Tulear
post by scott
We rolled into the town of Tulear nice and early and unpacked in a relatively glamorous hotel, complete with swimming pool and functional electricity! The smiling staff of blue ventures were already there to greet us and show us around town, which at first glance seemed to be stuck in a time warp. Barefoot rickshaw runners trundled up and down the streets, but unlike most Asian countries I’ve visited where the bicycle rickshaw now reigns supreme, here the humble pull version with infinitely poorer efficiency still remains king. Whenever we got a lift with these guys they would be huffing and puffing so badly at the end of the trip that we’d end up paying them more than we would’ve for a taxi because we felt so bad for the poor guys. Speaking of which, the taxi’s were all cute little Renaults from the 1960s – a throwback to the French influence, which also extended to the fancy cuisine.
For example, at lunch we were surprised by a big platter of fresh sea urchins. Looking at these spiky balls you couldn’t possibly think they’re edible, and when you cut them open to see the browny-orange slime coating the inner surface it doesn’t really change your mind. Maybe an oyster lover would enjoy the old urchins because they tasted like if you left an oyster out in the sun for a few days. After this educational meal we explored the city a bit more, booked our ridiculously expensive flights back to Antananarivo (Madagascan air has a monopoly on aviation here so they can and do charge whatever they like), and headed back to enjoy the pool, check emails and take a freshwater shower for the last time in six weeks.
on the road to andavadoaka
The plan was to drive in convoy to our final destination of Andavadoaka in five 4wds. The journey was only about 200km up the coast but was scheduled to take 7 hours due to the poor sandy roads. In actuality it took more like 9 because the cars kept getting separated and having to wait for each other. The word unpleasant springs to mind when recalling this trip – due to the shit roads and dust streaming in through the windows (which had to be kept open so as to not die of heat stroke). However at least Allana and I scored a front facing seat in one of the better cars, unlike the 10 poor souls who were crammed into the back of a Troopy which developed a distinct ‘washing machine’ like motion – throwing their bodies around in a spin cycle as it rolled over the ruts. However we did get to see some absolutely breathtaking scenery along the way including coral-fringed coastlines, the spiny forest and our first look at the majestic giant baobab trees. Unfortunately we didn’t spot any sifakas leaping about in their spaceman-like white coats between the spiky trees.
After a quick stop for lunch we powered on and arrived in the small village of Andavadoaka at around dusk – our home for the next 6 weeks!!