Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 (delayed)
To: touring@phred.org
From: “Michael Ayers” <michael@terminalia.org>
Subject: Gondwana Magical and Mishap-free Madagascar
Salama Phreds,
Folks who have been reading this list for a while may
recall that a few years ago I did a tour on the island of Madagascar. That trip
was fraught with mechanical failures, bad roads, and sickness, but was one of
the best experiences of my life. Because of those difficulties, I was only able
to see half the route that I had planned back then. I said at the time that if
I was ever in the neighborhood again I would definitely head back over and
finish what I started. Well, I was in the neighborhood, so there was no
question that I would indeed include a return to the island during my African
Stage.
In my first plan for this Stage, I wanted to spend six
weeks on the island. On the earlier trip, I had planned to do a “figure eight”
tour of the island during two months. However, with all of the problems during
that visit I only completed half of it, in the shape of a backwards “S.” This time I wanted to finish the figure eight
and six weeks would have been more than enough time to do that and to take
things a little easy in the process. However, due to my late arrival in Africa,
and the addition of Ethiopia to the Stage, there would apparently have not been
nearly enough time for that. Instead, I was forced to cut something out of the
Stage route, and a part of Madagascar had to be lost, though that was an
extremely disappointing decision. So instead of my relaxing ride down the
length of the island I had only two weeks available to go halfway. Another tough decision was which half to do
this time. Both the north and south halves have some compelling places to
visit, but in the end I chose the southern half, even though I spent more time
there during the first tour.
Then, just after I had made my plans to get there, and
a week or so before I was due to leave, I learned that the ship I was scheduled
to set sail on six weeks hence, in Durban, bound for South America, would not
be stopping in Africa after all. Needless to say, all of my plans were thrown
into chaos. Had I realized just how much longer I would be in Africa, I
probably would have been able to do the whole six weeks on the island after
all. But, at the time, I had absolutely no idea exactly how and when I would be
leaving Africa, so I could not commit to that long of a stay. I did add a few
extra days to the visit, however, which ended up making a big difference.
I have described much of the physical and cultural
aspects of the country in the section of my Web site for the earlier tour, so
this time I will only focus on what I found to be different this time around. I
expected that there may have been some noticeable changes in the country in the
three years between my visits. That feeling arose from the fact that when I
visited the first time the country was only one year past a political crisis
caused when the country’s then-president, the “old guard”-style Didier
Ratsiraka lost a close election to the more contemporary Marc Ravalomanana, and
refused to accept defeat, nearly causing a civil war. After three years under Ravalomanana I
expected that more aspects of the outside world would have penetrated the
often-isolated, or forgotten, country. In general, I felt that this indeed
proved to be true, as I saw several things that were not present the first time
around. Most of the changes seemed to have taken place in the larger towns,
which I suppose is not that surprising, while the countryside seemed much as I
remembered it. Nevertheless, the people must have been reasonably satisfied
because a month after I finished the second tour, Ravalomanana was handily
re-elected, though his competition was admittedly rather weak.
Some of the changes were obvious, while some were more
subtle. One of Ravalomanana’s campaign promises during his first campaign was
to upgrade the countries road network, which barely deserved the term “network”
at all. Indeed, I did see some past improvements and some ongoing projects, but
there is still quite a long way to go. Another difference that I noticed right
away was the presence of ATMs, of which there were none when I first visited.
All of the major towns have at least one, which work with VISA-equipped cards,
a situation which makes travel there significantly easier. I also saw a few
more types of foods and beverages for sale in the shops. The latter now include
soft drinks in PETE-plastic bottles which I have mixed feelings about. On one
hand the plastic bottles are usually larger than their old glass counterparts,
and more drink is always a good thing on tour. On the other hand, the old glass
bottles were universally recycled and the empty plastic ones surely will not
be, and, like many other countries, will undoubtedly be piling up all over the
place before too long.
