REUNION ISLAND, THE TROPICAL ISLAND SWEET ENOUGH TO TASTE
“Le courier de l’Ouest” (West Digest) ) – came out on January 9th 2005 - Jean Jacques Fouquet

Reunion Island, the “Intense Island”, is the realm of extreme sensations, from paragliding to diving, including rafting. Reunion is the island of landscapes colourful enough to take your breath away and of intensively blue lagoon.
As soon as you put your feet on the tarmac of the Roland-Garros airport (North), Reunion fills you up. At 11000 kilometres far from continental France, Reunion Island reveals itself to you, Creole, charming and passionate.

In this end-of-the-world piece of France, only cars, road signs and magazines remind you of the mother country. Latest models of French cars get stuck in the traffic jams during rush hours on the National Road N°1, the coastal route which constituting the vital connexion between Saint Denis (North coast) and Saint-Gilles-les-Bains (West coast). Over here 55000 vehicles circulate every day, that is as many as on the Parisian ring road.

Life in the Heights

Hikers’ paradise

As forest ranger for the National Forest Office, Patrick Chefson – originally from Brittany - supervises 3000 hectares and 140 kilometres of paths in Mafate and lives in La Nouvelle with one mission: to protect endemic plants and to fight against botanic plagues. He will always remember the twister Dina in January 2002: “1200 mm in 24 hours, that is 3 years’ Brittany rainfall!” However, in the middle of these steep natural walls, the calm is overwhelming. Well equipped lodges and tables d’hôte wait for the hikers. Charming Creole villages of the Heights put their spell on visitors. Even when the Fournaise volcano calms down, covered with fog, the Island gives you countless possibilities of unforgettable adventures

THE IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM

Tourism is the best export product of Reunion Island as It generates over 50% of the export value. Global value of tourism industry has increased by 152% within the last 10 years “ - explains René-Jean Barrieu,  Director of the Reunion Island Tourism Committee. “In 2003 we welcomed 432 000 visitors with 80% coming from metropolitan France”. Compared with Mauritius, Reunion has chosen to bid on tourism by generating 350 jobs per year (10% of created posts). Hosting capacities get more and more diversified, even in the Wild South area.

FROM BAGASSE TO MOLASSES

Sugar cane is the fuel of Reunion Island’s economy with 4400 farmers sharing 26500 hectares. Sugar cane harvest, together with two dedicated power stations, produces 25% of the Island's electricity. Each year 640 000 tones of bagasse are burnt. Bagasse is the fibrous remain stemming from the juice of crushed sugar cane.
Sugar grains stem from this juice first transformed into syrup and then cooked. The liquid remaining is named molasses (constituting 2% of sugar cane) and is distilled in order to obtain rum.
Touring a distillery is rich in colours and flavours. The various Reunion Island’s distilleries develop a wide variety of products.
In Saint-Paul Savanna, where 8 000 tons of sugar cane are crushed every day, the molasses wine is 94° strong and ends up labelled between 40° and 45° after distillation. Two years ago, agricultural 3-year old rum has been added to the offer.
Real rum amateurs will also enjoy Cap Savanna Old Rum, matured in oak barrels for 3 to 15 years. 300 00 litres sleep peacefully in the storehouse, where you can get woozy with a simple breath. 

“ROUGAIL SAUSSICE” RECIPE (sausage-based course)

For 4 persons.
Ingredients: 600 g of fresh sausages, 6 small onions, 6 pods of garlic, 8 small tomatoes, 4 green chillies, a bit of ginger, 2 spoonfuls of oil.
Preparation: spike sausages. Boil for 15 minutes in 1 litre of water. Slice thinly onions and tomatoes. Crush together garlic, chillies (or pepper) and ginger. Cut the sausages in 3 or 4 pieces.
Put 2 spoonfuls of oil into a saucepan and put sausages inside. Fry for 3 minutes. Add onions, mix for 3 more minutes. Add the crushed blend and mix for 3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, mix and cook over medium heat.

PLANTS’ SECRETS FROM CREOLE VILLAGES

Fifteen villages in the Heights have kept their traditions and Creole character.

While 80% of tourists coming to Reunion Island are hosted in the coastal area, these villages have opened up to the visitors little by little, being now able to pomote the charm of rural lodges, their architecture, their culture and their Creole cuisine. Nothing is simpler than riding your car for a trip explore Bourg-Murat, Cilaos, Saint-Rose or Les Makes, each of these villages having its speciality.

