I had another excellent yoga class this morning with a teacher whose name I regret I have not been able to establish – I did not like to give offence when after he had repeated it twice I still could not understand him. It was learning by observation as opposed to aurally and probably all the better for it. Anyway, I left feeling very energised and met Nick who was delighted to have found an incredible value SIM card in an Electronic Heaven.

We gave a lift in a tuk tuk to another member of the cooking and yoga classes to her delightful hotel in the French quarter, in a beautiful old Colonial house which had a fine collection of South Indian antiquities and furniture.

On the pavement outside this house was a particularly fine design in a traditional style made from rice flour. The women of the household regularly create these, though the practice is apparently less widespread than formerly.

Then it was off to the Botanical Garden which must once have been very beautiful but has now been somewhat neglected. It was established by the French in 1826 under the direction of the botanist George Perottet who is buried in the garden. The purpose of the garden was scientific and practical, to study the performance and adaptability of various plants to local conditions. By 1829 the collection, enriched with new and rare plants had grown to about nine hundred species. There are still many rare trees standing, including a mahogany imported from Africa soon after the garden opened.

Following our walk in the garden we finally tracked down a recently opened restaurant that Nick had read about and it was certainly worth the effort. There was a perfect view of the sea from our shaded balcony table, and as so often here, the food was really excellent.