Sorry for the lapse in daily posts. After three days off the grid in Madagascar, I'm finally in Cape Town, South Africa where we have REAL wifi and I can catch up.
Good morning Madagascar!
Early this morning, we checked out of the walled compound of Hotel Relais des Plateaux and transferred to the private airport to board our Cessna 208 airplanes and fly from Antananarivo (the locals call this city Tannan) to Ranohira, Madagascar. The two hour flight into the vast wilderness of Madagascar on the Cessna was certainly different than our National Geographic jet. My knees were jammed so tightly into the seat back in front of me that they turned white from lack of circulation.
Before we get to Ranohira, I need to take a moment to further describe the town we left this morning ... Tannan. The streets of Tannan looked like Agra, India. I have no idea how long the meat had been hanging outside the small butcher shops. There are shops filled with fruits and vegetables and other basic needs for the people of Tannan. The shops had dirt floors and when they closed, there were several layers of security doors to lock them up. The doors at these little shops looked like something out of Fort Knox. I failed to mention that the top of the wall around our hotel had shards of glass embedded in the concrete and there was a tall solid iron gate manned with four guards. The poverty here is so bad that the people just steal what they want ... if they can get to it. This is the reason for all of the locked doors and huge walls around not only our hotel, but all small private homes we saw along the way. When we were airborne, I noticed that most every building throughout the city was protected with security walls. Where there weren't walled compounds, there were rice fields, the main food source for the people of Madagascar. I'm glad we didn't spend much time in Tannan.
Now on to Ranohira - where we landed on another grass strip in the middle of NOWHERE. The airport consisted of a wind sock in the middle of a field. National Geographic arranged for a fleet of cars to meet us at the airstrip and take us to the beautiful Isalo (pronounced E-sal-o) Rock Lodge.
The lodge reminded me of the Patagonia Lodge where Jacqueline and I stayed last March. Both lodges blend in to the surrounding mountains. Incredible rocks formations encompass the Isalo Rock Lodge.
After checking in to our rooms and a mediocre lunch, we headed for a hike to Isalo Rock. I was so looking forward to a kick ass three hour workout hike. But it turned out to be a nature hike with guides pointing out every endemic plant in the forest. Ugh!! I was kind of going crazy, but finally just adjusted my attitude to enjoy what it was ... a lovely guided nature tour. Oh, did I fail to mention that it started pouring on us about half way into the hike? Along with the rain came lightening and thunder. Just a bit scary for a girl who hails from the lightening capitol of the world, Hillsborough County in Tampa, Florida. But the guides didn't seem to notice the lightening, and we continued on. I have to admit, even in the rain, the rock formations were gorgeous.
We ran across several Bara Tribe tombs. Interestingly, the Bara Tribe people bury their dead in a tomb for a period of 5 - 7 years. After which, they exhume the body, wash the bones and place them in a box that resembles a house, with windows and doors. Then, for three days, they have a huge party in the streets with their traditional foods and wine to celebrate the life of the person. Then they say their final goodbyes and send the bones off to their final resting place, a tomb higher up on the mountain cliffs.
These tribes are also polygamists with multiple wives. When they find a woman they want to marry, they have to offer the girl's family a Zebu (cow) in trade. Oh, by the way, they have to STEAL the Zebu. It's a badge of honor if the Bara thief goes to jail for the offense.
If a Bara has multiple wives, the first wife is in charge of the others. I know what you're asking ... why would ANYBODY want more than one wife??? Right!!!
The children who are fortunate enough to go to school, attend school from 7:00 - 11:00, break during the heat of the day and return from 2:00-5:00.
After our hike, we returned to the lodge just in time for happy hour, a very entertaining lecture by our National Geographic photographer, Jay, and dinner, all of which was followed by a fabulous massage that more than made up for the simple dinner.
