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Previous: Train
It was dark when the train got back in Fianar but that was no problem for I was staying at the Hôtel Moderne, just across the street from the train station.
The next day, it was raining and cold but I decided to go to Ranomafana anyway hoping the weather would improve enough for me to visit the Ranomafana National Park on the following day. The scenery was great on the way in spite of the bad weather.
More great scenery on the way to Ranomafana.
A small village on the way to Ranomafana.
It was freezing cold and pouring cats and dogs when I got there. I had an excellent hot meal in a small restaurant where I met a German backpacker, Tobias Hutterer, and two German girls who were disgusted with the weather and left.
We stayed overnight at the Hôtel des Thermes hoping for better weather but it was even more miserable the next day, so we also got disgusted and left. THe weather was so bad that I didn't even think of taking pictures.
The rain slackened on the way back to Fianar enough for these women to come out to pound whatever they pound in their mortars. Later, I learned that it could be paddy rice or other seeds or vegetables such as manioc leaves.
Another village with the typical Malagasy architecture on the way back to Fianar.
In Fianar, we took a taxi brousse of the "Société de Transports Colombe" with a friendly swiss couple and four other local people to go to Antsirabe.
We had the misfortune to get a crazy reckless driver who took visible pleasure in terrifying the people walking on the road in the villages we traversed at breakneck speeds. I was sitting in front and had to intervene several times to force him to slow down.
Fortunately, one of the Malagasy men also spoke up forcefully so he did slow down a little. He probably would not have done so just for a vazaha (white foreigner).
Later that day, the skies cleared as we moved north.
We stopped for lunch stop in this Ambohimahasoa restaurant. Much later, after we had settled down in our respective hotels in Antsirabe the four of us noticed that our bags had been broken into and robbed. It could have happened only in Ambohimahasoa while we were busy eating and only the driver could have done it for he had the key to the locked taxi-brousse. Travellers, beware of the "Société de Transports Colombe" if you travel to Fianarantsoa !!!
There were great views of terraced rice fields as we got closer to Antsirabe, but our driver's recklessness made us think only of getting there in one piece! It was a relief to get out of that Peugeot.
In Antsirabe,Tobias and I stayed at the Hôtel Baobab while the Balners went to a hotel down the street where they had reservations.
I found Antsirabe delightfully charming.
Here is a view of the old town near the market.
And here is another in the same area.
Market fruit stalls always make colourful pictures.
Dinner at "La Halte" with Daniel and Martine Baldner in front and Tobias Hutterer with me behind.
After three pleasant days in Antsirabe, I was back in Tana. This is Grandidier street, near Hôtel Jean laborde.
And here is a view from the Hôtel Isoraka where Tobias stayed.
On the whole, I was rather pleased with my two weeks in Madagascar. I had lost a short wave radio taken from my bag but I was still in one piece. I had seen only the South but I had to leave some places for the next trip. More importantly, I had met interesting people and enjoyed life through the eyes of others.
On the way out to the airport my taxi driver took me to a local eatery where he usually has lunch and I discovered a Malagasy dish made of boiled and pounded Manioc leaves with rice. It was a nice, friendly experience that completely compensated for the mad taxi-bousse driver from Fianarantsoa!
