Three Days and Four Flights Later
Toronto to Zurich
We are off on our latest trip to Madagascar and the Seychelles. With a full kitchen renovation just completed, preparing for Christmas events in the shopping centres and numerous other things, it’s been extra busy leading up to this adventure.
Packing for this trip has been challenging since baggage weight allowances for the internal Madagascar flights are very low; carry-on 5 kilos and 20 kilos for a checked bag. Because we are moving around a lot on this trip, we are sharing one checked bag and each bringing a carry-on and personal item…and my beloved neck pillow which I fill with clothing.
We start out Monday evening with our Air Canada flight from Toronto to Zurich (8 hour flight with a 5h 30m layover). From the plane the Swiss Alps look beautiful in the early morning light. In the Zurich airport, a musician is playing the alpenhorn, adding some culture as we walk through.
Zurich to Dubai
On Tuesday morning in Zurich we head to the check-in booths to get boarding passes for our next flights on Emirates which is code sharing with Air Canada. We learn that an error in the Air Canada booking will cost us $120 extra for what was supposed to be a free checked bag. Emirates says Air Canada forgot to tell the “system” that our checked bag was to be free not just on the Air Canada leg but also the Emirates legs. Bottom line is the Emirates computer cannot issue us a boarding pass unless the bag is paid for. We will try and get our money back from Air Canada on our return.
Just before boarding, Emirates staff confirm that our bag is actually on its way to Madagascar… the “system” appears to be cooperating now that it has our money. For some reason I’m still a little nervous.
Next it’s a six hour flight from Zurich to Dubai on an Emirates A380- the double decker plane. We land in Dubai at 11:30pm and get a taxi to our airport hotel. We are in bed by 12:30am and up at 5:30am after some restless napping. We catch our 6:00am hotel shuttle back to the airport. Even though it’s still dark outside, it’s hot & humid with a temperature of 33 C.
Dubai to Seychelles and Madagascar
It is now Wednesday morning as we head to the Dubai Airport. The airport is huge and the clocks are all made by Rolex.
Our flight from Dubai to The Seychelles is 4.5 hours on Emirates with a 90 minute stopover. Then it’s a 2h 30m flight on Emirates again to Madagascar. There are empty seats and I sleep the whole way even though I shouldn’t because I should be adjusting myself to the 7 hours ahead time change.
A Few Facts about Madagascar
Madagascar is the 4th largest island on earth. It is located off the south-eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. It is about the size of France and has deep french roots and the official languages are French and Malagasy.
Antananarivo, Madagascar
We land in the capital city of Madagascar – Antananarivo, which is called Tana for short. It is mostly locals arriving, not a lot of tourists. I am happily surprised to see our checked bag show up.
We have booked a tour company to take us around Madagascar for the next 18 days. Everything John researched about the country suggests that tourists not try to travel independently. Other than Tana and a few other places ,there is very little tourist infrastructure and roads are so bad that 4 wheel drive vehicles are required.
On our arrival at the airport, Mr. Hary from the tour company is waiting with a big sign to take us to the Nosy Manga Hotel. I notice that most businesses are locally owned. I don’t see a lot of chain stores.
Evening at the Nosy Manga Hotel
The hotel is lovely with a very cool and inviting vibe. The lobby is welcoming and even the hallways are interesting with original artwork and cool vintage touches.
After three days of travelling, this is just what we need. After much needed showers, we head to the French restaurant for a light supper of bruschetta and truffle flavoured pumpkin soup which is divine.
John realizes that he left his e-reader on the last plane. He is now filling in the Emirates lost article forms on line.
Tomorrow we have one more flight to get to the starting point of our trip.
