Our itinerary change meant that we had a couple days to explore a little further for lemurs. So we headed east again, using Grace Lodge inthe village of Andaribe as a base. On the way, we stopped at a private reserve where we were able to see these brown and white lemurs at close range.
By this point I admit I was feeling travel-weary so I took a down day while Rob hiked with Dorique and a local guide in the nearby park. We have some work to do on naming the lemur species accurately, but here are some wonderful shots, courtesy do Dorique (who quite enjoyed using my Lumix FZ150 with its 24x zoom).
Yes, that is Rob with a lemur on his head! Rob and Dorique went to Lemur Island which is a sanctuary for orphaned lemurs that truly is an island.
The lemurs are fed so they cannot be returned to the wild, but they are breeding successfully which does help protect their numbers. It's better than no action at this point, but our travels in Madagascar revealed one painful truth: natural habitat for all wild animals is being eliminated at a catastrophic rate on this island. The protected forests that remain are critical to the survival of these intriguing and unique primates, but they too are under threat. Mining, farming, logging for charcoal production and fires (both natural and deliberate) all impact on the viability of the forests and the creatures who inhabit them.
We feel blessed that we were able to come and experience rural life, the animals and even the environmental complexities of Madagascar. Below, Grace Lodge in the morning mist will stay with us as a parting image.
Faces of Madagascar
As our travels have expanded, I have grown more brave with my camera. I love to get close-up candid shots of the people along the way, but it can be tricky. People don't always appreciate being photographed; with practice I've become a little more adept at using my telephoto. I thought I would share some of my portraits.
The woven caps serve to stabilize the baskets and other things the women carry on their heads. They can also turn the cap over and use it as a small basket, again of the head. Excellent if you just need to buy a few tomatoes or plums.
The zebu meat seller offers his wares. He whistled and this young mother came to check the quality and make a purchase.
Her little one carries home the meat. Children learn to participate in household activities at a very young age.
Sometimes weather happens
A cyclone was blowing out in the Mozambique channel, off the eastern coast of Madagasgar and we had to make a decision. From the town of Tulear we were to take a boat south to a little beach village called Anakao for a two-night stay. Getting there might be possible, assuming the port authority gave the local fleet the all clear, but if the stormy weather continued, we might get stuck in Anakao. That could make it very difficult to get back to Tana for our onward flight to Bangkok, Thailand.
We opted to return to Tana by road with Dorique and our driver, Joey, doing in two days what we had earlier done in four. Continuing our Malagasy road trip sounded like more fun than waiting two days in blowy, humid Tulear to catch the regional flight originally booked for us.
Would we miss out on our beach experience? Well no, not quite. We made a jaunt south to Sarodrano, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn on the way. We drove past mangrove trees and strange euphorbia with poisonous sap (second photo below).
We passed baby baobab trees.
Best of all, we were able to see spiny compass trees. Their fleshy cactus-like branches bend with the prevailing wind, giving a directional clue to passing travelers.
Dug out canoes rested on the beach and a few fishermen's huts clung to the sand behind a twig fence. Surely these structures would be scant protection against a cyclone's winds.
For us, it was time to head inland. Past the giant baobab trees of the southwest.
It did take us two tiring days, but our mode of travel was extremely comfortable compared to so many of the vehicles we passed on the road. I photographed this bus at the gas station where we filled up. Just a couple kilometers down the road, it was stopped and an ominous pool of oil had appear under it.
Overloaded taxi buses like the one below were a common site on all the roads.
We pulled into Tana as a spectacular moody sunset reached over the rice fields on the city's outskirts. It kind of felt like arriving home.
Hiking in Isalo
The shoulder-height grasses bent and bucked in the stiff wind, almost obscuring the hiking trail. Ahead of us, a trail of stone steps would lead us down to a treed rest spot for lunch. We were in Isalo National Park in southern Madagascar - 81,450 hectares of majestic wind-weathered rock buttes, stony desert grassland and hidden cascades surrounded by palm and tropical plants. This is Madagascar's most popular park. It protects some of the rarest plants and fauna on earth.
You could spend a lifetime studying the plants in this region and still have more to learn. Our local guide, Zakatina, knew the botanical names for all the plants we passed. A former teacher, he is one of the most experienced guides in the park; we were happy to follow him, even for a strenuous seven-kilometre hike.
