Day 7 (March 18, 2016): "Did anyone say, 'Hairpin turn ahead?!' "

I don't know what it is about early mornings on this vacation, but we really seem to have gotten into the early-morning mode. Up again at 6 AM, and by seven we were at the hotel restaurant. The buffet breakfast here is among the better ones I have ever had at a hotel.

There are a handful of "circuits" that you can drive up in the mountains to see the highest peaks and craters on Reunion. We chose the "cirque de Mafate" to undertake today.  This particular circuit is crowned by the Maido crater, at a height of 2205 meters. They suggest you arrive at the summit by 7 AM to avoid the all-too-frequent fog that can roll in. Despite being on the road early, we didn't arrive at the summit until 9:30. Sure enough, it was socked in. We were disappointed, but enjoyed it all the same.

La Cirque de Mafate is within the Reunion National Park

Imagine our disappointment after such a hairpin drive to find the view of the caldera socked in!

We enjoyed it nonetheless

Pam with the coastal view behind her. 

The drive to the summit took two hours, all in second gear! It is filled with never-ending hairpin turns - my GPS screen map tells the tale. 

The GPS shows a very twisty route

The route up the mountain goes through many tiny villages. You wonder how the inhabitants do the drive on a regular basis - or whether they just "stay put" at home. 

We were impressed at the plethora of foliage and varieties of wild flowers everywhere. Testament to the amount of rain, no doubt. 

Morning Glory blooms filled the route to the summit

The route was so lush, these chopping / mowing machines have to fight back against nature

Surprised to find a small herd of cows protecting the summit

On the way back down, we stopped for a luge run

The French are so clever! The villages' cell towers were disguised as palms

We got back down to the coast by 12:30 and went to Bucan Canot - the designer clad "St Tropez" beach of Reunion Island, where it's all about image and fashion. From there, we found a patisserie in the center of Saint-Gilles-les-bains and enjoyed a light lunch. 

On the trendy beach at Bucan Canot

Trying to look sauve and fashionable on the volcanic rocks at uber-trendy Bucan Canot!

For the rest of the day, we felt we had earned another afternoon of beach, pool and snorkelling at the resort. The wind was strong, as was the current on the lagoon, but we managed to enjoy the fish and coral viewing again 

The serenity of the Lux's pool after a long morning of driving

Just before 7 PM, we ventured into neighbouring L'Ermitage-les-bains, where one goes for nightlife if one is so inclined, and found a nice garden restaurant for our last real dinner on this vacation. (Airplane food doesn't count as a real dinner!)  

Tomorrow morning brings a whole new experience for us, along with another 6 AM rise. Check back to hear about our Saturday morning trip of a lifetime - we are both nervous and excited about it!  Good night from Reunion.