26 August 2008 - Day 1, part 2 - Antananarivo to Ambositra, 250 km
From the airport we took the road around the Madagascan capital, Antananarivo, as we had a long journey to our first overnight stop at Ambositra. The road is raised above the surrounding countryside, this afforded us a great view over the fertile land. There were many rice paddy fields tended by men, women and children. The draft animals assisting with the farming are called Zebu, these are the dominant species found in eastern Africa and Asia and are distinctive due to the large hump of fat on their shoulders.
The other dominant activity in the fields is brick production. There were vast areas covered with piles of light brown bricks drying in the sun. Later on the journey we were to see the whole process, starting from the preparation of the land where the surface would be broken up and the clay allowed to soak. The softened clay would be worked and then placed in a simple former and the bricks stacked in piles, each layer separated with dried grass. Once dried, the bricks are carried on the head to be stacked by the side of the road. The stacks are intricate with a space in the middle for a fire and channels and spaces throughout to allow the heat to bake the bricks evenly. The fires are fueled by wood harvested from the nearest area of rainforest.
We passed many roadside stalls selling everything from bicycle wheels to empty plastic bottles. We passed a large haphazard bus terminus where vast numbers of taxi-brousse gather. These privately owned minibuses offer travel to all areas of the island with their destination scrawled on bits of cardboard displayed inside the windscreen. Taxi-brousse seem to be able to carry their own weight on the roof with haphazard, tightly tied and wrapped piles of assorted boxes, bags and cages. The people capacity of the taxi-brousse seems to be 20-30 often with 2 or 3 people hanging out of the partly open rear doors!
We joined the regional road RN7 which is the main road to the south and our route for most of our 6 days in Madagascar. I had been warned and read about the time it takes to travel distances in the island but had put this down to the no doubt poor condition of the roads. The truth is that the RN7, and I understand the other regional roads, is better maintained than many roads in Europe. There is appropriate investment in the road infrastructure to ensure that people and goods keep moving and provide the driving force to the economy.
The reason that it takes a long time to travel distances is down to the many twists and turns and also the sheer volume and variety of slow moving transport vehicles and the almost constant presence of people on their own or in groups walking the road carrying their goods tp market or home. The vehicles range from slower moving, poorly maintained, smoke belching, older cars, vans and trucks to wooden carts propelled by human or Zebu power.
The RN7 unraveled its twisty path through a beautiful country ranging from wide open areas stretching to distant hills, to rolling hills sculpted and carved with terracing. Our guide Tahiry explained that this land was very fertile due to the volcanic soil. There was a great variety of crops growing and they seemed to be regionally concentrated with the roads lined in places with pineapples, carrots, yams, orange indigenous fruits, cabbages and sugar cane amongst many others.
As dusk approached we pulled up outside a restaurant for a toilet break. This was our first introduction to the rudimentary toilet facilities found everywhere apart from the larger hotels. The toilet was in a yard behind the building where there was also a minibus with two small children inaisw. It was also the first time we encountered the word Vazha. Vazha means white person or people and this word accompanied us everywhere we went in Madagascar.
This first time the scruffy and dirty little boy shouted Vazha! at the top of his voice while pointing at us with his arm outstretched. His little companion backed away from us as far as the interior of the minibus allowed. Back to the toilet, this was in a rickety wooden outbuilding with no lighting, the toilet itself was a hole in the floor with two footpads on either side. It was the smell that was most notable, of course the hole led straight to a pit below.
It got dark quickly and this was profound blackness. We passed through village after village and only knew they were there when the buildings were picked out by the headlights of our car. There is no electricity, in most of the smaller towns, villages or hamlets and this led to the blackness.
We arrived at Hotel l' Artisan after our 250 Km journey at 2100 and parked alongside similar 4x4s and small minibuses. Porters took our luggage to the rooms, Amanda and I were in one of 5 wooden huts and Alice and Philippa were in a room on the second floor of the main building. Ambositra is the centre of woodworking and our rooms reflected this, with the girls room especially adorned with carved lemurs perched on the curtain poles.
As soon as we dropped our bags in the rooms we went into the restaurant in the main building. We were greeted by the sound of a local group playing traditional music. There were two members of the group one playing a guitar and the other playing a Madagascan instrument called a Valiha which is best described as a bamboo zither. The group were called Emeraude and we bought a copy of their cheaply produced CD of excellent music.
Tahiry went to talk to the owner about our vegetarian dietary needs and they both came to the table to take us through our options which were limited but well cooked. We had a selection of noodles some with vegetables, and fries which pleased Philippa. This was followed by a desert of fresh fruit.
The restaurant displayed more of the local wood working craftsmanship but this time with marquetry panels of Baobab trees, Lemurs and other animals on wall plaques and the backs of the chairs.
Dinner consumed we went straight to bed as we had as Philippa was falling asleep at the table and also because we had the first of our daily early starts, necessary to travel the distances and visit all the places we wanted.