DAY 33
Not completely recovered from yesterday, we stack up in the minibus and head to Miandrivazo. One of the thing that strikes us in comparison with Ethiopia is the elaborate irrigation system used here. Rice fields require a lot of water but it only became possible because of a common effort to develop a complex system of canals. Little by little though the culture are sparser. The lands is more and more yellow and barren. The only constant is the police controls. We hit a bit of zebu traffic at some point but it doesn't last long. The zebus are so much bigger than the Ethiopian caws by the way. We arrive at the hotel just in time to enjoy the sun setting on the river and on the rice fields. It's especially nice since the hotel is on a hill dominating the river. Once the show is over we go for a walk in town. As we started doing in Ethiopia, we buy supplies (soap, salt, sugar, pens) for the villages in the nearby market. Back in the hotel, we finally have enough people to use the game of lobo 77 we brought! We have to get up early the next day so we don't linger too long. It's now part of our nightly routine to decide at what time to put the alarm. I propose 6am and Mar she asks what time it is. 9 pm I answer and she just says “ok”. We're definitely getting used to getting up early to agree so quickly on such an early alarm! ;)
DAY 34
Time for the new adventure to begin. We have to register at the police station before leaving to make sure we make it to the other side. Everyday is market day it seems so we stop by to buy some last few things (much needed hats for some of us). We have two unexpected guests with us. They don't have to register since we know they won't make it to the other side. Our two chickens “guests” are attached on the roof of the minibus and we leave Miandrivazo. We're stopped again at police controls on the way and get the confirmation that each time the driver has to give a bribe so we can go through without hassle... The landscape heading to Masiakampy is dry. Access to water is complicated too here. Lots of people are carrying big jerrycans of water just like in Ethiopia. The last bit before reaching the village is 10km of very very very bad dust road... Painful. One last police control then it's time to load the pirogue. We start then stop immediately. The other pirogue is too heavy so they have to shuffle things around a bit before leaving for good. It's 10:30am. The water is red and the birds (lots of kingfisher) are singing to accompany us along the lazy river. Apart from 2 chameleons napping on branches, we only see birds. Our guide prepares lunch in the boat, chopping the vegetables, and we stop around 1pm, super hungry. Before lunch they have a look at our dugout canoe to try to patch it. We don't want to reenact the titanic on the Tsiribihina river! There's not much current so we have to paddle a lot. We end up Stopping for the night shortly before 5pm even though we haven't gone as far as planned. We're in a wide section of the river that is only used in full during the rainy season. Fires are started, dinners are cooked, and a "ti' punch" (fruits and rum) is prepared. Someone brought a guitar in the other group so we spend the night with the strange stars of the southern sky above our heads and music around a campfire. It's completely dark already when we hear a motor boat. It's going upstream at night without lights... Crazy.
DAY 35
The first night in a tent is always tricky and the 2 additional motor boats going upstream during the night didn't help for sure. We get up and get ready for breakfast at 7. Nice touch, we have Nutella to go with the toasts. Nothing is wasted here and after finishing the other groups leftover the group of kids come to our spot. We prepare what's left and try to distribute it fairly but not everyone is playing by the rule. We're back in the pirogues at 8am (with the 2 chickens) for another day of paddling. Before that we gave away some of the salt, soap, pens and notebooks we brought. The quiet on the river is only broken by chatter, the paddles hitting the water and birds singing during their daily routine. The usual suspects from yesterday are of course still there; the shy herons with their huge wings, the raven crows with their white bodies, the small white egrets and a new addition in the distance; 2 or 3 white lemurs high up in the trees. They are the color of the branches so it's a miracle our guide even spots them.
