West of the Mascarenes on The cyclist diary

At the End of the Thrust, the Sea

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The night was surprisingly good near our little kiosk. So much so that the tent dried out, unlike our clothes soaked by yesterday’s rain. We’re in high spirits, with only a few kilometers left to descend before the end of this GR. After a quick breakfast, we’re already on the road, chatting eagerly. About an hour and a half later, we meet the sea again, this time on the south coast.

Shall We Go Down?

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The night is a bit restless; the tent is pitched on a bump and I have to twist around to avoid feeling it. Fortunately, the extraordinary view of the Piton de la Fournaise makes up for this inconvenience; we enjoy it with a nice hot coffee.

Toward a New Peak

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The morning is quite fresh, and even sheltered in our guesthouse, we feel the cold of the “highlands.” Nevertheless, the weather is radiant, our laundry is clean and dry, we’re full of energy to hit the road again. The crossing of the village strikes me; I feel like I’m in the Aubrac. Small houses, smell of wood fire, frosty pastures.

Soaked Through (Like Chayote Soup)

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the end, luck was not on our side. This morning upon waking, we are greeted by clouds, rain, wind — the very same ones that had shaken our poor little tent all night long. No sunrise then, disappointment for the countless hikers who had come to admire it.

Storming the Piton des Neiges

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The night spent at our bivouac spot turned out to be very pleasant, and William and I wake up feeling good. We have breakfast with our friends and take the time to make coffee. Today, the goal is indeed not to finish the stage too early. We plan to climb the Piton des Neiges and arriving early would mean enduring intense cold for too long.

Getting Out of Mafate

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The night is rather good near the river, but unfortunately I wake up around 4am and can’t get back to sleep. The three of us have breakfast before taking the “rempart” path that borders the Mafate cirque. Today’s stage consists of getting out of it to reach the town of Cilaos.

Three Rogues at the Three Rocks

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Our day starts with a small pleasure: local bananas offered by the owner of the campsite where we’re sleeping, who gives them to us to accompany our everlasting oatmeal with milk. The descent toward the gorges is, as always, brutal, with large stone steps to step over; then we do it all over again in reverse on the other side.

From the River to Grand Place

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A calm and long night gives us the energy to get up around 6am, pack the tent (dry) and prepare our usual porridge with powdered milk. The bivouac spot was ideal; we were lulled by the sound of the river and barely disturbed by a wild cat.

Under the Fog, the Rain

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Around 2am, a rain that starts light then becomes intense wakes us up. We had hoped to get up at 6am, but faced with so much water, we postpone until 7am. The calculation proves unwise; it’s still raining just as hard. We meet hikers we’d seen the day before in the common room. Everyone is waiting for the fog to clear to climb up to Roche Écrite and see the panorama. We run out of patience, walk for 30 minutes in the rain, soak our shoes, then turn back: we won’t see anything.

Conquering Roche Écrite

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Early in the morning, we set out in search of a gas canister that we couldn’t bring on the plane. We buy one (the wrong one, we’ll learn later) along with some provisions for lunch.

A First Time for Everything

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Bordeaux/Paris/Saint-Denis

An adventure often starts with a transfer — not always, mind you. This one is no exception to the rule, since getting to Réunion inevitably involves a flight, a rather long one at that.

The departure is from Bordeaux, under sweltering heat, on the train to Tourcoing, which stops at Charles de Gaulle. There, I meet my old friend William, whom I haven’t seen since Corsica, almost a year ago. We’re happy to see each other again; for each of us, the year has been long and rather short on paid leave.