It suddenly appeared out of nowhere

France | La Réunion | Anno 2023

 

Tuesday 17 October | Saint-Denis

Wednesday 18 October | Saint-André – Cirque de Salazie – Hell-Bourg – Grand Hazier

Thursday 19 October | Bois Rouge – Îlet Bethléem – La Saline les Baines

 

 

Tuesday 17 October | Saint-Denis

Samoussas and a cari poulet or a cari poisson. She doesn’t waste any time. We have barely set foot on La Réunion¹⁾ after our overnight flight from Paris when our tour guide, Marie-Annick, introduces us to two of the most typical products of Creole cuisine.

Samoussas are the fried snacks in the shape of crispy little triangles that have just appeared on the table as an appetiser. In fact, she continues, they are puff pastry envelopes with a savoury filling of vegetables and herbs, sometimes also with meat or fish.

And cari is the archetypal dish of La Réunion. You can't escape it anywhere on the island. It can be prepared with chicken, pork, beef, duck, tuna, lobster, octopus – you name it. But that’s not the point; it’s all about the sauce. Although the preparation method can vary greatly, you’ll almost always find tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric in it. But everyone has their own secret recipe.

For the local inhabitants, this distant piece of Europe above all has a Creole identity

Saint-Denis – Monument to the Heroes of 1914–1918

La Réunion isn’t very large. With just over 2,500 km², it’s about the size of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. For the European Union, it’s one of the so-called outermost regions; for France, it’s one of the five overseas departments. But for the local inhabitants, this distant piece of Europe has above all a Creole identity. We already noticed that last night, from the charming Creole hats worn by the stewards on the Air Austral flight.

The capital is referred to both by its French name Saint-Denis and its Creole name Sin Dni

 

Originally, only people of French descent born on La Réunion were called Creoles. Today, it no longer matters where their ancestors came from – Europe, Africa, Asia. The dual sense of identity of a Creole leads to a sympathetic and sometimes even humorous kind of split personality, as we’ve already noticed. A Creole writes douzman when he means softly – a distorted form of the French doucement.

If you're standing at an intersection, you could easily think you’re in the heart of France: the traffic lights, road signs, and street markings are thoroughly French. But if you look at the surrounding vegetation, you’ll hardly recognise a single plant. And as you approach the capital, you’ll see that it’s labelled both with the French name Saint-Denis and the Creole name Sin Dni, even though French is the only official language on the island.

Gradually, this process forms an underwater volcanic cone, much like a busy mole pushing up more and more soil to create a molehill

 

In fact, La Réunion is little more than an insignificant speck in the vast Indian Ocean, located more than 1,700 km from the African continent and over 700 km from its larger neighbour, Madagascar. Yet the two islands have a completely different origin story. Madagascar is simply a landmass that broke away from the African continent. La Réunion, on the other hand, seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

 

 

La Réunion lies above what is known as a hotspot. Other well-known hotspots are found beneath Iceland, the Galápagos, and Hawaii. What exactly a hotspot is remains somewhat unclear to geologists, but it is at least known to be a place where the Earth’s mantle is significantly hotter than elsewhere. As a result, eruptions occur regularly in such spots, with lava gushing upward and flowing across the sea floor. Gradually, this process forms an underwater volcanic cone, much like a busy mole pushing up more and more soil to create a molehill.

 

 

If enough lava is supplied, the volcanic cone continues to rise until it eventually emerges above the ocean surface. That happened about ten million years ago, when the island of Mauritius suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Geological activity then seemed to subside, as nothing happened for millions of years. Until, two million years ago, another volcanic cone suddenly emerged. By that time, however, the tectonic plate beneath the Indian Ocean had shifted some distance past the hotspot. As a result, the new volcanic cone surfaced roughly 230 km to the southwest. Today, we know the summit of that second volcanic cone as La Réunion.

Mauritius, La Réunion, and several other islands rest on an elongated underwater mountain range, stretching all the way to the Seychelles

Manioc marron bord de mer (scaevola taccada)

If you could drain the Indian Ocean, you would recognise La Réunion as the tip of a mountain that rises more than 6,000 meters above the ocean floor. In fact, Mauritius, La Réunion, and several other islands rest on an elongated underwater mountain range about 2,000 kilometres long, stretching all the way to the Seychelles.

During the First World War, Roland Garros gave the Germans a hard time as a fighter pilot

In the meantime, we’re ready for a short introduction to Saint-Denis. A little while ago, we landed at Roland Garros Airport, right on the Indian Ocean. From there, we went straight to restaurant Lé Gadiamb for lunch. It’s located on… Rue Roland Garros. Clearly, La Réunion holds its most famous citizen in high esteem. In Paris, even the Stade Roland-Garros is named after him. Not because he was a gifted tennis player, but because he made a name for himself as a pilot.

In 1913, he was the first person to fly across the Mediterranean Sea – from the French Riviera to Tunisia, a flight of over 1,100 km in a monoplane. During the First World War, he gave the Germans a hard time as a fighter pilot, until he was shot down in an air battle in 1918, just five weeks before the armistice.

 

 

There are about 150,000 residents in Saint-Denis. If you count the entire metropolitan area, the number rises to 320,000. So, of the island’s 900,000 inhabitants, more than one in three lives in or around the capital.

