Isalo to Fianarantsoa

 

Day 14    10/22      A day for car papers 

Today was mostly a driving day with few planned stops.  We left the hotel around 8 am but had our first substantial stop of the day around 11 am.  There were some delays leaving the town and numerous police check points.  Police check points and paper problems were a repeated occurrence with our vehicle once we headed north from Tulear.  The owner of the rental company had provided a different car (can’t bring myself to call it new, although it was in better shape than the previous one), but did not provide all the paperwork required by the police.  Our driver was rather upset and he mentioned more than once that he hated the police because they just wanted money.  In fact he spent a good deal of time that morning negotiating the amount he would pay the police in order to  be able to continue on.  To be fair to the police, if you really have not paid the insurance and that is the law, then technically we can’t call this harassment.  The problem is that in Madagascar, as is the case in many countries, people get away with breaking the law by paying bribes to the police.  So at every police check point all cars had to show the right papers and our car always had problems and caused delays.

10.1  Papers please.

Our main stop for the day was at a rocky granite exposure near the road.  You can read about the flora of these environments here.  It was not difficult to hike on these granitic rocks and there were nice views at the top and interesting succulents along the way.  We saw Adenia olaboensis, some Aloes,  and another succulent (possibly a Crassula) that we did not identify.  Plants in the genus Xerophyta were present in many of the granite environments.  This genus belongs to the family Veloziaceae which includes other genera found in similar habitats, primarily in South America (see Figure 4 in the link above).  Also at this site we saw a most colorful locust (Phymateus saxosus).  These locust feed on toxic plants like Asclepias, hence the name.

10.2  An easy climb and many plants to see

10.3  Succulents  and Xerophyta sp. on this rock outcrop

10.5  Xerophyta sp. in the Veloziaceae

10.7   Kalanchoe orgyalis.

10.8  Aloe sp.

10.10  Adenia olaboensis?

10.11  Closer view of the Adenia trunk.

10.12  A species of Senecio?

10.13  Milkweed locust (Phymateus saxosus).

10.14  A small village visible from our vantage point.

10.15  Our cars below.

There were a few short stops for scenic shots before lunch.   Along the way we also encountered small villages with quaint houses.

10.16  The long and winding road….

10.17  Locals on the move….

10.18  The landscape as we continue on.

10.19  A short stop next to the road.

10.20  A typical tall house in the highlands with very small windows.

10.21  Zebu cattle as red as the soil.

10.22  Local women wearing the colorful lambas.

Impressive  granite domes  or inselbergs were seen from the road.  Shortly after leaving the Isalo area the underlying rocks changed from sandstone to granite – which underlies most of eastern Madagascar.  Many succulents are found in these rocky environments. A good summary of tropical inselberg environments can be seen tropical inselbergs.

10.23  Beautiful granite dome near the road.  Most likely there are many succulents up there-or at least where fire can’t get them.

After lunch we had another short exploratory scramble up some rocks next to the road.   It was too difficult for me to try this one although we could see that there were some nice succulents up there. From the road we could see Pachypodium densiflorums, Cynanchums, Kalanchoes and an Opuntia!!  Yes invasive Opuntias can be a problem here too.

10.24  Nice, but a bit steep for me to get up there.  Mike got closer but did not climb to the rock top.

10.25  Pachypodiums, Cynanchums, Kalanchoe and the cactus Rhipsalis baccifera were part of the xerophytic flora found in this part of Madagascar.

You can read more about the genus Rhipsalis here.

10.26
  A Rhipsalis baccifera-the only cactus that some believe to be native to Madagascar and Africa (as well as the Americas – where all other Rhipsalis species are found).

10.28  Kalanchoe with Cynanchum and Sarcostemma.

While waiting for the group that scrambled up the rocks we had the opportunity to enjoy the landscapes as well as the locals who inevitably came by.  Here too were the ever-present rice paddies.

10.29  Impressive granite domes and inselbergs.  Inselberg means isolated mountain, so not all were true inselbergs, but they were “close”.  This is a closer view of the mountain below.

10.31   These rice paddies don’t have much water, this being the end of the dry season.

By 2:30 pm we arrived at our hotel Aux Bougainville’s in Ambalavao.  Our tour operator informed us that there was a good place with nice rocks and plants nearby but he had forgotten the exact location.  It was only a bit surprising to find out that he did not appear to have reliable notes to remind himself of worthwhile stops given that he had taken people there the year before.

The hotel was basic but adequate but there were no grounds to explore and no swimming pool either.  There was relatively fast Internet and an interesting craft shop with souvenirs made locally.

Dinner was not spectacular, but it was filling.

---

Day 15    10/23   The “one good stop” day

We left our hotel in Ambalavao after breakfast and  headed south, backtracking a bit to visit the place our tour operator could not find yesterday. This first stop of the day was at a nice granitic dome area, a good succulent plant habitat that was not difficult to explore.

