Madagascar 2017

Thursday September 7 – Kirindy to Bekopaka

 Managed to sleep fairly well last night,  despite the multiple trips to the toilet.   The power came back on shortly before I was about to get up.  Got all packed up and headed to the breakfast area where I had an omelet,  some bread and some great honey.    We then got into our jeeps for a walk around the Kirindy Forest Reserve to spot some birds and lemurs.   Had some amazingly close encounters with some brown lemurs that sat low in the trees right in front of us and even walked along the ground!  Managed to get some great photos.   We saw a few interesting looking birds as well but I wasn’t able to get any really good photos before they flew off.  We then got in our jeeps for the long ride to Bekopaka.  We first stopped at a sacred Baobob tree that was around 1,500 years old!  Afterwards we carried on on the bumpy dirty road until we came to the first “ferry” crossing,  which essentially was a couple of boats with wood slapped on top.   We drove on and they loaded it up with 5 cars,  which left little room to move around the”ferry”.  It also didn’t allow any room to open the doors for the cars on the inside so some people had to climb out the other side.  I had expected a short crossing but the ferry headed down the river and was probably 20-30 minutes long.   At the other end we “docked” at the end of 4 other “ferries” tied together and walked off since there was no way to get into the cars.  As we walked off there was a guy hammering nails into the ferry! After the ferry we stopped in a village for lunch which appeared to be a popular lunch stop for tourists as the road was lined with jeeps.  Had an amazing and very nicely plated lunch of river prawns with fries and vegetables. We then headed back on the road to Bekopaka in the afternoon heat.  Along the way we stopped at a small village where there was another jeep broken down.  Our drivers attempted to assist with the repair while we hung out with the villagers who seemed keen to hang out with us and have their photos taken.  It was getting pretty warm so I spent more time sitting in the jeep with the AC. We headed back on our way for a few more hours until we reached the second “ferry” which was shorter as it was just across the river; however, this ferry required the vehicles to drive through the river out to the ferry.  The ferry “workers” then move the tire ramps to allow each vehicle to get up onto the ferry.  After the short motor across the second half of the river we drove the last few minutes to our lodge,  which was a serious of bungalows with a nice pool.   I was in a big bungalow with 4 or 5 different rooms and mine had two levels – the downstairs had a set of bunk beds and the bathroom,  which appeared to double as a frog hotel in the evenings!  Upstairs was the main bedroom with a large bed with a canopy mosquito net and a wrap around terrace. After a brief cleanup in the room and an attempt at a shower with very little water pressure, we met for dinner in the hotel restaurant.  I had the duck for dinner with onion soup for a starter.  Another tiring day and, once I returned to my room, I only had enough energy to download my photos to my tablet and make some rough notes for my blog before falling asleep.

Wednesday September 6 – ‘Tana to Kirindy Dry Forest via Morondava

 Managed to wake up in time for breakfast and had a few bites but wasn’t overly hungry given the time.   We left for the airport around 4:45 with the plan to arrive around 5:30.  It was amazing how many people were up at that time and appeared to be starting their day.  The airline we were using was apparently a private airline,  which operated out of a hangar.   We walked in and “checked in” and went through “security”, which consisted of stepping up to the two desks inside the hangar.   Showed my passport and put my bag on the scale.   It was a few kilos over the 18 kg limit but they didn’t seem to care.   I then proceeded to the security desk, where a guy looked through my bags; although he seemed to get tired after looking through a few pockets and just had me pass.  We then watched as they started up the planes and load the luggage.   Looked like they left the door opened!  Given the hangar and the security I was surprised that the seats were assigned given there were only about 24 or 30 seats on the plane.   They finally started the boarding,  which seemed to be boarding by group,  with our group going last.   As we walked up the stairs I was even more shocked to see a flight attendant!  Got on and there was another one! We took off for the 1 hour flight and they actually came around with snacks, which included a bunch of little snacks including a quiche and a muffin.   Flight landed safely in Morondava, where our jeeps picked us up.   Went to the hotel we would be staying at in a few days time and did a walk along the beach.   Was a really nice beach with no one but fisherman and a few locals.  We had lunch at the restaurant where I had some garlic shrimp and fries,  which were also tasty.   We then headed out to see the baobobs at Baobob Alley before heading on to the Kirindy Dry Forest.  The road was bumpy and a bit slow but now at bad as we were expecting.  On the way we stopped to pick up our “road snacks” for our lunch in Grand Tsingy in a few days.  After getting to our camp we prepared for a night walk.   The camp is located in the middle of a very dry forest and is home to a few species of lemur.   The rooms are tents,  which are covered by a bamboo structure, with a bathroom in the back,  which did not include a door so the view from the toilet was into the forest!  The toilet seemed to be a swimming pool used by ants and every time I opened it there seemed to be a few hanging around the bowl! The nocturnal walk was in the forest around the camp and we were able to spot a few mouse lemurs,  which were hiding in the tree.   We also spotted a furry white lemur in the trees above my tent and a few brown ones hanging around the dinner area.  After the walk we headed to the diner hut for some food.  I had the vegetable soup to start,  which was probably a poor choice given the heat and the fish as the main.   It was tasty but given the early flight,  I had a difficult time staying awake.   Headed back to the tent and fell asleep quickly. 

