Back on the road,
tarmac = yes
brick houses = no




The local café has a menu on the wall- this is the height of sophistication, actually having a menu. It's mostly meat,, though I'm still working on some of the Malagasy menu items. Probably the only item you will recognise is tripe - they're fond of their offal here.



Fuelling up at the petrol station I spot the usual overloaded van, piled high with luggage



Getting closer, I can hear the raucous sound of the livestock on board




The ducks don't seem happy, and wait a minute...




A turkey has sneaked in with the ducks!

The bridge ahead looked like a scene from a war film


There was no alternative for quite a distance, so a long detour was called for.
The roadside shacks sell just about anything - this was the local purveyor of stones



The landscape has changed again, and I'm now surrounded by lush, green rice paddy fields

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Tiffany
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I was invited in for a cup of tea, but had to ride on, I had a long day ahead of me and wanted to make the moost of the dry weather, clouds were lurking on the horizon.


I knew I was finally getting back to civilisation when I spotted these roadside stands selling souvenirs


You would not believe how much I wanted to take one of those giraffes on my bike with me (incidentally, there are NO giraffes in Madagascar!!)

and more terraces covered in paddy fields - the Madagascans consume more rice per head than ANY other country in the world



At this point I was still luxuriating in all the greenery, after the orange mud in the east and dry sand of the south.
I picked up another hitch-hiker...


I think it's a male- somewhat less blood thirsty than the females, and no, it is NOT on a weather-beaten area of my skin but on the bike seat.
He had a good look around the bike


I reached the central point of the island and then continued north, it suddenly started looking eerily clay -like around me


and just to prove self-timed photos don't always work out properly

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Tiffany
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Yummy - a street-side breakfast of some completely unidentifiable soup type thing


I'm just hoping it isn't meaty.
Meanwhile across the street, the entertainment was provided by the local lads playing open-air table football or Baby Foot as it's called over here


This is what the breakfast table looked like (and my fellow diners)


Not quite Tim Hortons but the doughnuts weren't too bad.

I'd managed to ride all the way up to a real town with real buildings



and even better, a friendly bike place



this is Piste Rouge, where Suzi was put in the capable hands of Alain and his crew


I went for a quick test-ride and to look at the coast as the sun was setting



You know, I never tire of those gorgeous tropical sunsets when the sun slowly sinks over the sea

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
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Some culture for you, the room rates (in french) from my hotel



In case you're interested, I opted for the second from the bottom, it basically means a room with a fan, shared bathroom and loo. 18,000 Ariary/£6.

I was in the town of Mahajanga famous for many things including what is possibly the fattest baobab tree in the country - 21 metres in circumference, in fact so big that it forms its own roundabout


I even stopped long enough for a still photo to be taken - one of the advantages of being in a town is that there are other people around whom I can ask to take a photo.


Mahajanga marked the end of the good roads and the possibility of more of that nasty stuff that I'd been having problems with in the south. I paused at one of the most colourful spots I'd seen on my whole journey
Humour me with this one folks as I set the scene
Scene 1
paddy fields with women thinning out the plants

Scene 2
The flame trees framing the field

Scene 3
the zebu ambling into view

Scene 4
The star of the show - Suzi, attempts to steal the scene from the zebu


but actually, it was this guy, with his wheelbarrow who stole the scene completely as far as I was concerned


I'm not sure he had ever heard of pneumatic tyres. there are times like this when I fall in love with my travels all over again.
(I did warn you at the start to humour me with this one)

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Tiffany
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Another doughnut breakfast stop


and I followed the zebu out of town


actually I was a bit wary of him as he was just wandering the road on his own, bellowing away. I'm always wary with animals, especially those that are bigger than me.

I stopped for a comfort break behind a tree, and heard a scuttling sound. Looking upwards, I saw this climbing away from me

I'm not sure who was more startled, me or him.

The sun was setting and the moon had risen when I reached the village of Antsohihy



It might not look very promising

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Tiffany
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Crossing the road can be a hazardous experience in Madagascar, just look at this little guy





I don't think he had a happy ending. Meanwhile, at the other end of the village, these guys were also having a few problems




for those of a nervous disposition, don't look up



but then again, do you really want to look down?



I went on foot to get a closer look (I'd nearly run it over), and then it coiled like this...


yep, looks like it's about to strike and I'm the target! A dignified retreat by me.
Meanwhile, the zebu were doing an outflanking manoeuvre and going off-road to get back to their village.


I'd begun to leave the lush greeness behind, my surroundings were looking drier by the mile

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
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Time to head off-shore for a while, the island in the distance looks inviting, I wonder if this boat can take me...



Just joking (well only a bit - this is Madagascar after all), I was directed to this boat which acts as a general purpose ferry



the island looks like paradise


not too many people around


The inevitable lemurs hanging around as well


The ground is pink


not sure what they are, but the blossom is gorgeous and after the arid landscape on the mainland, this was a nice change.


I'm on the island of Nosy Be, a hotbed of tourism as far as Madagascar goes - but that still isn't saying much

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Tiffany
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I head down to the village



and get shown around, including being introduced to the local snake who is also a tourist attraction

and a giant tortoise


I love seeing tropical fruit growing.


A scuttling in the bush and I saw this chameleon

and then a milipede appeared

that picture doesn't do it any justice as it's quite a good size, I realise that I need to take things a step further to show the size of it


Ever since the poisoned centipede bite (see page 4 of this RR), I've been a bit wary of multi-legged creatures.

Riding across the island, I have a chuckle at the roadside kilometre posts


The local hairdresser tried to tempt me in for a new style- her poster was quite amusing


I find the perfect quiet place to stay, the main action is the washing drying on the beach

How to iron a bedspread, Malagasy-style

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Tiffany
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I head out for a day of scuba diving with these guys


I'm putting on a brave smile as the swell feels a bit choppy (I'm wearing my anti-nausea bands)


I have a couple of good dives and see a snake, octopi and lots of fish. But the best is yet to come, in distance we see seabirds diving and we go closer to see what is going on


There's something big in the water
VERY BIG

I jump in

and I'm not disappointed



It's a whale shark - the biggest fish in the oceans

soon after that picture, it swam towards me and at the last moment dived under me.

- I can't describe how excited I am. My face is one big grin as I follow it underwater

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
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Love the whale shark photo's you are indeed blessed ,lovely shots as always.

Getting off the island was a bit busier - two boats were moored side by side, and at this point things looked reasonably sensible and sane.


Then the tuk tuk boys arrived

and they loaded up - some having problems getting up the loading ramp



I was allocated the other boat - there does seem to be some sort of system, but I couldn't work out what it was. Mine had a steeper ramp and to the untrained eye, the ferry looked pretty full already...
But they were determined to squeeze Suzi in.



The ferry didn't sink and back on the mainland...


I headed off to do some exploring

:

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
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I'm in the north of Madagascar, exploring some of the less visited areas.



The landscapes are stunning




I scramble down the hill side to get a closer picture.


I realised it wasn't much good just taking a picture of these unusual pinnacles (or tsingy as they are called in Madagascar) from a distance, I needed something to give it some sense of scale...





It gets a bit steeper in places

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
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Diego Suarez, not the name of a character in Zorro but the most northerly town in Madagascar. I felt a sense of achievement, I'd now made it from the most southerly, Fort Dauphin all those weeks ago. The plan was to have a rest here, explore a bit then start heading south.
The hotel might be cheap ($9a night including breakfast), the terrace and its views as I eat breakfast are incredible.



And they've got WiFi so a chance to send some emails and let family know I'm still in one piece.

I head off to the market for some food


Various pickled condiments are available, including some lethal looking chillis


And then a stall that looks like a cross between a comedy sketch involving rubber chickens and a scene from a horror film
It's a BYO (Bring Your Own) with a difference - the Chicken Boys are in town. Turn up with your recently purchased chicken, live or dead, they're not picky (the guys not the chickens!). They will kill it, pluck it and even gut it if so required.




This guy is the pedicure expert


Time for any self-respecting vegetarian to move on I think...off to the fruit and veg section


A sight for every Francophile to smile at


Prices are in Francs

I must explain that officially the currency is the Ariary, it was changed nine years ago and re-valued. However in many places, prices are still quoted in Malagasy Francs, which causes me some confusion at times, one Ariary is worth five Francs.

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Ok have to ask what is the fruit in the pictures?Nice to catch up ,regards Noel

I've been enjoying this thread for months now. Thanks, Tiffany!

Mark