10.33  Very promising habitat for finding succulents.

10.34  Our group heading for the top.

10.387  Nice granite and great views from the top. 

We spent about 90 minutes exploring this land of rocks and depressions/vernal pools filled with plants, some of which were succulents.  Here is an excellent summary of Madagascar inselberg vegetation.  This was a good habitat for Cynanchum, Xerophyta, Euphorbias, Kalanchoe, some orchids, other succulents and Pachypodium densiflorum.  From the higher parts of the granite outcrop the views were impressive, although here too we could see Eucalyptus and rice paddies below.

10.39  A succulent

10.40  A closer view.

10.41  Cynanchum sp, formerly Folotsia.  The genus Folotsia (endemic to Madagascar) contained 5 species all lacking leaves.  Folotsia is now part of the much larger genus Cynanchum.

10.42  A closer view.

10.43  An Aloe.

10.46  Everyone explored and took pictures.

10.47  Pachypodium densiflorum.

10.48  Pachypodium densiflorum and Euphorbia milii (middle).

10.50  Euphorbia milii.

10.51  Closer view of the Euphorbia milii flower.

10.53  Aloe sp.

10.55  Rosario with Euphoribia milii and Pachypodium densiflorum.

10.56  The Pachypodiums were flowering.

10.58  Rice paddies.

10.59  Never too far from people.

10.60  Vernal pools in this rocky succulent plant haven.

10.61  Small villages visible from high up.

An hour and a half to enjoy this granite habitat was not quite enough time, but we started heading down.

10.67  Rosario and members of the group discussing what they’d seen or other subjects.

After leaving this beautiful area we headed for Fianarantsoa and our hotel for the next two nights.  Along the way we saw a variety of towns as well as the, by now, common rice paddies.

10.68  Rice cultivation is labor intensive.

10.69  Houses near Fianarantsoa.

We did a bit more exploration but the habitats were not very good.   On one of the stops we parked near a small village and it did not take long before we had quite an audience of children of varying ages and a few adults.  Some members of the tour went up a hill looking for succulents while some remain near the cars.  While waiting for everybody to return to the cars some tour members gather near the cars.  As usual the children just stared at us, which I have never been able to understand given that there surely most be other cars with people circulating in the area.  Of course it may be that there are very few tourists visiting this area. They appeared so curious yet they did not say much, I spoke to them in French, but did not get much of a response.  Then I heard the happy music our driver was listening to and I started to dance to see if I could get them to look less serious.  It worked,  the kids and I laughed together.

10.70   Exploring a “somewhat degraded” habitat.

10.71  Aloe sp.

10.72  The children and a few adults came running our this little village when they saw us next to the road.

10.73  The local children trying to figure out who we are and what we are doing here.  They did not appear to understand French.

10.75  Mike.

Children are often seen almost everywhere you go in Madagascar.  During our tour children would wave at our cars and if given a chance they would ask for bonbons.  I learned from our driver bonbon was candy and not chocolate as I knew is the case in Latin America.   In some places kids asked some of our tour members for their rings or earrings and sometimes they wanted the empty water bottles.  On one occasion our driver scolded some kids and told them they should be in school instead of wasting their lives begging for stuff.

Widespread begging, to a certain degree, is related to the widespread poverty that you see as your travel through Madagascar.   Locals see tourists like us and they assume (probably correctly if we compare their situations to ours) that we are rich.  Thus asking for things from the tourists may seem like a natural thing to do.   It was a common to see little children carrying loads of bricks to build charcoal ovens or carrying, pulling or pushing other loads.   Seeing poverty and poor people was not a new experience, but seeing it everywhere on a daily basis regardless of our location was.  A comment made by one of the tour members near the end of the trip sums it up well.  He said: “I knew this country was poor but I did not know it was this poor”.

A November 2015 article that appeared in The Guardian summarized the problem well:

“Madagascar rarely features on anyone’s list of urgent global causes. Its quiet desperation falls into that forgotten category of poor-but not-quite-poor-enough, perpetually hovering just above the red zone that triggers a glut of aid, NGOs and cameras. It cannot claim the f-word for famine, only severe food insecurity and, as an island of little strategic importance on the world stage, it remains better known for its lemurs.    The government remains fundamentally unstable and financially broke; the economy was ranked the worst on the planet by Forbes magazine in 2011. The outside world is familiar with Madagascar from animated films and nature documentaries but knows little of its population or their poverty. As the fourth biggest island in the world, it lies 300 miles off the coast of mainland Africa and does not threaten its borders with refugees”.

Of course the lack of family planning is rarely discussed and considering that as of 2014, the total fertility rate is 4.28 in Madagascar compared to the world average of 2.43, access to family planning is probably the number one item that should be implemented to start the process of reversing this tremendous poverty problem in Madagascar.  This is, of course, not only needed in Madagascar, but in many other parts of the world with similar problems.   Giving money or aid would not solve the problem in the long run, with more food and no family planning I believe people would just have more kids and when the money and help run out the crisis would be even worse.