For tourists, Saint-Denis is the most important – if not the only – gateway to the island. Yet tourism took some serious hits in the early 21st century. In 2005, there was the chikungunya epidemic, a viral disease transmitted by tiger mosquitoes. Forty percent of the population was affected, and 203 people died. Then came the infamous shark crisis: between 2011 and 2021, twenty-two shark attacks were recorded off the west coast, ten of which were fatal. And in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic hit. A pity, because La Réunion has so much to offer, as we will gradually discover.

La Réunion has always been a society of various ethnic groups and people of mixed heritage

Villa Déramond-Barre

Even Saint-Denis, which is not exactly a top tourist destination, has its own charms. The sun is still shining, the temperature is 28 °C (82 °F). In the sloping streets, there's a relaxed kind of bustle. No rushing here – people stroll casually along the sidewalks. The street scene also reflects the island’s demographic profile: La Réunion has always been a society of various ethnic groups and people of mixed heritage.

 

Villa Fock-Yee

There are hardly any high-rises. Low, mostly white houses line the streets. Occasionally, you’ll spot a beautiful colonial villa, often surrounded by a not-always-well-kept garden. Palm trees are a common sight, even in the narrowest streets. Getting lost in the city centre is nearly impossible – the rectangular street grid rivals that of New York.

In post-revolutionary France, they no longer wanted to hear about kings

Moskee Noor-e-Islam Mosque

For grand buildings, you need to head to Rue de Paris, the historical heart of Saint-Denis. Originally, this was Rue Royale, but after the revolution, the French no longer wanted anything to do with kings. The same goes for the name of the island itself. It was initially known as Île Bourbon, after the French royal house to which Louis XIV belonged. Briefly, it was renamed Île Bonaparte to please Napoleon, but eventually, it was given the permanent name La Réunion. This was likely a reference to an important gathering or réunion that took place in 1792, just before the famous march on the Tuileries, which ultimately led to the execution of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.

As if that weren’t enough, the survivors brought the Spanish flu back to La Réunion upon their return

Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Délivrance

Unfortunately, the cathedral is under scaffolding, as is the town hall. Where Rue de Paris becomes Rue de la Victoire, a memorial to the fallen of the Great War has been erected. The granite column, with a Gallic rooster at its base, a white marble angel at its top, and an urn containing French soil inside, commemorates the 14,500 young men – 10% of the population at the time – who, like Roland Garros, fought at the front during World War I. One thousand three hundred recruits paid for it with their lives. As if that weren’t enough, the survivors brought the Spanish flu back to La Réunion upon their return, leading to an estimated 7,000 to 20,000 additional deaths among the island’s inhabitants.

Entirely in the spirit of the time, the Grand Marché is constructed from metal

Le Grand Marché

For fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs, meat, fish, and more, one should head to the Petit Marché. However, tourists are more often steered toward the Grand Marché, where artisan goods take centre stage – wood carvings, wickerwork, embroidery, and clothing. Much of the craftwork comes from Madagascar. The building itself dates from around 1864. Entirely in the spirit of the time, it is constructed from metal – metal frames on cast iron columns cover the eight pavilions.

 

Le Grand Marché

After dinner outdoors, it’s time for a nightcap – and what a nightcap it is. We get to taste the famous rum arrangé. A typical drink associated with islands like the Caribbean and La Réunion, where sugarcane and rum have been produced for centuries, and where enslaved people played a decisive role in that production.

 

Le Grand Marché

The preparation is very simple. You add ingredients of your choice – this could be vanilla, pineapple, lychee, mango, you name it – to a bottle of rum, making sure that the flavourings are fully submerged. Then you seal the bottle, shake it well, and store it in a cool, dark place. There, you let the ingredients soak – actually, this is called maceration – for at least a month, but no longer than six months. During that time, you’re free to taste it now and then to see whether you’ve already reached the desired flavour.

During that time, you’re free to taste it now and then to see whether you’ve already reached the desired flavour

Many of the recipes are generations old, and every producer – even every household – has its own unique version. In short, it’s the pride of every establishment. That includes our hotel, which offers us a choice between rum arrangé with thyme and honey, with dried orange and banana, or with lychee and red forest fruits. Needless to say, we have to try all three. Because only then can you truly compare.

Top

Wednesday 18 October | Saint-André – Cirque de Salazie – Hell-Bourg – Grand Hazier

If you look at a road map of La Réunion, it appears fairly simple. After all, the interior is often difficult to access, so life mainly unfolds along the coastal strip. The backbone of the road network is the coastal ring road – a comfortable ribbon of asphalt about two hundred kilometres long that encircles the entire island. If traffic is light, you can make it all the way around in just four hours. But traffic jams are almost a given, according to Marie-Annick. Congestion is part of daily life here. If you were to park all the vehicles from La Réunion on the ring road, they would be three rows wide. All transportation happens by road, after all. The only railway line was decommissioned in 1976. Today, only a small tourist train still runs over a distance of four kilometres.

Slavery thus became a structural and indispensable component of the local economy

Today, we will follow that coastal road eastward. From Saint-Denis, we pass through Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Suzanne to reach Saint-André. A string of saintly names, it seems. That’s no coincidence. Devout Catholics made sure that of the 24 municipalities on La Réunion, the twelve most important coastal towns bear the name of a saint. Four municipalities on the northeastern coast are named after female saints, whereas in the west and south, they are all named after men.