Almighty plants

In the Hell-Bourg village, located in the cirque of  Salazie, former health resort, reckoned "Most beautiful French village", traditions are still alive.  After visiting the Folio colonial house, we get transferred to the mysterious world of plants by Patrick Manoro. Patrick is a "PEI" guide (Environment Patrimony of our Island). "Our parents were poor in terms of money, but ever so rich with their conviviality and savoir-faire", says Patrick, who knows all the stories about the "coin-coin" which helps in case of herpes, about the delicious "cari babafigue" (banana flower recipe) or about the "cari de tangue" (course based on sort of shrew meat). Genuine source of energy and knowledge, he will tell you all about the "chouchou" (locally defined as vegetal pork that can be eaten from head to roots -each part of this plant is the base of many delicious recipes), about efficacy of Japanese medlar tree against bile, about the leafs of "bragelle", that can be used as toilet paper.

SECRET ART OF PERFUME

While Jean-Paul Gaultier uses geranium while composing his perfumes, Chanel N°5 contains ylang-ylang.  Reunion Island’s fragrances can be put into perfume flasks. In Tampon, South-West of the island, the Agricultural Cooperative of Burbon Essential Oils (CAHEB) teaches how to obtain geranium essential oil: 250 kilos of fresh Bourbon Geranium plants are needed for 1 liter this oil, or why vetiver, traditionally cultivated by men because of its long roots, is often used in trendy "zen" perfumes. To discover this exceptional place with all of our 5 senses, taking a walk in the garden of scents is recommended to smell pink pepper (used for fish seasoning and very popular at the moment among American perfume creators), or Japan cedar tree, source of resin, a perfume  used to give energy to sportsmen.

Essential oils alchemy

Icing on the cake, after discovering distillation process, you can now create your own toilet water based on essential oils blend. Christian Vernin - perfumer master, is an excellent guide and professor. With a chemistry background, he gained his experience in the Grasse perfumery. Issued from a family of perfumers – with a twin brother who chooses oenology, he has memorised between 3000 and 4000 aroms and has specialised in aromatherapy. A little bit of cinnamon spice, a dash of heights' hesperidia, few drops of ylang-ylang and orange as the top note: here is the recipe for a customised eau de toilette… that nobody else has!

AIR FRANCE NEW OFFER

Since December 13th, a new-generation Boeing 747-400 will ensure Air France ten weekly flights to Reunion Island. "New travelling space" equipment and unfolding seats will improve travelling comfort on board. Tempo cabin offers now the same comfort as on international flights. Return ticket costs between 550€ and 829€ according to the season in Tempo class and between 3 006€ and 4 760€ in Business class.

THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF REUNION ISLAND
Republicain Lorrain - came out on June 24th 2005 – Christian Frohnhofer

Born 3 million years ago, Reunion Island naturally appeals to a tourist clientele much more interested in discovering nature than in partying. Located at 800 km East from Malagasy coasts and at 200 km South from Mauritius, this French tropical department offers wonderful landscapes to visit.
Sheltered by the culminating mountain of the Indian Ocean, the Piton des Neiges (Snow Piton – 3 070 metres), land sceneries move your senses away thanks to their variety. Moving from the warmth of tropical beaches (30°) to the freshness of the Heights (19°), in austral summertime, is one of the magic character of Reunion Island. Here, Heirs of water, wind, ground, air and fire have made a pact. Altogether, on a 207-km circle, between two volcanoes, one of them named “La Fournaise” currently active; they created the cirques of Cilaos, Mafate and Salazie.

On the ground side, sharp eroded landscapes are to be discovered first with a 1,000 km walk on marked paths, then by stepping by in host places, refuges or hosting bed & breakfast or in typical little grocery stores. At each stage, your effort will be rewarded by the beauty of the scenery. Local guides share “their” vision of Reunion Island, the one of their childhood when once their mother used to say “son, we poor” while seeing “white people” families passing before her.

Plunge and fly at the same time

If poor before, they now are rich enough in culture to share their wealth with visitors: beauty of sceneries, harmony of nature’s sounds, trouble of smells and delicacy of tastes. Discovering biking rides can be done at several departure points. Or you can also choose to ride horses.
Water is everywhere. Whether recovering Heights’ cascades, whether water falling in cirques, invading valleys, water runs between rocks. Fabulous for tropical canyoning fans, water in Reunion Island offers extreme shivers. For kayak or mini-rafting amateurs, or even for hydro speed fans, water is perfect thanks to the cascades and rivers it runs. Accompanied expeditions are proposed to passionate people.  It is hard to resist to the call of the Big Blue, to the sunset over La Possession – place where the first French colons debarked in June 1638 -  viewed from a boat, to the plunge in Saint-Gilles’ blue ocean to follow plenty –of-colour fishes trying to hide in coral, to the boat ride in open water to fish a 40-pound “thon banane” (banana tuna) you will have to fight with before pulling it out of the ocean with his enraged eyes and its sharp teeth.

