4 M's - Michelle and Martin in Maputo, Mozambique

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Sean, Jennie, Michelle at Helena's Place

Monday, it was finally time to leave the comfort and spoilings of Paula and Sergio at Swaziland Backpackers and get traveling again. A 6 hour local minibus ride got us effortlessly through the Mozambique border and on to Maputo. We were happily distracted for most of it chatting away to an English/Australian couple in the van; we had lots of travel stories in common and the time flew by.
For a couple of days we explored with Jennie and Sean, Mozambique's capital city Maputo. I had to put on my language head and shift from the recent French we had to use in Madagascar to Portuguese. We found local markets and drank a few beers outside "mama's" place, went to the infamous train station (ranked in Time magazine as one of the 10 nicest train stations in the world), and enjoyed local art at the art gallery (the sculptures and paintings were a little dark at times). Mozambique's most famous painter died this year, and some of his art was on display.  We also had some nice encounters with locals whilst getting things sewn up at a row of men with sewing machines!

Michelle and the Tailors of Maputo

Michelle also had the nerve to ask a church attendant whether it was possible to climb up the church tower.  She went to get the key, and the 4 of us tackled the circular stairways all the way up to the scary walkway around the tower.  I love being up high and seeing cities from above - gives you a whole new perspective.  Since the railings were pretty sparse, we made our way down relatively quickly,  put our donation in the box, and were happy that Michelle asked!!

We crammed in to Maputo's small minivan buses where they squash about 4 (sometimes large) people across the seats (instead of 3) and even had people hunched over as standing room in what was not even considered an aisle. At the sea front we aimed for the fish market and we were disappointed by the inflated tourist prices for the (delicious-looking) squid and snapper and prawns. We had been told you can buy the fish and find a local to cook it up for you.  Since it is now in the travel books, and has received an influx of tourists, the prices were actually more expensive than at home, so we gave it a miss!  A shame, as we were all looking forward to the promise of lovely seafood, but our tastebuds would have to wait.

Jennie, Sean and Michelle on the Church Tower above Maputo

We were happy to find that Jennie and Sean tend to travel in the same manner/budget we like to.  So, the struggle of finding decent priced food was difficult, but we were rewarded eventually with a delicious meal at a VERY local little stand that served up tasty chicken and a huge pile of rice or pap (local mashed potato type thing), with sauce.  All for about $1.50!!  YUM, but too bad this was our last day!!
We were surprised to find American Alan at our hostel one night.  We had met him in Swaziland, and weren't expecting to see him again, but we enjoyed his company and spent the evening teaching all three of them our game Carcassonne, which they all got addicted to!!  *  Mush/Stub

Grandad the Explorer

In January - Martin with Grandad, Uncle Chris and Aunt Hazel

One of my fears traveling is that you are so far away from home, and if something bad happens, it is not only hard to do anything, but sometimes it is a long time before you hear about it.  Well, this occurred in Swaziland, as I received news of my Grandad's passing in London, but not until about 5 days after it happened.  He was a strong 91 years old, and had been an inspiration for us to get out and explore.  Since my Grandmother died from Alzheimers about 15 years ago, he started doing so many things he always wanted to do; fly on Concorde, travel to Gibraltar, take the Rocky Mountain Railway in Canada, and he would even travel to France for the day, to name a few - and he was in his 80's.  He also enjoyed just getting on a bus in London, and seeing where it ended up only to return on the next one back - then take a different one the next day.  He just liked to get out and explore.  When I visited him on my first big trip in 2001, he gave me a walking tour of London, at the tender age of 81!!   We rode the buses, boats up the river Thames, and hiked up the hill to Greenwich.
A highlight of my return visit was when I met a bunch of travel friends at a river boat bar on the Thames.  Grandad came along, and was known across the bar as "Grandad" to everyone.  All had a great time with him, and I think he really enjoyed his night out with all the 'kids' - not to mention his fish and chips at the bar!  I walked him to the Tube at about 10PM, and he found his own way home from there.  We repeated this a few years later, but this time my Dad was able to join us at the boat - 3 generations!!
He was a good man, and still very "with it" mentally.  Michelle and I were lucky to visit him just in January, and he asked a lot of astute questions about our trip, and shared some of his stories from when he was stationed in Egypt during the war.  A nice visit and a very good memory with him.
Cheers to my Grandad, we remember you fondly.   *Stub

The Sun's not Down on Swaziland Yet!!

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Once we left Mlilwane, we were somehow drawn back to Sundowner's Backpackers.  Our tastebuds were salivating, and the friendly warm welcome back we would receive, was something we looked forward to.  It is something you miss when you are traveling, a place that makes you feel at home!!  So, we planned a quick overnight stop back there, whilst we had some business to take care of, namely getting a Mozambique visa in the capital city of Mbabane.