 

Saint-André – Temple du Petit Bazar

Meanwhile, the first sugarcane fields have appeared outside the window. What was initially produced on La Réunion was primarily coffee. This is a very labour-intensive crop, and the required labour force was systematically imported from Africa in the form of enslaved Black people. Slavery thus became a structural and indispensable component of the local economy. From 1715 onwards, coffee was the island’s most important cash crop.

To produce alcohol, molasses, the syrupy by-product of sugar cane processing, was needed

That changed when Napoleonic France had to cede La Réunion to the British. Their rule would be short-lived, as just five years later, in 1815, the French regained control of the island and once again named it Île Bourbon. Yet that brief British interlude was enough to introduce two entirely new crops: sugarcane and vanilla.

 

Temple du Petit Bazar – Gopuram

In fact, sugarcane originated from New Guinea, an island north of Australia. Initially, the goal wasn’t so much to produce sugar, but rather to make alcohol. For that, they needed molasses – the syrupy by-product. However, as demand for sugar increased in Europe, production gradually shifted its focus. From 1848 to 1864, sugar production experienced its golden years on La Réunion.

When slavery was abolished in 1794 in the wake of the French Revolution, the plantation owners on La Réunion paid little heed

After that came the decline. Sugarcane plantations regularly had to deal with cyclones and periods of drought, but the African sugarcane borer also played a role. This moth likes to lay its eggs on the leaves of sugarcane plants, allowing the larvae to feed on the leaf and then bore a tunnel into the stalk, where they can safely pupate. The fact that Europe had started extracting sugar from sugar beets didn’t help either.

 

Temple du Petit Bazar – Gopuram

Even so, sugarcane remains La Réunion’s most important export product today. Smaller producers were forced to close down, giving larger players more room to invest and modernise. Only two sugar factories are still in operation – Bois Rouge here in the northeast and Le Gol in the southwest. Together, they produce 200,000 tons of refined sugar annually, the result of processing two million sugarcane plants.

It's no surprise, then, that there are Hindu temples scattered throughout La Réunion. There are more than a thousand of them across the island

This brings us to Saint-André, the largest city on the east coast. This is the windward coast of La Réunion. Winds constantly carry clouds in from the Indian Ocean, which then collide with the mountains, resulting in precipitation. It is therefore a particularly lush coast with abundant vegetation.

 

Ganesha

Peacock

When slavery was abolished in 1794 in the wake of the French Revolution, the plantation owners on La Réunion paid little heed. Enslaved Black people were simply indispensable – without them, the economy would collapse. Fifty years later, in the revolutionary year of 1848, the Second French Republic was proclaimed. This time, it was serious. Slavery was definitively abolished, including on La Réunion. Sixty thousand enslaved people were granted freedom. The day this occurred, December 20th, even became a national holiday on the island – Fèt Kaf, the Festival of the Kaffirs. A name that feels offensive to us, but is apparently not considered discriminatory here.

December 20th even became a national holiday on the island – Fèt Kaf, the Festival of the Kaffirs

The plantation owners were now left in despair. Where would they get their cheap labour from in the future? The answer came from the east, more specifically from South India. The people fleeing the harsh living conditions of the lowest castes there, seeking a new life as contract workers here, were called Malabars. Most of them were Hindu Tamils. It's estimated that one in four residents of La Réunion is descended from these Malabars.

It's no surprise, then, that there are Hindu temples scattered throughout La Réunion. There are more than a thousand of them across the island. The Temple du Petit Bazar in Saint-André is one such temple. It is dedicated to Sri Murugana son of Shiva and Parvati, who is especially popular among Tamils.

 

Ganesha

Laying out flowers for offerings

It is especially the gopuram, the monumental gateway, that impresses. There must be hundreds of them – gods, goddesses, animals, and mythical creatures – depicted on it. Just like in temples in South India, all these figures form a colourful whole that you can’t stop looking at. The temple dates from 1900 but was restored in 2018, which means the pastel colours still retain their full glory, despite the warm and humid climate.

Temple visits are not tied to Sundays or holidays

Temple vsiti

In front of the main shrine, a couple is praying while a few priests look on. You can find worshippers here throughout the week, since temple visits are not tied to Sundays or holidays. At the front, some women are busy laying out flowers. Worshippers will buy these to offer them later.

 

Piton de Salazie

Cascade Blanche

Now our exploration of the rugged interior can begin. Les Hauts is the local name for everything that does not belong to the coastal strip. And with good reason. Because once you leave the coast, you enter a completely different world. That becomes immediately apparent as we head upstream through the valley of the Rivière du Mât. On both sides, the mountain walls rise almost vertically. In some stretches, the valley is so narrow that there is barely any room for a road along the river. All of it is covered in lush vegetation, as the wind constantly brings rain from over the ocean. Green in all its shades is the only colour you see here.

Once you leave the coast, you enter a completely different world

 

How this landscape came to be is a story in itself. When La Réunion emerged from the Indian Ocean two million years ago, the summit of the Piton des Neiges was the first to rise above water. This volcano, at 3,070 meters, is still the highest mountain on La Réunion – and even the highest on any island in the Indian Ocean. But initially, it must have been much taller – at least 4,000 meters, experts believe – until it collapsed around 150,000 years ago, creating an enormous caldera.

