0:00:00 > 0:00:00Now on BBC News, time for the Travel Show.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Mauritius, a force of nature in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Mauritius is marking the 50th year of independence from British
0:00:25 > 0:00:30colonial rule, but the intriguing, rich and sometimes dark story of
0:00:30 > 0:00:33this island nation goes back way before then.
0:00:39 > 0:00:48On my journey I'm going to explore the history of Mauritius. See and
0:00:48 > 0:00:54taste how multiculturalism works here. That is nice. Go on a day to
0:00:54 > 0:01:02the races. Did we win? Did we win? And visit a unique conservation
0:01:02 > 0:01:10project saving endangered species. This island is so often labelled as
0:01:10 > 0:01:13just a luxury beach paradise, but the reality is so much more
0:01:13 > 0:01:15fascinating than that.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Mauritius, gorgeous beaches, turquoise waters and lush
0:01:29 > 0:01:38vegetation. But the Cuban story is just as awe-inspiring. -- human.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42This mountain on the south-west of the island faces in the direction of
0:01:42 > 0:01:51Madagascar and the stands 555 metres high. It's also at a 45 degrees
0:01:51 > 0:01:56incline. No walk in the park.
0:01:59 > 0:02:05For the likes of me, this is a challenging climb, I've got to say.
0:02:05 > 0:02:15In fact, I think for anybody it's challenging.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20Near the top I join a guy who's done this climb up to three times a day
0:02:20 > 0:02:27every day pretty much everyday for 13 years.Its volcanic.This is
0:02:27 > 0:02:31volcanic rock?It's probably from the first eruption 10 million years
0:02:31 > 0:02:37ago. And actually it's very good for climbing. Yeah, there's lots of good
0:02:37 > 0:02:44grip.The mountain marks a dark but symbolic chapter in the island's
0:02:44 > 0:02:48history, the days of slavery under Dutch, French and British rule. This
0:02:48 > 0:02:56is where many escaped slaves called the Maroons found refuge.They could
0:02:56 > 0:03:00have a look towards Madagascar and for them...That's home.That was
0:03:00 > 0:03:06home, that was the site and they expected one day may be to build,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10like, a craft and go back home and just to escape from this prison.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Horrible.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23It's a world away up here from the beach resorts that populate the rest
0:03:23 > 0:03:28of the island, but actually this trek is almost a pilgrimage to get
0:03:28 > 0:03:36to the very hard of Mauritius identity. There's a particularly
0:03:36 > 0:03:39poignant tale told about the Maroons in what should have been their
0:03:39 > 0:03:45moment of celebration. When slavery was abolished here in 1835, soldiers
0:03:45 > 0:03:50climbed the mountain to tell the Maroons they were free, but the
0:03:50 > 0:03:54escaped slaves thought they were being recaptured and instead chose
0:03:54 > 0:03:56to jump off the mountain.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Why do you think this is so important to the identity of people
0:04:03 > 0:04:09from Mauritius?Because I guess it's a unique story. It's part of our
0:04:09 > 0:04:13story here in Mauritius and it's one of the only places we know of that
0:04:13 > 0:04:22somehow the slaves resisted to their masters and for us, it's almost like
0:04:22 > 0:04:25a venerated mountain, a sacred mountain, not only for the
0:04:25 > 0:04:32descendants of slaves but for Mauritius is as well.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39After slavery was abolished, the British brought in hundreds of
0:04:39 > 0:04:44thousands of so-called intention labourers from India and China in
0:04:44 > 0:04:51what was known as the Great Experiment. Today Port Lewis is the
0:04:51 > 0:04:55country's capital with its colonial legacy and contemporary diversity
0:04:55 > 0:04:59everywhere to be seen.
