Blogs from Madagascar, Africa - page 41

Africa » Madagascar June 30th 1998

1998 Sightseeing around Nosy Bé. Our hotel room was right on the beach of Ambatoloaka. This was where Bossi was moored and where we first went on board. The room and bathroom was very basic with only a cold water shower, which wasn't too bad, considering it was quite hot. They both needed a lick of paint and some maintenance, but we would survive, as it was only for one night. There was no seat on the toilet either! But the beach made up for it. Time to explore Nosy Bé. We negotiated with a taxi driver to drive us around the island. First we went to the ylang ylang factory where they make perfume essence. When driving around the island we noticed the ylang ylang trees that are bent and pruned for easy access to ... read more

Does the earth move for you too?

Africa » Madagascar » Nosy Be June 28th 1998

Nosy Komba

roamingfox

1998 Nosy Komba Having spent ten days on board Bossi, with most of our decisions being made for us it was a bit of a jolt to now do our own thing where very little English is spoken. It was like having our safety net pulled out from under us. Komba didn't quite have the pristine beaches we frequented the last ten days. No problem, because we would be experiencing a different side of Madagascar. We first needed to find a place to stay overnight so that we could put down our heavy bags and found a little place consisting of reed huts. Pretty although very basic inside, but came with mosquito nets which were essential. It was going to be strange for us to be sleeping on land again, as we all still felt as ... read more

Deserted islands aplenty - think I could buy one?

Africa » Madagascar » Nosy Be June 25th 1998

Tsarabanjina

roamingfox

1998 After sailing south, we headed back to Nosy Bé. We needed to stock up on fresh supplies, water and drinks at the market in Hellville. It was not the biggest of markets, but we watched Elize do the shopping for us. Lovely pawpaw’s, pineapples, bananas and some oranges amongst the fresh fruit and vegetables. A limited variety compared to what we are used to, but still plenty to choose from and the flavour was excellent. The meat section was a bit different and not so appealing to a sensitive stomach. There were also interesting piles of dried prawns and plenty of spices. We went to a local restaurant for some spaghetti bolognaise, then headed back to the yacht. After all our supplies were brought on board, we set sail going north of Nosy Bé. We ... read more

Heading south, to explore Madagascar under the sea and on land

Africa » Madagascar » Nosy Be June 24th 1998

Nosy Iranja

roamingfox

1998 First day on board Bossi and we left our overnight mooring spot heading south of Nosy Bé. Our holiday had started and as the boat moved, exhaustion took over from excitement and lack of sleep. Jacques and Philip took a catnap. That didn't last long though, because while we were moving we put fishing lures in the water and started trawling, We decided to take turns to catch fish and Jacques was first, seeing that he is the most ardent fisherman in the family. The first wzzz was heard as something took the line and Jacques jumped up, grabbed the rod and started reeling the fish in - quite exhausting as it took a while with the fish putting up quite a fight, but once it was reeled in, someone had a very wide and ... read more

Welcome aboard!

Africa » Madagascar » Nosy Be June 21st 1998

Madagascar

roamingfox

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 ... read more

Aye-aye, to the skipper or sloth?

Africa » Madagascar June 19th 1998

Yacht Bossi

roamingfox

The year was 1998 and life was getting a bit hectic and we needed to get away and we could manage a two week break. Our sons by now were teenagers. Which destination could we choose? Somewhere with a beach and sea, was the general consensus. Mauritius? No, we felt it too commercialised for our taste, besides Paul and I had been there already. But so many other suggestions turned out to be above our price range. Paying for four people can really stretch the budget. Eventually after much deliberation we decided on Madagascar. Why on earth Madagascar? Well, so the story goes: Some months before this, I found an advertisement in a newspaper: Electrician required on Indian ocean island 6 month contract.... Tempting as it was, Paul said, if he wasn't married, with children and ... read more

Tour of Madgascar

Africa » Madagascar July 27th 1275

SwahiliCityStates

Because of our route derailment we are in Madagascar right now. We are traveling around the coast line meeting all of the Austronesian. These people originally came from Indonesia using prahus to migrate and settle Madagascar. A prahus is a canoe that has long hulls that extend to the side and create a more stable boat. They speak Malagasy, and brought many of their customs over from Indonesia such as blowpipes, rice cultivation, stilt houses, and domesticate plow cattle. They have also told us that they have brought over bananas, sugar cane, and coconut from their local lands.... read more

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