Lemur's Park

Day 028: Today was our second Sunday in Madagascar and our very last full day. This was the day we were originally going to fly to Mauritius, but the particular flight was cancelled months ago, and we were rebooked on tomorrow's flight. We got back to the capital city just to ensure we had time to relax a bit before heading off. 

We still decided to make use of the day by visiting a lemur refuge just outside the city. We saw some in the wild earlier in the week too!  The botanical type garden contains different species of lemurs from Madagascar. Many of these were rescued or orphaned. They run free on an area along a river which acts as a natural border.  

The park is about 24 kilometers from our hotel and took a little under an hour to both go and come.  Traffic can be horrible in the city but we were happy with the driver arranged by our hotel.  

Jay and I had to pay about $US 15 each to enter the area and this ensures the continuation of its mission to care for the lemurs.

 

There were seven types of lemur but two were nocturnal and left to their slumber in the nest made in holes in the trees. The animals can wander off the park lands but don't bother as food is provided. The land of the refuge cannot provide for the needs of the animals without food assistance. As food isn't a concern, the animals do not interact or compete for a food supply.  Everyone must stay more than two meters from the animals.  The policy is to 'observe but not touch.'

 

Walking with the guide was a great way to spend two hours.  That plus the additional two in commuting was a great day to spend our some of our extra time today.

Antsirabe to Antananarivo (Part 5 of 5)

 

Day 027:  We had told Freddy that we'd be ready to check out of the Royal Palace Hotel and get on the road at 8:00 but finished breakfast a little late.  We knew that it'd be between four and five hours to travel back to Antananarivo.  We spent a bit of the travel talking about the highway itself.  The RN7 is the only major route south from the capital.  Today's section was only around 170 km but full of potholes and a route through cities and villages along the way.  It took us just a little bit over 4 hours. Still, it was packed with things to see. I love seeing things up close and personal on a trip.

  

We had agreed to pay 350 Euro for the van and driver but we gave US 400 hoping that Freddy's boss will give him the bit extra.  We also rushed to the bank machine beside our hotel to grab some more Malagasy Ariary and gave Freddie 200,000 as a tip.  He really did a lot of driving as our trip was over 2000 kilometers packed into just four and a half days.  He was happy to hear that we were so happy with his planning, driving, and the overall experience.

It really was an exciting trip!  We can still travel like in day's of old just now we carry more luggage and tip porters to carry it up flights of hotel stairs.  I really felt like we had a chance to see a side of Madagascar that some tourists miss.  We did it via four wheels which only occasionally left the ground.

It was nice checking back into the Colbert Hotel.  It felt like being home as we spent our initial two nights in Madagascar here.  There's something about returning and having phones automatically log on that is reassuring.

We went for lunch at around 1:20 pm.  It was hotter today than during our first few days.  Of course the elevation keeps it cooler than the beaches.  

Morondova to Antsirabe (Part 4 of 5)

Day 026:  It was time to leave the comfort of the beach.  We ate our second breakfast at the Le Vezo Hotel.  Jay is sipping on his morning juice. Rather exotically, this was a glass baobab juice.  One of the many seed pouches we saw yesterday was used to create the drink.  I saw an alcohol version for sale in bottles too.

We'd arranged with Freddy to leave at 7:00 am today as we had quite a drive ahead.

The trip back to Antananarivo will take a day and a half just as it did to get here.  Although we headed back on the same highways: R35, R34, and R7 our schedule was different.  We knew that we'd be spending the night in Antsirabe, the third largest city in Madagascar.  Tomorrow, we should have just a half day drive to get back to the capital.

We wondered why so many itineraries for trips in the country are for 10 days or more.  We understand now distance seems much longer because of the conditions of the roads.  Canadians are used to assuming that if a site is 100 kilometers away it should take just a bit longer than an hour when driving leisurely taking time for breaks.  Here, that distance requires more than twice as long.

I feel lucky to have witnessed all the scenery from 8.5 hours on the road today.  We saw such a variety of landscapes and such a variety of villages.  We passed through this landscape in the comfort of our 4-wheel drive vehicle.  We passed van-type busses completely packed with passengers and all sorts of cargo tied to the roofs.  Some villages were little more than huts without access to electricity.  