0:05:09 > 0:05:15I'm about to get a personalised unit for what this city and Mauritius
0:05:15 > 0:05:23offers in terms of its diverse food and other wares as well. Hi, how do
0:05:23 > 0:05:28you do, nice to meet you.Nice to meet you.So this is a food place
0:05:28 > 0:05:33here?Yes.But you'd never know to look at it, it's pretty low-key.
0:05:33 > 0:05:45Yes, but it's pretty famous as well. He's making some deep-fried pits,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48you can deep-fried almost everything. He has this batter that
0:05:48 > 0:05:59he made, it's with flour, some herbs and salt.Richards may seem isolated
0:05:59 > 0:06:03in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but it was actually nicely placed on
0:06:03 > 0:06:11the spice route which linked Asia, Africa and Europe. -- Mauritius.Now
0:06:11 > 0:06:16he's adding all the herbs you need for the chilly bites.Chillis. Are
0:06:16 > 0:06:20they strong chillis? Spring onions.There's a clear
0:06:20 > 0:06:23inference from Gujarati traders whose forefathers came over from
0:06:23 > 0:06:26India in the 19th century but there's a distinctive Mauritian
0:06:26 > 0:06:41accent to the food too. It just hit me!
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Now, this is a multi- ethnic multicultural multilingual multi-
0:06:52 > 0:06:59religion country, so Hinduism is the majority religion but you've also
0:06:59 > 0:07:06got Christianity, Islam, Chinese religions, Buddhism. It's all here.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Where are we?We're in a small market that is made up of street
0:07:11 > 0:07:14vendors. All these people used to be selling everything from clothes to
0:07:14 > 0:07:20food to electronic gadgets on the street but that was illegal so the
0:07:20 > 0:07:23state gave them some spaces.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Ca va? So this is after, he used to be on a street corner in Chinatown
0:07:34 > 0:07:39selling dumplings with his father. So now he is here.Chinese --
0:07:39 > 0:07:51Mauritian?Yeah.This is the long fish?Yes, the long fish.That is
0:07:51 > 0:07:57nice, that is really good. How many will years have you working?For
0:07:57 > 0:08:04myself, after schooling, nearly 50 years. 50 years!The sheer diversity
0:08:04 > 0:08:11of food is one benefit of the cultural hotpot in Russia's. Another
0:08:11 > 0:08:15is language, French, English and Creole is all spoken here. And then
0:08:15 > 0:08:25there's music. -- Mauritius. Sega is a rhythm and genre indigenous to
0:08:25 > 0:08:36this island. And this lady is known as the voice of the Indian Ocean.
0:09:06 > 0:09:13Be distinctive drum is called the Ravan, a home-grown incident that
0:09:13 > 0:09:16the. -- the.
0:10:06 > 0:10:13On the tiny island here Mauritius is playing host to unique conservation
0:10:13 > 0:10:17project which takes us back to a time five centuries ago before
0:10:17 > 0:10:26mankind ever set foot here. The ecosystem of an island like
0:10:26 > 0:10:31Mauritius is extremely fragile, and ever since mankind arrived in the
0:10:31 > 0:10:3417th century, that ecosystem has been severely disrupted and that has
0:10:34 > 0:10:39led to the extinction of some very important species like, for example,
0:10:39 > 0:10:40the dodo.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49The dodo lost the ability to fly through evolution, because until man
0:10:49 > 0:10:54brought in predators, they didn't really need to.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Today the one remaining native mammal to Mauritius, the fruit bat,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02can fly with elegant ease, but it's not a great favourite for some, like
0:11:02 > 0:11:03fruit growers.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13So this is the Mauritius fruit bat. It is a bat that is unique to
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Mauritius. It can travel for 15 kilometres, 20 kilometres, 40
