MAURITIUS JULY 2007 #2

The tourist district/capital here is like another world.

Un-painted concrete bunkers turn to colonial mansions, Western-style houses and huge shopping centres. That's the tourist doller for you.

As we drove through last night on our way clubbing we pass a huge walled-off pile of rubble

"I was out clubbing 50-metres away from here when it blew-up;" my cousin tells me.

"The talk is that the owner was going broke and suddenly the shopping-centre blew-up because of a faulty gas leak, coincidence?"

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I look to the ground of the club, and see sand. Look at the faces of the patrons and i see a sea of white with dapples of black (the EXACT opposite of the rest of the island). Listen to the DJ spin 7 year old Nelly tracks. Realise by looking at jaws and chests that the average age of the punters is 16 or so. Place my arm around Jacob my cousin, saunter to the bar....

2 shots of something with Tobasco, as well as a beer is in front of me. I shoot the shots and begin sipping the beer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------