Antananarivo

Hello,
Our final internal flight complete with no drama except once again, instead of getting to Tana at 10am we got here at 6pm. Unbelievable inefficiency.
We have a very nice hotel again but confined within walls within the inner city to keep the tourists safe from that scary outside city. Within the walls we have shopping and a pool and this is going to be our world for today but I have just looked out the window and it's raining so it will be a chill out day.
We get met by the tour company tomorrow morning for a final look around and visit to the artisan markets for last minute purchasing before meeting our flight at 5pm for the first leg to Mauritius.
All in all, it's been an awesome trip. Apart from Tana and other larger cities Madagascar has lots to offer the Eco tourist. Our guides and drivers have been amazing.

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Madagascar

Hello again,
This is our accommodation last night. There is a tent inside there. Was lovely. Just us and our guides in the deciduous forest of Kirindy. So peaceful. Very hot during the day bur freeeeezing at night at about 2am, and we got to see everything we came to Kirindy to see. Once again very lucky to see the fossa and beautiful sunset at baobab alley.
Tonight we are in Morondava in a kinda stuck in the 60s resort run by a hippy American. It is right on the beach but the beach was smelly and dirty at low tide so we didn't want to swim, or in the pool here which also seems a bit dirty. This place is def a bit in need of a bit of maintenance.
Just waiting for dinner now which I'm told is very good here. We can eat sea food at last since we are by the sea.
Back to Tana tomorrow flying with Erin clinging on to me like it's her last ever.
See ya

Fwd:

And here is the little sifaka that came to investigate us.  Isn't he adorable ?

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Begin forwarded message:

From: Erin Macartney <elmacartney12@gmail.com>
Date: 12 June 2014 2:15:38 am NZST
To: Mum <helenmacartneynz@gmail.com>

Sent from my iPhone

Antisirabe

Our tonight's oasis and cabin with an open fire. It's a bit colder here with high altitude.

Isalo

This is me on our Isalo rock hike. My legs have been doing things they haven't done in a long time - and surviving. We climbed to the top of one of the rock out crops, walked along the top for some distance and then down the other side with about a million steps. About 8 ks in all and my knees were suffering at the end but it was so amazing.  We did this type of hiking two days in isalo and then back to rain forest land again and some more hiking up and down clay slopes in trees and spotting lots of wildlife. Alan, you would have loved Isalo.

Long drive again today. That's the bit I really don't like about this country.  It is too SCARY.  Narrow road, windy deep ditches on either side and trucks barrelling towards us.  Aarrrgh.

Anyway, we have arrived safely in Antisirabe and another little oasis in the middle of chaos.

We have been so lucky with the weather and the wild life spotting.  In one park a juvenile safika came right down to us within arms length away and was so inquisitive. This was in the wild.  The park guide said he had never even that before.  Got some good shots of him.

Visited a research centre this morning near our cabin in Ranomafana which is the most popular National park in this region.  Erin got to meet the American primate researcher and we purchased her book which she wrote a personalised message to Erin in the front cover.  There was a bug researcher stationed there as well but was absent unfortunately when we visited.

Back to Antananarivo tomorrow with the fumes and the chaos before our trip to the west coast.

So far we have found 15 species of lemur and 12 chameleon in the wild plus several other interesting critters and a million and one plants that I have no way of remembering.

See yuz

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: Erin Macartney <elmacartney12@gmail.com>
Date: 9 June 2014 12:27:52 am NZST
To: Mum <helenmacartneynz@gmail.com>

Sent from my iPhone

Isalo

This place is AMAZING. 4 star hotel which is totally fantastic in the middle of limestone formations which happened out of the blue in like Savannah plains. Madagascar changes landscape and vegetation so dramatically. About a five to six hour drive today over bad and not so bad roads and totally different scenery where we are now.
A fairly eventful drive. We slowed down to view an elaborate tomb when the truck stalled, in the middle of nowhere I might add. It is an almost new Hyundai 4WD and it just would not start again. Two young men arrived on the scene and helped us to push start it again, thankfully they turned up,(people always turn up here in the most unlikely places- nothing around but savannah) we were having trouble pushing it at all just the 3 of us. Any way, it started again once we got to a down hill slope.
We stopped for a forest walk and managed to see some sifaka lemur and sportive lemur plus the largest chameleon species in the wild before Erin decided to pass out, probably from heat. We managed to get her going again as well with a bit of cooling off but we had to cut our walk short.
After a further hours drive we arrived at this fantastic hotel with spectacular views. This photo does not do it justice. Looking forward to the canyon walk tomorrow and hopefully some more wildlife.
I've got some brilliant photos on my camera to bring home. I only take one or two on the iPad to email you.
See you

Ifaty.

The view from our latest resort hotel, this time on the beach at Ifaty on the Mozambique Channel. Been bird watching in the nearby spiny forest and found two species endemic to this area only and endangered.
Our hotel here is very nice again, is a cabin right on the beach almost. It is 3 star but very comfortable. I don't think we would survive living as the locals. Very primitive conditions and dirty. Money is flying out the window, tips the main culprit. Everyone wants the tourist dollar but I don't blame them. Such harsh living here. The people you see in the photo are women trying to make money by selling things on the beach. As we are the only tourists here practically, we are getting totally hounded. We have already bought 6 sarongs and getting massages this afternoon. Oh well. It's all cheap as and it puts food in their mouths.
It's a lazy day swimming and reading today before our big drive tomorrow to Isaola.
Bye for now.

Madagascar

Just checking in to update you all. Had the last 2 nights in Berenty reserve. Gazillions of lemurs again and really interesting environment. Very dry compared to where we were. Just arrived in fort dauphine in this lovely hotel. You would have no idea of the poverty here when inside the walls of these hotels - pretty much all French owned.
The road to and from Berenty reserve was something else. Only 90 Kms but it is a four hour drive over the roads that have not been maintained since the 70,s and don't exist at all in the rainy season. We picked our season well. Rainy season is over it is now winter and good temperatures and very few tourists which is brilliant for wild life hunting.
Air Madagascar must be the most unpredictable airline ever. Our last flight was delayed by hours for no apparent reason and the one tomorrow is now rescheduled to 7am instead of 4 pm which means we miss out on our planned itinerary in fort dauphine but will be in Tulear a lot earlier. I'm sure we will find something to do.
I've decided the French are pretty disgusting. It is they who smoke in all the restaurants here, in between mouthfuls of food. So gross.
Erin will post some pics on face book when she can.
See ya