?Ever since I have come to Mauritius, I have always felt that people are very open and very friendly. More importantly, I have noticed also that they are very interested in you, whether you are a Mauritian or a foreigner. It is as if you are somebody who matters to their eyes, which is not very much the case abroad. Indeed, I can say that I have travelled a lot, and I have never found such attitude in any other country.

I have hundred of stories to illustrate what I am saying about Mauritian people. One of them goes back around 12 years ago, when I had just arrived in the country. I had a hired car and I was told that there were some areas where I should not stop, even if I had an accident, I should rather go straight to the police station. On the first Saturday I arrived, I had a puncture in a quite badly reputed area apparently. The moment I opened the boot, someone came from behind and started taking things out of the boot while telling me not to worry.

In all honesty, I felt worried and was convinced I was being hijacked, as he drove me down the road to a tyre repair place. The guy fixed the tyre and charged me Rs 100, which is nothing compared to what I used to pay in South Africa. Finally he asked me to drive him back to his home, which was just 200 metres away, which I did obviously.

Eight years later, I saw the man again when my wife and I were building our house. He was the truck driver who brought the wood I needed. Surprisingly, he was the one who remembered my name and everything. I realized that it was typically Mauritian. They do not make any special effort to be as such, in fact Mauritians are just being themselves by acting in this way. But, as I said, I have had many other similar stories, which have showed me how Mauritians care for others. It is just a wonderful attribute that they have.?