It is hard to resist getting fresh air by climbing 45-metre cliffs, riding and flying with pleasure wings of helicopter up from summits down to abysses, seeing primitive forest, canyons, volcano, getting down in the Trou de Fer (Iron Hole) veiled by water falls. Just behind this mountain curtain, you will discover the vertigo of descent to the Hell Bourg village, most beautiful village of France and former thermal station. Or you can go paragliding from the Heights of Saint-Leu to reach a 1,110-metre altitude from sea to sky, to smell the scent of wood burnt, to be harassed by warm winds, to see the shadow of a ray in the ocean, to be overwhelmed by wind before stepping a goldy beach.

At the end of the day, animated with sacred fire, you can go for ultimate stage: the climbing of the volcano – Piton de la Fournaise (2 220 m). Flews from the last eruption between august 13th and September 9th 2004 can still be seen. After this eruption, the volcano won miles: the Island’s area has increased of 9 hectares! A real taste of adventure enriched by the flavours of Distillerie de Savanna rums, by the scents of the Saint-Paul open market, by the fumet of the delicious “rougail saucisse”. Reunion Island adds the harmony of its local music to your flight back to metropolitan France by printing in your head the lyrics of its famous “tite fleur fanée” song, passport to blossoming state-of-mind.

Handy and convenient

AIR France offers ten flights per week: a convenient choice between a night-flight taking off from Reunion Island and a day-flight three times a week. Boeing 747-400 will ensure Air France weekly flights to Reunion Island with 17 seats in Business Class, 57 in Alizes class (Club) and 400 in Tempo Class (economy) ensuring comfort on board like in any international flight. Depending on availability, return ticket’s cost starts as of 924 € (plus agency’s fees).

Les Villas du Lagon – 4-star hotel – in Saint-Gilles-les-Bains offers 174 bedrooms dispatched on 23 villas of Creole type. The Villas’ manager, M. Olivier ROUSSELIER – originally from Lorraine, France – welcomes you in a sumptuous hotel as of 140€/night in low season. Another solution for a place to stay: go for a bed & breakfast in hosting places in mountains, for example at Andre Begue’s in Mafate.

Water amateurs will be pleased with all the water activities proposed. First, diving with Bleu Marine monitors whose offer range from initiation to patent exams. Then, water sports with torrent descent – kayak, rafting and of course canyoning – can be discovered during austral summertime. If you like fishing, you can try to fish yellow tuna from April to May, or sharks, breams or big marlins from September to December. On ground, you can climb until 6,000 m cumulated: almost 20 sites for climbing are open. In the air, if you’d like to fly over the island, the fees are 25€ per minute. For paragliding, Bourbon Parapente offers to sky watch the city of Saint-Leu: its mountains, skies and seas.

SUGAR CANE
Excellence mag - Sept 2005 - Eric Mirabel

Already during the 15 000 years B.C., sugar cane and its derivatives influenced economics and social lifes of the continents.
Essential substance for multiple uses, be it sweet and/or alcoholic use, sugar cane enters nowadays into industrial and energetic stakes.
Constantly reconsidered in the context of sustainable development (irrigation, extension of cultivated areas, improvement of productivity, etc), sugar cane industry is under the regular control of public authorities whose strategy aims at the stabilisation of its production (30000 hectares and 2,5 billion tons).

Astonishing treatment of sugar cane

There are numerous co-products issued from sugar cane processing. Bagasse, molasses or scum have been valued and are now becoming sources of energy, alcohol or fertilizer.
In times of sustainable development and of the beginning of research carried out in Reunion Island, sugar cane was chosen as the source of bio fuel.
As surprising as it might be, sugar cane takes part in numerous production processes, such as adhesives, plasticizers, explosives, varnish, cosmetics or detergents. What about rum? In direct distillation, sugar cane juice brings agricultural rum (72°).
Production of traditional sugar mill rum is based on molasses, yellow or matured (78°), or naturally lightened for production of 94° spirit liquor.

”Distillerie de Savanna” keeps the tradition alive

In 1992, this one of Reunion Island's oldest rum distilleries was moved next to the sugar refinery of Bois Rouge. With the biggest maturing storehouse of Reunion Island, more than 300 000 litres are maturing in there, protected by their massif oak barrels, source of unique aroma. Savanna's production chain was the first in the branch to be certified ISO 9001 version 2000 by AFAQ (French Association for Quality Insurance). It facilitates commercial exchanges and stands for a guarantee for consumer satisfaction.
This both traditional and modern rum distillery manufactures two types of rum, mainly exported to Europe:

1. sugar refinery rums specials: light, traditional, grand arome, old, mature, straw
2. Agricultural rum.

One distillery, two genuine brands

"Savanna Rum" and "Cap Savanna" are both top-of-the-range products based on the best know-how in the category. Voluptuous tasting in view (with moderation), six exquisite products are proposed to consumers: