We flew to the western coast of Madagascar, arriving in Morondava. We stayed at “Chez Maggie” a hotel on the beach that doubles as a tour company. After nine months of traveling on our own, we have finally succumbed to taking a “tour”. The rough travel combined with our inability to speak much French made us think twice about going it alone. Probably one of the best decisions we have made! We got a 4WD with a driver, and an English speaking "Naturalist" guide (Ludo!) for a six day adventure.
On our way out of town we passed our first Zebu cart. The Zebu (Malagasy cow) indicates wealth and status and are sacrificed during ceremonies. We ate Zebu meat a few times…delicious! We also passed a posse of men carrying spears/guns/machetes tracking their stolen Zebu. At each village they pass, the posse gets larger as men join the hunt. We asked Ludo what happens when they find the thieves and he said, “They kill them.” Huh.
THE ROAD. This is the paved part. It is actually worse than the sand and dirt part. Our driver took us on the side, avoiding the pavement altogether. Then we had to dodge bikes, pedestrians, Zebu carts and other vehicles. Our first day we drove 124 miles, which took us around 10 hours (including lunch stop and two ferries). Our average speed was most likely under 20MPH. No air conditioning…so your sweaty skin is pasted in dust. Good thing there was lots to see on the way!
We stopped at the Avenue du Baobab, one of the most photographed spots in Madagascar. The trees here are as old as one thousand years. Their bulbous trunks store water, allowing them to survive the dry season. They look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book! Ludo mentioned that they appear to be an “upside down” tree….their branches look like roots, while their roots grow long like branches. Sadly, these magnificent trees are being destroyed by the burning of fields as well as the encroachment of rice paddies.
I’ve been in many a “squatter”…but this was my first “drop” squatter. The good news is that we have developed stomachs of steel after nine months of foreign foods. No "Montezuma's Revenge" yet!
Ferry #1. On the way home they combined two ferries together and we had nine cars on it. The ride on the river can take 30-60 minutes…in the nice hot sun!
Everyone had their cameras out for the unloading. You never know when one is going to slip off the planks!
This is the dirt/sand road that took up the majority of the trip…the paved road only lasted 5-10 miles. The good news is that we weren’t in this truck. It looked like it might tip over at ever lurch.
We took a leg stretching break, and all the village kids ran out of the bush to greet us. They followed my every move…I couldn't communicate with them (they speak Malagasy) so we resorted to drawing on the dusty car. I noticed signs of malnutrition (sorry, have to keep my work skills up) and asked Ludo what they eat. They survive mainly on rice and Cassava…very little protein.
The typical village. When we drive past the kids shout “Eau Vive!” which is the bottled water we drink. They want the empty bottles for storage of cooking oil, honey, etc.
We made it! Our last ferry of the day…across the river is the town we would stay in and the national parks we would explore.
Our hotel was much nicer than we expected! This village is only used during the dry season…it is abandoned in the wet season. Our only issue was the “dead animal” that we were told had been removed from underneath our room…however the stench lingered…and lingered. Well…it is the wild west.
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