Our Camp site at Sundowners

We had originally planned to head south into South Africa, but so many people told us how much they loved Mozambique in the South, we decided we were too close to not go.  We took the combi-van up to Mbabane, and searched out the Mozambique High Commission, and were pretty surprised to find out how easy the visa process turned out to be.  After applying, we had to go to town to deposit the money in their account at the bank, then return at 2PM to pick it up.  Piece of cake, and we were stunned to see it all work out.  A side note, Mbabane was a relatively mediocre town, with the usual hustle and bustle of a medium sized African city.

Group at Sundowners including Sergio and Paula in centre

After our first delicious meal back, we decided to stay another day and help Sergio and Paula out with a little work at their place.  Martin spent the full day helping sand and prep an exterior wall for painting, so at least we could give something back to them!

Of course, we were then treated to another delicious braai (bbq) meal, and the promise of another the next day.  So that meant we were sticking around one more day, because neither of us could resist the offer of ROAST TURKEY on Father's Day!!
We did manage to get out a little while at Sundowner's.  One night, we joined a Swiss girl named Dominique to go to the House on Fire.  A very funky, artsy bar/performance centre that reminded me of Gaudi style architecture and bizarre art from Barcelona area.  It was a great venue for a concert and we watched a local Swazi singer/band called

A Night out at House on Fire

Nancy Ginindza and the Human Family.  Great show, and a good view from our perch above right of the stage!  We also visited another strange but successful Swazi place - Swazi Candles - where they make all kinds of interesting candles shaped like African animals in all kinds of colours and patterns.  Very cool actually.  We probably would have bought something if we weren't afraid of it melting.  We did buy a nice Batik from one of the vendors out front, and we have taken to decorating our rooms with it along the way!!

The morning before the turkey, we joined Dutch Mark, and American Alan, on a quick drive around Swaziland.  It is a tiny country, where I think you can drive from one side to the other in about 3 hours.  We saw some interesting sights like the Magugo dam, and a walk to the interesting, community run Tsangwini Rock Art.  The rock art is approximately 4000 years old, and still well preserved.

Animal shapes at Swazi Candles

It is apparently the only rock art in Africa depicting humans with wings - very interesting.
Mark drove back quickly as we were late for turkey, and when we arrived we feasted on soooooooo much food!!  It was fabulous, and with 3 desserts also.  As it was Father's Day, Paula and Sergio's families were there for the feast!  It was a nice day, and she even invited our friends Rachael and Allana from the orphanage!!   So very generous!!   *Stub

Walking Amongst the Wildlife, Mlilwane Nature Reserve, Swaziland

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Martin on Execution Rock high above the Ezulwini Valley

It was tough to leave, but we finally moved away from Sundowner's Backpackers.  The hospitality there, and the wonderful meals, kept us hanging around.  Both Paula and Sergio made us feel like family.  We will return one day!!
But, we didn't go too far, only around 10 km away to the Mlilwane Nature Reserve, where we set up our tent at Sondzela's Backpackers and we excited to see zebra and warthogs from our tent.  No sooner had we set up, we started hiking out in the reserve.  We found it really interesting that you can just walk amongst the animals without fences or being closed up in your car.  Tons of impala, nyala, kudu, and other antelopes.  Warthogs, zebra, hippos, and some scary looking crocodiles (they advise you not to go too close to the water - duly noted).  Definitely not in Canada anymore Toto!!

Lunar Eclipse

It was nice to just chill out and watch the animals when we wanted to, and stroll through the forests.  At the main camp, the animals were not shy, with one nyala trying to steal Michelle's sandwich from her hand.  Back at the hostel, they had a friendly ostrich they called Cindy.  She just strolled around the place, but it was a little weird being face to face with her at times.
One of the evenings, we were lucky to see a full lunar eclipse - pretty special considering where we were in the nature reserve.
A following day, we took on a larger hike and made it all the way up Execution Rock.  This provided us with some great views over the Ezulwini Valley and further.  It was nice to get out and do some exercise, as we've been a little sluggish for a while. We took in the full views, spending about 1.5 hours on the windy summit.  On the walk back to the hostel, we got a treat as we spotted two hippos sunning themselves on a little island.  I hadn't really seen any hippo out of the water in the daytime, and these two were pretty close to us!!  Apparently, there are more human fatalities from hippos, than any other animal in Africa - I guess they are quite territorial, and have poor eyesight, but can run at 35 mph.  I wouldn't want to be in the way of one of those trucking along!!   *Stub

Hippos at the Pond

Volunteering in the Kingdom of Swaziland

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After three days in Joburg it was time to move on and get on with our Swaziland adventure. Our minivan was expensive but safe. Many people tell us to not take the combi vans for long distances so the only other alternative was to catch the expensive minibus 500R - $70 for a 5 hour journey.

