The Real Truth About Mauritius

I wish you all the best and our regards to your wife!!!

Cheers!!!
Terence

All the best to you! You gonna stay in the States?

-several posts were moved to a private forum for analysis-

I find your post a bit odd..anyone else?

could you not be truthful when you were living here? I survive just fine in Mauritius thanks...so I won't need to read your "guide"

Happy Mauritius resident

You didn't like Mauritius and you have some ugly truths about it.

It would be better not to post these here as you could get the founder into serious trouble, since HE lives here.

Think before you write. Let go of the bad things and enjoy being back home.

I agree with Irish Beach Girl and Alisa -Ram keep it to yourself we dont want to know thanks.

I for one would be interested to hear what he has to say.  Obviously, he had some bad experiences while living in Mauritius.  One of the purposes of this forum is to talk about personal experiences of living in Mauritius, both the good as well as the bad.

This is what people are looking for when they visit the forum so that they can make a more informed decision when deciding to come here whether on holiday or for something more permanent such as relocating their family for work or retirement purposes.

As long as what he is posting is not libelous or offensive then I think he should have every right to do so and think it would be beneficial and appreciated by many people.  If you do not want to know about the bad side of Mauritius, then don't read what he has to say.

Mauritius is a fantastic place to live, work and raise a family, but it's not perfect.  No place in the world is.  If people are not allowed to talk about the problems then more often than not the problems never get fixed and usually get worse.

Just because you have had a great experience does not mean everyone else will in the same way that just because someone has had a bad experience does not mean everyone else will have the same bad experiences too.

If explaining the bad things that he has seen or experienced help someone else in the future avoid the same thing happening to them then that would be great.  If talking about the bad experiences help to bring about change and remove some negative aspect of Mauritian life in some way then that would be good as well.

Take crime, for example.  I have not had any major problems personally and have posted as much previously on this forum.  Others on this forum think that crime is a major problem on the island.  If only my positive experience was allowed to be posted then tourists would think that Mauritius is a crime free paradise and may not take the necessary precautions to safe guard their personal belongings when they come on holiday.

Because others have posted (or more importantly were allowed to post) about the negative side of Mauritius regarding crime, people know that it is something to be concerned about or at least be aware of and take it in to consideration on visiting or moving to Mauritius.

Not talking about something does not make it go away or make it any less real.

I don't mind listening to whatever he has to say. We all have the ability to process information. It doesn't mean one has to listen and take on board everything he says. At most you will learn something from him, at worse he may be a total waste of time.
I'm a bit curious though.... were you not allowed to speak while you were in Mauritius?

I dont know what negative comment Pbrough has posted in this post hence I cannot comment on it. I am too an expatriate here and am sure expats are treated better in Mauritius than in USA. I saw recentently on the news how some Indian students are treated in USA. I suggest that he should be active on Expat.com USA to advise expats on the negative points of moving to USA.

About plus and minus points of Mauritius there are enough experts on this forum for guidance and not the ones who have failed to make it in this country and left and now expressing their bitterness for this country.

I have have read all his previous post while in this country. He has smartly used this platform either to sell his services or his personal stuff.

I request Julian to close this post and hope not to hear from Prough atleast on the Mauritius forum.

arif wrote:

I dont know what negative comment Pbrough has posted in this post hence I cannot comment on it. I am too an expatriate here and am sure expats are treated better in Mauritius than in USA. I saw recentently on the news how some Indian students are treated in USA. I suggest that he should be active on Expat.com USA to advise expats on the negative points of moving to USA.

About plus and minus points of Mauritius there are enough experts on this forum for guidance and not the ones who have failed to make it in this country and left and now expressing their bitterness for this country.

I have have read all his previous post while in this country. He has smartly used this platform either to sell his services or his personal stuff.

I request Julian to close this post and hope not to hear from Prough atleast on the Mauritius forum.

