L’Ile de la Réunion
or how I escaped COVID Hell for 10 amazing days.
“You long for freedom. You long to do what you want to do because you want it. To act on selfish impulse. You want to see what it's like. One day you won't be able to resist.”
In December 2020 I was working as a general practitioner trainee in Belgium, together with a colleague. As the juniors of the clinic, most of the corona-related work fell on our shoulders. After the second wave had hit, I came rather close to breaking as exhaustion and continuous stress was building up - without any way of relaxing or finding pleasure in my work. I asked my boss for a week off work, the first week of January.
Weather in Belgium was grim and depressing, I lived just 5 minutes away from work and COVID restrictions made staying in Belgium unpleasant. As all the countries of Europe started painting “red” on travelling maps, I started losing hope of being able to escape.
One night, whilst watching “The Grand Tour” with my good friend Willem, I stumbled onto this wonderful island. I checked what restrictions were in place for this destination and miraculously, it was a wonderful “green”. Not a few days later, I booked my plane tickets and a week later, I landed on l’île de la Réunion.
One of the many waterfalls.
I went alone, because I needed peace. Together with a large backpack, my camera gear and butterflies in my stomach, I set foot onto the island. Apart from a car rental and 1 night in a hotel close to the airport, nothing had been planned yet. This was going to be a week of improvisation.
The warm sun greeted my face as the doors of the aircraft opened and I was filled with pure utter excitement as I was about to live one of the most magical holidays of my life.
Saint-Denis, Réunion.
Christmas in mid summer !
La Réunion being located in the southern hemisphere, it is technically summer in January. However, because it is located close to the equator, seasons don’t really differ all that much there.
First step: the beach!
What immediately struck me on this Island, is how easy it was to make new friends. However, it shouldn’t be this surprising as most young adults roaming about there are people like me who grew sick of the mainland and needed a fresh start. The optimism was clearly visible in all of them.
the group quickly grew and changed as people headed their own way or came back.
Aaah life was good, all of a sudden. Can you imagine how exalted I was after weeks of everlasting stress and fatigue in the COVID-ward?
The dark rocks contrast beautifully with their colorful environment.
You can almost feel how warm and welcoming the water feels. But don’t let its appearance fool you. Beneath the surface, sharks loom. Indeed, over 16% of the world’s fatal shark attacks happen in the shallow waters of this beautiful paradise…
Mighty waves and godlike sunset at the beach of '“la grande Anse”.
As darkness crept in, stars and jungle sounds became omnipresent.
Next stop: Cilaos.
Time to say goodbye to my friends to head into the dark mountains for a quick reconnaissance mission. Later that week, I was planning on climbing the large 3070m high Piton des Neiges.
For this trip, I set myself only one small goal. To climb up the Piton des Neiges, sleep on its summit and awaken to a sunrise over the Indian Ocean.
Even though the mountain is only 3070 meters high, there were several challenges during my ascent. First of all, the hike started at a punishing 30°C yet temperatures dropped quickly as I steadily got higher. Indeed, at the top, temperatures were close to freezing point. Needless to say that my summer clothing wasn’t exactly suited for this type of climate. Secondly, I was distracted enough to forget my food in my car. I had to survive on a few chocolate bars and water. Thankfully, I met some amazing French students at the top, who gracefully invited me for dinner and a welcome drink. ;-)
The sunrise was truly breathtaking, waking up on the summit of a mountain was a unique experience.
An important lesson for my next trip to l’Île de la Réunion would be to find a way to safeguard my analog film rolls. Indeed, most of the pictures I took were actually on film but due to the impressive heat, they almost all got destroyed… Some lucky few survived and you can look at them in the next section.
And yes, I will soon return to la Réunion, that’s sure!