People in much of the west are so spoiled and yet apparently unhappy with life.  The joy of travel is seeing how others exist.  It puts a lot of things into perspective.  It can change the core beliefs of a traveller and ensures that their worldviews will never be as they were.  Indeed that is maturity and a good thing!

Kirindy Forest / Avenue of the Baobabs (Part 3 of 5)

Day 025:  This was a real day of exploration.  Our day and a half to get here and upcoming return of the same length was mainly for what happened today.

We got right on the road at 7:00 in the morning.  The turn off to the Kirindy National Forest and the Avenue of the Baobabs is not far from the town of Morondova.  However, it was dirt.

In some ways, navigating the dirt road was easier than the pothole on the semi-tarred highways.  I know the driver found it easier.  This is a little after tourist season and it can be rainy.  The road only had a few muddy areas though.

Once we arrived at the official headquarters we paid the fee of 50,000 Ariary each and an additional 50,000 for a guide.  We had a delightful girl who took us to the forest trails in search of wildlife.

We were more than a hour and a half and as the pictures show, we were successful.

We had passed the baobabs on the way into the forest, but saved the stop on the return trip.  Although some Internet influencers might suggest you come at sunset, it would be more for the convenience of getting there than the lighting.

I wondered whether the hype would be worth it.  Afterall, we have seen hundreds of trees over the last couple of days.  I'll admit the grandeur was real when amongst them.   It was just the trees, Jay and me.  The driver drove ahead a kilometer or so and waited in a parking spot.  We got to experience the Avenue of the Baobabs as a personal, private experience. 

We got back to the hotel in the afternoon completely satisfied with our day.  Finally, we got to spend another night on the beach watching the sunset slowly over Africa to the west.

It was an mazing day!

Miandrivazo to Morondava (Part 2 of 5)

 

Day 024: This was the view from the balcony this morning. We continued our journey to the coast. We were on the road a bit before 8:00 am as suggested by our driver, Freddy. We filled up and this town didn't have active Internet meaning we paid last night for our hotel with cash and we bought 333,000.00 Ariary ($US 70) of diesel this morning.

 

We travelled just 270 km today and got to the seaside hotel at 12:30 pm.  The Le Vezo Hotel will be our base for 2 nights.  Today, we passed many different types of terrain.  Some was green while parts were desert with nearly no water. 

Eventually, we started to spot an occasional baobab tree.  They are the symbol of Madagascar and we stopped to snap a few photos when passing a giant that was right next to the road.  It was likely over 400 years old.

The beach was a welcomed change.  We'd not seen one since being in this country.  This is the West Coast so Africa lies beyond this stretch of water.

Usually, by the time we get to a beach resort, it's already too late.  It's become trendy, expensive and would be impossible to open a business or afford good property.  Here we find ourselves at exactly the moment when things will start taking off.

It's pleasant here.  The road today was much smoother and we were able to make much better time.  Tomorrow we will visit some National Park lands and hope to visit the Avenue of the Baobabs, the often seen representation of Madagascar.

Monday in A-N-T-A-N-A-N-A-R-I-V-O

Day 022:  Today was a much better day than yesterday in the capital of Madagascar.  First, it was a work day and this area around our hotel has a lot of busy government offices.  All the shuttered shops of a Sunday, were lively and colorful on Monday morning.  So many people were walking about on business! Additionally, the weather today has been mixed and everything looks much brighter in a little sunshine.  Finally, I feel great today. I realized I must have been briefly under the weather yesterday, perhaps because of something I ate, or a person whom I sat next to on the flights.  Anyway, these factors all led me have a much more enjoyable day!

The Malagasy faces (Wikipedia article) that we see are widely varied.  Although this island is next to Africa, the genes of the population are even more varied than on the continent of Africa itself.  Some folks here look like they could be from SE Asia, because they had ancestors from far and wide.  Seeing a group of young people in school uniforms laughing and being kids felt amazing.

Importantly, even before we walked out of the door of the hotel today, we ironed out some plans.  We will be heading off with a driver tomorrow morning at 8:00 am.  We have four nights on the road and five full days of exploration.  We arranged for a driver who'll take us to the famous Baobab trees and the chance to watch changing scenery on a trip to the western coast.  Of course, we hope to see some lemurs in the wild as well.