There were also some practical differences between the
two tours based on my schedule and route. The first time, I visited at the
start of the dry season, and there was still a considerable amount of water and
mud on the dirt roads which made things incredibly hard at times. This time I
would arrive at the end of the dry season and, assuming the rains did not start
early, I expected better conditions. Indeed the countryside was painted in hues
of amber this time as opposed to the bright green I saw before, but there was
still enough green about to make a beautiful picture. On the first tour, before
which I had essentially no information about the conditions of the roads, I
ended up spending 75% of the time on bad to terrible roads and 25% on good
ones. This time the ratio would be reversed, which I knew would be a big plus.
I also planned to travel down the southern central highlands, back to
Fort-Dauphin, where I spent two weeks broken down during the first tour. That
route would take me through a string of characterful highland towns that
presumably would be relatively well-equipped with services, as opposed to the
less-developed coastal areas that I spent a lot of time in the first time.
Getting to the island was straightforward, if not very
enjoyable. I probably could have found some slow sea transport on local cargo
ships from Mozambique, had I been in that country. However, since I wasn’t, and
since it was so close to the end of the Stage, I could not risk any potential
mix-ups or delays, and so I had to fly (Booo!!!).
The flight from Johannesburg was straightforward enough and I had no trouble
brining the bike along. One unfortunate aspect of the lack of a good road
network on the island is that it is essentially impossible to do a loop tour
without either duplicating long sections of the route, going cross-country
through rough terrain, or flying. The first time I took the cross-country
option, the hardships of which forced me to eventually fly as well. This time,
with limited time available, I knew that I would have to take a short domestic
flight back to the capital for the return to South Africa. Since I no longer
use a travel bag or case for my bike I was able to assemble it at the airport
after the early morning flight and ride from the airport, in Ivato, to the
capital, Antananarivo. I was in the capital three times over several days on
the first tour, and I was pleased that three years later I recognized many
landmarks and easily found my way back into the rather confusing city without
much trouble at all.
Ever since the first tour I have had a soft spot in my
heart for the country and its people. However, I suspected that may have been
because the earlier tour was my first ever visit to a distinctly different
culture like that of the Malagasy, and, as the saying goes, the first time is
always the best. As it turned out, it only took me a few minutes to realize
that indeed I was back in one of my favorite places. It may not be for
everyone, but for me, the island scratches me just where I itch. One thing that
had not changed since my first visit was the exceptional character of the
Malagasy people. An endearing people, many of whom are of Indonesian-Polynesian
descent, who love to wear hats, and who are almost universally friendly and
easy going, the Malagasy are one of Africa’s most distinct cultures.
I noticed this right away as I rode the easy 21
kilometers into Antananarivo, one of my favorite cities, which is conveniently
and thankfully referred to in common usage as “Tana.” With the addition of the
extra days to my stay, I now had enough time to spend a free day in the city
the following day. Not planning anything in particular, I just strolled around
taking in the pleasant atmosphere of the place, where many traditional-styled
buildings line the hilly terrain of the town. The warm sunshine made the scene
more enjoyable as I was able to get some nice photos as opposed to my three
stays in Tana the first time, when it was often cloudy. Eventually, I made my way
to the top of the hill where the ruins of The
Rova, the summer palace of one of the pre-colonial queens of the
original Malagasy kingdom, are located. The Rova, a stone structure with a
wooden interior, was gutted by a suspicious fire in 01995. When I first
visited, three years earlier, the remaining stone portions of the ruins were
open to visitors, but the sagging walls looked as if they could collapse at any
time. Now I was happy to see that the site is being reconstructed, and so I
didn’t mind that it was closed at the time. There is an interesting story about
the original construction of The Rova. The roof of the palace was held up by a
massive wooden pole at the center of the structure, which was formed from a
single, huge, palisander tree that grew in the far northeast of the island.
After the tree was cut it was brought to Tana by laborers who crossed several
hundred kilometers of rugged terrain on foot carrying the giant log, all the
while never letting it touch the ground. I tried to ask some of the men hanging
around the site if the replacement pole was being brought to Tana the same way
today. I don’t really think I was able to properly communicate my question, but
I’m pretty sure that this time it is being transported by truck, though I
suppose that counts as a way for not letting it touch the ground.
As the ride began the next day, I left town early in
the morning, heading south on Route National 7, which I would use for a large
portion of my route. The first 25 kilometers were dominated by the effects of
the city, with higher levels of traffic than the rest of the route, but not
prohibitively so. Beyond that distance, I quickly emerged into the highlands
countryside and experienced once again the type of travel that I love so much.
R.N. 7 is an excellent road for almost all of its 1,000 kilometer length, and
is mostly quiet, in-between the string of interesting towns that line its
course, most of which are at the northern end below Tana. These range from
small hillside villages to a few substantial towns. Most are filled partly, or
entirely, with dwellings constructed in the traditional highlands architecture,
which is one of my favorite styles. Built most often with two stories with
distinctly rectangular proportions, they are constructed from locally-made
bricks which are covered with stucco made from local soils. That gives them a
range of hues which blend in perfectly with the surrounding hills. Many have
thatched roofs, some with tiles, and some have faded old wooden balconies and
porches. The natural environment is pleasing in the region as well, though I
suspect that it is very different from what it had been before humans arrived
and cleared most of the original forest. Despite being the dry season there was
still enough green around to please my eyes.
However, many of the trees were obviously not native to the island,
especially the varieties of eucalyptus brought from Australia.
My first destination was Antsirabe, one of the larger
cities in the area, and a town I had planed to visit on the first tour but
could not due to my many misfortunes. It is about 175 kilometers south of Tana
and I had planned to ride to the outskirts of town the first day, camp there,
and then stay in town the next night. However, the local area is relatively
densely populated and there did not seem to be any decent camping sites where I
needed one, so I rode the entire way in one day and stayed there two nights
instead. The preceding few months of the Stage had been fraught with annoying
events and problems and I was determined to put all of those out of my mind
while on the island, and just have a really good time. If that meat not
worrying about budgets and similar restrictions, then so be it. Since the
highlands contain some of the island’s nicest parks, a relatively large number
of decent restaurants, and some interesting places to stay, I did not have any
trouble living slightly better than I did during the first tour. I could not
remember why I had wanted to stay in Antsirabe before, until I reached the city
and noticed the thermal baths. However, the next day I had such a good time
wandering around the town and through the markets, that by the time I got to
the baths, hoping for a good soaking, they were already closed for the day.
Typical.
The section south of Antsirabe was one of the most
beautiful I have seen. Even better, the
towns and attractions were spaced out as to make for a nice touring pace, a
situation that seems to be rather uncommon for me. My next stop was Ranomafana and the National
Park of the same name. It was located just far enough south to be easily
reached in two rather short days. However, since none of the small climbs in
the highlands were very difficult, and since I had a pleasant little tailwind,
I made it most of the way on the first day and was able to take a day and a
half off at Ranomafana instead of just one. Ranomafana is off the main highway
towards the east, part of the way down the slopes that fall down to the east
coast and the Indian Ocean. The area contains some of the last remaining
primary rainforests, which once covered the entire eastern part of the island.
Ranomafana village was small but relaxed and friendly, though some of the
places to stay were fully booked and it took me a little while to locate a nice
option. The park is back up the hills 5 kilometers from town, and is a great
place to go to see lemurs, the ancient primate family so characteristic of
Madagascar. In two fairly short hikes I saw 6 species, brining my count for the
two tours to 11, this time including the Grey Gentle Bamboo Lemur, Broad Nosed
Bamboo Lemur, Red-Fronted Brown Lemur, Red-Bellied Lemur, and the nocturnal
Mouse Lemur. Also seen was the very rare Golden Bamboo Lemur, which was only
first cataloged scientifically in 01986. Admittedly, it only appeared to be a
ball of yellow-brown fur curled up high in a tree, but I was happy to see one
nevertheless.
With a short climb, albeit over a road that had
recently been chip-sealed, and another pleasant stretch of Highlands riding, I
reached my next stop, Ambalavao, in an easy day’s ride. That town is packed
with interesting old buildings and is a fun place to walk around, though it is
smaller and with fewer services than the other highlands towns. It is also
where Antaimoro paper is made, a traditional craft where a coarse paper is cast
containing dried flowers. My reason for stopping there was to visit the nearby
Andringitra National Park. That park is located well off the highway and only
reached by poor dirt tracks. I could have ridden out and back, but I didn’t
really want to take the time for that and I had had my fill of poor roads for a
while, so I let the required Park guide arrange transport out for the day. That
park is not an especially good place to see wildlife, though there are some
nice plants and birds. Its claim to fame
is its beautiful mountain scenery, which was very impressive.
Next was another short two-day section, which, once
again thanks to mild terrain and a nice tailwind, I completed in one day plus a
few hours of riding. The little town of Ranohira, located where the highlands
have just flattened out and at the start of the grasslands between the forests
to the north and the Spiny Desert further south, was the end point of that
section. The town has more in common with the architecturally plainer southern
towns than those of the Highlands, but it was a friendly and pleasant place. It
is also the gateway town for Isalo National Park, one of the countries most
popular parks. Isalo consists of a massive rocky massif protruding from the
surrounding grasslands. There is some wildlife there, but it is not very easy
to see, and the beautiful riparian zones surrounding the clear spring-fed
streams are the main attractions.
South of Ranohira, R.N. 7 continues to the southwest
towards the major southern town of Toliara, and is an easy ride and a good road
the rest of the way. I visited Toliara on the first tour and found it a nice
place to recuperate for a few days after the rough alternate route I took to
get there. Towards the southeast, a rougher dirt road leads to Fort Dauphin the
picturesque town on the coast where I also spent two weeks waiting for parts I
needed to make repairs during the first tour. I had a choice of ending the tour
in either place as I could get a connection back to Tana from both. I chose to
go back to Fort Dauphin partly because of its pleasing lush, green
surroundings, but mostly because I had a desire to ride the last 150 kilometer
into town, which I had to skip the first time thanks to a major malfunction.
However, going there would mean backtracking a half day to the north of
Ranohira to the junction of R.N. 13, another poor road that filled me with
anxious thoughts related to the huge distances of sand and mud I had to walk
through on the first tour.
Once making the turn off the highway, it did not take
long for me to wonder if I had made the wrong choice. The road surface was very
poor, with a lot of sand, deep ruts and corrugations. Many alternate pathways
had been worn into the grasslands by people taking vehicles cross-country over
the years, though none of them were much better. This also appeared to be the
most thinly populated area of the country I had yet seen, which meant that I
would really be on my own. Fortunately, after a few hours the surface improved just
enough to speed things up a little. I believed that I had just enough time to
take things slow and still make it to the end in time to return back to the
mainland. The next day I was pleased to reach, by midday, the only significant
town in the region, Betroka, which was surprisingly well stocked with food
considering that it has essentially no good access to the rest of the country.
I had enough time to eat and still take a nice rest under a shady tree before
continuing south. At the edge of town I was pleasantly surprised to reach a
road-improvement project. The upgraded road was not yet finished, and I’m not
sure whether it was intended to be paved or if it will remain gravel and dirt.
However, even as it was, it was a huge improvement and my pace picked up quite
a bit. Naturally, I naively assumed that it would be in good shape all the way
to where the paved highway began again 300 kilometers to the south. Of course,
I was completely wrong about that and the conditions deteriorated again after
30 kilometer or so. I still can’t quite follow the logic of upgrading a road
that essentially can’t be reached from anywhere else without effectively going
overland.
Continuing south, the conditions continued to be hard
but tolerable, and I made good progress the next day. However, there were no
significant towns or villages along most of the route, which meant it would be
another light food day. In the very small town of Beraketa, there were only a
couple of small local restaurants serving the staple of Vary (rice with meat) and the outdoor
market. There, the selection was almost as sparse as I had remembered from the
first time I toured in the region. This was the type of market where I would
not have been surprised to see only prickly-pear cactus fruit for sale.
However, it was not the season for that delicacy, thankfully, and the local
ladies instead made some tasty salad from unripe mangos. Despite a little
hunger, I managed to get close to the small town of Antanimora by nightfall, a
town which I visited the next morning. There was a more colorful market selling
printed fabrics, straw hats and various other items, and just slightly more
food. By then I had only anther 80 kilometers to reach the better road along
the southern coast.
