Trips

Saturday September 16 – Ifaty 

Slept in this morning for the first time! Woke up though with the first mosquito bites of the trip as the bungalow was not completely sealed and the bed had the worst mosquito net on the trip in the only place where it was needed. Heard some other creature making noise around the roof in the night and according to our guide it might have been a mouse lemur. Didn’t see it though – just saw the gecko that I startled with the lights when I got back from dinner last night! Met the others for breakfast and had a leisurely meal given we had no activities. There was an option for snorkeling that a couple of people went on but it turned out to be pretty boring, apart from the ride out on a craft that looked to be very unseaworthy! Relaxed on the beach for a bit and went in the ocean, which was very warm. Then headed up for lunch before coming back down for some more time on the beach. Had a nice dinner with the group and sat around talking for a bit; although was still falling asleep by 9:30 so not an overly late night. Had a startle by the “security” when we headed back to our bungalows in the dark. They wore plain clothes, sometimes a hoodie and carried sticks around and like to hang out in the dark. I hadn’t notice the guy the previous night until I reached my bungalow door and then I was frantically trying to get the key in and open the door! ? I think the hotel should maybe consider a security vest for the guys to avoid any future heart attacks by guests!

Thursday September 14 – Isalo

Today we would be doing our final nature hike and have our last chance to see lemurs in Isalo National Park.  This area is desert like and very warm and there was an opportunity to see 4 different types of lemur.  The park was close to the hotel but required a few kilometre ride in the bus on a very bumpy road.  Once we got to the park we set out up a hill, spotting some birds, a frog and a large stick insect along the way.   At the top our guide pointed out the two types of tombs, which were caves in the cliffs with the lower cave being the initial “drying cave” and the higher ones up the cliff being the permanent tombs, which required rock climbing skills for the family to place the coffins and bones! We saw a plant called the elephant foot which is a plant endemic to Madagascar.  It has a big bulbous bottom in the shape of an elephant foot with yellow flowers. We hiked up to a viewpoint where we got a good view of the rocks and the canyon.   We also saw a grass snake,  which was super fast, and a scorpion,  which our guide found under a rock.  We carried on to the natural pool,  which was a little blue lagoon and waterfall in the canyon.   There was a family of lemurs beside the pool,  chasing each other around.   Some of the group went for a quick swim while others relaxed in the shade.  We carried on in the heat through the grassland along the edge of the canyon (wondered how many snakes were slithering around in there!).  Finally we descended down the canyon to a campsite area where we had a bbq zebu lunch.  After lunch we walked through the canyon to two more natural pools,  where some of the group did some more swimming.  I was tempted to go in until two lemurs approached with the intention of liberating some bananas from some of our packs.   One was extremely persistent and would not give up even when I had my camera in his face!  His efforts paid off though as he managed to open the zippers of someone’s pack, poke his head in and grab a banana! As we walked back through the canyon we saw a massive spider,  which was apparently still a “baby” in a web alongside the path.   When we got back to the camp we spotted a sifaka, who lived alone.   As we approached it “danced” across the ground and went up a tree,  topping off the visit for everyone! Hiked back to the car after a long hot day out and took a swim in the hotel swimming pool when we got back before dinner.  An amazing day with other closest encounter with the lemurs. 

Tuesday September 12 – Ranomafana

This morning we headed to Ranomafana Park for a walk where we saw golden bamboo lemur,  the red fronted brown lemur,  leaf chameleon,  and another type of lemur. This park was definitely more crowded than our previous stops so it was difficult to get great photos.  We had a free afternoon to relax so I tried to update some blogs and relax by the river.  Before dinner we went on a night walk,  again along the side of the road where we saw a mouse lemur and some chameleons as well as a frog.  For dinner I had the spring rolls, which were more like the Vietnamese salad rolls and the roasted chicken.   Another early night as we would be getting up early for  another long drive to Isalo.