We had to wait at the border leaving South Africa as one of the other passengers had picked up his wife's passport instead of his own when he by mistake. His own passport was back in Cape Town (a 5 hour ride and two hour plane away!) Eventually through much persuasion by some of the other women passengers, the border police decided to permit him exit and re-entry. His daughter was anxiously waiting for him across the border in Swaziland, and unfortunately we had to leave him waiting for his temporary documentation to be sorted. We later found out that he did get through safely.

Michelle with Rachael, Allana, and kids at the orphanage

Since we arrived late, and couldn't get in touch with our friends at the orphanage and the backpackers, and the taxi driver had no idea where the hostel was, we eventually got a ride to Manzini with a lady from our bus, and she invited us to stay with her for the night. Angela was our rescuer. She had a spare room and together we assembled a delicious late evening meal. The next morning we finally, we got in touch with our friends from the orphanage, and Angela actually drove us all the way there - super nice!!  Here we were our first night in Swaziland and we had already encountered Ubuntu yet again! How great was that!

Lunch Line

For the next nine consecutive days we worked solidly at the New Hope Centre orphanage getting a ride with Sergio the hostel owner every morning at 7.30 and getting back every evening before dark at around 6pm. The kids were so much fun. Some took to us more than others and wanted to play with us or just to be around us. There were some interesting characters for sure! Many come from tragic backgrounds, many are still recovering. For some you would never know that they had been left for dead under trees or seriously abused by members of their family. The New Hope Centre was doing what it was supposed to - giving children the chance for a better life.

Pentecost Celebration

Swaziland has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in Africa - between 40% and 50%. The population of Swaziland is 850,000 people (it used to be 950,000), and about 200,000 of those are estimated to be orphaned children. Those numbers are really shocking and it's only just recently that Swaziland has come out of denial and admitting it has a problem with the HIV! As for the children they are left to fend for themselves or live with family members who abuse them. They lead pretty miserable lives. At New Hope there are 49 children that have better lives and given the hope that their futures can be different.

Martin with Titus and Hepsipa

When the kids were in school, Martin and I did all sorts of projects such as painting buildings, organising camping gear, first aid medical supplies and the director's offices. The orphanage was hard, but rewarding work and we would come home exhausted every night.

As for where we stayed - Swaziland Backpackers, it was one of our most favourite places so far. The owners, Sergio and Paula, were just taking on the running of the place since there manager left a week before and they made us feel so welcome and part of their family. Every night Paula would cook some amazingly delicious food with a huge variety of dishes. It was so wonderful to have home cooked food every night amongst Sergio and Paula and the other guests. The nights were getting colder (it's winter here) and we would keep warm around the camp fire before heading to our tent. * Mush 

Spoiled in Joburg, South Africa

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With Derek Stretton, Distiller of Stretton's gin

Talk about getting spoiled!  Despite our flight's super late arrival in to Johannesburg from Nosy Be, Madagascar, we were greeted at the airport by a very chirpy and gregarious Paige.  Now, Paige is a good friend of our friends Steve and Kerry-Lyn in London, and she had invited us to stay in Jo'burg, and wow, lucky us!!  Steve and Kerry-Lyn, I know, will be super-jealous of the warm and homely welcome that we received from Paige and her husband Roger, and daughter Zoe.  We had a fabulous stay while we attempted to figure out our next adventure, and how to do it.

We wanted to get to Swaziland to volunteer at an orphanage there (we had met some girls from the orphanage when we were in Pretoria our previous time in South Africa). Our dilemma: budget versus safety. Renting a car to head to Swaziland and out the other side back into South Africa would be convenient, but not the most economical since the car would sit idle for a couple of weeks while we volunteered at the orphanage.  After a couple of days of research in Jo'burg, we came to the conclusion we would just take an "expensive" bus to Swaziland, as we had no other safe options!

Michelle and Paige

While struggling with our research we were wonderfully pampered and deliciously fed and watered! Not to mention Paige and Roger's friends and family that we got to meet and enjoy. In true Jo-burg winter-style we warmed around the camp fire in the garden, ate gourmet steaks from the braii (or barbecue), and ate fabulous pasta made by their great Italian friend, Adi. For me it was also an extreme honour to meet the Distiller and namesake of Stretton's Gin - Paige's father Derek Stretton. As some of you may know, I like my G&Ts. And believe me this was delicious gin!

Sign at Apartheid Museum

We were lucky that Paige had some time to take us to the famous Apartheid Museum - something we had missed doing when we were in Jo'burg a month ago. It was fascinating and thought provoking. The hardships and challenges were unimaginable.  It was an extensive (and emotionally exhausting) museum with so much info - we really needed 4 days rather than 4 hours to appreciate it!

With Paige, Roger and Zoe we certainly discovered the spirit of Ubuntu - South African generosity and hospitality at its best. Thank you! * Mush

Nosing Around Nosy Be, Madagascar

  

At about 5:30AM, we were out on the road awaiting our taxi brousse.  This one had to leave Diego

Michelle Visiting a school on Nosy Be

at a ridiculous 4AM to get to us - why so early???  We shoe-horned ourselves into the seats and set off at the usual high speed, swerving around the car sized potholes on our way to Ankify, and the ferry to the island of Nosy Be.  We were greeted by madness again, with boat sellers swarming us before we even had a chance to get our bags - I really hate that.  After a quick bite, and attempt by the shop owner to rip us off, we haggled our way onto a speed boat destined for Nosy Be. 

