I was not actually here for the coming of the new year as I was abducted to Mauritius and partook of much mirth, merriment, some snorkelling, several beers and braais on the beach. So much fun was had...
...but let us get back to being miserable. The closing of 2005 saw the number of cases of chikungunya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikungunya) rising to embarassingly high levels - embarassing that is for the tourist office who tells every one that there are NO health problems on the island. The DRASS (work that out yourself) have published a figure of 6000 of the number of cases. Unofficial estimates are somewhat higher and 30,000 has been quoted. So what? One thing people seem to forget is that this is a tropical island. We like it like that. Tropical island have lots of exotic tropical things and that even includes diseases. Of course everyone else is to blame and has nothing to do with people breeding mosquitos in all that rubbish, spare tyres and whatever that is left lying around. I, fortunately or not, have yet to be infected. Besides, last year I had Dengwe fever, which was nearly as exciting.
Letters have been published in the local press from disgruntled holiday makers (well two) who demand to know why they weren't told such a plague was gallopping through the isle. Bad for tourism. Strange that, I went to Paris last year but no one ever told me about the viral self combustion of cars - "auto de feu"?
If you are considering coming on holiday then do so, just be sensible and besides the Chiku hasn't killed anyone yet - just wait till bird flu arrives. Hey! Maybe that is why the dodo was killed off...
The volcano is still erupting but nothing too dramatic...
(http://www.fournaise.info/decembre05/eruptiondec2005.html)
... as I haven't yet been to see it I haven't got any snaps to share. But if I did have i would probably complain about the police presence - see last years eruption. Oddly enough, my moaning seems not to have gone unheard and a recent article in the Journal (http://archives.clicanoo.com/article.php3?id_article=120436&var_recherche=volcan) questions why we have armed police on the volcano yet do nothing against the prodigal horseman of chikungunya, delinquency, immigration and all that stuff. You all know the answer; maybe next week they'll get around to tackling corruption...
Latest hot dribbling gossip is that the volcano is preparing for an eruption outside of the "enclos", might get some snaps after all ;-)
http://www.clicanoo.com/article.php3?id_article=120628
No comments:
Post a Comment