20 HOURS...

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After Krindy we thought it may be a good idea to practice a bit of masochism- ya know, since we have been so good to ourselves. We got a ticket for a taxi-brousse ride from Morondova back to Tana * The ride could take anywhere from 16-21 hrs we were told. With our time dwindling and the ticket to hell not too expensive (44,000 AR per person - about $23 each) we grabbed the opportunity to cover a large distance even if it did mean cramming into a smelly van with enough leg room for the average 8 year old or adult malagasy. One of the few times I hated having long legs- would the malagasy women in front of me really be upset if I just stretched them out over the seat? Umm I'd probably start something unneccesary during the 20 hr bus ride- We shall become one with everyone on the bus, we'll be a family at the end, going through the same trials and tribulations... time would only tell. The first five hours of the ride wasn't too bad, even if we did leave at the hottest time of the day ~but a noon start would mean we would be at our destination the next morning, oh boy. The main road started as cement poored over soft sand- this sand seemed to erode quickly leaving huge pot holes every two feet. Pot holes you can't just drive around most of the time, but you have to drive alonside the road on the new sandy road that is being made or take an entirely different route. This was slow going, but we were awake and enjoying the scenerey of small villages and dry desert as well as playing a game of yahtzee or two (we lost our cards, so this is THE game). Around 5 pm we began our journey on the road we had been warned was in 'poor condition'- that may be an understatement- We took 6 hours to go 120 KM! A zebu cart maybe could have gone faster. Stopping every once in a while for the public roadside toilet was a blessing to stretch our legs. We stopped once for dinner where we ate quickly and got bags of dried fruit for snacks along the way. Little did I know at the time of my purchase but my dried fruit would later make a descent pillow considering I had nothing but the clothes I was wearing and they strap down your bags like they will be going through a hurricane or perhaps hell and back.
Our first flat tire happened about 8 pm - realizing we didn't have a jack both Colin and I were amazed to watch them try and get the heavy van up on rocks (not an easy task) Thankfully a caravan of taxi-brousses showed up and it was a tire changing party- soon there was a jack and a new tire was put on. The van was pushed to get it going (a regular occurance) and we were on our way. I was sitting in the middle with Colin on one side and an older malagasy man on the other- With an upset stomach and dried fruit as my pillow I was counting down the minutes on the rough road. A few hours later we made it to the end of the bad road WOO HOO- where we had to stop to change the tire once again! We continued on the nice road, but I began to wonder if this was better than the slow moving on the bad road. To make up time our driver was hauling ass and we were racing through the night on curving roads, fog and rain. We tried to get some shut eye- using eachother as pillows but having to move every ten minutes because our extremeties would fall asleep.
It started to get lighter outside and we couldn't wait for the sun to rise because we were starting to freeze in the early morning temperatures wearing tank tops and shorts. I must admit, the sunrise was beautiful and passing through the rice fields and villages in the early morning light and mist was amazing- but all this was through blurry sleepy eyes and we really just wanted to make it to our destination.
About 60 km from Tana we stopped again- this time it was our transmission, it was completely out! At this point it was not a surprise and we waited to see what would happen next. Sure enough, a new taxi-brousse pulled up and we transferred all the luggage and people onto a new van. At about 9:30 am we finally arrived in Tana- our epic long taxi brousse ride over. With little sleep the city was overwhelming and we couldn't wait to get out- So of course we hopped on the next taxi-brousse going east and plan to spend our remaining days exploring the Reserves and jungles east of Tana. But first some sleep...

CIAO,
Ari and Colin

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Comments

[Andy]

Wow!
Hey Ari and Colin! Thanks again for your wonderful, colorful, descriptive written passages of your travels through Madagascar! Your words fire our imaginations, and your ride from Morondova to Tana is going to be an all time classic story to be told around the campfires for years to come --- and for the locals, just another day in the life! Keep up the good work and keep your eyes open. Missing you and envying you at the same time. Love always --- Pod