Stayed at the same hotel as we had previously and everything looked exactly as it did the last time. The same men and the same girls drinking and playing cards outside the same room we were given. This time we knew that the mosquito net was too short to tuck in the bed so we got out some string and made some alterations. The beds in Madagascar have wooden slats under and they can be warped so when one of us turns over the slat flicks up and sticks into the other ones back. The mattresses are usually poor quality foam that looks thick but after a while it compresses to a few centimetres and is pretty uncomfortable when your hips are in the gaps of the slats. To minimise the discomfort we sleep with our heads at the foot of the bed which isn't as worn as the head of the bed is. I am sure the cleaner was puzzled when she found we had rearranged things in the room.
In the evening we were able to find a restaurant with seafood, Italian food and pizzas, as well as Indian dishes. That was a pleasant surprise after not being able to find any food the first visit here.
In the evening we were able to find a restaurant with seafood, Italian food and pizzas, as well as Indian dishes. That was a pleasant surprise after not being able to find any food the first visit here.
Once again we hired two rickshaws to get us to the taxi brousse depot. Unfortunately we had a four hour wait for the next minivan to leave so wandered into the city to find somewhere cool to hang out. Spotted a cafe with lots of tourists and expats with their computers out and saw they had free internet. It was the perfect place to while away the time and catch up on lots of emails from family and friends wishing us well for the new year.
Although the taxi brousse was scheduled to go at 4 pm, it was late as the locals arrived with enormous bags and there was an argument over loading a goat. The customer was not travelling with the goat but had all sorts of official papers with red stamps to say the goat could go all the way to Tana. A trip that would mean it wouldn't arrive until early morning. We were told that the goat would be eaten for the New Year dinner as a special celebration.
Although the taxi brousse was scheduled to go at 4 pm, it was late as the locals arrived with enormous bags and there was an argument over loading a goat. The customer was not travelling with the goat but had all sorts of official papers with red stamps to say the goat could go all the way to Tana. A trip that would mean it wouldn't arrive until early morning. We were told that the goat would be eaten for the New Year dinner as a special celebration.
The road was in very good condition and the driver was very careful and we felt safe travelling in the dark. We drove through a small town where every second shop was a gem store. It really looked like it had come out of a Hollywood Wild West set, with its wooden houses with small balconies on the top floos. There were no street lights but nearly everyone in town was out walking up and down the main street. Every shop in between the gem shops was a bar that had its counter facing the street and crowds of men standing on the street drinking.
We were told that these places boomed once sapphires were found here and people came from Thailand and Sri Lanka as they are very experienced with sapphires and other gems. Consequently a lot of the big businesses are owned by these people while the locals provide the hard labour in the fields.
We arrived at Ilakaka, a small sapphire mining town, where we stopped for the evening meal. Outside the restaurant was a boy of about 9 or 10. He called to a young girl of about 4 or 5, threatening her with a large rock if she didn't come to him. He had a few words with her and she returned to the doorway of the restaurant where she grabbed diners as they went in to ask them for money. When she was given some money she took it to him and he growled at her again to continue begging for more. He was obviously too old to beg and she was better able to get the sympathy and money from the passersby. There are just so many children in Madagascar. They work as hard as the adults and are often seen carrying their baby siblings on their backs and being left to care for them all day, while the parents are in the fields.
The bus trip went well but every time we went over a pothole or speed bump the goat would bleat so loudly we could hear her above the noise of the radio. When she was first tied up to the roof rack she was a beautifully proud goat which had obviously been well looked after. When it first rained she brayed and brayed. When we stopped for dinner she was not fed or given water and continued to bray and she looked terrible. The journey was not over for her and she looked done in. As we got back into the minivan we discovered that we were also carrying a small kittten to be a gift for the New Year but not for eating.
We were told that these places boomed once sapphires were found here and people came from Thailand and Sri Lanka as they are very experienced with sapphires and other gems. Consequently a lot of the big businesses are owned by these people while the locals provide the hard labour in the fields.
We arrived at Ilakaka, a small sapphire mining town, where we stopped for the evening meal. Outside the restaurant was a boy of about 9 or 10. He called to a young girl of about 4 or 5, threatening her with a large rock if she didn't come to him. He had a few words with her and she returned to the doorway of the restaurant where she grabbed diners as they went in to ask them for money. When she was given some money she took it to him and he growled at her again to continue begging for more. He was obviously too old to beg and she was better able to get the sympathy and money from the passersby. There are just so many children in Madagascar. They work as hard as the adults and are often seen carrying their baby siblings on their backs and being left to care for them all day, while the parents are in the fields.
The bus trip went well but every time we went over a pothole or speed bump the goat would bleat so loudly we could hear her above the noise of the radio. When she was first tied up to the roof rack she was a beautifully proud goat which had obviously been well looked after. When it first rained she brayed and brayed. When we stopped for dinner she was not fed or given water and continued to bray and she looked terrible. The journey was not over for her and she looked done in. As we got back into the minivan we discovered that we were also carrying a small kittten to be a gift for the New Year but not for eating.