Tuesday September 5 – Perinet to ‘Tana

We started the day off with a morning trek in the reserve to spot lemurs,  including the largest lemur,  the indiri, in their natural habitat.   Trekked around the circuit in the park and saw the indiri, golden lemurs,  various chameleons,  a strange bug,  some birds and a boa constrictor lying in the grass outside the visitor centre.   Fortunately, we didn’t spot that until after the trek!   The indiri were amazing and we had a chance to stand below them and listen to them scream their loud call, which almost sounds like a whale!  Managed to get some decent photos before we headed back to the bus.  We returned to the lodge for lunch and I had the zebu wok,  which was really good!  We then got back on the bus for the bumpy and windy ride back to ‘Tana.  On the way we stopped in a local village called Perinet for a short walking tour.   Was a nice experience to check out how the local people live.  We got back on the bus and carried on to ‘Tana.  Got back when it was dark and we had some supper quickly before heading to bed to get some sleep before our early flight to Morondava.  I had the zebu and pork spaghetti,  which was good.   Set my alarm for 3:30 and headed to bed. 

Monday September 4 – ‘Tana to Andasibe

Wake up around 2:45 am this morning and had a difficult time getting back to sleep – managed to fall asleep a bit before my alarm went off and definitely could have slept longer if I hadn’t had to get up and get my luggage ready for the trip to Andasibe. Met the entire group of us at the group briefing as well as our guide, Sol (short for a much longer name that I have no chance of pronouncing as are most of the words here!).  We then set out in our mini bus on a tour of the city including the palace and some areas high in the hills overlooking the city.   The people seemed very friendly and the views were great.   The road system is very chaotic though as the city has expanded without the roads being planned for the added traffic.   Didn’t see one traffic light and the roads winding through the hills were narrow and it took quite a while to drive up to the view areas.  Afterwards,  we headed back in the bus to head on towards Andasibe.  Getting back down the hill seemed even slower and it must have taken us closer to an hour to get out of town.   Stopped briefly on the side of the road to take some photos of a family making bricks on the side of the road in a field.  We then carried on to our lunch stop,  which was at some kind of little park on the side of the road that offered zip-lining, hiking and other activities,  which we didn’t have time for.   I had a Neapolitan pizza and a local beer.   The pizza was actually pretty good and appeared to have been cooked in a charcoal oven.   The cheese was proper mozzarella unlike the ‘Laughing Cow’ pizza they served in Morocco ?.  Also had a honey crepe for dessert which was tasty.  We then continued east and stopped at a reptile “farm” where they apparently attempt to breed various threatened types of reptiles from around the island.   The chameleon pen was a great opportunity to get some good photos of some different types of chameleons that live in areas we won’t be visiting on this trip.   We also saw a giant millipeed, a big orange frog, some bats, some geckos, a snake and an amazingly large and colorful cricket.   We also got to see the smallest chameleons in the world,  which are very tiny and fit on your finger.  After the reptile farm we carried on to Andasibe, latter than the itinerary planned for so I think our driver was trying to make up time as we motored along at a pretty good clip.   Fortunately the road wasn’t as pot holed as earlier.   We did hit a chicken though as we were speeding through an area with houses along the side.   I guess someone will be having chicken tonight! Arrived at the hotel just after 5 and went to our rooms to prepare for our nocturnal walk.   The rooms were actually little huts with bathrooms,  which were quite nice.   Changed into some long pants and a long sleeved t-shirt for the walk.   We walked along a road not far from the lodge with two guides.   Spotted some chameleons,  some tiny frogs,  a few spiders,  some stick insects and a lemurs with its glowing eyes.   I managed to get a photo but it was a bit grainy.  After the walk we headed back to the lodge for dinner.   I had some vegetable soup and the vanilla chicken with vegetables.   Seemed like an odd combination but it worked.  Then headed to bed and was too sleepy to even review my photos as I kept nodding off.   Tomorrow we’re doing a bit of a hike and then returning to ‘Tana.  Posting a couple of photos but will need to add a bunch more later as I have stop many photos but not enough speed on the WiFi!