Why are you bringing the experience about what happened to indian citizens in the US here?
It's up to Julien to publish or allow the publication of the hits and misses of Pbrough has experienced. Like bunkoma has explained, why not?
Was he misled in his investments?
Was he given permits for businesses and then hit the proverbial wall of never -ending ongoing laws and regulations at different levels of govt, be it national or municipal or village councils?
Which experts do we have at every single level? We are all in the same boat - expats or locals because there is not one single regulation applicable to each and everyone.
There is a policy  known as  "LESSONS LEARNED" in every single unit , agency, dept of funds at the UN - there is a reason for that! so that history does not repeat itself and mistakes are not made over and over again.

stormtroper and Bunkoma I have no issue with people complaining about Mauritius or passing on issues they may have had while living here..I have an issue with his attitude of only telling the truth when he has left the country...YES mauritius is expensive..(0ne of his biggest gripes)
..but hello! it's in the middle of an the Indian Ocean!,,this is not the US/South Africa..get over it! and enjoy the many great points about living in Mauritius...if you do have to moan...say it to our virtual faces..while living here!

arif is right..if you look back at his posts he is a time waster..look at his posts on "things to sell"

LOL
I gave up on this guy when he had things to sell and never wanted to sell anything... I guess he felt like he could not tell the truth when he was here, I find that sad. I hope he enjoys the snow storms this winter! Maybe it will clear his head.
The thought that any country is going to bring on riches/fame is completely delusional, I presume his business sense is just like his posting....
Enjoy winter, I hear there is a nice storm is coming your way!
I too will not read his book..

I perfectly agree with Irish Beach Girl and mom2cc, on the fact that  only when a person moves from Mauritius that the country is tagged as HELL or becomes unliveable.

This forum is quite matured, where one can express himself/herself quite openly.

However, this does not mean that the moderators should allow people to talk nonsense out of frustration.

As maurilady nicely put it, we do not want to ingest any abominable and surely highly biased testimony.

One person under the name of Anna - from America - nicely commented on this post, but that was of short live since it was almost immediately removed. 

Anna, if you are reading this post, I would be delighted to exchange some private messages.

Cheers

Vayid

WOW!  I know we operate under the Napoleonic Laws on the island but before we pound on the OP , let's see the evidence first and then we can be judge and jury .

FWIW: The guy was not here on an all-paid  Company Expat expense ( as some are enjoying) and his dreams of making a quick buck as an entrepreneur may not have materialized as he had contemplated but let's hear him first ( if he does fess up and is not being a troll) before asking for the  pound of flesh .

Before anyone get his/her knickers in a bundle, I did not like his M.O. but life is not perfect and it will good to hear his side of the story.

I find it quite insulting that there are people here who have to stop other people talking. The only time i'm scared to speak is when i'm in China. The chinese government does not like criticism and they're monitoring blogs, skype, forums etc.. hence I say nothing.
But what is it with some people here? Are we in China now?
One guy above even said 'we do not want to ingest blah blah'. My question is, can anyone possibly make one INGEST something without literally shoving a funnel in your mouth and force feed you?
You know, this is the most intriguing thread here. It's like a conspiracy. NEVER have i seen so many people wanting this guy NOT to speak. This guy is like Julian Assange!!!!!! No government wanted him to speak, the public wondered 'why?'.. then all the secrets came out and, guess what... yes you know... the secrets were all about the very governments who tried to stop him speaking in the first place!!!!!
Of course the above example is only an example.
So... why can't a man speak? Does he REALLY have the capability to shove a funnel down your throats and FORCE you to INGEST?
The very least this guy can be is 'entertaining'. If he speaks rubbish.. this would be 'entertainment too'!

ps:If nobody wants to read what he says, position your mouse onto the arrow in the corner, left-click, and his post will 'scroll up'. No chance of any of you being 'penetrated' in any way.

Dear Stormtrooper

Far from wanting to go into an argument with you, I just want to say that the

”one guy above even said 'we do not want to ingest blah blah'.”
simply wants to say that whenever a person is living here, he only very rarely or never has anything negative to say on the country or its people.