We spent most of our time in the countryside; the larger towns and Tana had seemingly fewer people in desperate conditions and the state of buildings and roads was vastly better than in the countryside.  Such contrasts between the countryside and the city are seen in every country, even in the US, but not always to the extreme levels seen in Madagascar.

I feel very strongly that any prospective traveler to Madagascar should be aware of this situation.  In spite of everything I read before the trip and even though the word “poor” appeared more than once in different books, I was unprepared for the level of poverty I started noticing almost from the moment we landed.   I have visited many countries and we have spent most of our time in rural areas and prior to our trip to Madagascar I thought I had seen poverty both in cities and in rural areas.   Yet nothing I experienced during our previous travels prepared me for the Madagascar experience.    Perhaps this is not a big deal for some people, but for me it was.  I could not remain unmoved when seeing so many children in tattered clothes, no shoes or carrying heavy loads and working in the field etc. Children where everywhere, so avoiding these conflicted feelings of mine was not possible.

It was difficult not to experience feelings of guilt when seeing this situation during our time in Madagascar.  There I was looking for succulent plants when kids nearby were most likely malnourished and probably not getting much of an education.  Unfortunately, because of these continuous “reality reminders” and recurring problems with the tour, I was not really able to fully enjoy this trip.

10.78  The children.

10.79  A brick oven. Note the use of wood for fuel.

10.80  A brick oven being built.

10.81  Children work hard in Madagascar.

10.82  A classic combo-rice paddies and brick ovens near the road.

After lunch at an abandoned winery, there was some last minute attempt by the tour operator to find another suitable succulent plant habitat, but with no success.  We took the road that goes to Ranomafana National Park and came close to the park but turned around.  A pity since it was here that we started to see remnants of a fog forest, albeit disturbed.  Tree ferns appeared and taller trees, some of which were most likely native, also became apparent.

10.83  The abandoned winery where we had lunch.

After turning around we went right into the city and its bustling streets full of people pushing or pulling something or just walking, vehicles, small shops etc.  At this point we learned that the big rush to get back to the city was to allow our driver to get to the insurance office and pay for the insurance.  Otherwise he would continue to have problems with the police.   Most members of the tour also took the opportunity to visit an ATM.

10.84  Fianarantsoa.

10.85 Fianarantsoa

10.86  Fianarantsoa.

Our arrival at the hotel was somewhat anticlimactic.  The hotel was on a somewhat unappealing and run down street.    Considering that we would stay here two nights, I imagined we would be visiting some great locations tomorrow and of course I had read the good reviews about the great pizza served at the hotel restaurant.   As we got out of our vehicles we were literally assaulted by begging children.  They were very persistent and at some point one kid had to be forcefully shoved out-of-the-way since he was blocking the entrance to the hotel.   It wasn’t the first time we had seen beggars, although we could say that this was the first time we have been surrounded by beggars at the entrance to a hotel.

10.87  Street vendors very close to our hotel.

The hotel looked a bit better inside than it did from the outside.  It had an interior courtyard filled with plants and a very high wall to isolate you from the world on the other side.  The pizzas were very good, in fact our group had pizza the two nights we were there.  There were a few power outages and some of the rooms suffered longer outages than ours.  A fan was a welcome addition to the otherwise spartan furniture and our bathroom was not in the greatest shape, but it was adequate.  Internet was intermittent.  It should be said that  Fianarantsoa does have other “better” hotels, most likely a bit more expensive than ours.

Staying two nights in a less than ideal part of town was not really a big deal if there had been a good reason for doing this.  Early during dinner, as TV was getting ready to join us, I became aware of an exchange between him and our tour operator.  Our tour operator told him he could not eat dinner at this time because he need to get out there and talk to somebody and find places to visit tomorrow so that “these people” (that was us the tour participants) could be kept occupied.   It was unbelievable that we would be booked two nights in this hotel when there was no plan for the next day.  Our tour operator did not know what we were going to do tomorrow, but he knew he could not give us the day off as he had with the tour the previous year.  Thus tomorrow we would explore places never before visited by either TV or our tour operator.  We love exploring, but given that this was a guided tour (costing us (together) close to $550 per day), we were hoping for planned stops at locations with good habitats worthy of exploration.

TV finally came back and informed the group about a plan for tomorrow.  According to him we would drive about 70 km north of town (same direction we had to go to reach Tana the next day) and he said we would stop and check out some rocks near the road.  He had no idea what plants were there since he had never visited that area.  He got this information by talking to someone (not sure whom).

Given the lack of national parks or reserves between Fianarantsoa and Tana, our chances of visiting some really good places to see succulents were diminishing rapidly.  At this point we finally concluded that the final days of this tours would most likely consist of impromptu explorations.  We feared these explorations would most likely happen in substandard habitats, probably near cultivated fields or rice paddies and eucalyptus or pine groves.  Of course we would probably be doing this under the watchful eye of the myriad local kids and people that always appeared out of the blue.

Continue to days 16-18