The ride was wonderful, and nice to be our on the sea again, this time in the North West of Madagascar.  Our port town in Nosy Be was the wonderfully named Hell Ville.  Actually named for Admiral Hell, not any other reason, this quaint little town had a nice feel to it, but no beaches, so we hopped in a combi van to Ambatalokoa and found some nice, authentic accommodation at Chez Aly - the cheapest in the beach town. 

It was time for some relax time on the beach, but not until we had walked the town and figured out the lay of the land.  Looked like it was a little touristy, but this was nice because we had some funky bars, and nice looking restaurants.  These were followed by the local shops, and street stalls, where we get the nice, cheap food.  After an afternoon, on the beach, we enjoyed some fantastic calamari at a restaurant on the beach, and just enjoyed the vibe of the little beach town.

Andilana Beach

The next morning, we rented a motorbike (Thai style), and set out on our own for once, to explore the island.   Nosy Be is only about 60km to circle the island, so we had time to explore along the way.  Our first stop was at a little pre-school we passed along the way.  Of course the kids were super cute, but these were shyer than usual.  It was another great experience, as their faces opened up more and more during our visit.  On to Andilana, and what they say is the best beach on the island.  It was beautiful, but was also dominated at one end by the very high end, all inclusive resort that is full or Italian tourists - I bet most of these never leave the complex!!  Very unfortunate as there is so much out there!!

We took in the nice scenery around the island, stopping at some deserted beaches along the way.  We also passed the local airport, where we were due the next day for our flight to Johannesburg. It was nice seeing more local life near Hell-Ville, watching the fishing, kids playing, cooking, and even getting asked for a bribe from the police - which we chose to ignore (money for a drink he said).

Hell-Ville port

More calamari that night, a couple of Three Horse Beer Fresh Panaches, and in the morning we were off to the airport.  We were being met by a friend of a friend at Joburg, so were happy to see the plane head out to the runway on time.  We both made silly comments like "not like a taxi brousse - waiting until the plane is full until it leaves", or "stopping to pick people up on the way".  We managed to JINX ourselves, and the plane headed back to the terminal, and we disembarked while they checked out some mechanical issues.  We left about two hours late, and from the plane, we saw a funny sight - about 8 men sweeping the runway with little brooms.  They had a Hell of a job ahead, if they are only using little brooms!!
*Stub

 

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Tsingy Thingys in Reserve Special L'Ankarana, Madagascar

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Martin and Michelle on Tsingy

From the gorgeous beaches of the Emerald Sea, we started to head South.  After walking around in circles in Diego Suarez, trying to find the taxi brousse station, one actually found us.  You are always a little concerned when they find you, but it worked out again, and we arrived in one piece at Reserve Special L'Ankarana.  Another interesting park in Madagascar that was not only interesting for wildlife, but also the Tsingy that were within the park boundaries.  Tsingy is basically limestone that has been eroded over centuries by wind and water, into some amazing formations with razor sharp edges.

Upon our arrival in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, and subsequent acquiring of accommodation for our cheapest price in Madagascar (Yeah!!), we rushed to join a couple on a tour through the park.  A guide is mandatory in the park, but costs the same price for 1 or up to 4 people, so sharing a guide is a good way to save money.  Olivia and Ralf, from Germany, were ready to leave so Michelle and I quickly threw some stuff together and we were out hiking in the park.

We were surprised at how many lemurs we saw in this park - they seemed to be everywhere including the very small Northern Sportive lemur, Crowned lemurs, and the bearded Sanford lemurs.  Of course, the real star of this park is the tsingy, and we were thrilled when we finally came across the formations.  Smaller in size than I expected, but a vast expanse of the rock.  We attempted to walk out on the rock, but with the skinny, razor sharp edges, we didn't attempt very far to avoid cutting ourselves up, as a fall would be disastrous.  They had built a nice suspension bridge across a small gorge, so we were able to get good views over the area.  Also, since Olivia is a professional opera singer, we listened to her fantastic voice in the bizarre landscape.

We had a good evening with Ralf and Olivia, and enjoyed our stay at the little Chez L'Aurelien - and our little wooden huts were nice and comfortable.  But we all managed to get up super early to head out into the park again.  This time, our path led us to the park's Bat Cave.  En route, we saw some early morning lemurs in baobab trees - so very Madagascan.  The bat cave had a massive entrance, and 130 something steps down to it.  Seeing all the orange bat eyes reflected from our headlamps is a little freaky, luckily they weren't flying around us too much.

