Port Louis the capital of Mauritius, a Metropolis in the tropics

Shopping, markets, museums, presidential buildings and places of worship – you’ll find it all in Port Louis the capital of Mauritius.

Port Louis is situated in the north of the island.

All around, there seemed to be new buildings being constructed and a general sense that there is a lot of visible investment and regeneration underway.

The fruit and vegetable market downstairs is a colourful feast for the eye (as well as the belly); it’s lively, buzzing with locals stocking up for some fresh cooking.

Upstairs is a bit like a smaller version of the bazar in Grand Baie, sellers are a bit more persistent here.

One seller happened to have lived not far from me in the UK before packing up and settling back in Mauritius – small world!!!!

This seller said he didn’t mind if I didn’t buy anything from him, he said it would simply be nice to have a chat.

Now he was either a very nice person, or this was a clever sales tactic (befriend your customer first lol).

Anyway, once he got me two steps into the shop he started showing me all the lovely things I might like to buy, scarves, table cloths, you name it lol.

Two very nice market sellers tried to charge me something like triple the going rate for some boxes of tea, these ladies were ever so charming about it too – when they realised I knew what they were up to (and told them I wouldn’t be paying their ‘good price’) they magically offered me a box for free!!! I guess they had a ‘good’ conscience…strangely, everyone says you get things cheaper in these markets but that wasn’t my experience.

The colours and atmosphere make this market worth a trip even if you don’t want to buy anything.

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There seemed to be a lot of building work and road works in the city….seems like there’s a lot more to come

The underpass and walk between the glossy designer shopping mall (photos below) and the market areas (photos above)

Caudan Waterfront and Shopping Precinct, Port Louis

The other side of town, Caudan Waterfront and shopping precinct – it’s much more touristy around here, with lots of places to eat with almost every type of food you can think of, designer brand shops, and gift shops.

Lunch time

Delicious!!

Fancy a bit of Korean?

The bell they pound when you’re food is ready to come and collect!!!

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Mauritian mascot – the dodo, you’ll see images of them everywhere

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Given that it was December, Santa didn’t seem his usual merry self, he was pacing up and down looking quite concerned, making calls on his mobile.

Then his ride arrived, no not reindeer – a car picked him up on the main road and he was gone!

I reckon he’d been trying to call his reindeer, but they weren’t picking up. Hate that!

China Town

Dragon made from plastic bottles, brilliant!

The oldest mosque in Mauritius on the left….

In addition to China Town, we also drove through an area that our guide described as muslim territory – so like many countries, you find clusters of communities as well as more cosmopolitan areas.