Madagascar 2017: 4 - Tsingy of Benaraha National Park

Thursday, October 26, 2017

As usual, I was awake a few hours before dawn, so as soon as it was light I headed for the river for a swim. The crew were up readying breakfast. I swam for quite awhile, then went to Marilynn's tent to encourage her to swim as well, which took a bit of doing, but she was glad she did. We packed up quickly and were soon on our last leg of the trip in these canoes.

We were greeted at our destination by a number of small, narrow. two animal ox carts with large steel wheels from a quite large grass hut village. Marilynn and I climbed into one, sitting with our backs against the tailgate, feet straight ahead, while other carts took Anthony and luggage. Our feet were much higher than our backsides making movement nearly impossible. Among cargo we were sitting on was a steel, cloth covered, bicycle wheel sized ring with an inch high sharp rim directly under my bum. The trip was quite a long one over very rough trails, through streams and over rocks, hammering the accursed steel rim into my posterior over and over. After about half an hour we reached a road passable by vehicles, where a 1999 Land Rover was waiting for us – I could hardly walk when helped out of the cart.

The dirt tracks that serve as roads in this part of the country are not passable in rainy season, as they turn into deep mud. At that time rivers are the only transportation routes – there are no airfields. In the dusty dry season they are 4 X 4 tracks that safely permit passage at between 5 and 20 km per hour. Our vehicle was well cared for, air conditioned, with comfortable seats. Marilynn even complained about it being too cold! We saw some chameleons and a lot of birds along the way. In two hours we only passed 3 other vehicles, plus a high, all wheel drive truck that serves as a local bus.

Luck was with us on our first river crossing, the ferry was almost ready to go and we were waved straight on. This was the same Tsiribiniha River we had been canoeing on, but in a different part of the country. We drove down a steep bank, then up a steel ramp and across a wide area of wood decking, stopping at the outermost edge of the deck. Four more vehicles were directed to stop close beside one another, and then our section of the deck headed out into the river. It turned out the deck was a set of individual ferries, so they could then load the next one as soon as we left – the individual bits of decking are very slightly longer than a good size SUV.

On the other side we docked facing shore, steel ramps were put place, but the vehicle ahead of us couldn't make it up the steep bank. After some effort the crew managed, however we had no problem. We stopped at a good restaurant in the town of Bel Sur Tsiribiniha, not far from the ferry terminal, where Daniel left us to take a bus home. We were told it would take our paddlers 5 days to get the canoes back up stream.

Lunch was excellent, and they had something I'd been fantasizing about – cold beer. I drank 2 liters! They had a display of Caribbean style hats from Bacardi, and I asked if I could buy one, as I still had nothing to protect my head against the hot sun. The waitress said no, but the owner's daughter came by an said sure – 2,000 ariarys (about 65 US cents) so I was delighted.

After another lengthy drive that included crossing the Malembulu River, where we had to drive almost half way across the river before boarding the ferry, we arrived in Tsingy where we were staying at the Hotel Restaurant Tanankoay, a collection of cabins. We had two rooms connected by bathroom and shower, with a total of two double beds and three single beds. We chose to sleep in one room and use the other for computers and storage. I cracked my head well against a low cement beam over the bathroom door, which left me feeling dizzy and without appetite, so headed to bed. There is electricity here by generator from 5:30 until 7 AM, then 5:30 until 10:30 PM – there is no other electrical system. This gave us internet during that time in the restaurant.

Friday, October 27, 2017

This morning there was scalding hot water, but no cold water, including to the toilet. Hopefully they will have water later as we sent 12 items of clothing to be washed. This will be done outside and dried in the sun. Our driver picked us up to go back to the Malembulu River where two canoes were attached side by side to enable us to sit on planks across them. We were paddled down the river between towering, cave riddled sandstone banks. We walked into one, where there were beautiful stalactites that sparkled like crystal, and into another that was a prehistoric burial cave. Further along the river we could see dried skulls at the entrance of a cave high up the cliff – these were remains of people from Africa hundreds of years ago. The area is considered to be sacred, but the mood was broken a couple of times when our paddler took calls on this cell phone!

We were back at the hotel for lunch and a beer, where I managed to get a bit of writing done, before we headed for the Tsingy of Benaraha National Park on the same rough road we just returned on. The guide from this morning met us at the dock area and we trekked off into the dry forest. There was wildlife to see – two large white lemurs, chameleons, a wide variety of lizards and millipedes 5 times the size of the ones we have in Costa Rica. The idea was to climb a high hill for a view. I was fine as the trail wound among gigantic boulders, but when it came to climbing a steep area of broken rock it was time to head back – I couldn't have done it. The guide said he knew another route, so we walked most of the way back to the starting point, but I left them there. This was my longest walk to date and I was getting sore. It turned out it was a real mountaineering experience, I'd have never made it although the three of them did.

When I walked back to the ferry area I found the driver at a small place that sold water so joined him, purchasing a bottle of super warm water for myself – no electricity here. When I went to pay 4,000 for the water, the owner couldn't change 10,000 (about $3) without getting help from every other shop owner in the area. There really is no money in this area.

We had the first drops of rain that indicates rainy season is coming. By January the river will have raised to a roaring torrent and be impassable. The ferry boats are stored, hotels shut down, and those who can, leave. The local people go back to living off the land and the shop owners in the village will continue to sell what they have left. Other than cell phone there will be no contact with the area for months.

Back at the hotel it was a cold beer, dinner and a lesson in making rum from the baobab tree fruit. The potent rum made from it quite drinkable, and there is not shortage of the trees.

Tomorrow will be a grueling 10 hours by car, retracing our steps over the two ferries and then driving to Morondava, the sixth largest city with a small port on the Mozambique Channel.