Through erosion, three cirques have formed within the caldera, arranged neatly around the Piton des Neiges, like a three-leaf clover

 

Through erosion, three cirques have formed within the caldera. Together, these semi-circular valleys, shaped like natural amphitheatres, are arranged neatly around the Piton des Neiges, like a three-leaf clover. It likely took only twenty thousand years for the landscape to assume its current form. In this tropical climate, with its mix of heat, rainfall, and cyclones, the power of erosion is immense. The result is a staggering landscape, a jumble of plateaus, peaks, gorges, and valleys that are often barely or not at all accessible. But we will only truly appreciate this in the days ahead when we will view the massif surrounding the Piton des Neiges from above – either from the rim of one of the cirques or by helicopter.

The result is a staggering landscape, a jumble of plateaus, peaks, gorges, and valleys that are often barely or not at all accessible

 

For now, we are exploring the cirques from a frog’s-eye view. Today it's the cirque of Salazie, the most accessible of the three. In the coming days, we’ll explore the cirque of Cilaos, reachable only via the notorious N5, with its 418 bends and numerous tunnels. And then there’s the hallucinatory cirque of Mafate, into which you can descend only on foot or by helicopter.

At the very top of the Piton des Neiges, temperatures can even drop to 0 °C (32 °F) in winter. People have died from the cold up there

 

The narrow road, often just one lane wide, winds its way further up between the steep, densely vegetated mountain walls. Some stretches are even quite steep. According to our guide, Marie-Annick, there are only two seasons on La Réunion. Spring and autumn don’t exist here – winter transitions directly into summer, and vice versa. At the very top of the Piton des Neiges, temperatures can even drop to 0 °C (32 °F) in winter. People have died from the cold up there. But despite its name – “Peak of Snows” – snow never falls on this extinct volcano.

 

 

We're in luck – the sun doesn’t seem inclined to disappear today. Yet rain is usually a given here. Once, two meters of rain fell in just twenty-four hours. Waterfalls, as a result, are everywhere. One of the most impressive is the Cascade Blanche, which plunges from a height of 1,022 meters down a 640-meter drop. A quarter of an hour later, the Cascade du Voile de la Mariée comes into view, along with the 7 Cascades du Mât.

 

The famous chayotte turns out to be a climbing plant, with long stems trained over a trellis

Chayote (chouchou)

Very popular on La Réunion is the chayote, a vegetable that is mainly grown in this cirque. Here it’s affectionately called chouchou (favourite). Marie-Annick points out a plantation. It turns out to be a climbing plant, with long stems trained over a trellis – similar to the way kiwis are grown in New Zealand. On average, each plant yields about eighty pear-shaped, light green fruits roughly ten centimetres long. It’s used much like zucchini: in salads, soups, sauces, gratins, compotes, and more.

The lush vegetation and surrounding hills are perfectly mirrored in its still waters

Mare à poule d’eau

A short walk brings us to the Mare à poule d’eau, a tranquil little lake hidden in the forest. The lush vegetation and surrounding hills are perfectly mirrored in its still waters. Blue dragonflies hover low above the surface, but the moorhens, after which the lake is named, are nowhere to be seen.

 

Piton d’Anchaing

At the heart of the cirque rises the imposing Piton d'Anchaing, which stands 1,356 meters tall. From Point du Jour, at 920 meters, we enjoy a superb view of it. With its steep, densely forested slopes, it seems like an almost inaccessible mountain.

Hell-Bourg is a colourful collection of Creole houses nestled in lush greenery, surrounded on all sides by spectacular mountains

Hell-Bourg

A bit later we reach Hell-Bourg, a colourful collection of Creole houses nestled in lush greenery, surrounded on all sides by spectacular mountains. This was once a holiday resort for prominent Creole families, as it offered the benefits of thermal springs. But in 1948, a landslide put an end to that.

You enter the building through a porch with an original awning that shields visitors from sun and rain

Maison Folio with awning

We head straight to Maison Folio. This authentic Creole villa dates from around 1860 and was beautifully restored in 1969. You enter the building through a porch with an original awning that shields visitors from sun and rain. Inside, you find historical furniture, including a charming canopy bed. But it’s the botanical garden – Raphaël Folio’s life’s work – that has brought the villa its greatest fame. Raphaël’s grandson gladly guides us through the wondrous world of tropical plants with the most unusual shapes and colours.

Why does the franciscea have both white and mauve flowers?

Franciscea

Take the franciscea, for example, a tree with both white and mauve flowers. Why two colours? It’s a matter of efficiency. Normally the flowers are mauve, but once they’ve been pollinated, they turn white so that butterflies don’t waste energy on them. Or consider the yellow bulges that seem to grow on a tree trunk. They look like tiny bananas, but in fact they’re the storage chambers of an orchid that has climbed its way up the tree like a vine.

They look like tiny bananas, but in fact they’re the storage chambers of an orchid

Orchid with tiny ‘bananas’

Orchid

Even a radiated tortoise feels at home here. It’s an endangered species with a striking star-shaped pattern on its shell. No two of these patterns are alike; each one is as unique as a human fingerprint. We don’t know how old this tortoise is, but the oldest known member of its species is said to have lived to be 188 years old.

The star-shaped pattern on the shell of a radiated tortoise is as unique as a human fingerprint

Radiated tortoise

That the three cirques of La Réunion mean much more than just geological curiosities becomes immediately clear to us at the exhibition Salazie au Cœur du Royaume Maron de l’Intérieur, held in the local town hall. From the 18th century onward, this hard-to-reach interior became the favoured refuge of the marons²⁾ – the escaped enslaved people.

From the 18th century onwards, this inaccessible interior became the favourite refuge of the marons

Orchid

For 185 years, slavery was the driving force behind La Réunion’s economy. Entire shiploads of enslaved black people were brought in from East Africa and Madagascar. The conditions on the plantations were inhumane, with the harshest punishments imposed for even the smallest offenses. It’s no surprise, then, that enslaved people fled whenever they had the chance.

The conditions on the plantations were inhumane, with the harshest punishments imposed for even the smallest offenses

 

The cirque of Salazie was a fairly popular haven for these marons. This is evident from the name alone, as in Malagasy – the language of the enslaved people from Madagascar – it means good camping spot. Reaching this place was certainly no easy task, as the asphalt road we arrived on didn’t exist at the time.

That this maronage left a lasting impact on the culture and society of La Réunion is beyond question

Piton d’Anchaing (in the background)

Once they had arrived in the cirque, they tried to retreat to one of the steep hillsides. Inaccessible or not, a certain Anchaing managed to settle there with his family on the Piton d’Anchaing – the mountain we looked at earlier. In this way, thriving communities often arose in the cirques. That this maronage left a lasting impact on the culture and society of La Réunion is beyond question.

 

 

Naturally, the plantation owners did not leave it at that. They sent slave hunters after them, whose task was to capture as many marons as possible – dead or alive. If killing the maron proved necessary, they would cut off an ear and a hand as proof of a successful operation. If they could bring the maron back alive, he would face gruesome punishments. Between 1710 and 1765, 335 marons were captured and 145 were killed.

 

Orchid

One of these slave hunters was a man named Bronchard. He was the one who managed to capture Anchaing and his family. He likely killed Anchaing and took his partner Héva and their children back to their “lawful owner”.

What awaited a maron if caught alive is laid out in Article XXXI of the infamous Code Noir of 1723

 

What awaited a maron if caught alive is laid out in Article XXXI of the infamous Code Noir of 1723. For a first offense, their ears were cut off and a fleur-de-lis – a French lily – was branded onto their shoulder. The second time, another fleur-de-lis was burned onto the other shoulder, and their hamstrings behind the knee were severed. Not only did this cause unbearable pain, but walking, even stepping, became nearly impossible. And yet, for the sake of completeness, the Code Noir still prescribed a punishment for a third escape attempt – the death penalty.

Why vanilla must be so expensive becomes quickly clear to us at the Vanilleraie

Vanilla plants

We leave Hell-Bourg behind us after lunch. Ahead lies an introduction to the black gold of La Réunion. After saffron, it’s the second most expensive spice in the world, according to Marie-Annick. Why vanilla must be so expensive becomes quickly clear to us at the Vanilleraie of the Grand Hazier, a large vanilla plantation near Sainte-Suzanne.

What people didn’t realise was that vanilla is pollinated exclusively by one particular species of bee

If you want to grow vanilla, there are three conditions you must meet. Bertrand Côme should know – he’s the director of this cooperative. First of all, you need a lot of water, he explains, which is why vanilla is only grown on the east coast of La Réunion. Secondly, it must always be warm – at least 25 °C (77 °F). So growing vanilla in the interior is out of the question; it’s only possible along the coast. And finally, the plants must be kept in the shade. That’s why black nets have been stretched over the plants here. They block 25% of the sunlight.

In fact, vanilla is a type of orchid. The plant originates from Mexico, where it was already known to the Aztecs. It was introduced to La Réunion in 1819. But what people didn’t realise was that vanilla is pollinated exclusively by one particular species of bee. That bee doesn’t exist on La Réunion. So all this effort with vanilla seemed pointless, because artificial pollination was extremely cumbersome. Admittedly, the plant is hermaphroditic and can fertilise itself, but a small flap between the reproductive organs prevents that. Scientists were eagerly searching for an efficient method of pollination.

A very young black boy who embarrassed the scientific community wasn’t going to be met with applause

Edmond Albius

Vanilla plant – Flowers, wilted flowers and pods

Until Edmond Albius, a twelve-year-old born into slavery, pulled off his stunt in 1841. Partly by chance, he managed to pollinate a vanilla plant simply by pressing the stamens and pistils together by hand. This led to a true revolution in vanilla cultivation. La Réunion even became the market leader in vanilla production. But Edmond himself gained little from it. A very young black boy who embarrassed the scientific community wasn’t going to be met with applause. He died in 1880 – free, it’s true – but in poverty.

Pollination must occur on that one specific day, and only in the morning

Still, pollination remains a labour-intensive task. A vanilla plant typically has around fifteen flowers, but each one blooms only for a single day each year – and not all on the same day. Pollination must occur on that one specific day, and only in the morning. So you have to act fast. From September to December, the plants are checked daily – including Sundays, Bernard emphasises – and pollinated by hand as needed. With a touch of irony, the women who perform this task are called les marieuses – the matchmakers.

 

Vanilla pods

It then takes two months for the pods to reach a length of about twenty centimetres and be fully grown. But they’re not ready for picking until nine months have passed. Again, care is essential, because the pods could burst open at any moment – and that must be avoided. Between June and August, each pod is individually checked every two weeks and harvested if necessary. This allows for six to seven harvests. For his two-hectare plantation, Bernard needs six men to manage the job.

To prevent the harvested pods from bursting open, they’re placed in 65 °C (149 °F) water for three minutes. This forms glucovanillin, a molecule that also helps preserve the vanilla's aroma. From the hot water, the pods go straight into a chest covered with blankets. In this chest, the green pods undergo a kind of fermentation at a temperature of 40 to 50 °C(104 to 122 °F), and after twenty-four hours, they emerge as the rich, chocolate-brown pods we know. The contents of such a chest are worth about € 100,000. About 5% of that evaporates. But we’re taxed on the full 100%, Bernard sighs.

Between June and August, each pod is individually checked every two weeks and harvested if necessary

Vanilla pods

Is that the end of it? Not by a long shot, Bernard grins. The moist pods must dry – fifteen days in full sun, then two to three months in the shade – and then ripen for another year to develop their full aroma.

That ripening process isn’t the only thing vanilla shares with wine. La Vanilleraie works with twenty-five suppliers of raw pods. Each has a different terroir and a different number of sunshine hours – meaning each also has its own flavour and quality. Mixing pods from different suppliers is out of the question. The racks on which the pods are dried are even labelled with the suppliers’ names.

Each delivery of raw pods has a different terroir and a different number of hours of sunshine

 

The production process still isn’t over. A young woman is busily sorting pods based on their colour, elasticity, and ripeness. When the pods are packaged, all the sticks in a single package must be the same length – somewhere between 10 and 28 centimetres. The length of the pods depends on the pressure applied during manual pollination. Add to that the fact that vanilla pods are massaged to evenly distribute the aroma along the entire stick, and you could say that each pod undergoes eight individual treatments throughout the production process. We're starting to wonder why the second most expensive spice in the world is still so cheap.

 

Cannonball tree (couroupita guianensis)

Madagascar day gecko

Top

Thursday 19 October | Bois Rouge – Îlet Bethléem – La Saline les Baines

It wasn’t just the marons, the escaped enslaved people, who sought refuge in the island’s interior during the 18th century. Free citizens also didn’t always feel safe along the coastal strip, Marie-Annick explains, as Fabrice steers our bus eastward once more along the ring road. That had to do with the forbans, the pirates who dominated the waters around the island and constantly terrorised the coastal population. Many citizens decided to cut their losses and moved deeper inland. While the marons consistently opted for the rugged cirques, these settlers sought a safe haven in quiet spots deep in the coastal forests – so-called îlets or islets.

Pirates dominated the waters around the island and constantly terrorised the coastal population

Sugarcane field

One of those was Îlet Bethléem, our destination for today. For the local population, it is now a beloved spot for hiking and swimming, or for Sunday picnics. It’s become a classic destination for school trips. For pilgrims, it’s even a popular shrine. But for its original inhabitants, Îlet Bethléem was a bleak place of heartbreaking poverty set amid beautiful natural surroundings.

Îlet Bethléem was a bleak place of heartbreaking poverty set amid beautiful natural surroundings

By now, we’ve arrived in the midst of the sugarcane fields around Sainte-Suzanne. In one of the fields, they are busy harvesting sugarcane with machines. That’s possible here on the relatively flat terrain, Marie-Annick explains, but 80% of the sugarcane fields are located in Les Hauts, and there, harvesting must be done by hand. An experienced worker can cut up to four tons per day with a machete. That earns him twelve euros per ton.

 

Harvesting sugar cane

In the distance, we make out the imposing silhouette of Bois Rouge, one of the two sugar factories on La Réunion. The sugarcane harvest here runs from July to December. That’s also the only time this factory is operational. But during that period, it runs twenty-four hours a day, Marie-Annick emphasises. Tractors with heavily loaded trailers are patiently lining up. The vehicles are weighed on a scale along with their cargo, and later the empty vehicles will pass over the scale again.

 

Sugar factory of Bois Rouge

This facility doesn’t just produce sugar – it also yields molasses, the syrupy by-product that isn’t suitable for human consumption but still contains enough sugar to be used in rum production. Then there’s the bagasse, the leftover cane stalks, which serve as biomass fuel for power plants.

In the meantime, pitch-black clouds have gathered over the interior. Rain is clearly on the way. It doesn’t take long before a fine drizzle sets in, quickly turning into a real downpour. But just as we arrive at the parking area of Îlet Bethléem, the rain stops. And as it turns out, it will stay dry for the rest of the day.

 

Bamboo grove with nests of village weavers

Geoffrey appears right on cue – the man who will guide us through this beautiful natural setting. But first, he picks up something that turns out to be part of a bird’s nest. We only have to tilt our heads back to see dozens of such nests hanging high up in a huge bamboo bush. It’s a full-fledged colony of village weaver. The big yellow birds fly back and forth, busy perfecting their homes. They do this while hanging upside down, as the entrance to their nests always faces downward, making it extra hard for intruders to get in.

