After the West Indies, the USA, Wales and England, it is now time for Mauritius. As far back as he can remember, Akash Ramsundar has wanted to live any where else except in his hometown Durban. It’s not that he does not like his country. He’s just tired of always looking over his shoulder.

Peace of mind, security and a quiet life. That’s all Akash ever wanted. He has it now. He has only been living on the island for nine months and he already feels at home. Mauritius is no foreign land to the good doctor. At the age of 12, he paid our island his first visit. Since then, he has been a regular visitor. “But not as regular as my dad. Goodness, he knows the island better than he knows his own country!” Every excuse is good, says Dr Ramsundar, for his father to “take a break.”

Love for Mauritius runs in the family. Akash’s sister also lives on the island, being married to a Mauritian. There is no excuse then for homesickness? “Well… when I do feel homesick, home is only a flight away!” he says sheepishly. Akash’s line of medicine is a bit out of the ordinary. He specializes in men’s health – their sexual dysfunctions, to be more precise. Do Mauritian men speak of their bedroom problems easily? “They are coming around. It’s taboo over here to discuss those things openly. But we’re doing better than we expected. Let’s say one of the main difference between my South African patients and my Mauritian ones is that, over here, they ask more questions!” he says laughing.

Why Mauritius? “I know the country well. And when the company I work for decided to open an office here, I jumped on the occasion.” What Akash values more than anything here is: “Not having to worry about getting robbed, assaulted or killed. I can afford the luxury of going for a walk at night if I can’t sleep. I don’t need to take a gun, I don’t need to keep looking over my shoulder.” On a serious note, he paints a picture of the violence in SA and the precautions one needs to take to stay alive. “I can tell you this now; if I could stay here forever, I most definitely would!”

The loner that Akash is likes going for rides to his favourite beach Flic-en-Flac and eating out with the happy few that make up his close circle of friends. His quiet and peaceful life gets violently disrupted when he is stuck in traffic though. “My God! The fast lane is blocked with some dude riding at 50 km who is holding up the others, the slow lane is not even worth mentioning and you get pulled up if you venture onto the emergency lane! Then, as if that weren’t bad enough, the cars give out so much pollution, you can barely see in front of you.”

Small price to pay for the peace and tranquility of the island though. Akash Ramsundar is not willing to swap polluted air for guns however. He’s quite happy answering his patients’ never-ending questions on taboos…