Of course, before getting there I had to cross an area
that filled me with dread. The road ahead was not very far away from a place
that proved to be one of the most difficult sections of the first tour. Back
then, I had to walk through several long sections of deep, soft sand, including
one exhausting 20-kilometer long nightmare. Looking at the map I suspected that
more of the same was ahead. Indeed it was. It is now quite apparent to me that
the entire southern tip of Madagascar is nothing more than a huge 100-kilometer
wide beach. The fact that there are a reasonable number of plants growing there
is of little consequence. Push them aside and the place would be just a giant
sandbox. So, my fears were realized when just past Antanimora, I bogged down
once again. It was difficult. Probably not as bad as the last time,
fortunately. Also in my favor was that I was now traveling north-to-south
across the narrowest part of the sand trap, as opposed to east-west across the
entire extent of it as I had done the first time. I had hoped to reach the
sizeable town of Ambovombe sometime around midday and the go perhaps another 50
kilometers to shorten the final day’s ride to Fort Dauphin. I did somehow
manage to reached the town, after a slogging through so much sand, with a few
hours left in the day, but I was exhausted and the thought of staying indoors
and taking a nice shower to wash of four says of sand and dirt was rather
appealing, so I decided to stay there for the night. I managed to locate the
only accommodation in town, a very basic place, and unfortunately, my hopes of
a shower were not realized as the town had no municipal water system, or at
least if it did it wasn’t working. Instead, water was brought in from a good
distance away in big blue plastic barrels, hauled on carts pulled by zebu, the Madagascan variety of cattle.
The final ride on the island was a relatively short
one to Fort Dauphin, the section that I was unhappy to have had to skip the
first time. The road became fully paved a few kilometers east of Ambovombe and
the terrain was scenic and mostly gentle. However the temperature was a good 12
degrees C higher than it had been on my first visit, and that took a bit of the
satisfaction away from the ride. The first half of the day the route passed
through the Spiny Forest, which contains many unusual and endemic plants. I had
considered paying a second visit to Andohahela National Park, which I saw the
first time, to get another good look at the forest, but it was not all that
simple to get there. Instead I was pleased to find a little village nearby
which has protected a small area of the original forest and lets visitors walk
through on their own for the hope of a small donation. The forest was not as
extensive as in the park, but it was still interesting and I enjoyed directly
helping out the local community. I would have preferred to reach Fort Dauphin a
little earlier as it is a pleasant place with some nice beaches, but I could
only spend one night there before my flight back to Tana the next evening. I
wanted to stay again in the basic, but friendly, Sahil Hotel where I had stayed
for a considerable time before. They were full, however, and I was just
slightly disappointed that they lady at the counter didn’t remember me.
Eventually, I ended up at a tourist-class hotel, the only one in town, which, I
suppose, fit in with my loose-budget approach to this stay, and which did have
a really powerful shower. That was much appreciated.
The flight back to Tana was straightforward, with no
issues bringing the bike on aside from the expected over-weight-limit fee. Back
in the capital, I had just enough time to make a second visit to the Royal Hill
at Ambohimanga, the former home of the original Malagasy royalty, and a World
Heritage Site. I wanted to go back a second time to get some better photographs
and to add another Heritage Site to my total for the tour. After that was just another tedious flight (Booo!!) to Johannesburg, and I was sad to
see the island fade out of sight as I left.
Though it was much shorter that I would have liked, I
had a spectacular time on Madagascar this time around. For a change, virtually
everything went off without a hitch, and I even managed to complete the entire
tour of the island without a single mechanical issue on the bike. Not even a
flat tire. What a difference that makes! I suppose the island wanted to make it
up to me for throwing up so many obstacles the first time around. However, I am still a little disappointed for
having to shorten this second visit by so many days. Oh well, that only means
that I have already started making a list of places to visit on my third tour
of the island!
Misaotra,
Mike
--
The Tour of Gondwana
May 02005 - Oct 02007
http://www.terminalia.org/tour