Fortunately it was an overcaast and breezy day, otherwise we would have faced 35 or 40 degree heat. Drinking water, and lots of it, was essential. Dorique, our fun-loving guide from Cactus Tours, practiced his water-carrying technique. That's Zakatina on the left.
We learned that the Bara people, the local tribe, considers the high sandstone rocks to be sacred. They still bury their loved ones in small caves, returning in three years for the dry bones which are honored in a celebration before being interred in a final resting place high in the rock face. Zakatina explained that it is forbidden to point at the sacred rock with an outstretched finger; instead, you must use a curled finger.
Rob, an entomologist at heart, was delighted with the insects were encountered, like this sowbug-type insect that rolled itself into a ball.
A large stick insect that blended perfectly with the twiggy branches of the shrubs.
A " technicolor" grasshopper that does not fly.
And then there was this boa constrictor that moved across our path.
The wind and light rain meant that we did not see many lemurs. We had hoped to glimpse the all white Verreaux sifaka, but at lunch we did enjoy the antics of a family of ring-tailed lemurs. They were habituated to people, but still rather wary of our movements.
Zakatina led us to a beautiful waterfall where Rob took a swim. Later we climbed to the Cascade des nyphmes, a hidden waterfall that captured the hidden beauty of Isalo.
After a long and demanding day, we are glad to return to our hotel, Isalo Ranch, to savour the memory and mystery of this place.
Into a rice field
Rice is an essential foodstuff in Madagascar. Its popularity hints at the Malaysian roots of the Malagasy people. While four types of rice are grown, it's white rice that is most widely grown and eaten. Early in our trip, we drove through the green rice fields of the region between Tana and Antsirabe.
Rice planting is staggered so that the fields ripen at different times during the winter months when the rains mean water for flooding the fields is most abundant. Digging the fields, planting, weeding and harvesting are all done cooperatively, which is important because rice cultivation represents an immense amount of work. In the country, the sense of community is very strong.
Below, rice dries in the sun.
Dorique suggested we stop for a closer look. Then he suggested Rob try cutting the rice. It's not as easy as it looks. I think the farmers were rather amused by our interest.
I didn't want to get into the squishy rice fields so I opted to borrow a basket of beans and practice my skill at carrying a load on my head. I think in time I could get onto it! The trick may be to use the basket a lot and keep it soft so that it molds to the top of your head. Anyway, I got a laugh.
One of the great things about our trip has been opportunities like this to connect, even for a short time, with the Malagasy people.
15 February 2012
The train from Manakara - for REAL
If you've been following this blog, you may remember our post about the train trip from Manakara on the east coast to Fianarantsoa in the central highlands of Madagascar. Well, the trip was hot, dirty, bumpy and amazing. We rolled across dozens of bridges and chugged through countless tunnels, all on the railway it took French colonial engineers ten years to build. The trip took us 10.5 hours and we were some tired at the end.
We got to see a side of Madagascar that was off the beaten path, even by Malagasy standards. The stations on the line are in the hills well away from the national highway we've been traveling. We could quickly see how much the people rely on the train which shuttles between the two terminal stations on alternate days of the week.
We stopped in each small station for about ten minutes, even 30 minutes, to load and off-load freight like bags of rice, lumber and corrugated roofing, and charcoal. There were unhappy pigs in the baggage car, a bicycle tied to the engine, and everywhere we stopped, the station filled with food vendors. We bought bananas and roasted peanuts through the window of our "premiere classe" coach. The station that offered cold beer and pop did a really brisk business.
Sadly, the railway line is in dreadful shape and without work, it won't last long. Having grown up on the railroad, Rob could recognize the signs of disrepair and he felt sad that this essential piece of infrastructure could be lost to the rural people for want of work, materials and effective management. We passed this derailment that happened some months ago. Fortunately it was not a passenger train, although the two men driving were hospitalized.
The typical interactions between travellers made things fun. Rob loaned his knife to the group next to us (to cut the limes for their Malagasy cane rum) and joined in a drink. Their toddler loved his knife and it wasn't easy getting it back!
It was an adventure, exactly the kind that drew us to Madagascar.
PS. This post is for Holly H so she will know we survived!