Travel blog: Andavadoaka

Madagascar travel blog (photo: Sara LeHoullier)

Saturday, 03, Oct 2009 12:05

Sara LeHoullier is going exploring both on and off the beaten path on the world's fourth-largest island for three months. She shares her experiences in Madagascar with travelbite.co.uk in her fifth blog entry:

I can't stop taking pictures of the damn goats in this town. I have taken about 10 already and I just want to snap more and more shots of their picturesque little beards and funny horns and tiny cutie cute babies.

We ate one of them my first day here; I was informed later. Goats are tasty as well as cute, I discovered. You'd think I'd be taking pictures of lemurs or chameleons or something. Nope. Goats.

I am supposed to leave Andavadoaka tomorrow, to get to Toliara the next day. I asked and asked about a car, and they said they didn't know. I asked about a boat, and they said they didn't know.

Then, all of a sudden, the 'taxibrousse', which is actually a pickup truck with a cover over the back, was leaving today at five, which is about 30 minutes from right this moment. I said, 'but will you go again tomorrow?' no. 'will you come back Thursday?' Maybe. 'Is there any other vehicle of any kind going anywhere tomorrow?' Guess the answer.

So it looks like I'm going to get up at six tomorrow to go watch for shark fishermen (so we can report them to the police or something because it's illegal) and ask the pirogue driver (sailor?) if he can take me down to Salary so I can spend the night there and then take some sort of brousse or camion or car or my feet down to Toliara.

I've had the most wonderful time here, getting to know the Blue Ventures staff and volunteers, and seeing the town, which is I guess a sandy version of any inland town but it's cooler because it's on the beach and full of fisherpeople.

I watched a focus group on family planning with young girls, and heard all about the marine conservation projects. I've been swimming every day in the crystal clear turquoise water, trying to avoid stonefish and sea urchins. Today I saw a weird jellyfish that floats on top of the water with bright blue tentacles. I got out of the water after that.

There's a strange statue of the Virgin Mary here. I've been thinking it would make a good picture, and finally got up there to photograph it today. Of course, there were about 50 kids up there with sand all over their heads (I have no idea why) that swarmed me when I tried to take a picture, so I took a couple of them too. They really like karate.

Also, why is the Virgin facing away from the town? Is she protecting the ships? Welcoming people in like the Statue of Liberty? I never found an answer to that.

There's a boy named Jocelyn that brings samosas to the good folks up here at the hotel. He also waits for the divers to come back for their expeditions so they won't be hungry after working on the sea for hours. He's a great kid, very smart, and the fish samosas that his mom makes are incredibly delicious. I ate five today.

As I write this, looking out the door onto the beach and rising tide, the wind is having its way with a pirogue paddled by two guys, their sail looks really tattered, and the balance bar is about to fall off.

Is this what's in store for me tomorrow if I don't find a car? Can I shrink-wrap my computer and my bags? There they go down the beach, in the opposite direction that they want to. Oh man, this is going to be interesting. There's another one. I'm mildly concerned.

Sara LeHoullier

Sara LeHoullier also blogs regularly on her Spotlight Madagascar website. Her Madagascar travel guide, published by Other Places Publishing will be released in 2010.