As far as I know, as you rightly put it, we are not in China. However, only when leaving Mauritius that the guy wants to teach on how to SURVIVE in Mauritius.

As far as I know, the Government of Mauritius does not and cannot force anybody to come and live and invest here.

When an expat is in Mauritius, just as when a Mauritian is abroad, he can only adjust to the way of living of the locals and the way things move, and not the other way round.

P.S: Surely most of the people who are forum, and especially in this thread will appreciate your advice, and those who want to be 'penetrated', will NOT position their mouse onto the arrow in the corner, NOT left-click, and NOT let the post 'scroll up'.

Cheers

Vayid

You are right Stormtrooper; this is not China. Then how come he couldn't talk when he was here. Now that he's gone, he wants to write a guide about how to survive in Mauritius?

The only thing that he should do is think before he posts something that might be inappropriate, coz the founder of this blog might get into trouble for it.

This particular thread looks more like hate post than one to inform people of the disadvantages of living here.

My $.02 on Paul the Poser:

I met Paul last year at one of his church's weekend soccer (excuse me, football) games near Mon Choisy beach. We spoke for a couple of hours about island life and the challenges of living on Mauritius. He came across as a bit of a poser - someone who brags about his many amazing business plans ("I get 100 great ideas every day," he told me) and yet never seems able to follow through.

The problem was attitudinal: Like most "slippery" serial ex-pats, Paul was looking to make a quick buck off of what he assumed was as a quaint, somewhat backward society. And like myriad posers before him, he ran smack into the harsh reality that Mauritians, as a people, are not easily duped. Rather, they are some of the shrewdest, most cunning characters I've ever met. You underestimate them at your peril.

Some notable observations from my conversation with him:

1. He liked to name drop - especially those of certain wealthy white families living in the North of the island. He claimed to have the backing of powerful people, yet the families he referenced are not the kind to associate with an ex-pat poser like Paul. My wife and I had a good chuckle afterwards.

2. His ideas were grandiose but impractical - and a bit tacky. A dolphin park? With captive animals held in floating cages anchored off the coast? I'm no animal lover, but even I'd be out there protesting such an abomination.

3. He brought nothing to the table. Other than some used water sports equipment held over from his earlier misadventures in the Caribbean (wonder what happened there?), he had no tangible assets to speak of. Rather, he assumed he would be able to smooth-talk the local banks and government ministries into funding his projects. He even bragged how "like a true businessman" he never used his own funds.

Bottom Line: As they say in Texas, the man was "all hat, no cattle." Mauritians are a shrewd lot - they can spot a poser a mile away. Paul Brough never stood a chance.

RCK

alisa_ram wrote:

This particular thread looks more like hate post than one to inform people of the disadvantages of living here.

I completely agree with you alisa_ram,

Guys, I think you should now stop posting comments before Paul expresses himself. (or I may close this tread very quickly)

ok, nobody likes Mr B as it seems most of you have had some sort of (bad) encounter or experience with Mr B. I'm just passionate about 'free speech'. Alisa, in a sense what you said above significantly touches the point i'm trying to make... that Mr B saying anything could land Julien in trouble. My point is the only time Julien would have to fear 'trouble' is in China and, if this was the UK, would Julien still fear that same 'trouble'?

Other than that the thread is still entitled 'The Real Truth about Mauritius'.
So, let me get started with some important TRUTHS... those beaches, the raging cyclones and eating Gato Piments, drinking Beer and playing cards whilst the wind rages outside... I love Mauritian BUSES.. though the fares have gone up recently... I love those expat meets and those cheap beers. And what about Smirnoff Vodka and Coke? It only costs a few euros for a litre. In Helsinki (Finland) a beer in a pub costs 5 euros. Here I get FIVE BOTTLES for that. Imagine a country where a whole bottle of ice cold beer is less than a euro, the beach is round the corner, we have internet connections, rents are cheap, you get nearly anything you like in the supermarkets. I would like to touch on that last point. I have an office in Guangzhou. When i stay there for a few months, after a while, you get sick of chinese food. Guangzhou is supposed to be a place with lots of foreigners. Well, i can tell you their supermarket is limiting. They do not have all the stuff we get at Super U. When i got back to Mauritius It made me really appreciate just how lucky we are to have places like Super U, Winners, Shoprite etc. We are but a tiny island in the indian ocean. We are a republic and we look after our own country. All this makes me proud.. sorry!

