A Reunion Hike on Reunion Island by Grecia Alvarado:
I was on my way back to Texas after four months of living in Southeast Asia. Having previously experienced the post-trip depression that many travelers suffer from after returning home, I intended for this upcoming homecoming to be different. I decided that the tiny French territory of La Réunion, and not Texas, would be the place where I would ground myself again. It wasn’t home, per se, but a dear friend Jen was living there and I had an open invitation to visit. My hope and expectation was to relax, honor my recent experience in India, and do some healing with a wonderful friend.
In a whirlwind, though, I did a lot more than just relax. Among other things I scuba dived in shark-infested waters, took a 24-hour survival training course led by an army sergeant, navigated the idiosyncrasies of the creole language (‘ti is short for the French petit), dined on crispy wasp larvae served with rice, and grooved to the Maloy and Sega music and dance styles, heavily influenced by nearby African rhythms.
We also hiked the Cirque de Mafate, a 3-day trek across the island’s calderas, a magical adventure of deep lunges up and down boulders, tight bends around rocky trails, steep drop-offs from seemingly never-ending cliffs, and a meandering river that led to a waterfall tucked into a crack in the Earth beneath our feet.
It wasn’t until my final night in Mafate, however, that I felt completely immersed in the culture I had spent the past month falling in love with. We spent it in La Nouvelle. For dinner, a delicious cari canard, duck curry. Later, wine-drinking and guitar-playing. Even later, cups upon cups of Rhum Arrangé as the Maloy rhythms blared through the bar’s speakers. Surrounded by a dance floor of couples and beneath a sea of countless stars.
At one point a handsome local asked me to join him on the dancefloor. I can’t say I danced Maloy. I think I invented my own style, a combination of bachata and cumbia dance moves that I was more familiar with. Before falling asleep that night I laid in a grassy field and admired the Milky Way twinkling above.
The most challenging part of traveling for me has always been the process of returning home. But as I laid in the grass that last night on Reunion I felt so present, in the moment, and alive. I began to trust in the synchronicity of life. To trust that I was and would always be in the exact place I’m supposed to be. That I was in Reunion simply because. I try now to carry that same sentiment with me always, to find that same peace when I return home, every time.
THE FACTS
I first met Grecia in 2015 through Putney Student Travel. We’ve since been abroad three times together, co-leading trips in Central and South America. Though she lives too far away in Texas, Grecia remains a best friend of mine and guru of all things spiritual and herbal.
If you enjoyed reading about Grecia’s hike on Reunion Island, you might also check out the following stories related to other nature adventures:
- “Climbing Giants: Collecting Coconuts in Qamea, Fiji” by Tim Ghazzawi
- “RedRocks|Blue Bergs: Color Hiking in Sedona, Arizona and Patagonia, Chile” by Tim Ghazzawi
- “Snow Bunny: Skiing in Nagano, Japan” by Fatima Sitson