Crowned Lemurs on Tsingy

After saying goodbye to Ralf and Olivia, we took a nap, then decided to head back into the park again, this time with fun, friendly guide named Francois.  We did a very long walk, taking in more tsingy, lemurs, flora, and even a subway/cave walk through the tsingy, and over the suspension bridge again.  Unfortunately, Michelle fell on the tsingy, and sliced her hand up pretty good - very sharp stuff this tsingy.  We also managed to see something that National Geographic photographers waited 2 weeks to capture - lemur walking through the tsingy.  We were happy to see the brown females, and grey males hopping across the rocks - lucky us!   Our walk was so long, we arrived home in darkness and were exhausted.  A super early morning awaited us, with a taxi brousse, so we needed all the sleep we could get.   *Stub

The Emerald Sea, Madagascar

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A pirogue in the Emerald Sea

To save 3 days in a taxi brousse, we bucked up and bought a flight to the North - specifically Diego Suarez.  There are more parks we wanted to visit there, and our flight was out of Nosy Be - an island in the North.  It was worth the money, to get a few extra days enjoying.
We quickly found out that we would have difficulty getting to the parks without the aid (and $$$$) of a 4x4, so we decided to chill out for a couple of days at the beach in Ramena. 
Our accommodation was a little shoddy, but right on the beach in the sleepy little town.  The locals very friendly, except for one shop owner that tried to overcharge us for a beer, even though it was clearly marked.  When we questioned it, she got all defensive and ended up smashing the bottle on the ground, much to the chagrin of her staff, and people on the street!  Weird!!
We brushed off that little experience easily, as we immediately found our favourite little restaurant, right on the beach, serving up delicious calamari for cheap, cheap, cheap!!  MMmmmmmm, delicious - we did return.

Martin with the Friendly Kids on Ramena

We met some really cute kids earlier in the day, ones that just wanted to be picked up and swung around.  Turned out, one of the little guys was named Kidico, and he was the restaurant owner's son.  He hung out with us for dinners, and we had some fun babysitting him.
It was nice to chill for a little bit, and a nice beach at that.  The second day in town, we booked on a boat trip to the Emerald Sea.  After some confusion in the morning, and the "Africa Time" (1.5 hrs late), we hopped on the pirogue, and set sail with a couple of French guys out for some kiteboarding.  We thought it was a snorkel trip, but these guys were getting dropped off on a little beach and kiting over to meet the pirogue for lunch on this beautiful island in the middle of the emerald coloured water.  I was quite envious, but maybe I will return with my kite next time!!
The sailing was enjoyable though, as the scenery was spectacular.  We did manage to snorkel a little, but only whilst the captain was out snorkeling with a spear gun to catch us lunch!  And what delicious lunch it was - crab and fresh fish, with salads, chips and fruit.  Wow....   only a couple of cold beers topped that meal off just right! 

Lunch on the Island paradise

The guys managed another kiting session, whilst Michelle and I relaxed while watching crabs dig their holes in the beach in the powder white sand.  Then it was some sailing back home along the coast, into the bay.  We both had a good sunburn to remember the day!   *Stub

Lemur Watching in Parc Nacional Ranomafana, Madagascar

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With Joanne and John at Rianala Gite

We met John and Joanne on the train the previous day, and were planning to take a taxi brousse to Ranomafana.  As John's knee was acting up, Michelle and I walked to the taxi-brousse station, and John/Joanne were to follow in a pousse pousse (Vietnam-style foot rickshaw).  To our surprise, they pulled up in a nice big 4x4, that was apparently returning to Fianarantsoa, and was picking up a few fares as extra cash.  It cost the same as the taxi brousse, and was much more comfortable, and quicker.   Good score!!
South of Antananarivo is Parc Nacional de Ranomafana with lush hills and rainforest.  We stayed in a dorm-style "gite" with Joanne and John right outside the park gates - couldn't have been closer!!

Golden Bamboo Lemur

We had a couple of days in the park with a guide (Lorei) watching the golden bamboo lemurs up close and personal. Martin, in spite of feeling yuk with a head-cold was glad that he came out. It was special being that close seeing them preen and groom each other. We also managed another night walk, and Martin was excited because he finally spotted a chameleon on his own - not such an easy task.  We also were relatively close to a tiny little mouse lemur, about the size of a small rodent with long tail.

Onto Ambositra by taxi-brousse which turned out to be our worst one yet - the driver was going just too, fast racing another taxi-brousse about 3 feet  off his bumper (no lie!). After which we got off and kissed the ground. What does our heads in, is that there's absolutely no benefit that we could see - not even in picking up more fares! He was just plain crazy. I was so angry and scared I told him in a mixture of Malagasy and French that he had bad, dangerous driving. Ritza be! (very bad).  Martin just wanted to stay put, as he was in rough shape.  Too bad, as Ambositra is supposed to be the artisan capital of Madagascar, with some beautiful villages to the south that are Unesco Heritage sites, because of the indigenous people that live there.  Oh well, a rest day is required every now and then!!