i have read a few lines only. lol, ok, its good to debate on what we are and our offer. in short, the truth about mauritius is:
> we have the kindest people.
> the very best of all lagoons on earth.
> excellent tropical climate.
> meat, fruits and veg all year round.
> our houses stand gusts of 150km/h + (this is average)
>good roads.

we miss:
>communication
low cost of living


in short, we r an island
a participator,

Stormtrooper wrote:

And what about Smirnoff Vodka and Coke? It only costs a few euros for a litre.

We are a republic and we look after our own country. All this makes me proud.. sorry!

Few Euros for a litre of the Smirnoff Vodka or the "coke" :p

I dont think you need to be "sorry". Its your country, you are proud and you got a darn great many reasons to be proud of it!!

Yes Mauritius has its chinks, but hey, other than the Scandinavian countries.. Oops I forgot Iceland which country doesnt??!!

There are people who are living in the worst conditions and in poverty, not to mention under oppressive regimes (N.K) and are thoroughly proud of their country ( remember their striker crying on hearing the National Anthem in the WC?!). Whereas Mauritius is all in all a great place to live in!!

I agree with Julien , lets put an end to this thread and discussing Captain America's endeavors/misadventures!!

Mebbe the last few messages could be put onto a different thread with " how I feel about Mauritius" or "Proud to be Mauritian" or "reasons to love Mauritius"  as the headline.


Have a great Year of the Rabbit everyone!!

Here's to great beaches and nice people!!


Cheers!

Please settle down. Did you read my post? I didn't say anything negative or positive regarding Mauritius. I said "truth", you can judge for yourself. I had a wonderful time in Mauritius, a true blessing of time spent. What is this blog for? To help people make a decision before moving to an unknown place.

musheer wrote:

Yes Mauritius has its chinks, but hey, other than the Scandinavian countries.. Oops I forgot Iceland which country doesnt??!!

Cheers!

Don't know whether you've realised it or not but that is a derogatory word or a racial slur referring to people of  Chinese ethnicity .

I doubt you were using this word in another context

Vayid wrote:

simply wants to say that whenever a person is living here, he only very rarely or never has anything negative to say on the country or its people.

No so sure about that.
Just have to go on LinkedIn to get an eye-opener-starting with one manager of a business group.
Even on this blog,  we read some snooty comments about CyberIsland for the mishaps of MCB - a public company in the private sector - not a state Bank. Heck no one thought to put the blame on the CIO ( really he is the one who should be finger-pointed because his network stinks) of the bank

Hi

This has been a real hot topic! But as usual we tend to react before we have all the information. I have read through all the posts and pbrough's last comment. Then went back and read again what he said in the first place. Don't you think some of you has been a little hasty in your response? He didn't say anything negative at all, or positive yet...But in the meantime he has been taken apart by some and besides one person who has actually had a conversation with him I don't know if anyone has even gotten to know him. I have never met him but, in his last post  he offers no defence for all the accusations made against him and gives no offense in his response. He seems quite decent to me. If everyone can speak their mind so directly about him why can he not be allowed to relate his experiences? He might have a few good tips. We all see things differently and he may be able to offer some eye-openers, or if he is inaccurate or is under the wrong impression about something someone can clear that up for him. Or agree to disagree. I was under the impression adults interact on this site. And with adults one usually expects some level of maturity...

i would say,ifever anyone feel that mauritian or  mauritius is not a good place to live,then he or she can leave and go elsewhere,why to say bad things abt our country????????????