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An Englishwoman who lives in Cornwall who doesn't eat fish. Now there's a thing! Great pics Tiffany!
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G'day Tiffany,enjoyed your post as always,hey it's mango season here too ,if i eat any more i'll look like a mango.
Glad your spill was not bad. I think if the loud Librarian ,gets on the front for a bit ,and can make her own decisions on where she goes,she will fall in love with our preferred method of travel.Bye for now regards Noel:D |
Mangoes
Funny you should mention the mangoes Noel - just yesterday I was taking a break from the mud and sat in the shade of a huge mango tree and as I sat there, the ripe ones were falling around me. At about the same speed at which I was eating them - a delight!
In the meantime, down in the market, the mangoes have reached the low price of 4 for 200 Ariary (6 pence). There is a possibility that I may get tired of them! |
Whoops
That idyllic looking final pirogue ride was not the best as the guys succeeded in dislodging the fuel pipe that leads out of the fuel tank on the left side. This mean that for the whole of the pirogue journey one of them sat there with his thumb over it to prevent petrol pouring out.
The scene on the opposite bank was comical as they attempted to unload whilst one person still had his thumb on it and then they pushed Thelma along the track to a mechanic's house http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8237-M.jpg Don't ask me why it takes four of them when I can easily push the bike on my own. They were all a bit subdued and concerned about what my reaction would be about the damage to Suzi. The mechanic wasn't far away - he looks to be about 19 years old and operates out of his mother's front yard- a bit al fresco and casual but then this is Africa. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8239-M.jpg He got to work and seemed quite proficient so I left him to it- I had spotted a hotel not far away, and I was sweating like a pig all I could think was- room, cold shower - freshen up. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8241-M.jpg I returned to find the mechanic just finishing off, with the usual posse of friends all hanging around, what you can't see in this photo are the five or six younger lads also clustered and watching. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8240-M.jpg All sorted and no longer leaking. He charged me 5,000 Ariary (£1.66). Parking the bike at the hotel I went off in search of cold beer - maybe I'll push the boat out and have two!!http://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider/beer.gif There is always a slightly shocked response when I walk into a Bar over here - a woman on her own AND she's a foreigner. Especially in the out of the way places where they have very few foreigners, which this town was. But I never have any problems, and the beer is good over here. |
Mud Looming
Having checked that the repair was holding, the next morning I filled the fuel tank - yet again it's dispensed in old plastic bottles kept in a back room. This shop is actually attached to the hotel I stayed in, so I didn't have to go far
http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8242-M.jpg There as a choice of routes out of town, this one appeared to be little more than a sandy path through the trees http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8243-M.jpg So I went the other way...oh dear is all I can say. It started well enough http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8248-M.jpg And there was even some wildlife action, as I almost ran over this snake, which was so engrossed in swallowing a frog that it ignored me http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8245-M.jpg http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8246-M.jpg http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8247-M.jpg The track was pretty muddy and wet at times http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8257-M.jpg |
Call the Cavalry
When approaching a large muddy pool, I would look for the footpath around it, sometimes these are little more than a few inches wide and are themselves on slippery mud AND a slope.
On this one, well, I did not drop the bike, but the front wheel slid sideways into the mud. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8260-M.jpg And as it was one of the very deep pools, I was not going to try and accelerate out http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8262-M.jpg So I got off and gently laid Suzi down to have a think about the situation. Possibly a female way of dealing with the something like this. I then took the bags off, and attempted to get her upright again, first of all setting up the camera on a self-time mode, and so here is, over a 10 second period, me hoisting Suzi back to the upright position. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8263-M.jpg http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8264-M.jpg http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8265-M.jpg http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8266-M.jpg and the track ahead?? Well it looks something like this http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8267-M.jpg and this, with a helpful young cyclist showing me the best route through http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8271-M.jpg |
Getting Worse
Me? The Bike? The Conditions? Or all three?
The zebu get through OK, though they also churn it up when there are a lot of them http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8272-M.jpg They also sometimes make use of the narrow path around the edge- a route that I now call the Wall of Death http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8273-M.jpg The day dragged one, with lots of tricky mud sections and hard work by me to negotiate them. It' was very hot and I was exhausted, I then started to drop the bike on silly sections - twice; and as I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and looking grim, I took a selfy to prove it http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8274-M.jpg To my relief a village loomed and the locals took good care of me, producing a chair, a bowl of food and a drink...chilled?? Don't be silly! http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8277-M.jpg It's never a good sign when the local ducks are using the road as their pond http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8278-M.jpg http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8279-M.jpg This was a picturesque bridge and I tried to persuade a local to take a photo of me crossing it- he completely refused and backed away, this was me, showing him what I meant about taking a photo http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8280-M.jpg Frown/anxiety lines at their besthttp://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/icon10.gif |
"It's never a good sign when the local ducks are using the road as their pond"
Hahaha!!!!!! I'll say! I also think a chilled drink is waaaaaay overrated in certain situations! Well done! |
Mud Continues
The mud is slowing me down and I'm getting tired and yet there doesn't seem to be any end to it.
