Blogs from Madagascar, Africa - page 2

*********Anyone not keen on snakes, please note that the last 4 photos have snakes in them so stop when you get to the dinner at African House After a night in Tana we had to be up at 3am to be at the airport by 4 to check in for a 6am flight. I woke up at 2.50am, thinking firstly, I don’t want to get up, secondly, why do I feel strange? A minute later I knew why as I raced to the bathroom with a very severe bout of vomiting. Eventually, after cleaning up and showering, I put my towel back on the rail, which promptly fell off the wall! Clearly, it was not going to be a good day. I made it downstairs with packed bag, but of course could not eat or drink. ... read more

. MADAGASCAR Ethiopian Airlines delivered me safely to Antananarivo ( not surprisingly known as Tana for short), the capital of Madagascar after a 7 1/2 flight London to Addis Ababa, and 4 hour flight from Addis to Tana. The whole journey was very smooth and well organised and on exiting I soon saw my guide with my name on a card. Rainbow Tours arranged the trip, using an agent company called Za, here on the ground. So far everything has worked like clockwork and I have been passed like a precious parcel from one person to another and tracked all the way as I move on. After arriving from London I slept a night in Tana and was whisked away early in the morning for a flight to Tulear ( or Toliara, more about names shortly), ... read more

Yesterday’s diving was good, exploring a couple of coral gardens. The first one was called Fucilleri after the fish that tend to congregate there. Well, we weren’t disappointed, there were thousands of the bright yellow fish swimming around on top of a small shelf. There were the most beautiful corals too, and we were lucky enough to spot a trumpetfish, puffer fish, butterfly fish, and an octopus. The second dive at the site called Licorn was equally as wonderful regarding the coral. Marine life included shrimps, blue spotted Ray, a large crocodile fish, and an octopus hiding in a hole with just his eye visible. The highlight of the day however was a call after the second dive that humpback whales had been spotted, so we motored out in the general direction, and we weren’t disappointed! ... read more

So, dinner last night was rather yummy. I had a Zebu dish cooked with cassava leaves and of course some rice. Gee was with us to make sure we didn’t get up to any mischief and he’d brought Isan with him as a side kick. Isan is one of the drivers, and has been ferrying me, Jessica and Jason around. He’s a lovely young man, and a very patient and competent driver. My goodness he’s been working hard this week. I did feel a bit sorry for him though; his English isn’t good at all so I’ve had to do my best with my very bad French inthe car, and he ended up out with a group of people he doesn't know and couldn’t chat with! We did of course pay for his and Gee’s meal. ... read more

As I sit in Bole Airport after the first leg of our journey everything seems to be going OK. The 13 of us are all here, and so far no disasters. FYI, we have 2 Jesses and 2 Ians. The Ians are simple Ian W ans Ian L. The two Jesses however, both have the same initial, so Jess who is a Dive Master will be known as Jess, and Jess who isn't a DM will be known as Jessica. The flight was uneventful, and for me in Cloud 9, the Ethiopian Air business class, very comfortable, with good food, fizzy champagne and a nice big screen to look at. I hear it was less comfortable in the back, and that breakfast was served at about 3am. There are a few weary faces in the group! ... read more