After an uneventful flight to Jo’burg (conditions were so good we did not even have to go near the south pole to avoid the winds) we spent the night at the airport hotel. The next day we caught a tiny 35 seater plane to Antananarivo to start our Madagascar adventure.
And it started at Tana airport when Nick presented the visa desk with a USD 100 note to pay for our visas and it (plus the next 4!) were refused as the serial numbers were out of date. There followed a stressful 20 mins trying to get cash out of the ATM (card declined…) when finally we remembered we had some sterling we could change (AUD not accepted either…) …. Eventually we were allowed into the 8th continent ..
Met by torrential rain, our guide Nicky and driver Rindra our rather damp and clammy 170kms 4 hour drive commenced through the suburbs of Tana…. Bumper to bumper traffic complete with rickshaws and cattle on a single way highway.
Nicky it turned out was no ordinary guide. He has an MBA in herpetology so we will have to be extra sharp with our questions. It is fascinating to find out from him that Malagasies share similar DNA with Indonesia and parts of Borneo, even the root of the Malagasy language is Indonesian.
After finally breaking the shackles of the capital’s traffic chaos we entered the central highlands of the 4th largest island in the world with topography not unlike Ecuador or Jura mountains except for the agriculture which is mainly terraced rice paddies.
Four hours later we arrived somewhat green at Antsirabe - Madagascar’s 2nd largest city - prosperous from industrial food and diary processing. The drive was hairy on the single lane N7…with massive trucks coming towards you and many hairpin bends…
2 comments:
I hope Crispin didn't have to endure the same arduous journey.
Only to Middle Park vet
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