Day 1 & 2

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Day 1, Tues., Mar 30, 2008
We arrived safe and sound in Madagacar after a mostly uneventful series of flights. When I arrived in Sacramento to check in, I was told that I was booked to Atlanta and no further. I called Tina Bythe (GSE coordinator) and then RITZ International (travel agent). I was assured that all was OK so I had a teammate check m bag so that at least that would make it to Antanarvivo (tana) then boarded the flight to Atlanta. When I went to check in for my flight from Atlanta to Paris, they printed my ticket with no problems. Either the system between Delta and Air France didn’t communicate or Tina took care of everything while we were in the air. However, Josh’s bag didn’t make it.
32 hours of travel and 24 hours on planes in three flights: Sacramento to Atlanta, to Paris then to Antananarivo.
We were picked up in the airport by the local Rotary club members, Bakoly, Joana, Phillip. They took us to a local motel for the night.
OBS: Europeans either don’t get or don’t care about the concept of queuing up for anything, its just a mob scene of jumping in front of one another.
OBS: the bathrooms have a tub with a long flexible shower hose but no shower curtain - took a shower sitting in the tub.

Day 2, Wednesday, Mar 31, 2008
Josh Stu and I woke up early and wandered about the motel. The back of the motel overlooked what we later learned was a cooperative farm. Took some pictures of the local birds including a bright red-orange bird that Stu designated the “Fire Bird”. After Kris was ready we walked up the road to another hotel for breakfast of coffee, eggs and juice. The hotel had a tennis court so we played a few rounds just to work out the kinks of having been stuck in a plane for a day and a half. The Rotary members picked us up and took us to a house that is owned by a club member who is not currently living there. We changed and then headed out for the day. We went for lunch in downtown Tana and all had different local dishes. I had a chicken stew with Manjioca greens and a small bitter squash that tasted like arugala and was served over white rice. We changed money at and Josh got money from an ATM, and Stu changed Euros, but they wouldn’t change Kris’ US$100 and the ATM wouldn’t take my ATM card so we went to a jewlrey store owned by a Rotarian who changed US$100 bills for Kris and I. US100=160,000 Airary.
We wandered around downtown Tana with Phillip and went to the US Embassy to register our stay. We then went to the Zebu diner and met another Rotarian that is an internationally recognized pianist and a artisan that makes leather goods. All the proceeds of her crafts and the diner go to support the “Zebu Overseas Board” that runs a micro finance organization in Madagascar.
That night we went to the Ivandry RC meeting and had cocktails afterwards then back to the house. Tomorrow we’ll go to the airport to get Josh’s bag and I’ll buy the tickets for Kate and I for the two additional weeks we’ll be in country.
OBS: the house was empty but there is a family that lives on the grounds who takes care of everything.
OBS: The streets of Tana are lined by people just hanging out and there are shanty towns built just adjacent to the roads. The city itself seems to be built on the mountains surrounding a high plateau that is constantly wet and floods in the rainy season.

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Photos

downtown Tana
Narrow streets, laundry hanging from the balcony and people everywhere.

Rotary meeting
The team with the Ivandry RC President, Phillipe.

Josh with a Tna girl
Josh asked this girl her name in Malagasy and she wouldn't leave him alone afterwards.

Rickshaw and Ox Cart
This is the road from the airport to downtown. People walk, drive use ox carts and rickshaws.

Stu's "Fire Bird"
Don't know what it's really called but it's spectacular.

Road to Tana
The road runs through the valley that's rice fields everyehere and shanty towns built on any dry land they can find.

Tana across the valley
This is taken down the hill on one side of the valley at the Royal Palace on the other side.

Comments

[Amy]

Yay! So good to hear about your big adventure. (Is this all you--Brian--writing? Or are there other contributors? I can't quite tell, but...somehow "queuing up" just didn't sound very Brian...) :-) xo Amy

[eric!]

Yay!
Glad to see you made it! Much more exciting there than, say, Iron Man, Indiana Jones, etc :)

[Kathryn]

Congrats!
I am happy to see and hear that you arrived safely! Amy sent me this link so I get to see all the great photos taken with whichever camera you're using that day. Thanks for blogging -- I will be enjoying it vicariously! Kathryn hugs and Maggie kisses...

[MIchael Kent]

Wow
Looks like a great start to your trip. The colors in your photos are great and I do like the fire bird. Things in Davis are the same - all good - bet you are having more fun though! Miss you Michael

[briancharn]

Author
Nope, I'm doing all the writing with input from the rest of the group.