Almost two weeks have passed since we stepped foot on the beautiful Reunion Island.
Our plans have completely changed, but perhaps our early misfortune has been a blessing in disguise.
This is a follow up to the blog I wrote recently, and today I share some of what we've been busy with this past week.
As last weeks' post stated, our plans to live here on Reunion came a cropper as what we believe to be false promises were made, which forced us to re-think the idea of 
To be honest, Saint Denis is by no means the prettiest part of the Island and once we started our exploring, this became very apparent. As the capital, this is where the majority of the work is found, but there are no beaches and the general vibe is that of a town mainly used for short stays and those working in the local shops and industries.
Some highlights of the last week soon, but first I want to write a little about my memories of travelling as a 21 year old, as opposed to today, aged 39.
When I was a lad
I took a bank loan out to go see the world. I lied to the bank (sorry Barclays I did pay you back though!) and said I was buying a car. Which Bank would give you seven thousand pounds to go spend outside of the country you'd borrowed it from?!
Back then, plans weren't kept for long. You'd just go with the crowd, or not, depending on your mood. I had 1 rucksack, and felt as free as a bird. I hired bikes, took cheap buses, stayed in some really basic places, but it didn't matter - it was new to me, and my back could handle it!
These days it's a bit different. This is partly due to the fact I don't have a loan in my bank, and I (we) require an internet location to write blogs to fund our travels. Twenty years later, as you would expect, it's not as cheap as it was back then, and our current location necessitates a car to get around.
These things combined add to the cost and to the stress a little, and I guess I'm also finding living out of a bag a little harder than I remember.
Anyway, that's enough complaining, because this Island is beautiful!
What else does Reunion have to offer?
Well besides from some beautiful beaches and lagoons, what about those mountains, lakes, rivers, and trees!
Grand Étang
Earlier this week, we visited a lake in the mountains on the west side of the Island. Grand Étang (Large Pond!) is a the name of the lake and it is the largest on the island of Réunion.
Whilst 'only' about 500 metres above sea level, you still get the feeling of being in the clouds as the tops of the mountains that surround the lake are topped with clouds.
Its inflow is a short creek from the waterfall Cascade Biberon of the Bras d'Annette creek. It does not have an outflow. And you should be able to see this waterfall in the distance on the 2nd photo.
During this walk, we also met a group of these awesome looking trees. They reminded me of the trees that sprang to life in the movie 'Maleficent'.
Got wood? :D
Further down the coast, more waterfalls and this time they flow almost directly into the sea.
Piton de la Fournaise
Out of the sea, and into the fire. The Piton de la Fournaise (Peak of the Furnace) is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion. It takes most of an hour from the coast by car to reach the parking locations, but you get some fantastic views along the way.
The volcano erupted as recently as last year (2017), and is one of the worlds most active volcanoes. I'm going with 'luckily', today, it was stable for us and here are a few photos from today's trip.
I feel totally spoiled after today's trip into the clouds. I hope you enjoyed the views because I certainly did!
A taste of 'home'
In some ways, these shots reminded me of the UK. Perhaps its the cows. Yes I'm pretty sure it's the cows, the difference here is that these ones have a much better view than the ones i'm used to seeing, and are grazing at around 2000 feet. These are the planes on the west side of the Volcano, and is some of the best land on the island for livestock.
What a cracking view they have!
Beasties everywhere
Well it is a tropical island! So you have plenty of over-sized flying insects, and a fair share of mosquitoes, but check out this guy enjoying the lighting by the pool. Yikes!
My final photo today is taken from the place we are staying, and looks over La Baie des Mangues (Bay of Mangoes) towards the sea. Lovely!
Thanks for reading today and following our travels!
