Watching the sun slowly sink into the ocean, palm trees swaying in the slight breeze, radiating colors reflecting off the Indian Ocean and the faint sliver of the moon beginning to show, was like no sunset we had ever experienced– it truly seemed like we were gazing out at a beautiful painting sprawled across the sky.

There is no doubt Mauritius is a stunning paradise. Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, 300 miles east of Madagascar, which is 300 miles east of South Africa, this island is in the middle of nowhere. It has become the holiday getaway for many travelers, especially Europeans (few Americans). The sprawling mountains, expansive sugar cane fields, palm trees, and long stretches of beach are very reminiscent of Maui. However, the ever present French influence and language used in the country is the main thing that gives away we’re in a foreign country.

Although our resort is a luxurious hideaway tucked along the east side of the island, much of what we discovered of the country seems to boast a very different picture of a deprived population. It seems that recent bad weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.

Driving a rental car for the first time in 3 months (since Australia) gave us the freedom to explore and get a sense of the Northern part of the island. We decided to just get lost following the coastal road up north, which yielded some breathtaking views. We circled down to Port Louis, the very “not” happening capital of the country, and got some fresh squeezed juice at the harbor.

It feels like we just can’t enough of island living, realizing at this point in our travels what a disproportionate part of our trip we’ve spent on the beach, in the pool or the ocean. We do realize how fortunate we are to have these opportunities -- when we get back to the “real world” we know we'll look back longingly at this moment in our lives.

Jason and I have always been a couple to spend a lot of time together – him working from home, and me working part time allowed for that. However, nothing prepared us for the amount of concentrated, one on one time we’d have with each other on this trip -- many days talking to no other people except ourselves. So you could see how 5 months into our travels we are itching to meet new people, and trying not to kill or smother each other in the mean time.

Often times we have the name and e-mail of someone to contact in a country from friends and family, however we never quite know what we’re going to get. It really does feel like a blind date, meeting up with couples or an individual after exchanging a couple e-mails, and wondering "what will they be like or will they like us?".

This is how we felt sitting in the lobby at Le Meridien waiting for our “dates” of that evening, Nicky (a family friend’s, first cousins, daughter, who just happened to move to Mauritius 3 weeks prior – a random connection) and her husband Trevor. Each couple that walked by we’d slightly make eye contact with, wondering was that them. We were so happy when a young couple our age walked into the lobby, and came towards us.

It’s amazing how one dinner out with a fun couple can recharge us for a long time. Not only does it give us something interesting to reflect on (as do you’re update e-mails so keep those coming), but it also validates that we can still socialize with other people (at least we think we can!)

So, thanks to all of our "blind dates" throughout this year, who have made many of our evenings so much fun!