0:11:18 > 0:11:24kilometres in one night. It's like man that's got hands, but these
0:11:24 > 0:11:27hands here have been modified amazingly to become a wing.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38It's an animal that can see very, very well, despite what a lot of
0:11:38 > 0:11:42people think. They need to rest during the day to save their energy
0:11:42 > 0:11:48because it gets hot in the tropics, but at night, as it's getting ARC,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51they leave their daytime roosts, as they're called, and they go out and
0:11:51 > 0:11:53they look for food.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05They will first of all eat fruits to keep themselves alive, but also they
0:12:05 > 0:12:10will be dispersing fruits and they maintain their own survival by
0:12:10 > 0:12:16maintaining the forests. The larger project here is hugely
0:12:16 > 0:12:21ambitious and earning international acclaim.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25We actually are recreating the whole ecosystems. It's one of the few
0:12:25 > 0:12:30places on earth were we're not just trying to save a few odd plants and
0:12:30 > 0:12:33a few odd animals, we're actually piecing together as best as we can,
0:12:33 > 0:12:39it will never be perfect, but as best as we can the whole ecosystem
0:12:39 > 0:12:43as it existed prior to the arrival of man.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Should we be frightened of this animal, should I be frightened being
0:12:47 > 0:12:52this close to this animal now?Well, I'm not frightened of any animal, I
0:12:52 > 0:12:58don't know why anyone should be. There are some countries where bats
0:12:58 > 0:13:01are disperses and carriers of diseases but in Mauritius that's not
0:13:01 > 0:13:05the case. Of course where they are carriers of diseases there are some
0:13:05 > 0:13:14precautions to be taken of course, but that's not the case here. Would
0:13:14 > 0:13:19you like to hold the bat?RU Sirius. Yes, it will probably never all you
0:13:19 > 0:13:24a little bit if that's OK?Nibbled the?It's claws are going to be
0:13:24 > 0:13:34quite sharp.Wow. I can't believe it. This is weird is all I can say.
0:13:34 > 0:13:43This is a magic moment.I never thought I'd actually find a bat or
0:13:43 > 0:13:48an animal like this vaguely even cute, but you know what, it is kind
0:13:48 > 0:13:59of cute. And luckily not disease ridden as it bites my finger.No!Do
0:13:59 > 0:14:08you want to fly off, shall we get you to fly off?, men.
0:14:08 > 0:14:16Animals are central to Mauritius and identity in more ways than one. Take
0:14:16 > 0:14:21this weekly ritual that has been tightly wrapped up in Russia's
0:14:21 > 0:14:23culture, going to the races.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40The islands independence from British rule was declared on this
0:14:40 > 0:14:54very racecourse in 1968. -- the Champ de Mars, in 1968. Built more
0:14:54 > 0:14:59than two centuries ago, it is the oldest racecourse in the southern
0:14:59 > 0:15:03hemisphere. And from the start, it is very and was to bring disparate
0:15:03 > 0:15:07communities together. Oh, and to satisfy the local's love of
0:15:07 > 0:15:14gambling, of course. And today, there is one family who now dominate
0:15:14 > 0:15:19horseracing in Mauritius.-- locals'. Actually, it was my
0:15:19 > 0:15:24grandfather who introduced a family to horse racing. He was the first
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Indian to be a member of the National Assembly of Parliament. And
0:15:28 > 0:15:35in 1904, he was a businessman. At the beginning, he was a milk seller,
0:15:35 > 0:15:41but then he started doing business, buying land and buying and selling
0:15:41 > 0:15:46land and property.He also realise that buying a race horse would allow
0:15:46 > 0:15:51him to mingle with the big cheeses, especially French businessman, who
0:15:51 > 0:15:57ran the economy then, and loved racing. Today is a very special day.
0:15:57 > 0:16:05It is the final, classic race of the season, the Duke Cup. And a chance
0:16:05 > 0:16:09for this family to great history in the national sport.What has
0:16:09 > 0:16:16happened in that we have been able, with a bit of luck, to win the first
0:16:16 > 0:16:20classic 's, and if we win the fourth one today, we will be creating
0:16:20 > 0:16:28history. -- classics.And we got a peek into the paddock to meet his
0:16:28 > 0:16:34cousin.I often see you on the BBC, all over the world!This is very
0:16:34 > 0:16:39much a family affair.That is the cup that we are looking for.This
0:16:39 > 0:16:47one here? Can I touch it?Anyone can touch it before, but I want to touch
0:16:47 > 0:17:00it after.Afterwards... This is fantastic. I am getting a real
0:17:00 > 0:17:10insight, behind-the-scenes, with one of the most important men in racing.
0:17:10 > 0:17:16Inside the jockeys' room, preparations are under way. Down by
0:17:16 > 0:17:22the track, I can feel a sense of occasion here. Here is where
0:17:22 > 0:17:28everybody gathers, rich, poor, everyone. Whatever language or
0:17:28 > 0:17:37culture they are from, which ever cultural group. And this is the
0:17:37 > 0:17:41first race of the day. I wanted to get a feel for the passion for
0:17:41 > 0:17:47racing and gambling here. So I approach a local punter.Do you
0:17:47 > 0:17:55recommend any losses? A pink is one. Number three, Rogue Runner, in this
0:17:55 > 0:18:06race.Number three.I am not sure. There is my horse garment number
0:18:06 > 0:18:11three, Rogue Runner, and if I put 100 rupees on it, it says I will get
0:18:11 > 0:18:22six under Ruby 's back. Can I have 100 and number three, Rogue Runner?
0:18:22 > 0:18:29-- 600 rupees back will stop do you like Rogue Runner? Is that a good
0:18:29 > 0:18:35one? And this is my horse. Rogue Runner. I like his colours. LAUGHTER
0:18:35 > 0:19:18. Do you like number three? Number three. Here they come. ? Ditty
0:19:18 > 0:19:25when!? It was very close, or one? Number three one! At the last
0:19:25 > 0:19:31minute! Did
0:19:32 > 0:19:37-- did he win? At the last moment! Yes! And now it is time for the
0:19:37 > 0:19:45climax to the season. The big one, the Dukes Cup, at a time for the
0:19:45 > 0:19:48family to make history. They have not left much to chance. They have
0:19:48 > 0:19:53three out of the 12 horses running, including the favourite, written by
0:19:53 > 0:19:59the most successful champion jockey in the race. Our man is in his lucky
0:19:59 > 0:20:12spot to win the race next to his family. The favourite and there be
0:20:12 > 0:20:20hoping that is struggling. It does not look good.Let him proxy when!
0:20:20 > 0:20:27-- don't let him proxy when.Until from the outside another horse from
0:20:27 > 0:20:40their stable stars making ground. -- Dukes Cup. Ready To Attack is, well,
0:20:40 > 0:21:10ready to attack. -- NACRO one. -- starts. CHEERING. -- don't let him
0:21:10 > 0:21:12box you in.
0:21:18 > 0:21:27The family have done it and made history. Now this is over, what do
0:21:27 > 0:21:32you feel? A sense of relief, almost? Frankly, I don't get worked up
0:21:32 > 0:21:39before a race. You know, the people around, and the well-wishers, the
0:21:39 > 0:21:45supporters, everywhere you go around the island, you know, they just wish
0:21:45 > 0:21:56you well. I wanted to win that race for them.And in this 50th
0:21:56 > 0:22:01anniversary year of independence, it seems that the people of this island
0:22:01 > 0:22:12have plenty to celebrate. During my time here, I have seen a strong
0:22:12 > 0:22:16sense of nationhood amongst Mauritian is, and also realisation
0:22:16 > 0:22:22that precious wildlife must be protected. This is a relatively
0:22:22 > 0:22:26prosperous country, breaking free from its complicated and sometimes
0:22:26 > 0:22:31shameful colonial past. And what is exciting that right now, it is
0:22:31 > 0:22:36unique cultural identity is still evolving and making so much more
0:22:36 > 0:23:09than just a high-end holiday hotspot.