, 1 month inside) and Creole manor-house. First, heated three minutes at 65°C and stored overnight, changing from green to chocolate brown, second process, only saffron pricier. Then fermented and washed, boiled, again dried, sized, and lasts 2-3 years in open or 20 years in dark jar. US uses 70% of world's product and 50% goes into COKE! Edmund Albius (our room-name last night) found way to pollinate WITHOUT bees. Takes one hectare for 200 kilos inferior beans or 2 kilos of fine beans. Vanilla BOURBON from Reunion. Only 5% of world vanilla is NATURAL, rest is artificial. Out at 11:50, get gas, and pee to 12. To Le Bec Fin in Bras Panon (truck stop) at 12:30 for two chop sueys: crevettes and porc. Out 1:45, I feeling increasingly ill-at-stomach, NERVOUS stomach? To Champ Borne for cyclone-destroyed church at 2PM and Ken changes clothes and I retrieve forgotten SLEEPING pills from dop kit in CHECKED bag to shoulder-bag "plane-bag" that I searched WILDLY for until Kin found my jacket and three OTHER bags I'd taken out to LIGHTEN it for the VANILLA-plant tour! ARGH! INTO Au Bas Prix office JUST at 3PM. At 3:10, Air Mauritius guy shrugs his shoulders and says, "We wait." Start reading New York after stuffing tissue up my crack. Read New York to 5:20, throwing TWO out when I pee and walk around to vary my boredom and put earplugs in due to SCREAMING kids. Start puzzles. FINALLY check in at 5:55! Through at 6:08, puzzles, board at 6:50 and it appears READY to take off! Off at 7:12, TOTALLY in dark. Fly over what MUST be Port Louis, land at 7:52, 40 minutes. Buy Moet and Chandon for 725R, about $29, at 8:50PM. AND spend LAST rupees (57) for a tin of sweets! At 9:06 I'm ready for the boarding gate, but Ken wants a rum drink and I perch on a box because all seats are taken! 9:45 boarding economy class, NOT by rows! Board and shit at 10PM. 11:30 flying time at 31,000 feet, on the plane named Pink Pigeon! Move backward at 10:15 and off at 10:25, BRIGHT lights below, whole of Mauritius! Bumpy through clouds, then smooth at 10:35. 6084 miles to London, 9700 km. Three-hour time-difference to London. Gin and tonic and pills and two Rohypnol and 3 mg melatonin and night-pill at 11:12PM, BUMPY in back. Doze off about 11:30, wake 1:50, only 2:20 nap.
FRIDAY, 6/23/00: 8 hours left. Some 2:05AM lights of Nairobi, then it becomes Equator (?). Wake on and off to see 7 hours, 6 hours, 5 hours to go, and at 7:30 pass over VISIBLE Malta, small isle, and Gozo, and wingtip is IN sun at 5:30 local time, heading for maybe the TIP of Sicily. Sun STREAMS in right windows, only 2:30 left. 39,000 feet, highest? 11,900 meters. 7:45 pass BAREST west tip of Sicily, but heading for SARDINIA, isle OFF Sicily. Southwest tip of Sardinia visible and tiny bit of Corsica. Then bit of Cannes and snowy Maritime Alps with breakfast and pills at 8:55AM. Then clouds and starts bumping at one hour to go at 9:05. They took my dinner menu, so I took their (second copy of?) flight magazine AND Entertainment Guide: THREE movies I wouldn't mind seeing, but Anna and the King, LETTERBOXED on tiny screen, is too small; Talented Mr. Ripley is too sexy to be seen small, and Sum of Us started but went OFF after 15 minutes and did NOT restart. Went up from 35A to 20A to show Ken the plane's brockenspecter, but the WING blocked it. Ken: "Things are tough all over." Total clouds below at 9:15 (7:15 local time, 6:15 in London). Start down 9:45, landing early! Only 59° in London. 