Africa - Madagascar, Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Today's activity took us to Zambitse National Park where we encountered Lemur in their natural habitat. The experience was described as a short one hour walk on a sandy pathway. Well, after yesterday's alleged three hour "strenuous" hike, I figured we'd be ambling along on a nice sandy path and about half bored to death. WRONG! However, I wish I had worn my hiking shoes instead of my cute Nike tennis shoes. All was well when we began the hike ... a nice sandy pathway. When suddenly, our guide disappeared into the rain forest and comes back signaling for us to follow him. We began stepping between bushes, over tree trunks and through thorny vines following our guide. Shortly afterwards, he stopped and pointed to a tree. I strained to see what he was pointing at but could see nothing. I'm thinking, "Yeah, right! We've been duped," when all of the sudden, a tiny face appeared in my view finder and I started burning pixels!! Our guide found a very rare Small-toothed Sportive Lemur, who didn't seem to mind our presence at all. He actually seemed quite curious about us and sat, with eyes WIDE open, in his little perch watching us. It was very entertaining and a real treat to find this little critter. He measured about ten inches long - not including his tail, which we could not see. This Lemur is nocturnal, so the find was very unlikely, but easy for Joba, who walks and talks like a Lemur. He works in this rainforest on a daily basis. He makes sounds like the Lemur and they answer. Guess that's how he finds them.
As we moved further into the forest, we ran across what we thought was a lone Sifaka Lemur. Turned out, there were three of them. These little fellas were quite active. Not interested in us at all, they were munching on leaves until a little trouble maker appeared and that's when the fun and games began. They all began to wrestle and fly through the trees. They joined up with another three of the Sifakas and it was total chaos in the rain forest as they swung from branch to branch, running up and down the tree trunks and playing. They put on quite a show for us!! Our Expedition Leader, Luke, said he'd never seen so many Lemur in the area before and was very happy about today's find. It was very entertaining watching them jump from tree to tree. They are extremely nimble and can REALLY move.
We also ran across a tree endemic to Madagascar, the Baobab tree. Known as the tree of life, the Baobab tree can provide shelter, clothing, food and water for animals as well as humans. Mature trees are usually hollow and often used for homes, barns or shops. It's fruit, called monkey bread, is edible, full of vitamin C and about the size of a coconut.
These enormous trees look like they should be in a cartoon instead of the rain forests of Madagascar! They tower above all other trees here. Artists create Baobab trees from various types of materials like fabric, metals or glass for a popular home accessory or souvenir. Don't worry Jeff and Jac. This is NOT a souvenir that I bought for you. You'd probably rather have a Lemur anyway!! They are cute. Wonder how long one would last around Scruffy??!!
After the incredible hike through Zambitse, we returned to the Isalo Hotel for lunch and then scattered for our afternoon activity. Stevie and Lorri went to the Sapphire Mine and I went to the tiny Bara Tribe village of Mingile. Don't look for this on a map folks. You won't find it.
Consisting of approximately 6 huts made of termite dirt mixed with mud and grass, the rather rudimentary huts housed the 30 inhabitants of Mingile.
Although very interesting, this visit was rather sad, too. It was like the people of the village were on display like animals in a zoo. But they welcomed us and posed for photos and got the biggest kick out of seeing the digital photos on the playback of our cameras. It's as if they'd never seen photos of themselves before. After peeking at the photos, they would giggle and pose again for another photograph.
The chief of the tribe is over 100 years old. He had no trouble hearding the zebu. One could tell he was clearly in charge. He had a jagged, but infectious smile.
They entertained us by bringing the Zebu into the corral to give us a closer look. We had to remove our hats before entering the coral as it was very bad "voodoo" to enter wearing a hat or cap. Not 100% sure what that was all about, but I took my hat off and walked in to see the huge cows that resemble our Brahman Bulls, with the hump on their necks.
After visiting the bulls, the Bara girls demonstrated how they husk rice by using large wooden poles and a hollowed out stump to pound the rice. Next step is to put the pounded rice in a basket and toss it into the air. The breeze blows away the husk leaving rice in the basket. Very interesting. Those poles were heavy, but the young girls pounding the rice in perfect synchrony made it look easy!!
We visited with the villagers for over an hour and then presented them with gift baskets that National Geographic had prepared for them containing basic necessities like rice, soap, shampoo and flour. They were thrilled.
We wrapped up and headed out just as the afternoon rains began. I was overwhelmed with gratitude on the drive back to the hotel. Their primitive ways certainly made me appreciate that I was born with all the opportunities that come with our life in the good ole USA!! However, these people seemed very happy in this tiny village. As my daddy used to say, "You don't miss what you ain't never had." But a funny thing did happen while I was photographing a young mother holding her baby girl ... her cell phone rang. Are you kidding me??? I was curious as to how they charged the cell phone. So one of the girls showed me the small solar panel in the chicken coop that supplies enough power to charge their cell phones and small radios. (This is what the black wire going into the mud hut was for.) I guess the long arm of technology has reached this tiny little Madagascar village!!
It sure was nice getting back to Isalo Rock Lodge and just in time for happy hour.
National Geographic likes to entertain us with local talent in each county. Tonight's band was by far the best yet. Almost everyone jumped up and began to dance to the lively African music. It was great fun.
Earlier in the day, I snapped these interesting photos.
Africa - Madagascar, Thursday, March 2, 2017
This morning, we checked out of the Isalo Rock Lodge. The hotel itself was quite nice, blending in with the local terrain. However, there was definitely a language barrier which definitely caused confusion at check out with several people being approached by staff asking that we pay for spa services that had already been paid for at checkout. They just didn't understand our comments, "No, I already paid for that." It soon became apparent that it would be easier to just pay the extra $21.00. Also, several people had things missing from their rooms. I was lucky to only have my nail polish stolen. So goodbye Madagascar. Don't believe I'll be coming this way again.
We loaded up in the tiny Cessna again and headed back to the "mother ship," our National Geographic Boeing 757 affectionately dubbed "The Black Pearl" by the pilot. It was so good to be back.
Up, up and away to Cape Town, South Africa.
We checked in to the fabulous One and Only Hotel in Cape Town this afternoon, you guessed it ... just in time for happy hour and a nice dinner. Tomorrow, we explore Cape Town.
Good morning Madagascar!
Early this morning, we checked out of the walled compound of Hotel Relais des Plateaux and transferred to the private airport to board our Cessna 208 airplanes and fly from Antananarivo (the locals call this city Tannan) to Ranohira, Madagascar. The two hour flight into the vast wilderness of Madagascar on the Cessna was certainly different than our National Geographic jet. My knees were jammed so tightly into the seat back in front of me that they turned white from lack of circulation.
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| Our ride to Ranohira - Cessna 208. |
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| The seats were a little close! |
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| Our leader and Madagascar expert, Luke. |
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| Folks from Aspen. This plane is smaller than the Aspen commuters!! |
Before we get to Ranohira, I need to take a moment to further describe the town we left this morning ... Tannan. The streets of Tannan looked like Agra, India. I have no idea how long the meat had been hanging outside the small butcher shops. There are shops filled with fruits and vegetables and other basic needs for the people of Tannan. The shops had dirt floors and when they closed, there were several layers of security doors to lock them up. The doors at these little shops looked like something out of Fort Knox. I failed to mention that the top of the wall around our hotel had shards of glass embedded in the concrete and there was a tall solid iron gate manned with four guards. The poverty here is so bad that the people just steal what they want ... if they can get to it. This is the reason for all of the locked doors and huge walls around not only our hotel, but all small private homes we saw along the way. When we were airborne, I noticed that most every building throughout the city was protected with security walls. Where there weren't walled compounds, there were rice fields, the main food source for the people of Madagascar. I'm glad we didn't spend much time in Tannan.
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| If you zoom in on this photo, you'll notice all of the homes have tall walls around them. Not sure how much security this offers, but it seems to be the norm. |
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| Rice fields are EVERYWHERE. This looks like a quilt. |
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| All of the rivers in Madagascar run red from the iron in the ground that runs into the rivers. |
Now on to Ranohira - where we landed on another grass strip in the middle of NOWHERE. The airport consisted of a wind sock in the middle of a field. National Geographic arranged for a fleet of cars to meet us at the airstrip and take us to the beautiful Isalo (pronounced E-sal-o) Rock Lodge.
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| The "airport" in Ranohira. No terminal. No sign. No security lines. No immigration. No worries. Just a windsock and cars waiting for us. |
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| Our rides await. |
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| Isalo Rock Lodge |
After checking in to our rooms and a mediocre lunch, we headed for a hike to Isalo Rock. I was so looking forward to a kick ass three hour workout hike. But it turned out to be a nature hike with guides pointing out every endemic plant in the forest. Ugh!! I was kind of going crazy, but finally just adjusted my attitude to enjoy what it was ... a lovely guided nature tour. Oh, did I fail to mention that it started pouring on us about half way into the hike? Along with the rain came lightening and thunder. Just a bit scary for a girl who hails from the lightening capitol of the world, Hillsborough County in Tampa, Florida. But the guides didn't seem to notice the lightening, and we continued on. I have to admit, even in the rain, the rock formations were gorgeous.
