Toliara 21.12.2012
It has been
almost a month since I last wrote to you from France, a month filled
with a lot of Madagascar, a lot of motorcycles and a great deal of heat. The
period can be divided into four parts. First the journey to Toliara, including
a night in Paris, a night in Antananarivo, two nights in Antsirabe and being
sick on the road to Toliara. The second part consisted mainly of repairing
motorbike(s), sweating, not being sick anymore and having mango breaks. The
third part, lasting only for four days (compared to the previous, lasting for
almost two weeks) consisted of the motorbike-trip, from Toliara, up the coast
to Marondava, and from there to Antsirabe. The last part is now, leaving Jeremy
in the highlands, and returning to Toliara to celebrate Christmas with the
whole family.
Arriving in
Madagascar was, as usual, very nice. I have been in love with this Island for
quite some time, and even though I may forget why from time to time, I am
always reminded when I get back. The people are so nice, everything so
uncomplicated and then it’s Africa, or at least something quite similar to it.
In Antsirabe I have lots of friends, having lived there for five years, so
whenever I am there, I always have plenty to do. I had to show Jeremy around a
bit, and met up with Toky, my best friend up there, who makes his living as a musician
(you can see that on the picture). The drive from Antsirabe to Tloiara (800 km)
was not to enjoyable for me, because I had fever and felt very bad, but Jeremy
did the driving, and we arrived safely.
In Toliara
(town on the west-coast) the plan was to open the engine of my bike, replace
the broken parts (I brought new parts from France), and then head out on a
trip. We managed quite nicely, I would say, in opening the engine, and getting
all in place again. For me it was the first time to open an engine, but Jeremy
had done it before, and was thus the “first mechanic”, and I was the assistant.
When the engine was reassembled, with new piston rings, a new cam-shaft and a
new distribution chain, we tried to start the bike, but there was no way. It
took us several days, and the help of a mechanic, to find the problem, which
was a little missing thing that blocks the automatic decompression from turning
with the camshaft. This was of course discovered on a Saturday evening, and
there was need for a special machine to pull the automatic decompression off
the camshaft, so the bike was not ready before Monday in the evening.
We left
early on Tuesday, and headed towards Morondava, first along the coast, with
plenty of sand, and later a bit inland. To reach Manja was not a problem, even
though the road was muddy in some parts. This area of Madagascar is very
remote, and there are few roads, few cars, and the roads are in partly very bad
conditions. The second day we actually wanted to do a count of cars (or any other
motorized vehicles) and ox-carts, to see what there would be most of, but we
got out of count with the ox-carts. With the cars it was much easier. For 200
kilometers of gravel-road we neither met nor overtook nor even saw anything
with an engine, except for our own bikes. This was understandable though,
regarding that the road was very bad, even for the cross-bikes, and we also
took a wrong turn, which cost us some hours of extra sweat. Crossing big
riverbeds in 35 degrees and sun is only partly fun, especially if you get
stuck, stall, and your bike does not want to start, like it happened to Jeremy.
I have never seen him as tired as he was after that river crossing, and I think
it will take some time before he agrees on another trip into deep sand.
We did not
sleep in Morondava that night, but went out of town after a cold drink, to
spend the night in the famous baobab-alee, 18 kilometers from Morondava. It was
a beautiful evening, and the people were very nice, when we decided to camp 50
meters from their houses. Madagascar can be so incredibly beautiful, and then
it can be so damaged too.
Between
Morondava and Antsirabe, there is a good tarmac-road. There is also the option
of taking a very bad gravel (or stone) road, which was our initial plan, but
when we had the option, the heat and the exhaustion made us choose the more
boring tarmac. On Friday we hit Antsirabe for a second time. My parents, and my
little sister arrived in Madagascar on Saturday, but their luggage did not, so
they waited until Monday with coming to Antsirabe, so we waited to. An accident
with Wombosi gave us another day delay, but on Wednesday we finally headed
southwards again with the whole family. Jeremy was sent his own ways, so
Mparany took the one bike, and Alma, my little sister came with us bikers too,
so that the rest could fit in the “little” Renault Laguna. Wombosi had to stay
behind because of the damage from the accident.
Now we are
set to do nothing for some days. Markus and Jacob, my nephews will get some attention,
and then it is Christmas.
For those
of you who don’t know Madagascar too well, I can tell you this much. Being south
of the equator, we have summer here now, meaning that it is very hot. Toliara
is one of the hottest and driest places on the island with approximately 11
days with rain a year, so even though the hot season is rainy season, Toliara
stays hot and dry most of the time. My sister and Mparany, her husband, have built
a house on a big plot here, so our main activity whenever we get here is to
plant trees, cut of branches and take care of the garden.
I’ll be back in Norway on the fourth of January,
and wish you all a happy Christmas and a blessed new year.
Toky |
Jeremy before his haircut |
"Satroka ny papa" (the hat of the pope), between Antsirabe and Toliara |
Mparany, Sophie and Jeremy |
Bikes and Baobabs |
Jeremy is crossing a river... |
...before taking a mud-bath |
Baobabs close to Morondava |
What a place to camp |
The destroyed mountains above Miandrivazo |