9:58 cloudy England below. Land at 10:06, good VIEWS but no central London. "Sorry, folks, our dock is still filled." Dock 10:26. Film hand-checked AGAIN and Ken insists we wait online for "United transfer" line for our boarding pass at 10:53. Lovely chatty guy takes us FIRST and checks us in by 11:05, when Gate 14 changes to Gate 16. Ken insists on WALKING on moving walkway at 11:10, announced boarding time. Change watch some [unknown] number of hours. To (not-yet-boarding) lounge at 8:20. Take off at 9:10. 7:26 flying, due in 11:40AM, 21°C in NYC now at 4:25AM! Nice glimpses of England and SOME of southwest beaches and surfs of Ireland, clear at last! 1:06 I change watch to 5:06AM. From about 3:30-4:15 TERRIBLE bumps---sweaty-palm time! "Attendants, please sit down." Survive lunch/dinner to 5:41, with poor Grandin Brut sparkling wine but good chicken. Black-haired and -stubbled guy next to me sleeps MOST sweetly with his flawless ruddy skin-tones, perfect arched black eyebrows and lunes of closed eyelids. I'm in love! Plane goes WAY offshore of Newfoundland, and with clouds probably nothing from the right, EITHER. Now 1:41 to go, 9:45 at NYC. Cape Cod at 10:54. Land 11:28, good Long Island views. Out and pee at 12:05PM. Into taxi at 12:22, Ken storming off to subway, and home at 1:10, taxi $30 INCLUDING tip. Phone calls: 1) NA, 2) Carolyn: eat at Red Rail, 3) Paul Cazenave WCB, 4) Bob Quinn asking me to join group at Heights-Hill Players for Bill's plays, 5) McGraw-Hill wants index NEXT WEEK!, 6) Princeton University Press wants index, 7) Terry Kornak wants index, 8) Spartacus is home for 8 days, 9) McGraw-Hill again. 6/23 list: 1) 1:27PM LW Laurel Healey McGraw-Hill, 2) 1:29PM LW Terri, 3) 1:31PM LW Bridget of Princeton, 4) 1:33PM LW Carolyn, 5) 1:37PM John A.: $8 for three Times, no mailbox-lock change, 6) 1:50 Pope, 7) Page through Art Nouveau book, 8) 2:16 Ken WCB, 9) 2:45 Spartacus calls, 10) 3:30 Ken calls, 11) Arnold 5:05-5:45. During this time I look through 3/4 mail. Cum 7-8:30, bed 9:10PM, tired.
SATURDAY, 6/24/00: Pee 2:20AM and shit a bit. 3:15AM up to J/O. 4AM try to sleep. 4:30 pee and make list A. 4:40 make list B. Up 4:45AM; 7:35 sleep? 4:50-8:20 6/4 NY Times; 8:20-11:30 6/11 NY Times. 8:50-9:10 Ken. 11:30-12:05 Mildred. 12:40-4:30 at HIP, NO broken bone in foot! 4:35 LW Vicki. 4:36 LW Sherryl. 4:37 LW Arnold. 4:38 Ken: VOLCANO erupted yesterday! Sherryl: see ships! Bed 10:05PM.
SUNDAY, 6/25/00: Pee 3:30, Actualism, up 4:45 to J/O, NAP 4-8:20PM! Bed 11:45PM.
MONDAY, 6/26/00: 2AM pee. COUGH! 2:20 Two NyQuil. 4:55 pee. 5:40AM up.
TUESDAY, 6/27/00: Bed 12:25AM! Pee 5:55AM. Up 6:50AM. Bed 11:45PM.
WEDNESDAY, 6/28/00: 5:55AM pee and shit. 8AM up! Bed 11:30PM.
THURSDAY, 6/29/00: 4:50AM pee. J/O 6:40-7:05. 3-Vol Chinese Art to 8AM. Bed 11:45PM.
FRIDAY, 6/30/00: 6:50AM shit. 7:40 up to J/O. 11:05PM bed.
SATURDAY, 7/1/00: 5AM pee. 8:15AM up.
SUNDAY, 7/2/00: 1:20AM bed. 7AM pee. 10:05AM up: 8:45 hrs' sleep! Stop note-taking.