Monday September 11 – Antsirabe to Ranomafana

This morning started off with a rickshaw ride down the main avenue in Antsirabe, which is the hometown of our guide,  Sol.  The rickshaws were the type pulled by men and there were a number of vendors running alongside trying to sell us stuff.  The rickshaw ride was not long and ended at an old grand looking hotel,  which was now apparently in disrepair so not really used. As soon as we got off our rickshaws we were surrounded by a mob of the children vendors trying to sell us various things.   We then boarded our bus for the day’s drive to Ranomafana stopping first in the Antsirabe workshops for stones, mini bicycles made from recycled items, embroidery,  zebu horn and wood.  Ended up buying a few things. We then started driving south to Ranomafana.  For lunch we stopped in a town with a name that meant “castrated zebu” due to the former zebu fights held in the town.   I had some Creole shrimp which was not too spicy and fairly tasty.  We carried on south on the long, winding road and Sol spoke more about the funerary practices including how rich families used to wrap their deceased in shrouds made of silk,  which became a target for thieves who would break into the tombs to steal the silk shrouds from the bodies as well as loot any items of value placed with the dead.   The problem grew and at one time there was the death penalty for the “silk shroud burglars”.   The sun went down and the last bit of the drive was in the dark along the winding roads.   We arrived at our lodge along the river,  which we could hear but not see in the dark and checked into our individual bungalows.   For dinner I had some meat spring rolls, a zebu stir fry and a chocolate pancake for dessert.   Another long day so I had no problem quickly falling asleep. 

Sunday September 10 – Morondava to Antsirabe

 An early morning today as we had a long drive to Antsirabe – about 11 hours including stops.  En route we stopped at a view point to take some photos of the countryside and heard our guide explain about the increase in “zebu gangsters”, which are essentially cattle rustlers but the term zebu gangsters sounded much more humorous and made some of us laugh despite the fact that it appeared to be a real problem given the corruption in the government and the fact that they did little to catch or punish the thieves. For lunch we stopped at a place where I had the zebu masala, which appeared to have been made with a very old and tough zebu as it was the chewiest meat I’d had so far.  We then carried on driving and did a brief stop in a village to walk down the street to see the local village life and take a few photos.   We carried on driving until we came to a one lane bridge where the guide decided it would be good for us to get out and take some photos – on the bridge.   We piled out and the bus drove up a ways leaving us to walk part way across the bridge on foot and giving us time to take some photos of the river.  They do not seem to have the same level of traffic standards in Madagascar as back home!  In fact,  we haven’t seen a traffic light or stop sign since we’ve been here,  including in the capital! We carried on again, passing a procession for when they remove the corpse from the tomb after 2 or 3 years to clean the bones and wrap it in a new shroud.  Apparently the party involves a lot of drinking for a few days and the group seemed pretty rowdy so we stayed in the bus.  Arrived in Antsirabe, which was cooler than Morondava, after a long day of driving.   Had a “Greek” salad for dinner,  which was not your traditional version but was fine all the same followed by some fish with sauce. 

Friday September 8 – Grand Tsingy 

Woke up early this morning to prepare for our hike in the Grand Tsingy.  The frog family “checked out” around 5:30 am as I was finishing getting ready.  Had breakfast and then got in our jeeps for the bumpy ride of an hour and a half or so to the park.  The roads are very bumpy and the drive is slow but it appeared that they were doing some roadwork to repair damaged sections of the road.  We arrived at the parking lot and prepared for the morning’s hike.  The preparations included putting on harnesses for the climbing amongst the “tsingy”, which are the main feature of the park and which are limestone pinnacles that have been eroded into sharp and jagged edges. The weather was hot and it was good that we were doing the hike in the morning.  We climbed up the rocks using ladders,  stones and cables and made it to a viewing platform where you could see along the tops of the rocks.  The viewing platform was small so we didn’t linger up there too long as we had to let more people go up.   I went up another platform in a different area which was completely deserted as no one else from our group went up to it.   We then descended into a gorge amongst the rocks for our lunch, which involved crawling through some small tunnels in the rocks.  We had our packed lunches in the gorge.  Mine consisted of some rabbit pate, olives and crackers plus a squished donut for dessert.   The rabbit pate was actually pretty good despite the fact that it looked and smelled like cat food! After lunch we carried on,  hiking down and out of the tsingy and to the forest and savannah areas and then back to our jeeps.   The temperature was heating up so it was nice to get back to the air conditioned jeep.  We then drove back to the hotel over the slow and bumpy road.  We had some free time before dinner so I relaxed by the pool before dinner.  Another tiring day so fell asleep pretty quickly. 

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!