This guy stops for a chat, I get him to pose by his bike, wellies look like a very good idea http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8295-M.jpg then he's off http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8296-M.jpg The villages are very basic http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8297-M.jpg I take a break for a while and decide to get a photo while I'm not on the move http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8284-L.jpg Ahead of me, it looks like this http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8291-M.jpg It's getting late in the day and I'm hoping this sign indicates the end of the mud, but there are no guarantees, the town on the kilometre post is not on my map. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8294-M.jpg |
Mud War
As you tune into this latest instalment of my ride, I bet you're wondering just how much more mud there can be - well so was I!
http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8299-M.jpg My boots were not looking their best http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8303-M.jpg I cringe to look back at my naivete in taking this "ooh, look how muddy I am picture" as ahead of me was Mud Armaggedon it was another of those narrow wall of Death paths along the side, which I rode along , or at least attempted to, and then suddenly the front wheel slipped and over we went http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8304-M.jpg http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8305-M.jpg whichever angle you look at it, it's not a pretty picture http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8306-M.jpg I pulled myself up out of the mud, and grabbed my camera to take some pictures, setting up the self timer as well, though as I was in a hurry, I didn't quite get a perfect picture http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8307-M.jpg But no time for details, Suzi is in the mud and gradually sinking further into it I got the bags off- despite being up to my elbows in the mud on the left side I still managed to unstrap the bags without a problem. I then heaved and strained but Suzi was stuck fast whilst I was just sinking deeper into the mud myself. So I had to wait, and sure enough, along came a young man who I persuaded to help me. 10 minutes later, we had Suzi back on semi-firm land, http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8315-M.jpg and I looked a state http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8311-M.jpg My helper was very camera shy and was almost as muddy as me, he went off to the nearest river and cleaned himself up. And Suzi's other side? Well that didn't look too good either http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8316-M.jpg More muddy escapades followed as I slowly and painfully made my way south, till at last I reached tarmac once more and felt like crying. It was late by the time I made it to the first hotel, where they were shocked but very understanding about my state of extreme muddiness. I had to remove nearly all my clothes before actually going indoors (definitely no chance of a photo of that) and in the meantime they gave me a cold beer. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8318-M.jpg |
East Coast R&R
So, I'd tackled the mud, it had won the battle but I know there is still a war to come with it.
I'd made it to the town of Mananjary, a fairly quiet and laid-back place, with mopeds and zebu. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8322-M.jpg The lovely staff at the small hotel were heroes and while I was relaxing, they got to work and cleaned up Suzi in fact this was done the night I arrived as apparently this mud is BADhttp://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/eek7.gif news, it's the stuff they make the houses out of, and once it dries, it is like cement. So in the dark, I could hear the guy toiling with buckets of water, while I had a beer. The chamber maids had fun with ALL my clothing and the bags, which were amazing and came up looking like new. I wandered around the town, it's famous for its circumcision ceremonies, apparently they are held every seven years and they all get done at once in a fairly public way by the sounds of it. The next ceremony is due early 2014, and I have to say there were quite a few nervous looking boys in that town. One of the main crops in the area is peppercorns, and here they lay them out in the street to dry before packing - got to be careful not to step on them. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8320-M.jpg I had compose for lunch, the sold spaghetti with a range of toppings, this was the most basic yet, on a street corner without even a stool to sit on, the boys were in charge while their mum was at the market. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8319-M.jpg Here was a different use for a shipping container, put a thatched roof on it and you've got a house! http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8324-M.jpg After a day of rest, and replacing the mirror- I'd lost it in the mud on the fall, I did notice it was missing at the time and groped around in the mud up to my elbows but couldn't find it. The cook from the hotel offered to show me where in the market to get a mirror and so she hopped on the back of Suzi and off we went. Soon returning with a pair of bright red gleaming mirrors attached, minimal choice at the market, and as to quality, well, on the way back from the market the glass fell out of one of themhttp://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/icon10.gif We retrieved it and stuck it back in. As I know things are going to get even trickier on the route ahead, they probably won't last long anyway. For the time being the road behaved itself and I made it down to Manakara on sort of tarmac, to find that the main bridge in town looked like this http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8332-M.jpg A cyclone had blown through a couple of years ago. I decided to stay in this side of the bridge. It was swelteringly hot and I was trying to find a cybercafé, so hopped into the rickshaw, there are a lot of these in Madagascar http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8331-M.jpg The view of my toes and the guy pulling the rickshaw. |
Looks Familair
My respite had been all too brief...