Sunday September 3, 2017 – Antananarivo

Had a good sleep and woke up at 7:00 am feeling pretty well rested. Relaxed a bit as I’m sure there won’t be very much sleeping in on this holiday. As I was finishing getting ready the power went out! Fortunately it was back on after a few minutes so it wasn’t too bad. Headed downstairs for some breakfast of a ham and cheese omelet, a fruit salad, which I will hopefully not regret eating later and some bread and cafe au lait. The restaurant looked nice and overlooked the city, which appears to be quite spread out. After breakfast we sat on the terrace, watching the people on the street below and enjoying the sun. It was a bit hazy but not too many clouds. Started to get warm when the breeze stopped so we decided to head to the shade but started talking to the couple sitting next to us, who were also on our tour. After a bit of a chat it was lunch time so we headed down to the restaurant. Tried the local beer and the gnocci with blue cheese sauce, which was subtle and tasty. After the food our waiter offered us free samples of the local flavour infused rum. I tried the coffee, which smelled of coffee but was pretty strong. Took a sip of the vanilla flavored but it was REALLY strong tasting and I almost gagged. Had another beer and relaxed in the restaurant for a bit before heading to the terrace to work on my blog. Managed to update the first blog relatively easy and it was nice and relaxing on the terrace under the tree. Noticed I was careless with my sunscreen application this morning as I have “roller” marks from the sunscreen stick I bought :(. The sun started going low around 4:45 or so and made for a nice golden glow on the terrace. Made a brief stop in the room and then headed down to dinner after it was dark around 5:30. Noticed the last bit of the sunset as we initially sat down and managed to get a nice picture with my phone. Started with a beer and then ordered the grilled zebu (cowish creature) with green peppercorn sauce and French fries. Saw 8 others from the group in the restaurant that got in this afternoon but haven’t officially met them yet. After dinner headed to the room to update the blog and get ready for bed. Have the official group meeting tomorrow at 8 am before our city tour and trip east. Feeling tired and hope to sleep well today. Was nice to relax before what will likely be a hectic tour!

September 1 and 2 – En route to Madagascar

Finally time for my trip to Madagascar!  Amazing how quickly time flies.  Spent a few hours this morning taking care of the final preparations – always seem to have a lot to accomplish at the last minute!  Got to the airport in plenty of time and even had a taxi driver that remembered taking me to the airport on one of my India trips! The security in the international area was greatly improved with a slick new efficient system and I was in and out within 2 minutes!  Had some time to relax in the lounge, which was not as nice as the Air Canada lounge but it was better than no lounge.  Boarded the plane and was disappointed that there was no pre-flight champagne in the Premium Economy cabin – a first world problem, I guess. Arrived in Paris on time and the connection to our next gate went smoothly.   Lucked out having the spa right next to our gate so we spent the layover getting the pedicures we didn’t have time for before our trip!   The flight was boarding just as we finished so we cruised right onto the plane.   Upgraded this leg to business and was glad I did as the cabin is nice and roomy and I got my pre-flight champagne ?. Another long flight (10.5 hours) with an arrival around 11 pm Madagascar time so I don’t want to sleep the whole flight.   Hope I get a bit of sleep though as I feel pretty groggy after the transatlantic flight.  Great safety video – very artisty and I loved the line about the seatbelt ” elegantly highlighting my waist while ensuring my safety”.  It is apparently, ” trendy here to have your devices set to airplane mode” ? Had some dinner, which included some tasty duck pate.  Fell asleep before the dessert came as the time was catching up with me.  look a bit of a map for a few hours and felt a bit better.  Wake up as we were flying over Ethiopia but it was cloudy and then dark so I couldn’t see anything.  We then flew right over Mount Kilimanjaro – too bad it was dark as it would have been neat to get a photo. Arrived in Antananarivo on time and made it through immigration relatively quickly.  Our baggage made it, which was good news and our driver was waiting for us. Stopped to change some money at this dodgy looking booth in the airport that our driver led us to. The exchange rate was 1 euro to 3,440 of the local currency.  Since the trip notes recommended changing all cash at the airport, I changed my €700, which resulted with me getting 2,408,000 in bills of 10,000 and less (>250 bills), which was two large stacks of 1, 000,000 and then a smaller bundle of the remainder – definitely too much to fit in my wallet!  Left the airport feeling like we were going to get robbed as people seemed to be staring.  Loaded our bags and us into the car and then the driver left and locked the door, leaving us in the dark parking lot. Was a bit worried but the driver finally returned and we late found out that he likely went to pay for the parking. Drove through the quiet streets and arrived at the hotel which required a short walk up a path in the dark.  Check in went smoothly and quickly and the rooms looked nice; however, the “jumbo”  mostly empty can of bug spray was a bit unnerving, particularly since it had a label with the room number and a date of August 20th on it! Since it was a long day and a half with not much sleep I had no problem falling asleep.