A Reunion on Reunion

After spending months telling my family about the "sunshine all the time" on Reunion Island, my father decided to make it a stop on his 'round the world business trip this January. Carrying a suitcase filled with bathing suits, a selection of Hawaiian tropical shirts, underwater cameras, and a snorkel-mask, Dad arrived in the worst tropical cyclonic rainstorm the island has seen in a decade. The sign greeting him at the airport should have read, "Welcome to the land of apocalyptic rain, Dad! I hope we don't die!"

Going to pick him up at the airport, I might have been better served rowing a paddle boat up the coast line. The "Route du Littoral," a highway hugging the mammoth cliffs along the central west to northern coast, is notoriously dangerous for falling rocks that are frequently dislodged in heavy rains. On this particular day, the rainfall was such that waterfalls had sprung along the route, cascading down the cliff sides. Radical Tom Rawlins, also heading north to the airport around this time, caught some incredible footage that will give you an idea of the rain's intensity.

I made it to the airport in one piece despite numerous detours from flooding and a tunnel closed because of falling rocks. Dad's plane was four hours late coming from Mauritius, making the Reunion on Reunion all the sweeter when he finally walked through the arrival doors.