Sunrise in Ambositra

To make up for this nightmare journey our next Taxi-brousse to Tana to catch a flight up north, was calm and pleasant - which was just as well as Martin was still nursing his cold, although feeling much better. * Mush

The Only Operational Passenger Train in Madagascar

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Train crossing one of the many bridges

We had heard horror stories about the taxi brousse from Morondava to Antsirabe.  First, it is a small mini-van packed to the gills, and takes about 12 hours or so to drive the pothole filled road.  Add to this, that at night, they try to group together in convoy, with a couple of policemen, to try to avoid the bandits - you can imagine that we were not really looking forward to the drive.  We had to get back though, so this was the only answer.  In reality, we found a vehicle going in the daytime, sat next to a local guide who complained bitterly when they tried to overfill the seats leaving us space, and only were on the road for about 10 hours.  Quite a pleasant journey actually, to our surprise.

Michelle's saviour - camera chasing man

Not so the next day, as we waited 4 hours for the van to fill, and finally we were off to Fianarantsoa to catch the only operational passenger train in Madagascar, from Fian to Manakara on the East coast.
The train is still used by many local villagers, heading to and from the markets and towns.  It seemed that the "First Class" car was filled with Faza's (Malagasy for foreigner), which was a little disappointing.  The train was going to stop often at local stations though, so we could move around.
Michelle became well known on the train within the first hour, but more for the fact that while looking out the open door, her camera case fell off the strap, and out the door onto the tracks.  A couple of the local train personnel saw this happen, and to our surprise they actually STOPPED the train.  Of course, the train took a little time to slow down, but one guy actually jumped out of the train, hopped on a bike of a local passerby, and rode back to look.  We had written off the chance of finding the camera, but back he came, with the case held high.  Michelle could have kissed him - her saviour!!!  So everyone knew Michelle now, including the train conductor, that came back to issue the "fine" for stopping the train.  We were expecting some exorbitant number, but he said it was 900 Ariary per minute - the equivalent of $0.45 per minute, and for 12 minutes, it would cost us about $5 - Phew!!!  That was worth it for the camera, and the camera finder guy also got a nice tip for his efforts which he was thrilled about!!!

Riding in "Second" Class

So, the rest of the journey was much less crazy!  The train traveled through some lovely hilly, rainforesty scenery.  It stopped VERY often at all the little villages to drop off locals, and produce, but also to allow the locals to board and sell snacks and food.  It was a day full of eating little snacks all along the way.  Some of us "fazas" would get off every station and meet the locals, but I felt a bit like we were staring into a goldfish bowl.  Of course, the kids loved getting their photo taken, and were really excited.  Then we were back on the move again, to the next batch of kids.
Michelle and I changed things up a bit, and spent some time in the "Second Class" car.  We got right in, and started talking with the locals and had a wonderful time there.  Everyone was very curious as to why we were there, and not in First Class, but they had beaming smiles, and friendly giggles.  We actually got invited to the home of Anna, who lives about half way along the journey.  It was with great regret that we had to decline, only because we had no idea where we would be, and we had a flight in a few days that we had to get to.  So nice though, and we love that part of traveling.

The gathering for the arrival of the daily train

As the afternoon was coming to a close, and dusk was upon us, we moved back to our car.  I particularly enjoyed sitting at the train door steps, watching the scenery rush by.  The journey was becoming a little long now, and most of us just wanted it to be over, and were relieved when after about 12 hours, we arrived in Manakara.  We celebrated with a beer at the hotel!   *Stub

Another fun stop in a local village

Avenue of the Baobabs, near Morondava, Madagascar

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A 1500 year old Baobab

Years ago, I saw a photo in the Lonely Planet calendar of the Avenue of the Baobabs, and had always been curious to see these bizarre trees.  It was what really sparked my interest to come to Madagascar, and it didn't disappoint.
There is a small number of species of baobab trees in Madagascar (I believe 6 of 8 of the world's total), but all share the same thick round trunk, with spindly branches look.  Since we got back on dry land after the river trip, we had seen quite a few different varieties, and it was quite exciting to see them dotted along the horizon as we drove towards Morondava.  Apparently, they are one of the slowest growing trees, with 10 to 20 year old trees still only as high as your knees.
Along the way, we passed by villages based around some of these old trees including one little place with 4 exceptionally old trees.  They believe that these trees are between 1500 and 2000 years old, with the oldest and largest being very sacred to the people of the village.  You can see from the photo to the right, just the immense size of the trunks, as 6 of us are pictured at it's base.

Beautiful baobab trees

We met many kids along the rough 4x4 drive, and had some fun experiences including dancing to the music from our vehicle with kids copying in the distance.  Through the bizarre landscape, there was also a huge baobab, that had two trunks intertwined, which they called the tree in love.
But then we reached the highlight of our journey for me, the Avenue.  Not very long in length - possibly only a few hundred metres - the trees were very thick and quite dense along the road compared to other areas, so to speak.  I found it quite an enchanting place, and very surreal.  They are such a bizarre looking tree, and to see so many in one place really does look out of this world. 

