A dear friend suggested a trip toRéunion Island and, at that point, I had vaguely heard of such a place. She described it as an island paradise, a region of France located in the tropics where the euro first became legal tender due to the time zone. A place where one hears wind concerts in the bamboo groves and the

sweet scent of vanilla wafts in the air. This is a preserved sanctuary where a plethora of cultures converge in an exhilarating volcanic isle where waterfalls cascade, mountain peaks kiss the sky, and 40-ton humpback whales gravitate to during the winter to give birth.