LIST A: 6/24/00: 1) Ken (owe him $295), give him Lariam Tuesday. 2) Fred: Tahiti? Beard? 3) Mailbox lock jammed? (No) 4) Marj: Watson-Guptill WHO? 5) Bill P: Tue? 6) Lina: Scrabble? 7) Abby: Dad? 8) Dorothy H: (WCB after 2 wks in Florida starting 6/29) 9) Mildred: extended $20 lunches 10) Charles: do? 11) Vicki: Apt? 12) Sherryl: Sun? 13) Gay weekend? (nothing) 14) Carolyn: Dine? 15) Pope: Visit?
16) Foot x-ray? (OK) 17) Arthrology appt? 18) Ophthalmology appt? 19) View old slides 20) Send off slides 21) Marty's video 22) Gym (not till 7/15) 23) Camera WITH zoom? 24) Suit? Mildred? STILL (7/12) haven't done 17, 22, 23, and 24!
PRIOR NOTES: MONDAY, 5/29/00: Breakfast 10:30AM, bed 10:40PM, 11:30 take Rohypnol.
TUESDAY, 5/30/00: Wake 6:45AM, up 8:20: Painting fire escape! Bed 10:25PM.
WEDNESDAY, 5/31/00: Pee 1:35AM, shit 2-2:10, Rohypnol 2:05, up 10:20AM, tired!
BEFORE TRIP NOTE: 1) Defrost fridge, 2) Tend plants, 3) Fix shelf, 4) Kitchen floor, 5) Pay bills, 6) See Pope, 7) Chin 4PM, 8) Shelley's 6PM, 9) Trim beard, 10) Brush teeth, 11) Phone Visa, 12) Phone car, 13) Call John over, 14) Pack, 15) Call Chin 1:30 for stool, 16) Buy NyQuil/Naproxen/vitC, 17) 2PM melatonin.
EXPENSES/BAGS: Blue bag out 19#, in 25#; A&K bag out 11#, in 16#; OUT30#, IN41#.
Deposit $250; 1/2 AmEx bill $1855, 11 rolls film @ $8.60 = $95, Larium $59, Visa $643, ATM (to 6/15) $373, British pounds $108, cash $61, $3444 BEFORE last ATM, but it looks like UNDER $150/day! Finally finish this (yet to do: DREAM collection and PHOTO lists) at 10:20PM 7/12/00, relieved to be through THIS much.
SUMMARY PAGE
WED,MAY 31: Fly JFK with Ken to London 7:40PM-7:08AM, 6:28 in all.
THU,JUN 1: The Boltons, Victoria and Albert for "Art Nouveau" 10:55-4PM, lunch there, check into New York Hotel at Earl's Court, dine at Langon's Coq D'Or.
FRI,JUN 2: Millennium Dome 10:15-6:15, lunch in Meridian Cafe, dine at Gay Hussar, walk to Piccadilly Circus, taking photos and videos of everything.
SAT,JUN 3: London Aquarium before British Airways London Eye, around in half an hour, take Kensington Walking Tour with Ken, including Branson's "roof" and St. Mary Abbot, snack at Kensington Orangery, leave London 11:11PM for Mauritius.
SUN,JUN 4: See bits of England, France, Kenya, and Madagascar, landing at 2:07PM after 11:56 flight. Ride across Mauritius to Le Cannoniere Hotel seafood buffet.
MON,JUN 5: Casela Bird Park 12:20-3:37, lunch there, Chamarel falls, hotel buffet, free drink at Navigateur and chat with other tourists, bed at 11PM.
TUE,JUN 6: Port Louis tour with Signal Mountain, Chinese market, Post Office stamps and museum, Caudan waterfront, Lai Min Chinese lunch, Hindu temple, last to Pamplemouses Gardens, sunset photos, slow dinner in Navigateur; dancing lots.
WED,JUN 7: To closed Le Reduit, Eureka-Moka Maison Creole and falls, Domaine du Chasseur for great boar ribs lunch and trek (deer and monkeys). Indian buffet.
