Reunion - Lisa Burke Simon

Reunion, a department of France, is so very different than Madagascar!

As one of two eurozone countries in the southern hemisphere, Reunion feels much more European and cosmopolitan than its neighbor. “The French Constitution provides that, in general, French laws and regulations (France’s civil code, penal code, administrative law, social laws, tax laws, etc.) apply to French overseas regions the same as in metropolitan France, but can be adapted as needed to suit the region’s particular needs.” (Wikipedia)

Reunion combines some of the natural beauty of other Indian Ocean islands with the European ambiance of France.

Side story: Every country has its own laws surrounding immigration and visas. Before entering the UAE, we surrendered our passports to the Norwegian Dawn crew since the UAE, Seychelles, and Madagascar did not do face-to-face immigration. After Madagascar, we retrieved our passports, so we could use them when entering Reunion. In Reunion, immigration officers boarded our bus and reviewed our passports. Citizens from some countries, such as the US, do not need to have visas to enter Reunion. On our bus, though, were two Chinese nationals who did not have their required visas. Our guide spoke to her boss, who negotiated with the immigration officers. As long as our guide could guarantee that the Chinese citizens would be returned to the ship after the excursion, they could proceed. If our guide returned without them, she would be imprisoned. Before leaving the bus for our final stop in the town of Saint-Denis, our guide told us to return to the bus “at four or four o’five.” The Chinese woman held her phone’s translation button down and interpreted the instructions as being at “five o’clock.” Everyone was on the bus on time, except this couple. The tour company had been told to get us all to the ship by 5:00 so we could leave the port on schedule. Our guide had to search and search for the couple, fearing prison time if she did not bring them back to the ship. Finally, about a half hour late, she found the couple – angry rather than contrite or apologetic – and we arrived just on time to our ship.