Published in "Food and Home" magazine

Revelling in Reunion

There is one of the world's most active volcanoes, black volcanic beaches and white sand beaches. The people exude a warm tropical hospitality and the Creole curries and flavoured rums make for decadent dining. Reunion is the epitome of fine island living and the ultimate adventure destination rolled into one.

Story : Keri Harvey

The rain pelted down on the tin roof in a deafening display of tropical fury. Outside the downpour transformed the tarred street into a raging river, and residents scurried for cover. But inside we were dry, and amused at the bizarre scene before us.

We were sheltering from the storm in the Notre Dame de Laves church in Piton St Rose, along with a beggar, a stray dog and four women enjoying their lunchtime sandwiches. As we sat watching from the back row of the church, we were captivated by the motley congregation that had gathered to escape the weather. The curious sweetpotato and banana cake we had acquired for lunch was completely forgotten in our pockets, as we sat quietly and tried to imagine the dramatic events of 1977.

Notre Dame de Laves is known as the miracle church and is a legend in Reunion. Locals believe it is good luck to worship there, which is why the church doors are permanently wide open. And why a beggar, a stray dog, four lunch buddies and two South African journalists could take cover there and escape a tropical storm.

Reunion's active volcano Piton des Fournaise is not too far away. The volcano has a short temper and blows its top virtually every year - and 1977 was no exception. Anais a local tour guide says: "Fournaise blew and the lava was headed straight for the town of Piton St Rose. The lava was very liquid so it was flowing fast. It took the bank and the police station and many houses in the town. But the priest refused to leave his church. He said: "If my church goes, I go". So he stood in the open doorway of the church and watched the laving coming down the hill. Then a miracle happened. As the lava got to the church, it split and went around the church, then joined up again and went on to the sea. Everyone believes it was a miracle.

Just down the road near Bois Blanc is another symbol of protection from the volcano: a madonna, who is said to shield locals and their crops from the fury of Fournaise. La Vierge au Parasol (the Virgin with the Umbrella) stands along the roadside, the base of her statue strewn in flowers and adorned with lighted candles. Locals claim that as long as this pale blue statue stands there, no lava ever comes close. But when the volcano erupted in 2001, the mayor lost his nerve and removed La Vierge, fearing she would be destroyed. Lava flowed down the mountainside, destroying everything in its path, until it reached the sea. Local residents were furious when they heard what had happened and claim that La Vierge would have definitely diverted the lava flow, had she been there. The blue statue with her umbrella held high, has been back at her post ever since - and no lava has come close.

Such stories and many strange beliefs abound in Reunion. The island's people are a melting pot of Creole, French, African, Indian and Chinese, and with them comes their various cultures and religions. So Catholicism and voodoo live side by side, and madonnas and churches feature just as prominently as voodoo shrines - painted bright red and often dotted along the roadside. But this is just one of the more obvious contrasts that make Reunion an island of extremes.

"Reunion is really like a big rock with three holes in it," says Anais, when describing the geography of the island. Formed when volcanoes emerged from the sea millions of years ago, Reunion is comprised entirely of two volcanoes. In the middle of the island is the dormant but mighty Piton des Neiges at over 3 000m high and on the south-east coast lies the very active and temperamental Piton de la Fournaise, which erupts virtually every year and spills its molten rock into the sea. Not surprising then that the sand along this coastline is pitch black, the result of weathered volcanic lava.

Then on the west coast - where most of the tourist hotels are situated - are snow-white, castor sugar beaches. Here the sea is calm and reefs protect large stretches of the coastline and make it safe for swimming, snorkelling, skuba diving and sailing. This is also perfect-weather coastline, all year round and a stomping ground for sun, sand and sea lovers.

The southern coastline is known as The Wild South and is a dramatic display of marine power, as waves pound the shore. This is arguably the most beautiful and scenic stretch of coastline. The road hugs the water's edge as you pass through quaint Creole villages, shuttered and brightly painted, all with wild gardens of orchids, hibiscus and poinsettia. The east coast is dominated by lava flows into the sea, and the north coast is tame and commercial, with hardly a gap between towns and villages. That's where you'll find the capital, St Denis, a thriving city of clean white buildings clutching the mountainside for fear of slipping into the sea.

Most of Reunionaise life happens along the coast. It's where nearly all the towns and cities are built and it's the most accessible part of the island. A spanking tarred road runs all the way around the island, with a few secondary roads branching inland wherever the terrain allows. The volcanic interior of the island is mostly inhospitable, but breathtakingly beautiful and dramatic. Admittedly it takes steely nerves to hit the road "into the interior", through hairpin bend, steep ascents and sheer descents - but the scenery is majestic and magical.

The "three holes" in the island are the cirques of Cilaos, Salazie and Mafate, all completely different and unique in their charm. Salazie is the greenest of the cirques and is so lush and verdant that waterfalls seem to pour from the mountainside wherever they can find a space. Over 100 waterfalls can be found in Salazie, one of which streams down directly onto the main road, giving your car a free wash as you pass under it.

While Salazie is the biggest cirque, Mafate at just 72km². In contrast, Mafate is bone dry and there is no road into the cirque, though about 700 people live in hamlets in the cirque. Everything in Mafate has been carried by foot or dropped by helicopter, and it's claimed there are people living there that have never even seen a car and have no concept of the modern world. Mafate appears stuck in the Middle Ages and, with no planned access routes, might just stay that way.

Cilaos is again different. To get there you drive from sea level to 1 200m altitude in 34km, and negotiate 200 hairpin bends along a narrow and precarious mountain road. But that's only half the battle won. To get out, the same 200 hairpin bends and the smell of burning brakes all the way down the volcano's side. This is great trekking and kloofing country, and daredevils even go mountain biking there.

We did realise quite quickly though, that there is nothing too extreme or treacherous that a stiff rum and Creole curry wouldn't soothe. The food is magnificent, incorporating the best of French and Creole cooking, spiced with fresh herbs. Thyme is a favourite and ginger seems to make guest appearances in some less-likely dishes. And if the food is not to your liking, you could always stick with the rum. There's every flavour - from litchi to mango, coconut and vanilla - and it also comes in different octanes, some being comparable to jet fuel.

Everything about Reunion is unexpected. There are just so many diverse, intense and unusual experiences to soak up and savour, such warm and hospitable folk that welcome you wherever you go, and such sensational food that home cooking will never be quite the same. And neither will you. You see, Reunion gets under your skin.