THU,JUN 8: Blue Safari Submarine, walk back past Club Med and public beaches, rest before Hindu temple and St. Geran Hotel tour (including hall-corner frog, wall lizard, and floor land-snail)for $169.89 dinner at Spoon des Iles (Ducasse).
FRI,JUN 9: Move to Hotel Paradis in south, to Le Petrain, Alexander Falls, to "kiosk" panorama (parrot and monkey), wonderful boat to Ravenne Restaurant dinner.
SAT,JUN 10: Across south of island to La Croix du Sud for Sanjay and Darryl and Ile des Aigrettes for Pink Pigeons and rat-trees and others. Lunch at Chinese Wok in Curepipe. To Tamarind (Sept Cascades) Falls and Black River Gorges National Park for Mauritius Kestrel, bats, and parrots. Dine at Blue Marlin Rest.
SUN,JUN 11: 6AM (mongoose) for airport to breakfast at Snack Bar, fly to Reunion in 37 minutes, check Papangue Tours, Au Bas Prix car, and lunch at Le Roland Garros in St. Denis. Walk closed town. Climb mosque roof, Tamil Temple, sunset-watch, drinks at L'Oasis, dinner at Le Roland Garros, bed full and exhausted.
MON,JUN 12: Drive through Ste. Suzanne, see Cascade Niagara, lighthouse, lunch at Carrefour Creole, to Salazie, Hell-Bourg, St. Andre; dine at Roland Garros.
TUE,JUN 13: Takamaka trail toward Bras Patience, lunch in Hotel Armony outside St. Benoit, to Grand Etang and Echo Viewpoint, drinks at L'Hostellerie de la Confiance, get laundry, expensive dinner in Le Labordenaise about $106 for both.
WED,JUN 14: Dierx Museum, Artexpo, Gallery, and Cathedral in St. Denis; tour Domaine de la Confiance, lunch at L'Auberge Creole, to Hotel Le Baril for great Indian Ocean waves, not-so-great food, but incredible crashing surf pictures.
THU,JUN 15: Tour Jardin des Parfums and des Epices, then Route Forestiere, lunch at Le Cap Mechant with more surf. Drive up to Hotel Le Volcan, dine at Geranium.
FRI,JUN 16: Arrive Pas de Bellecombe 8:02AM, across Plaine des Sables to view of Piton de la Fournais, hard walk, Ken quits, to car 2:35. Commerson Crater, dine at Auberge 24; Ken falls in love with sexy-armed bleached-blond "friend of chef."
SAT,JUN 17: Try rough trail to Cascade Biberon, but stop; Belvedere de Bras Court. Through Le Tampon to St. Pierre to Bar/Resto Lapin Agile for good lunch, to Sterne Protea Hotel, market, cemetery, beach, all in high winds, hotel dinner.
SUN,JUN 18: Long twisty drive to Cilaos to Hotel Le Vieux Cep, lunch at Chez Noë, hike to Roche Merveilleuse, Ken buys engravings; dinner in Le Vieux Cep.
MON,JUN 19: Drive to Ilot a Cordes, find Les Chenets, lunch at Cirque du Jade, see cryptomeria trees, Broderie house, drive to Bras Sec and Ilet de Gueule Rouge alone. Dine in Les Chenets/Physallis Restaurant for 505F, about $75.
TUE,JUN 20: Drive to St. Louis Bird Park, no birds; Iloha Hotel above St. Leu for lunch and dinner, and great succulents at National Conservatorie Mascarin, taking pictures of Souffleur and stare at moon and stars from lawn chair nicely.
WED,JUN 21: Helicopter flight 9:30-10:05, Garden of Eden, L'Alpha lunch in St. Gilles, Hotel and dinner at Domaine des Jamroses in La Montagne outside St. Denis.
THU,JUN 22: House of Vanille, Le Bec Fin lunch, Champ-Borne church, fly Mauritius.
FRI,JUN 23:10:25PM-10:06AM(11:41).Mauritius-London.9:10AM-11:28(7:18)Home1:10PM.