Hell on Wheels

Beginning of a Road Trip

I slept well and wake up at 4:45am. I am actually feeling like myself again. We leave our hotel in Morondava at 5:30am. The city is awake and the markets are filled with shoppers. Many people are there with their carts powered by zebu (an ox/cow like animal with horns).

Today we have one of the longest drives of the trip as we head north to Tsingy du Beramahara.

We drive on a paved road for about 20 minutes until we turn down a dirt road. It is bumpy but I am still fine. We pass the Alley of Baobabs which are pretty in the early morning light.

Soon we are passing fields of rice.

We knew that Madagascar had poor roads outside of the major towns. Tourists are warned to not try renting vehicles and driving on their own. Every vehicle we see outside of the city is a 4×4 jeep or pickup truck.

The road gets more rutted as we continue on. Horn blowing is integral for driving in Madagascar. It can be interpreted in many ways including get out of my way, I’m coming around the bend, hello and I’m just making sure that my horn is still working.

We pass villages of straw and mud houses. Children wave to us as we go by.

It’s getting hotter and hotter. Despite the air conditioning, the sun glaring into the jeep makes it hot. I am starting to feel nauseated. I take a gravol ginger which proves useless. OMG we have eight hours of driving today and we haven’t even made it through one.

Kirindy Forest

A few hours later, we arrive at Kirindy Forest which is a 12,000 hectare wildlife sanctuary protecting one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.

I am feeling dizzy and discombobulated. I worry that the drive has given me vertigo. A guide takes us around some of the trails.

One of the park’s most famous inhabitants is the fossa, a cat like animal that is Madagascar’s largest carnivorous mammal. Sadly, we don’t see it, however we do see a chameleon , a number of mongoose, some birds a family of red brown lemurs and some simpona lemurs which are one of the largest of the species.

Before we leave, I take out my pill cutter and chop a real gravol in half. John and I each take half.

On the Road Again

We have been on bad roads on some of our other trips but Madagascar wins 1st prize. The dirt roads have every combination of discomfort available: washboard, ruts both big and small holes, potholes, ski mogul bumps and washed out sections. We bounce up and down, back and forth and side to side. Click here for a short video.

Don’t Pay the Ferryman…

I am able to sleep for part of the drive until we get to the first ferry crossing over a narrow body of water. Our guide, Tony said that this is called the area of crocodiles. I don’t see any. 

Our crossing vessel is a small hand made wooden ferry that takes up to four jeeps and people. It seems rather rickety but it works. Click here for a short video.

Lunch Hour Reprieve

Once across, we bump around for another hour until we reach a city of mud and straw houses and stores. We stop at a nice restaurant mostly filled with tourists. We are not hungry because of the heat and nausea so we just order shrimp salads. They are surprisingly divine. I am told that the restaurant utilizes chefs trained in French cooking. So far our meals in Madagascar have all been delicious with lots of flavour.

Of Course this Happens

Back in the jeep, we bump our way for over an hour to another small ferry. Will this never end?

Then it happens…while going down a bumpier than usual hill, we hear an ominous grating sound and we stop; in the middle of nowhere under the hot Madagascar sun. Louve (our driver) gets out of the car, gets his tools from the back and slides under the jeep. Tony (our guide) announces that we are going to have a little break.

My Fantasy

As time goes on I consider hunting down a local farmer to get a lift on his Zebu cart. (Yes this picture is just an AI version of my fantasy, not real).

Back to Reality

Apparently the brake disc on one of the rear wheels broke and the brake locked up. Several jeeps pass and all stop to offer help. Louve collects advice and various items, including string, from different drivers & comes up with a plan. He removes the tire, disconnects the brake line to that wheel and clamps it, removes the brake assembly, ties up the loose brake line with the string he borrowed, puts the tire back on and we are off again minus any brakes on one wheel.

Arrival in Paradise

A few hours later, we take one more makeshift ferry, drive through a small city of 6,000 people to our lovely lodge, Orchidee de Bemaraha Hotel.

We notice that most homes have solar panels of various sizes. Our hotel is powered by solar henceforth there are fans instead of air conditioning.

The hotel is like heaven with a swimming pool, cute cabins and restaurant with a view. John and I have showers before having another tasty meal.