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| The rock formations here are beautiful. Red from the iron in the earth, green from lichen growing on the rocks. |
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| Stuffing our camera and backpacks under our ponchos, we continue on our casual little nature hike in the rain, and oh, did I mention the lightening??? |
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| This looks like a great place to get out of the weather!! Under a tree in a lightening storm. Perfect!! |
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| Our Expedition Leader, Luke. Luke, a professor at Duke, has lived in and studied Madagascar for 23 years. He speaks the Malagasy language and is working hard to save the environment here before developers come in and wipe it out. |
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| After reaching the top, Lorri and I headed down the mountain. We couldn't go at the snails pace any longer and were ready to get out of the rain. |
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| About half way down, we had time for a little granola break. |
We ran across several Bara Tribe tombs. Interestingly, the Bara Tribe people bury their dead in a tomb for a period of 5 - 7 years. After which, they exhume the body, wash the bones and place them in a box that resembles a house, with windows and doors. Then, for three days, they have a huge party in the streets with their traditional foods and wine to celebrate the life of the person. Then they say their final goodbyes and send the bones off to their final resting place, a tomb higher up on the mountain cliffs.
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| The pile of small rocks marks the tomb of a Bara Tribe member. It will remain here for 5 - 7 years before being exhumed, bones washed, celebration of life for three days and then returned to a tomb higher on the mountain as a permanent resting place. |
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| If you look closely at the cut out on this cliff, you'll see a pile of rocks marking the final tomb of a Bara Tribe member. Very difficult to get to, a member of the tribe who needs to earn respect carries the bones to this final resting spot. |
These tribes are also polygamists with multiple wives. When they find a woman they want to marry, they have to offer the girl's family a Zebu (cow) in trade. Oh, by the way, they have to STEAL the Zebu. It's a badge of honor if the Bara thief goes to jail for the offense.
If a Bara has multiple wives, the first wife is in charge of the others. I know what you're asking ... why would ANYBODY want more than one wife??? Right!!!
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| After reaching the summit, Stevie takes photos of others. |
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| One can always spot the rookie hikers. They carry an umbrella??!!! |
The children who are fortunate enough to go to school, attend school from 7:00 - 11:00, break during the heat of the day and return from 2:00-5:00.
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| Liz Ann and Bob from Memphis joined us for happy hour. |
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| Jane stopped by too. She says this hotel isn't very "splendid." |
After our hike, we returned to the lodge just in time for happy hour, a very entertaining lecture by our National Geographic photographer, Jay, and dinner, all of which was followed by a fabulous massage that more than made up for the simple dinner.
Africa - Madagascar, Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Today's activity took us to Zambitse National Park where we encountered Lemur in their natural habitat. The experience was described as a short one hour walk on a sandy pathway. Well, after yesterday's alleged three hour "strenuous" hike, I figured we'd be ambling along on a nice sandy path and about half bored to death. WRONG! However, I wish I had worn my hiking shoes instead of my cute Nike tennis shoes. All was well when we began the hike ... a nice sandy pathway. When suddenly, our guide disappeared into the rain forest and comes back signaling for us to follow him. We began stepping between bushes, over tree trunks and through thorny vines following our guide. Shortly afterwards, he stopped and pointed to a tree. I strained to see what he was pointing at but could see nothing. I'm thinking, "Yeah, right! We've been duped," when all of the sudden, a tiny face appeared in my view finder and I started burning pixels!! Our guide found a very rare Small-toothed Sportive Lemur, who didn't seem to mind our presence at all. He actually seemed quite curious about us and sat, with eyes WIDE open, in his little perch watching us. It was very entertaining and a real treat to find this little critter. He measured about ten inches long - not including his tail, which we could not see. This Lemur is nocturnal, so the find was very unlikely, but easy for Joba, who walks and talks like a Lemur. He works in this rainforest on a daily basis. He makes sounds like the Lemur and they answer. Guess that's how he finds them.
