#wanderlust

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!

Friday September 15 – Isalo to Ifaty

 Had our final drive today west to the beach town of Ifaty.  En route we drove through the sapphire mining area, including the town of Ilakaka.  This area of Madagascar is poorer than the other areas we visited so we were not allowed to get out of the bus much during the drive. In Ilakaka we stopped on a bridge to watch the townspeople panning in the river for sapphire bits.   Don’t think they were likely getting much but the town (and many others on the drive seemed to have an inordinate amount of gem shops).  After the river, as we drove through town, we spotted a guy in one of the stalls wearing a Canucks shirt, which was a bit of a shock!  It did look like they had a number of used clothes for sale in the markets that were left by or sent from North America so it was likely sent by one of the many bandwagon fans! ?  We passed by a rum “factory” which looked like it produced something that would cause instant blindness.   I think we were also happy to stay on the bus there and avoid any samples! We also passed by a number of Tombs, including on shaped like a large boat.   We stopped in the beach city of Tulear for lunch at a nice looking place where I had a pizza,  which was good.  We then carried on the short bit north to Ifaty and our hotel on the beach.   I lucked out and got a bungalow right on the beach.  Although it did required quite the climb to go to the restaurant!  We hung out at the bar after freshening up and enjoyed the fact that we didn’t have any more early mornings and long bus rides!   After dinner headed down to the bungalow and had no problem falling asleep with the crashing waves. 

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. 

Wednesday September 13 – Ranomafana to Isalo

Another early start this morning as we had a long drive further south to Isalo.  As we would be stopping in a park along the way for a walk,  we would not have time to stop for a lunch so we made a stop at a store to pick up some more “road snacks”.  I opted for a bag of Doritos ?.  Throughout the drive our guide Sol imparted more information on local customs on us – this time about circumcision ceremonies.  These often take place when the boys  2 or 3 years old.   There appeared to be two different situations – one where the maternal grandfather is required to eat the foreskin (put into a banana) or another where the foreskin is placed on the end of a shotgun barrel and blown away!   After this information I don’t think the bananas at breakfast were quite as popular!   Apparently some areas have spear throwing fights to accompany the ceremony as well where the purpose is apparently not to harm (not sure how that works when a bunch of sharp objects are being tossed around!).  Along the way we stopped at a silk factory where they showed the process from cocoon to finished product, which was interesting.   We also stopped at a factory making handmade paper with flowers pressed in it.   While we were there waiting we started talking to a French man who mentioned Normandy when he learned some of us were Canadians.  He spoke with fondness about how he was a young boy when the Canadians and Americans landed on the beaches and liberated his town.  We were a bit shocked as he didn’t look much older than 67 or 68 yet he was apparently 80!  Definitely looked good for his age, which he attributed to always being in love! After noon we stopped at Anja National Park for a walk to spot ringtail lemurs and different chameleons.  We got to see a few different groups of ring tail lemurs, including some with babies clinging to their stomaches and backs.   They start out on the stomach and graduate to the back when they are a few months old.   The group was heading to the water to eat some dirt to aid digestion.   We were able to get pretty close and got some good shots while they were in the open.    We ran into a few others along the way including two sitting right by the path.  We also saw a chameleon,  which one of the guides fed a grasshopper on a stick so we got to see his tongue.   Hard to get a shot though but I did manage to get a photo of him with a cricket hanging out of his mouth when he got too full!  After the walk we carried on in the bus heading south.   We got to a photo stop of some rock formations known as the “southern gate” when we came across a group of vigilantes carrying sticks,  spears and a gun or two that were tracking a “zebu gangster” who had recently stolen some zebu from a zebu farmer.  They seemed friendly to us but I’m pretty sure they would likely kill or maim the guy stole the zebu!  We finally made it to our hotel in Isalo, which had large rooms surrounding a pool but the door locks were a bit finicky.   For dinner I had a zebu steak, which was good.   Another tiring day so an early night. 

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. 

Saturday September 9 – Bekopaka to Morondava

 Had our last driving day in the 4×4 jeeps on the way back to the beach town of Morondava. Along the way we stopped at a few of the tombs alongside the road, which were for the families of the villagers.   Some of the tribes visit the tombs of their ancestors while others simply construct the tomb and do not touch the tombs again.   We stopped for lunch at the same restaurant we went to on the way to Bekopaka where the prawns were amazing.   This time I opted for the grilled fish, which was also good and equally well presented.     After lunch we took the second ferry and managed to survive the 45 minute sail down the river,  this time with 6 jeeps on the craft.   We then carried back on in our jeeps on the bumpy road to the Alley of the baobabs to catch the sunset.   Had time for a beer in the little shack bar and watched the tourists begin to flock in for the sunset.  More tourists than we had seen before but nothing like the number of tourists waiting to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I got my position for sunset and finally used my little tripod.   Had to reposition to a better spot but managed to get an amazing shot!  We then headed back to Morondava to the hotel on the beach.   Although since it was dark already there was not much to see.   Had dinner of shrimp curry,  which was good before retiring to my bungalow for the night.   Seemed a giant cockroach had “checked in” to my spare bed and was tucked in on the pillow for the night!  Fell asleep fairly quickly again. 

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. 

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.