A small threshold separates the front chamber from the actual nesting chamber, preventing the eggs from rolling out

Village weaver building his nest

On the outside, the weaver’s nest is made of narrow strips of palm leaves, while the interior is lined with pieces of bamboo. If we could enter one of these nests, we would first find ourselves in a little tunnel leading to a front chamber. A small threshold separates this area from the actual nesting chamber, preventing the eggs from rolling out.

 

Part of the nest of a village weaver

Geoffrey calls this area a truly special site. Not just because of its remarkable history, but also for its climate. Typically, five to six meters of rain fall here annually – not exactly the kind of news we were hoping to hear. Down below, we’ll find a river: the Rivière des Marsouins. It often acts as a kind of rain barrier. Sometimes it rains on the other side of the river, while this side stays dry.

They are born here, live and die here without ever leaving this place, where civilization has never penetrated

But it’s primarily the 18th-century events that give Îlet Bethléem its renown. Around five to six hundred people once sought refuge here. They survived solely on fishing and hunting. They are born here, live and die here without ever leaving this place, where civilisation has never penetrated, wrote the French lithographer Antoine Roussin in his Album de la Réunion. But the pressure of a growing population became too much. It became increasingly difficult to find enough food. The custom of passing down land only to the eldest son, leaving the other children with nothing, only added to the strain.

 

 

That distressing situation had also reached the ears of the governor’s wife, Amélia Delisle. In 1855, she had an ouvroir built here, a place where young girls were trained in practical skills such as sewing, cooking, and gardening. Four nuns from the Daughters of Mary were assigned to carry out that task. Naturally, a chapel was also erected. Both buildings were made of stone, emphasises Geoffrey, a highly unusual and fairly expensive construction method for such a remote location. From then on, the place would be called Îlet Bethléem.

 

 

It wasn’t until 1930 that people moved away from here. They were offered the chance to build a new life elsewhere. Young families with children gladly took up the offer; older people generally preferred to stay.

There was once a cyclone that dropped two meters of water in twenty-four hours. That’s more than Belgium gets in an entire year

Via a comfortable, concreted path, we descend into the densely wooded valley. The many bamboo groves are striking. That’s a good thing, because they are firmly anchored in the ground and protect the steep slopes from landslides whenever another cyclone passes through. There are about a dozen of them each year. Between January and April, they arrive from across the Indian Ocean, via tiny Rodrigues and Mauritius, eventually reaching Madagascar. There was once a cyclone that dropped two meters of water in twenty-four hours. That’s more than Belgium gets in an entire year. Incidentally, it’s not the water that poses the greatest danger, but the wind. These days, meteorologists are able to predict cyclones up to two weeks in advance, with an accuracy of one hundred kilometres.

 

Planted lychee trees

In the depths below, we glimpse a forest covering a large part of the valley floor. It is not a natural forest, says Geoffrey, it consists of lychee trees that were once planted there.

Half an hour later, we find ourselves beneath the very lychee trees. The fruit hangs so high that it seems almost impossible to pick. Back then, experienced pickers were needed, men who climbed the trees and used long poles to pull the branches toward them, allowing them to grab the fruit and place it in a basket. But labour safety legislation has since evolved, and such practices are no longer permitted. After all, from a legal standpoint, we are still in Europe.

It is dedicated to an immensely popular “saint.” His name is Saint Expédit

Chapel of Saint Expédit

Slightly hidden among the undergrowth, a small chapel suddenly appears. Were it not painted a blood red, it would be barely noticeable. Yet it is dedicated to an immensely popular “saint.” His name is Saint Expédit. You can turn to him in urgent cases and matters requiring swift resolution. But you can also invoke him to cast a curse on someone – a local version of voodoo, Geoffrey adds. In practice, this cult is a mixture of Catholic elements with superstitions from Madagascar and India. That’s not surprising, given the origins of the population of La Réunion.

 

 

However, the Catholic Church has always viewed this cult with disdain. In 1906, Pope Pius X made a final decision: Saint Expédit was removed from the list of saints. That this open-air chapel is still well maintained in such a harsh environment suggests that local believers haven’t paid much attention to that decision.

 

Carob tree

Vanilla plants grow wild here, but as we now know, while they will produce flowers, they won’t bear pods because they will wait in vain for the bees that handle pollination. We see wild pineapples, beautiful orchids, a carob tree, and lovely bamboo groves. In short, nature is showing its best side. The presence of irises here and there, Geoffrey says, indicates that a small hut must once have stood in those spots.

While they will produce flowers, these wild vanilla plants won’t bear pods because they will wait in vain for the bees that handle pollination

Bamboo bush

All the while, we notice that Geoffrey regularly picks up plastic litter and collects it in a small bag. He also picks up cans, but not paper, since that decomposes anyway. If you leave trash behind, it only attracts more trash, is his philosophy. His volunteer spirit is something we can only applaud. The shrubs he calls bois de Noël aren’t spared either. While this ardisia crenata is used around the world as a decorative ornamental plant, here it is an invasive species threatening the native flora. Geoffrey pulls the red berries from the branches, uproots the shrub, and hangs it in a tree. We won’t be able to stop the spread of the plant, he sighs, but this way I can at least limit the damage.

 

Rivière des Marsouins

Bamboo bush with weaver nests

Every thirty seconds, the water level is measured and transmitted to a village downstream. The water can rise that quickly

Rivière des Marsouins

Eventually, we arrive at the banks of the Rivière des Marsouins. Immediately, the solar panels on the opposite side catch the eye. They power a monitoring station. Every thirty seconds, the water level is measured and transmitted to a village downstream. Because when a cloudburst occurs, every minute counts – the water can rise that quickly.