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| The Small-toothed Sportive Lemur was looking at us as curiously as we were looking at him. So cute. |
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| Local guide Joba, found Lemur for us. |
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| This guy came in for a closer look of me. |
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| The Baobab Tree stretches straight and tall with branches sprouting out near the top. |
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| This tree was so large that our group of 6 people were not enough to clasp hands around it's circumference. |
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| Fruit from the Baobab Tree. And don't forget to take note of the cute tennis shoes. Still clean at this point, even after trekking through the forest! |
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| Lorri taking a photo of the Baobab Tree. |
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| I borrowed this photo from the NatGeo brochure to show you a real photo of the Baobab Trees. Magnificent!!! |
After the incredible hike through Zambitse, we returned to the Isalo Hotel for lunch and then scattered for our afternoon activity. Stevie and Lorri went to the Sapphire Mine and I went to the tiny Bara Tribe village of Mingile. Don't look for this on a map folks. You won't find it.
Consisting of approximately 6 huts made of termite dirt mixed with mud and grass, the rather rudimentary huts housed the 30 inhabitants of Mingile.
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| Mud huts house the inhabitants. Notice the black wire going inside the building. You won't believe what it's for. |
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| I captured a photo of this woman who was hiding behind a building. She did not seem to like the visitors. |
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| This primitive method of Zebu pulled carts was was like stepping back a few centuries. Here, a cow is more valuable than gold. |
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| This little guy LOVED seeing his digital photo. Don't think he's ever seen himself before. They don't have mirrors. |
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| These girls had beautiful smiles. Just didn't show them here. |
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| Met this little girl outside the coral. |
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| Smiles are universal. |
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| Cute little guy!! |
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| The chief was amazing!! Over 100 years old. They claim he's 116, but there are no records of his birth and nobody else is around to confirm his actual age. But they are sure he's over 100. |
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| In the coral with the Zebu - hats OFF, of course. |
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| Zebu resemble our Brahman bulls. |
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| Tossing the crushed rice in baskets, the husks fly away and the rice remains in the basket. |
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| The chief thanks National Geographic for our visit and thanks us for the gifts we brought. |
We wrapped up and headed out just as the afternoon rains began. I was overwhelmed with gratitude on the drive back to the hotel. Their primitive ways certainly made me appreciate that I was born with all the opportunities that come with our life in the good ole USA!! However, these people seemed very happy in this tiny village. As my daddy used to say, "You don't miss what you ain't never had." But a funny thing did happen while I was photographing a young mother holding her baby girl ... her cell phone rang. Are you kidding me??? I was curious as to how they charged the cell phone. So one of the girls showed me the small solar panel in the chicken coop that supplies enough power to charge their cell phones and small radios. (This is what the black wire going into the mud hut was for.) I guess the long arm of technology has reached this tiny little Madagascar village!!
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| Solar panel to charge cell phones. |
It sure was nice getting back to Isalo Rock Lodge and just in time for happy hour.
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| Lorri was having a massage, so our new friend, Midge stood in for Lorri. Midge is a great addition to our "tribe." |
Earlier in the day, I snapped these interesting photos.
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| This fella was walking alongside the road carrying goods to the market to sell. |
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| Ladies wear a mask made of paste made from an Aloe plant. It protects their skin from the sun and acts as a treatment for smooth skin. They also use this mask for ceremonial events, but they draw designs in them. |
Africa - Madagascar, Thursday, March 2, 2017
This morning, we checked out of the Isalo Rock Lodge. The hotel itself was quite nice, blending in with the local terrain. However, there was definitely a language barrier which definitely caused confusion at check out with several people being approached by staff asking that we pay for spa services that had already been paid for at checkout. They just didn't understand our comments, "No, I already paid for that." It soon became apparent that it would be easier to just pay the extra $21.00. Also, several people had things missing from their rooms. I was lucky to only have my nail polish stolen. So goodbye Madagascar. Don't believe I'll be coming this way again.
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| "Valuma" means goodbye in Malagasy. |
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| Not a great photo, but you kind of get the idea of the grass strip runway for take off. I'm hoping this thing gets off the ground and OVER those mountains. |
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| Isalo National Park. You can see our hotel amongst the rocks. |
Up, up and away to Cape Town, South Africa.
We checked in to the fabulous One and Only Hotel in Cape Town this afternoon, you guessed it ... just in time for happy hour and a nice dinner. Tomorrow, we explore Cape Town.
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| Our new friend Kathy joined us tonight for happy hour. We wouldn't allow her to toast with a cup of tea, so she grabbed a jar of oatmeal instead??? |
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