33.25 Reunion: A Hike to Marla, a town in a cirque with access per foot only. 33.26 Waterfall near Cilaos.
We departed from the trailhead , after taking a bus from our hotel, a journey of less than 20 minutes. A car provides convenience which cannot be over-estimated. However, bus travel reduces stress levels caused by the usual worries of renting a car. These include costs, potential damage, theft, directions and in some locales, dangerous roads and/or drivers. The hotel management provided, as with many establishments, a service allowing us to store our baggage including computers and other valuables on site while we were away. Facilities such as these are essential and much appreciated. On our return from the hike, we had quite a task ahead of us. We went to the second hotel to check-in but found the receptionist to be on siesta. We left our basic hiking gear under a table out of view from passing pedestrian traffic and returned to the first hotel to collect the rest of our baggage. A short but tough 'hike' brought us back again to a delightful Apart-hotel. It was worth all the...