 

Village weaver

It’s a striking figure, with its impressive crest and red cheeks. Geoffrey calls it a merle de Maurice – a Mauritius blackbird

Red-whiskered bulbul

Here too, a colony of large weaverbirds has taken over the highest branches of a bamboo grove. But this time, it’s another bird that captures our attention. It’s a striking figure, with its impressive crest and red cheeks. Geoffrey calls it a merle de Maurice – a Mauritius blackbird – because it originates from that island and carries the stigma that comes with it, as it is considered an invasive species that introduced unwanted plants. But it’s not actually a blackbird – it’s a red-whiskered bulbul.

 

Both buildings were made of stone, a highly unusual and fairly expensive construction method for such a remote location

Îlet Bethléem – Chapel

Geoffrey leads us to the place where it all began. Only the chapel and the ruins of the school are still standing. Any traces of the primitive huts are nowhere to be found. The chapel, however, is in good condition. Inside, the church furniture is practically ready for use. It makes sense that this building is well maintained. Every year, the chapel is the final destination for pilgrims during the Christmas season.

We’re enjoying the grand setting – the tall trees of the monumental forest, the paradisiacal lane of bamboo groves, the silence broken only by the sound of running water and birdsong

 

But Geoffrey has another surprise in store for us. Two men appear as if out of nowhere, and they’ve prepared a picnic lunch for us. Before we fully realise it, we’re standing with an aperitif in hand, enjoying the grand setting – the tall trees of the monumental forest, the paradisiacal lane of bamboo groves, the silence broken only by the sound of running water and birdsong. It's a full lunch, with traditional samoussas as a starter, followed by chicken or sausage with vegetables, and finished off with pineapple and mango for dessert.

The meal was prepared by a woman named Mireille. We go to visit her at her small eatery, Chez Mireille, in Bourbier les Hauts. On her simple terrace with red plastic chairs, she wants to treat us to coffee, tea, and cake. And of course, rum arrangé is not to be missed – it’s a matter of pride for any host or hostess on this island. Nothing all that special, you might think – were it not for the fact that this sprightly lady is 83 years young.

 

Red fody (m)

It’s half past two when we bid farewell to the cheerful Mireille. We now head via the ring road toward Saint-Denis and then on to La Saline les Bains on the touristy west coast, where we’ll be staying for the next few nights.

Once past Saint-Denis, the route can only be described as spectacular

Once past Saint-Denis, the route can only be described as spectacular. The coastline there consists of cliffs that are hundreds of meters high and slope steeply down toward the sea. There’s barely any space at the base of those rocks for the N1, the old coastal road. It’s literally life-threatening. Dozens of fatalities have already occurred. Falling rocks, flash floods after tropical downpours, and even waves crashing violently onto the roadway from the sea are not uncommon.

 

The crown jewel is undoubtedly the stunning viaduct between Saint-Denis and Grande Chaloupe. It’s called the largest viaduct in Europe

Nouvelle Route du Littoral

The Nouvelle Route du Littoral (NRL) was designed to solve all of these problems. Construction began in 2009 on a project originally estimated at €1.6 billion but which ultimately cost €3 billion. Only at the beginning of this year (2023) was the NRL opened along its full 12.4 km length.

The crown jewel is undoubtedly the stunning viaduct between Saint-Denis and Grande Chaloupe. It’s called the largest viaduct in Europe – yes, in all of Europe – with a length of 5.4 km and a width of 30 meters, wide enough for two sets of three traffic lanes.

Underwater bubble curtains acted as acoustic shields around sound sources to reduce noise pollution for cetaceans

For safety reasons, the viaduct was built 80 to 300 meters offshore. That’s no small feat, as La Réunion is a volcanic island with no continental shelf, meaning the seafloor drops off steeply. The sea can be particularly violent here, so the most extreme conditions were taken into account, including towering waves, cyclones, and even the impact of a ship striking a support pillar. The designers estimate a lifespan of one hundred years.

 

Zebra dove

Common myna

Another major concern was marine life. Cetaceans near the construction site could be seriously affected. The sea was therefore monitored around the clock. The underwater noise from machinery causes significant stress to sea animals, so bubble curtains were used to muffle the sound. Some bridge supports were even designed to be attractive as breeding grounds for whales. Coral reefs were shielded from potential clouds of fine dust, and the growth of new coral reefs was actively encouraged.

 

Trou d’Eau (La Saline les Bains)

By now, we’ve arrived in La Saline les Bains on the island’s west coast. Puddles along the road suggest it rained earlier today. One of the many coastal hotels will be our home for the coming days.

Top

Jaak Palmans
© 2025 | Version 2025-05-08 14:00

Continue reading in (2/4)

Fortunately, it is a shield volcano

¹⁾ In accordance with Article 73 of the French Constitution, we write La Réunion, not Réunion or la Réunion.

²⁾ The curators of the exhibition advocate for writing maron and maronage instead of marron and marronnage. Partly because this (technically incorrect) spelling was common in many documents from that era, partly to avoid confusion with homonyms that refer to the colour chestnut brown, but mostly to emphasise the new societal recognition of the maronage phenomenon.