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Published: September 15th 2008
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Madagascar Highlands
Check out the rum distillery to the right of the waterfall Well, I'm back in Calgary but thought I better write an entry for my time in Madagascar...
The landscapes, flora and fauna of Madagascar really are out of a fairy tale land. Walking around the tsingy I couldn't believe that this was actually what the rock really looked like, and lets not forget watching the lemurs jump from tree to tree, decent distances too. Unfortunately Madagascar is also very poor and it snaps you back into reality, you want to do something to help these people, but what is the best and most effective way???
I arrived in Madagascar with no plan and very rusty french and no Malagasy at all....but by the next day I was on a trip to float down the Tsiribihina River and go see the Tsingy (means to walk on your tip-toes in Malagasy). On the trip were a French couple, an Australian couple and another girl on her own from France. First stop after leaving Antananarivo (Tana) was Antsirabe the capital of the pousse-pousse (rickshaw) in Madagascar, very few of these guys even wore shoes while running people and goods around town. Antsirabe is still in the highlands and has the reputation of
Tsiribihina River
Floating down the Tsiribihina River in our pirogue being the coldest place in Madagascar! The next day we drove to Miandrivazo which has the distinction of being the hottest place in Madagascar and is where we put in the pirogues to start our 3 day canoe trip first down the Mahajilo River which then fed us into the Tsiribihina River. The days in the pirogues were hot and cloudless and full of sites. The first day there were many villages lining the river and you could see people going about everyday life - herding zebu (cows), doing laundry, bathing, etc. in the river. Everyday we saw some different wildlife - lemurs, chameleons, bats, birds, crocodiles. And on the second day we got to cool off in a waterfall before lunch. The food was delicious and always fresh!!! Fish from the river or chickens that were alive on the boat..... On the final canoe day we had a 2 hour trip from where we pulled out to our accommodation that night, now we thought we were going to be riding in the zebu carts but just our bags got the free ride, in the end a good thing since the road was really rough and the wheels on the
Tsiribihina River Chameleon
This guy was huge and the first chameleon I saw in Madagascar carts were metal! The next day the 6 of us plus the guide and driver piled in the Nissan Pathfinder (that meant 4 of us in the middle seat) and 4WD the road to the tsingy, the drive and 2 ferry rides took all day! The trip was completely worth it!!! The tsingy were amazing, they are limestone karst formations but don't even look like they should be real rock!!! Canyons, pinnicles, lemurs, a sifaka and lizards. We walked through slot canyons and forest, climbed and scrambled up the tsingy. The trip ended in Morondava after another full days 4WD, the highlight of which was seeing the Avenue of the Baobabs at sunset! Most of the baobab trees there are around 100 years old!!!
After Morondava I opted to fly to Toliara rather than drive for 2 days on a taxi-brousse. This way I could spent a couple of days relaxing by the ocean before setting out again. The rest was much needed at this point. After Toliara I hired a car and driver to go back to Tana over 6 days. This is definitely the easier, faster, and more comfortable way to travel and in my opinion (you
The road from the River to the hotel
Here the zebu cart was de-zebued as they tried to navigate this pothole. Notice the metal wheels. We walked while our bags got a ride, I think walking was definitely the more comfortable option :o) definitely don't want to be driving yourself - between the views and the number of things to dodge/pass on the road you would probably come back a nervous wreck). My first stop was Ranohira to spend a day walking in Isalo. This national park is amazing and definitely worth more than one day. The first thing you see are these crazy sandstone cliffs and rock formations with little waterfall and canyon oasis' hidden within them. Walking around on top is crazy hot and dry, but as soon as you head into the canyons it is cool and just right with welcoming swims in little plunge pools. I was able to get some awesome pictures of the Ring-tailed lemur here too!!! The next day we drove to the east side of the island and into the rain forest staying at Ranomafana. On the way there we stopped at Anja Reserve a community run reserve that does guided 2 hour walks that include ring-tailed lemurs, and old tombs and some great views. A stop in Ambalavao to watch the paper making and silk spinning and weaving. Ranomafana was a complete change from the arid western landscape I'd seen of Madagascar. The forest
Parc Nationale Tsingy de Bemaraha
This is the only sifaka that I saw and yes he's liking himself but it really was my clearest photo of him was lush, the air humid and a bit cooler. I did 2 walks here, one 6 hour during the day where we would be walking along the path and all of a sudden you would start running through the jungle to find the lemurs and usually not on paths it wasn't long until I was completely lost and turned around, thank goodness for guides!! I saw a Golden Bamboo Lemur, Common brown lemurs, Red-Bellied Lemurs, and a Sportive lemur (nocturnal!!). There were also a ton of birds, butterflies, orchids, lizards along the way. That night I did a night walk as well and saw the Fosa (one of Madagascars predators), the red-tailed rat, mouse lemurs and an owl. The next day was a shopping one - arriving in Amboitra (Madagascar's arts and crafts capital) before noon. And the last day we slowly made our way back to Tana. The time flew by so fast, but I found myself tired, between moving around and communicating with a combination of Malagasy, French, English and charades I was definitely looking forward to a rest.
I arrived home safe and sound on Saturday after 84 hours in transit!!!! I hope to touch base
Parc Nationale Tsingy de Bemaraha - Large Tsingy
Okay, so, this is taken from the top of the tsingy. They are limestone with coral fossils in them and they have been weathered into this weird and wacky shape. Tsingy in Malagasy means to walk on your tip toes - describing how the people walked while in the area before they had shoes. with everyone over the next couple of weeks. Hope everyone is doing well!
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Giselle
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you're back?
Hey! You're back! Call me and we'll go for coffee. gis