The Avenue with traffic

We managed to stay for a few hours, watching the sky change from day, to sunset, to dusk with a colourful warm afterglow, then to eventually night.  I couldn't get enough of seeing these beasts.  It was so picturesque, and I couldn't stop taking photos.  It also seemed like you couldn't take a bad photo, as the trees were so photogenic. Although there were some other tourists there for sunset, it seemed peaceful and tranquil.  All except for a few of the locals calling out "Fa-za" which means tourist in Malagasy, then trying to sell you something.
Since this was  highlight, we decided to return again, this time for sunrise.  There were even fewer people here, and it was nice to see the area come to life for the day.  The locals washing in the nearby water holes, the zebu carts getting geared up for the days work, and the trees getting set for yet another day of curious tourists like myself.  *Stub

The Avenue of the Baobabs

Avenue of the Baobabs at sunset

3 Days on the River Tsiribihina, Madagascar

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Professor Martin at school near Antsirabe

Apparently, one of the classic trips in Madagascar is to float down the Tsiribihina River in a dugout canoe called a pirogue, with a couple of pirogeurs paddling you along.  Why be left out of the fun, so we signed up with the Australian's Clyde, Avril and Kerrie.  On the way to the river we were supposed to visit a couple of volcanic lakes, which were nice in their own respect, but the real highlight was when I asked our guide, Willy, to stop at the school that we passed.  The children were all lined up at the edge of the grounds and as we approached the school with our cameras, the kids went crazy, and the teachers seemed almost as excited to get some photos of themselves.  We were invited into the classrooms, and as soon as we showed them photos, the place erupted. 

Michelle with the kids at School

We thought we had really disrupted the lessons, but the teachers didn't seem to mind and kept on inviting us in to a new class room.  I went to the front of the class, and pretended to teach a lesson.  This had everyone a little confused, but they loved it.

The other Pirogue, with zebu on shore

Packing up the pirogues the next morning was quite an occasion - it seemed like the whole village came out to 'help' and see us off. Once on the river we left the mayhem behind and it was relaxing and peaceful. For the next two days we paddled down the river.  Our 'pirogeurs' Copan, Rene, and Mahatre (Tim) (we called him Tim because of the hockey jersey he sported - a Tim Horton's Timbits shirt - all Canadians will know what I'm talking about) were great - nothing was too much trouble and they were always laughing and giggling and having fun like little children. The food they cooked was absolutely delicious - some of the best we've had in Madagascar. As we discovered, always in Madagascar, meals consist of rice (Madagascans consume 125kg of rice/per head/year!). So we would have rice and fresh salad and either freshly caught fish, Zebu (their local beef) or even fresh chickens that say at the clucking away at the back of the pirosue that were slaughtered and plucked just before dinner.

Campsite for night #1 on the River

We floated alongside river banks and saw lots of birds and chameleons. The sun was scorching hot. At lunch times we would stop at a village or a waterfall. We were hoping for more activity on the water but right now it's cool season so there wasn't as much activity with people cooling off. Unfortunately, as with most of Madagascar, the rain forests here have all been cleared for agriculture and the terrain was grassy and bare. As a result the water is very brown and sandy from erosion. We camped every night on sand/mud bank of sorts for great sunsets and sunrises. To finish off the river trip, or more, to finish us off!, we took a very bumpy and tippy Zebu cart to the village where were staying at. Our 'hotel' was extremely authentic - limited electricity and pot showers. I don't think Kerrie was all that impressed. Martin and I on the other hand loved its authenticity and the local village.  *Mush/Stub

Real Animals, Not Just Cartoons in Madagascar

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Martin with the Kids in Andasibe

We are loving Madagascar.  The people here are fantastic, so warm and friendly.  Genuinely happy to see you, with huge smiles and puzzled curiosity.  Such a refreshing change from Morocco, where everyone seems to have a motive to sell you something and you always have your guard up.  Or South Africa, where we are warned that everywhere is dangerous, and be careful.
This is the way we like to travel, with lots of interaction with the locals.  Often people ask for their photos to be taken, but not for money, just the excitement of seeing themselves on the screen.   And excited would be an understatement, as the kids go crazy when they see the pictures!!  We've had entire villages of kids jumping around and dancing with us - what fun!  The people seem to be a mix of both African and SE Asian descent, and many of the faces are truly beautiful.
And that is just the start.  The scenery here in Madagascar is at times, breathtaking.  Granted that probably 80-90% of the rain forest and dry forest has been logged and destroyed.  An absolute tragedy for both the land and wildlife, but the countryside, and villages still have a beauty, and lushness to them that inspires awe.   From terraced rice paddies, to mud brick houses, to rolling hillsides, and rivers and waterfalls aplenty.
We started our journey in picturesque Antananarivo (every person and town have extremely long names), and met up with a trio of wildlife junkies from Australia who had rented a driver and car for their trip,  We decided to join them for the first portion and were taken around by Hasina (short for Rasolofonjatovo Fenohasina).  What a fabulous man, who had a smile to light up the room, and a very contagious laugh/giggle.  We had some great laughs with the whole group.