The road out of Vangaindrano and the mud is back with a vengeance. According to the guidebooks, the final 250kms stretch down to Fort Dauphin in the south east corner is one of the worst stretches of road in the country, and with Madagascar, that really is saying something http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8341-M.jpg And around the corner it gets worse... http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8340-M.jpg Still a bit of culture to be appreciated (or for me, any excuse to take my mind off the mud), some tombs - like nothing I've ever seen anywhere else. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8342-M.jpg then a brief rest from it as I await the ferry/barge, I know this is the first of at least 10 that I'll be facing on this stage of the trip as there are more than 10 major rivers to cross. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8345-M.jpg And here it comes http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8347-M.jpg As I ride on to it, the blokes running it tell me there's a problem and that they don't have enough diesel for the journey across the river. I act dumb like I don't understand, which is pretty easy as everyone's face looks dumbstruck as they hear me speaking English and realise I'm not a French speaker (though I can be when I want to). These ferries are supposed to be free as they're government financed, in place of bridges. Luckily a car arrives behind me, they have the same conversation, but instead of giving them money for diesel, the driver lets them have some of his spare diesel (he's obviously used to this type of thing) http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8348-M.jpg You can se the green tubing where they are siphoning off some of his diesel out of a jerry can in the boot. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8349-M.jpg I chat to the car driver and apparently it is quite genuine, there are problems getting the fuel from the main depots to the boats and therefore the guys are having to buy the fuel locally which they don't have a budget for. Things are in disarray in Madagascar, due to the lack of elected government, there was a coup a few years ago and they are just having elections now to sort out who will run the country. Public services are at a bit of a low. Sometimes I'm lucky and the mud has dried, creating a nice riding base. Whoops, that sounds a bit female, OK I'll say a decent riding surface. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8352-M.jpg http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8353-M.jpg And then the landscape changes and looks a bit less tropical and well, a bit more like Scotland or any other place with moorland and open spaces. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8357-M.jpg In the valleys between the hills, I make the most of the rivers, by stopping to cool down, rinsing my gloves to wet them. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8360-M.jpg |
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Some really amazing shots,Tiffany ,i can see that there is much hard work to obtain them.I was talking with peter and kay Forward ,they said they quickly realized that the track on the side of bad roads were not the best of ideas as when you went down you went down hard ,so they just rode through the wet part.Mind you there's a world of difference between your suzi and their full dress Harley.Until next time ride safe Noel:D
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Trying to avoid some of the water, I head off the track, this is a picture from the "main road" where I'm standing in the water looking at my bike
http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8367-M.jpg The landscape keeps changing from moorland to tropical with palms http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8371-M.jpg Amazingly I come across evidence of construction, however, the bridge is not ready yet and I have to detour around it http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8384-M.jpg I paused to get a standing picture of me and Suzi but the plant holding the camera wouldn't cooperate and dipped down as the photo was taken. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8380-M.jpg Little was I to know that this would be the last of the smiles for a while. My surroundings started to look like Scotland http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8385-M.jpg The "road" turned to rock and became very steep, I managed to stop and even get a photo of the bike that almost manages to show how steep the slope was. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8386-M.jpg You can see the blur on the camera lens- yep, it had started to rain, just what I didn't need as ahead of me is a steep downhill to a river at the bottom and NO other way around - I'm scared (and I'm definitely no longer smiling) Here is the view looking back at the slope http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8389-M.jpg Gingerly is the word for how I rode it, I turned Suzi downhill and just let her go, the rain wasn't helping, the surface was slippery and as I got closer I could see just how fast the water was running. Absolutely no chance of stopping to get a closer view of the river or the rock. http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8390-M.jpg But I made it http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/icon10.gif Up to the top of the next hill, where this unusual rock caught my eye http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8391-M.jpg I even managed a smile for a selfy http://tiffanystravels.smugmug.com/M...IMG_8394-M.jpg |
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