Réunion

[Last updated: 02-May-2022]

This page contains a selction of images (created from photographs, and later scanned) taken on the French island of La Réunion (located between Madagascar and Mauritius in the Southern Indian Ocean), during the Christmas/New Year holiday period 2001/2002.

Before leaving home (in the United Kingdom), a hotel reservation was made with a hotel in St. Benoît (on the east side of the island), but after spending one night there, it was decided to relocate to the west side of the island.

Bus travel in the island was a new and interesting experience; passengers were occasionally clapping their hands! It turned out to be a signal to the driver that they wanted to alight, as there wasn't a bell on the bus!

The new hotel of choice was the Hotel Novotel Coralia, now known (in 2022) as the Relais de l'Hermitage, at L'Hermitage-les-Bains, a few kilometres south of St. Gilles-les-Bains. That being the new base, a car was also hired for the remaining duration of the holiday.

The holiday period also coincided with the official launch of the new Euro (€) currency, on 01-Jan-2002. Being ahead of Europe time-wise (GMT+4/CET+3) I was able to be one of the first persons to withdraw Euros (from a local bank's 'hole-in-the-wall' cash machine) and spend the new currency for an excursion to the Piton de la Fournaise, that morning!