I hope I’ll get some time to write again soon, but for now, here’s what I’ve been up to.
I left Tuléar for Anakao, a few kilometres to the south on the ocean. The ride over by boat was very rough and wet. I met an English couple on the boat and the three of us stayed at La Réserve, a hotel in the middle of nowhere on the beach. Nobody around but us and the owners. Other than hanging around and sleeping, eating, and the occasional swim, the only thing of note I did there was to take a pirouge a voil (dugout canoe with sail) to Nosy Ve, an island off the coast to wander about.
After the much needed relaxation, I headed back to Tuléar for the night, where I found a car to take me to Ranohira, the town at the edge of the Parc National Isalo. Here I ran into a Maltese guy and we decided to do a two day trek in the park. We hooked up with a group of four Frenchmen and got a deal with a trekking company. The scenery was absolutely amazing, but I’ll tell you I’ve never been so hot in my life. No cover under the mid-morning and midday sun is quite deadly. We were looking for the least bit of shade to take our breaks. When we got back last night I was shattered, but I hope the photos were worth it.
This morning, I took a car to Fianaratsoa. I’m debating whether to go to Ranomafana National Park for a couple of days before heading back to Tana for my flight on 1 November. I’m not sure a hike in the rainforest after the savannah is in the cards.
Talk at you later.
(Note: This is a post from my 2003 travel blog IMoL: Travels and Travails.)