The next morning, the view from my window looked something like this...



A typical African scene.
I was on the shores of Lake Itasy, which is rumoured to have crocodiles in it, but this was the closest I got to seeing one



A photo in the hotel reception.

I headed off to find some local waterfalls, and was directed along a small track which got increasingly narrow and full of fesh fesh (bulldust).
I had assumed I was on the route that the bush taxis take, but there's no way that anything with four wheels used this track - and I'm sorry but I was having such a hard time riding that I didn't take any pictures at this stage. I had a couple of river crossings and then I was told I was heading the wrong way and had to go back again!
I found more people AND a proper bridge, I MUST be on the right track now



I finally got to the waterfalls, very dusty and sweaty



but still able to smile

It was like being at a smaller version of Victoria Falls, much smaller



I zoomed in with my camera at the white blob at the top to see this



A couple of ducks that looked like they're contemplating diving in!!

And yes, as I turned to go, here were the bush taxis arriving on the good road



I just had to try and follow this road out.

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

I did come face to face with a crocodile


Luckily it was just in a bar, where I was having a well-earned cold .

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Through couchsurfing.com, I'd been in touch with an American Peace Corps worker and went to visit her
Sarah is very blonde and from Michigan - two major contrasts to being in Madagascar



She's been out here for 18 months and had a lot of good information to share and advice to give. We had lunch at a market restaurant and she introduced me to the drink rano'apango - boiled burnt rice water. Which although it smelt pretty bad, it tasted alright, like a strong roibusch (redbush) tea from South Africa.

I managed to run out of fuel- schoolgirl error, I hadn't realised that the bike had been handed over with the reserve switched on. This meant I had a bit of a delay, when I pushed the bike to the nearest village and paid someone to cycle the 6kms to the next fuel stop and bring back a coke bottle of petrol. So I was unable to get to my destination that night- because there's no way I'm riding in the dark over here. I was a bit stuck for accommodation options, the only place in the small town had red light bulbs and also rented by the hour!!

However the owner was very nice and assured me I would be safe there rather than out on the road with the animals and the brigands!

As I rode in through the gates, I saw what looked like a familiar sight-




a van identical to one I had travelled through the 'Stans with a few years ago.


the next morning (after a very peaceful night's sleep) the owner of the establishment and his wife posed for a picture



I made it back to Tana, and stayed at the house of a friend of the bike shop owner (long story)
The house was full of Enduro trophies



And the only reading material were motocross and Enduro magazines...in French naturally.


Dinner that night was provided at the house by a couple of well...reprobates is the only word to describe them, they're originally from Reunion Island and have ended up in Madagasacar. They washed it down with lots of rum, which I managed to decline.



It was back to the bike shop in the morning, to give back the 250cc and pick up the DR 350.
And time to pack it

Here I am attempting to fill the Coyote Saddle Bag



And here is what I put in it



Time to head north



for some adventures,

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Hola Tiffany,

hey long time no news from your side, and now I see that you made it Madagaskar ... I am envious, as I also sat on a beach in Mozambique in 2004 and after that tried to find a boat from Beira to Madagaskar with no luck. And you changed to a good bike this time a DR350, I am impressed.

I just made it back to Bogota and will have a weekend of sleep and fruit juices ... getting old and grey... as you know I have always been lazy.

Enjoy your time and keep up the ride reports, everybody here on the Hubbs enjoys reading them. Drop me a line if you find the time, maybe our path will cross again one day.

Un abrazo
mika

Hola Mika
Good to hear from you and how goes life in South America? I wasn't able to get to your part of the continent earlier this year, but it sounds like you're all over the place anyway. And yes, Madagascar is proving to be a very special place, I'm having a ball
hasta luego
Tiffany

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

From the bustle of Tana the capital I headed East through the rolling green hills



to the coast and the beautiful Indian Ocean, my first morning, I woke up to this sunrise view through my bedroom window (a simple thatched hut by the beach)



I'm in the small town (three dirt roads) of Soaneira Ivango


where there are cute kids on every corner





I wandered around as the sun set


There's great street food, this is Madame Suzanne and she has established her little foodie empire under the only street light in town,


serving food to people wandering past and seating them on small wooden stools.


Assisted by her multitude of offspring.

The local butcher shop is not for the fainthearted



and yep, like a lot of teenage shop assistants the world over, he's checking out his mobile phone behind the merchandise.



I headed north up the infamous Route National 5

Not what most of us would recognise as a major national road, but hey, this is Madagascar

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Life is simple in Madagascar, if there's water to be crossed, there will be a floating vessel of some type (I hesitate to use the word boat)

My favourites are the small dug-out canoes or pirogues as they're called over here. It seems to be every boatman's boast that he will not turn anyone away, leading to some very heavily laden pirogues.



I was broken in gently, my first one actually had an engine (of sorts)



the next one was two guys paddling



You just ride up to the edge of the water, and the rest is done for you





These kids were practising with baby baths (no doubt donated by a well-meaning NGO)



Getting Suzi in and out was at times a bit trickier than they expected as she's bigger than the average bike around here




The bigger vehicles don't fare much better



as they load more and more on


Until it's so full they can't take anymore, and off they putter across the river mouth with the waves from the sea breaking over their feet!!



I prefer to take my chances with something like this


The track I was following ran alongside the beach, where I was watching out for super soft patches of sand and also the ropes from the fishing nets



Then back in under the trees


To add some interest there's also some mud, sometimes a LOT of it



I'm sort of learning about this bike as I go



This is the shy fisherman who gave me a hand

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Full marks for packing light Tiff

Those shoes look really light and compact, do you think they are available in my size?

Tiffany -I always have trouble deciding where to go on the next trip from a huge bucket-list of "places to visit" . Thanks for causing me to add another !

There's a rumour you have done trips like this before
So I was interested to see you "packing light" photo. Great I can get some insight into what experienced over landers take.............. bit surprised on the food choice? Is that little pile the result of 10's of 1000's of miles across many continents, over many years :confused1:


Deeply jealous to be quite honest, looks a great adventure .......... except m&m's, don't like m&m's


Tim

Great pics and words, tnx

I've been off-line for seven days, ever since my sister arrived and we hit the road heading south west, we have now reached the Mozambique Channel and are in the town of Morondava after a journey that included three days paddling down the Tseribhina River in a pirogue (dug put canoe) with Suzi the bike precariously balanced in it - photos to follow.

Just checking in really to let people know I'm alive.

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Fashion tips for Mark Manley
we're having a chuckle abut that - and yes they might well be in your size Mark- Karrimor LADIES ones.
Abi (loud librarian sister) says NO WAY Mark - you would look too girly in them!

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo