Itchy feet and curious minds

Once we had boarded the little boat with about 10 other passengers, I found myself thirsting to dive into the blue waters. A foreign word in the brochure had caught my attention: ‘la plongée en apnée’ , which I found out is French for snorkelling. I had never been able to get up close to marine wildlife before, and now was my chance, I was so keen! How many more Mauritian island’s histories did I need to hear about before I could grab that goggle and snorkel set?
The boat had stopped, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder “Miss, would you like this now?” the captain grinned at me, holding a bright yellow set of goggles. Before even finishing saying ‘Merci!’ I had already ripped my shawl off and donned my snorkelling gear. I hopped from the boat into the blue waters and found it to be much deeper than I had anticipated. After swallowing nearly a litre of salt water I had gotten the hang of it. I finally floated close enough to the bottom of the ocean, then opened my eyes to one of the most divine sights I have ever seen. Schools of fish swept past me like a gust of wind. For a second I had to remind myself this was not some kind of ‘Jimi Hendrix experience’ with all sorts of colours rushing past me and dancing around me. From massive swarms of lemon yellow, emerald green and tangerine to tiny gatherings of seahorses galloping around and tickling my ankles; I felt as if the default screen on my computer had sucked me in and become fifty-thousand times more fetching! I was completely content with spending my entire hour and a half of free-time in the water, wading around the boat and trying to hold my breath long enough to experience more and more of the enchanting sights dancing just below the water. Who cares about being sunburned and looking like a giant prune? I literally spent an hour an a half in the ocean interacting with the most attractive wildlife I had ever encountered.
In all honesty, the island that we had found ourselves on that day was not the most glamorous, nor was the resort the most extravagant. However, the only two things I (as a curious tourist) needed were there. The snorkelling set and miles upon miles of turquoise ocean. Through this journey, I found that one does not need millions of rands to have the experience of one’s lifetime, but rather the willingness to step out of one’s comfort zone and the curiosity to experience new and exciting ventures.