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We stop for lunch where we were supposed to break for the day yesterday: at the waterfall. The way there goes through a succession of pool each time bigger. The rocks are white and the water crystal clear. The waterfall itself if gorgeous with its big pool at its feet. We all head for a water massage and get to choose the temperature of the water; warmer to the right of the waterfall and colder to the left. We have one hour before lunch and we enjoy all of it. Most of us will also try to clean their clothes a bit; outing them to dry on the nearby bamboo bridge. Too soon we're called for lunch and leave that wonder behind. Waiting for us at the lunch place is a group of 5-6 brown and gray lemurs. It takes them some time but they get close and even take bananas and mangoes from our very hands. They are cute creature, with big yellow eyes, a lovely face and a long and fluffy tail. We're about to leave and two of them jump on the table, looking for food. There are sunglasses and cameras on the table so Mar chase them in case they have bad intentions. A lemur with sunglasses would look odd for the next group of tourists.
Back to paddling. The river is getting wider and wider now, and still no current to speak of. We have a few things to buy so we stop in one of the bigger village. No supplies there, too many people, it quickly turn into a shit show. As usual a swarm of kids follows us everywhere but we're getting better at managing that. And it helps that we're 5 of course. One girl, probably around 9-10, decides to take Mar's hand and chase another kid to have access to it. Mar refuses to let it happen and she gets pretty upset by it. To get back at her she'll try everything; singing mocking songs at her, organizing the other kids to join her in doing so... but sadly for her nothing works. And to her surprise and disappointment when she sings Mar dances to the song, killing her effect ;) She's clearly already used to be the boss with the other kids and the visiting tourists and she also clearly needs for things like that to happen to her for the sake of her entourage.
Sun has set for some time when we finally get to camp. It's located on sand bar between the river and a rice field. It's the end of the road for our two feathered passengers and I asked the guy to show me how to kill and pluck the chicken. He does the first one and I take care of the second. It's a bit weird but we're eating them after all so someone has to do the killing. Special treat for desert, "bananes flambee"... Delicious!
DAY 36
We were a bit cold last night. When we emerge from the tent, the clouds are still lingering low in the hills and on the river, nice morning sight. We leave later than expected and get back to the river routine. Rowing (for me) so we don't loose the other canoe (our rowers are far from as strong as theirs) and bail the water out on a regular basis (yesterday's calculation told us it's getting in the boat at around 2cm per hour)... Life on the river ;)
We come across our first baobab but it's completely bald in winter time. Shortly after we arrive at a bat cliff. Maybe because of our presence they come out; unusual during daytime. We don't linger too long because when they fly around they also poo!!! After the bat cliff, the egret cliff. Same story. There are loads of them nested on any little available ledge and in the trees growing precariously on the cliff. Lastly we come across the owl cliff but these guys don't share and a single couple owns the entire cliff... Capitalists!!! A few minutes before making landfall Fidel, the canoeist, spots a huge crocodile sleeping on the bank half hidden by the vegetation. It's halfway in the water but it must be 4m tall, tail included. We leave it in peace and conclude our river trip with yet another crowd of kids waiting for us at the "jetty". The 4wd is waiting for us. Next stop, Belo-sur-Tsiribihina, the Mad Zebu; renowned restaurant in Madagascar ;) Before we get there we have to cross the river though. No bridge here but a shaky assembly of two boats with a wooden bridge where we'll put the jeep. It's not straight across but 45 min away once on the boat but it get us through.
The Mad Zebu is delicious indeed. We start with a nibble made of fish salad with spices and green peppercorn. Then an incredible zebu croquette and the main is either fish or big shrimps, both delicious. We had very good food so far but this was both delicious and very refined; the work of someone passionate. If you're near Belo, stop at the Mad Zebu! It's 5pm when we take off. We have a 3 hour drive ahead of us with an arrival by night. Not great :/ the sun setting on that tiny dust roads with endless fields of baobabs is a treat though. It's 8:20 and pitch black when we finally reach the Mananbolo River. It's the last obstacle between us and Bekopaka. It took us 3h20 to cover 70km. It's unnecessary to describe the state of the road I think. The ferry is waiting for us and we cross the river right away. It doesn't feel that safe during the day so at night... Adventurous feels like an understatement.