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!




My boots were not looking their best



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






whichever angle you look at it, it's not a pretty picture



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



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,



and I looked a state



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



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 .

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

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.



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 BAD 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 .
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.




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.



Here was a different use for a shipping container, put a thatched roof on it and you've got a house!



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 them 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



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



The view of my toes and the guy pulling the rickshaw.

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

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




And around the corner it gets worse...




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.




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.




And here it comes




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)



You can se the green tubing where they are siphoning off some of his diesel out of a jerry can in the boot.



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.








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.




In the valleys between the hills, I make the most of the rivers, by stopping to cool down, rinsing my gloves to wet them.

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

Hey Tiffany,

Your photos are brilliant at showing the difficulties that can be had with adventure motorcycling. While you may be 'having an adventure' and 'living the dream' I (and hopefully everyone else) really appreciate that you take the time to show the emotion and hardship that can be part of this lifestyle.

It also proves that you are one tough cookie and even after all your years of travelling you're prepared to still get your hands (and clothes) dirty (and muddy).

Great Ride Tale, great photos. Thanks so much.

PN

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/PaulNomadRTW

Hi Paul
Thanks for the kind comments, and yes this is a very challenging trip and at times downright scary, especially as I'm on my own and if anything goes wrong...
Cheers
Tiffany

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

I scramble up some rocks to get a better view





And then the rain started pouring down with a vengeance, I huddled against the base of the rock expecting the storm to blow over fairly quickly and desperately trying to keep my camera dry. The ground rapidly became saturated and had a several inches of water running over it, which isn't a good sign. Not wanting to ride in the heavy rain but equally not wanting to get bogged down and stuck in such an exposed location I took to the trail once more.
The muddy tracks were now torrents of water, disguising the gullies and rocks that are liberally dotted along it. I rode very, very carefully, up and down hill for several more miles.
The only sign of "life" was this grave



the sole decoration being a zebu skull



Almost identical to the Giant Loop logo on my t-shirt.

The rain was clearing as I approached yet another river, this one was big enough to warrant a ferry- the first people I'd encountered in several hours.



I was the only passenger and the crew were keen for a photo shoot and a chat!






As soon as a camera appears, the faces change from wide grins to solemn features - Yes, they do want a photo, but it must be a cultural thing about not smiling in pictures.

Coming off the ferry (again the no diesel story and a contribution to fuel costs requested) I wasn't sure exactly where I was, things weren't looking great as it had been another long day of riding, I was soggy and tired and had expected to arrive at the small town of Manantenina some time ago.

I realised I must have missed the town, but having ridden onwards, I wasn't keen to turn around and re-trace my route. The sun was starting to set and so turning off the track I found a spot to put up my tent



I got it up just in time as the slight drizzle became a downpour, it wasn't a comfortable night as my bike gear was drenched and inside the tent with me, but I was just grateful to have finished riding for the day and with all my limbs intact!

I had company in the night. I became aware of movement and looked up to see this orange blob on the side of the tent inner.



Closer inspection revealed...Kermit, catching insects attracted by my torchlight. Hope he's not a poisonous one I thought as I turned over and went to sleep.


I just hope he doesn't snore.

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

I'm not a natural with computers (incidentally after 4 weeks of not being able to shutdown my pc it has now suddenly started to let me do it again).
However as several people have asked me where I am and what am I doing, mainly my parents (!), I have managed to do a map/picture thing to give you all an idea.

The first part of this trip I did a loop through the west and east coasts, part of that was the three week section with my sister, the Loud Librarian.

I then made a plan (something that is a bit alien to me) and this is what I'm up to

Tiffany's Plan




My current location on this ride (where I'm sharing my tent with Kermit) is about three quarters of the way down that purple line on the east coast

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

A quick google reveals that it may be "Boophis" variety frog which have a sticky secretion known to cause allergic reaction. Even if you do believe in fairy tales, best don't go kissing that frog !

__________________
Regards Tim

Learning my craft for the big stuff, it won't be long now and it's not that far anyway

Thanks for that information, and I may be single but I'm not THAT desperate!!

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

A short pause in this tale of riding in Madagascar as I wish you all a happy and healthy festive season wherever you are and however you celebrate

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