Choose a category to see archived blogs:

Madagascar 2017

Wednesday September 13 – Ranomafana to Isalo

September 20, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

Tuesday September 12 – Ranomafana

September 18, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

Monday September 11 – Antsirabe to Ranomafana

September 16, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

Sunday September 10 – Morondava to Antsirabe

September 16, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

Saturday September 9 – Bekopaka to Morondava

September 16, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

Friday September 8 – Grand Tsingy

September 12, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

Thursday September 7 – Kirindy to Bekopaka

September 11, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

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

September 8, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

Tuesday September 5 – Perinet to ‘Tana

September 8, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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.

Madagascar 2017

Monday September 4 – ‘Tana to Andasibe

September 5, 2017 Michelle Leave a comment

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!