Michelle with some Brown Lemurs that were not SHY

The journey took us to Andasibe/Mantadia, which is home to 2 National Parks or reserves.  We stayed at some lovely huts skirting the parks, and had guided walks both day and night to find some of Madagascar's wildlife.  Wildlife that is only found on the worlds 4th largest island!!  And surprisingly, we managed to spot many a strange creature.  There are 70+ types of lemur here, and we found all different types from the wailing Indri (that looks like a child dressed in a panda suit), to the tiny mouse lemur, and the colourful white and beige sifaka.  And plenty of wild chameleons around, although obviously, they are hard to spot.  So many different colours, and we even fed them crickets, to see their enormously long tongues the length of their body and tail combined, shoot out and retrieve the bug.   Odd shaped giraffe weavels, that really look like miniature giraffes.  And a lucky spotting of the rare comet moth, just resting for the day.  The most beautiful moth I have ever seen with yellow and orange colour, and two sweeping long tails!!  This is to name just a few.
To finish, we spent some time at a reserve, where they are trying to introduce some injured lemurs back to the wild.  We were so close, we were able to feed sifakas, and bamboo lemurs, with their gentle paws/hands reaching out to hold ours, and gently taking the banana.  The brown lemurs were less shy, jumping on our shoulders and scurrying around, licking our sweat stained clothing!!  Fantastic!!

Home made land luge

One of my strange highlights of our journey was watching a family of 6, ride down a long hill on what I can only describe as a homemade, makeshift, rickety land luge.  They must haul stuff up hill on this cart, and then use gravity to get themselves and other things home.  I would have loved a ride on one of these!   *Stub

5 out of 5 - Kruger Park, South Africa

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3 sizes of elephants crossing

Once we figured out that we were going to fly out to to Madagascar next week, we needed something to do for 6 days.  We had a good night at the hostel bar, meeting some new friends and woke up the next morning to figure it out.  Our first task was to find a rental car - usually easy, but this was Freedom Day in SA.  Next, we searched for camping in Kruger Park and were able to book the VERY last sites for 3 nights over the Easter weekend.  They were at different sites, but we thought this was fine, although not knowing the distance between.  Now we needed a tent and a few camping supplies - hopefully a shop is open to buy some cheap stuff.
On our rushed way out to get the car, we spoke to new friends Fia and Christo briefly to say goodbye.  A long story short, they live up on the outskirts of Kruger Park, and invited us to stay the night.  Not only that, they offered up all their camping supplies for us to borrow for the 4 nights there.  WOW!!  So in a few short hours after waking up, we were on our way to Kruger with an overnight stop in Hoedspruit - the air base there, as Christo is a helicopter pilot there. 
In Kruger you drive yourself around the park wherever you want. You are not allowed to get out of your vehicle (for good reason) and have to be in your camp by gate closing time.  To say that luck was on our side in these days would be an understatement.
In search of the Big 5 animals, we managed to see them all!!!  I guess you should consider yourself lucky to see all, and we did.
African Buffalo - a huge herd or about 400 rumbled across in front of our car including young
Elephants - about 30 or so were watering themselves off, then passed in front of the car, including some babies
Rhinos - we spotted 11 rhinos, including one baby and a group of 4 about 20 feet from the car
Lions - 2 huge male lions lying in the road, and a group of 8 sunning themselves on some rocks, along with another female on the road
Leopard - our last one and most elusive - who would think we would see this nocturnal animal on the dirt road ahead, and cross just 100 feet in front of us on our very last day!!

Two huge male lions on the road in Kruger

We also spotted some wonderful other sights including baby giraffes, a hyena feeding her young just 10 feet off the road, 3 cheetah in the distance, yawning hippos, baby zebra, hornbill birds jumping onto our window sill,  the huge strides of a running giraffe, families of warthogs, the stereotypical watering hole scene with loads of animals, ostrich, horny baboons, blazing sunsets, elephants freaking out and charging across the road, and tons of other wildlife.
The camping was great, and the noises in the park were fabulous.  We managed well with all the camping gear and owe a massive thanks to Fia and Christo for helping us out.  You meet some great people traveling, and some will give you the shirt off their back after only a brief encounter.  We hope to one day reciprocate, because without them our trip would have been much more difficult.  We even managed to spend another night with them on our way back to Jo-Burg.  We had a lot of luck on our side this trip, and can't believe it came together so fabulously from no real planning.  What a great adventure!!  *Stub

A leopard crossing in front - the last of the Big 5