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Published: November 28th 2012
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Madagascar
Is it a Dhow or is it a Pirogue? 1998
Finally our trip to Madagascar had started. We flew from Johannesburg to Antananarivo. Flying over Madagascar, we were disappointed to see how barren some areas were. This was of course due to the slash and burn technique used to destroy some of the rain forests for farming. Just before landing at Antananarivo we noticed some rice paddies just outside the city. When we arrived at Antananarivo we had limited time before our next flight to Nosy Bé. Paul needed to change some money, so he went off to a 'bank' which was really just a kiosk. He told the boys and I to wait with our bags but not long after, what looked like a porter approached us wanting our passports. One is always warned not to trust anyone with your passport, but he was very insistent so I handed them over with our boarding passes inside. He gesticulated we must follow him, but I tried to tell him I was waiting for my husband. However, he was adamant we had to follow him and grabbed some of our bags. This didn’t give me much option, but to follow him. It turned out he wanted to get us booked
Madagascar
Sad to see it is rather barren in places onto the next flight because it was getting close to take off time, then he went to find Paul to tell him where we were. This was all done in broken English, but somehow we managed to understand each other and we all boarded the plane on time, thanks to his help.
On the plane we were a bit dubious about the safety of the plane, because it looked rather old and in need of some maintenance. Upon inspecting one of the pockets in front of our seats we found a lump of cheese, not safety procedures! The flight was only about an hour and we landed at Nosy Bé with relief and no mishaps. Such a tiny airport and the humidity hit us.
Once through customs and after collecting our bags, Elize met us with lovely fragrant flowers – ylang ylang, frangipani - to welcome us to Madagascar. Then we all piled into a tiny taxi, 6 people in total, including 4 bags balancing precariously or squashed in.
We headed to Ambataloake, where we were going to meet up with our skipper, Willem, and to board Bossi. The drive was an experience
Nosy Tanikely
Just before landing at Nosy Be, one of the little islands close to it in itself, with narrow roads, typical tropical scenes and fragrances, and goats on the side of the road. At the beach we were dying to get out of our jeans because it was so hot, but there was nowhere to change and Bossi hadn't arrived yet. After a long time we eventually spotted the cat sailing towards us, just as dusk started. The hold up was trying to fill the water tanks, which took longer than usual.
Waves were starting to lap the beach and we needed to be taken on an inflatable boat to Bossi, but we all still had jeans on and they would have been drenched. By this stage it was dark so all inhibitions aside, we took off our jeans and clambered on board the inflatable in our undies and t-shirts. Nothing like greeting your skipper for the first time, with only half your clothes on! We introduced ourselves and sat down for a welcoming drink, after finding some shorts to put on. This sounds like bliss, but unfortunately as the minutes ticked by, I was turning a lighter to darker shade of green. Oh no! What had I let myself in for! My sea
Nosy Be
Arriving at the airport of Nosy Be legs just didn't want to kick in and I had to spend 10 days on this boat! In hindsight, it was probably because we were hungry and dehydrated. Paul, of course, was happy as a pig in the proverbial! Dinner for me was of course out of the question! We spent the night moored in the bay and the next morning the clarity of the water that greeted us alleviated some of my queasiness, but it took a while for me to adjust to the constant motion of the boat even though the sea was as flat as a pancake . The boys however needed no encouragement to jump in the water. They couldn't get over how warm the water was. This was bliss!
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