Today a day to be a tourist. We packed our luggage and checked out of the hotel. We arranged with our driver for a visit to Lemur Park, ~23 km away.
This was a sanctuary that also took in lemurs that had been (illegally) taken as pets. We saw multiple species. Overall they were fairly used to people. A few obligatory photos from the trip follow…
We also saw a few small boabab trees
A sign from the park I still need to translate
After returning, we walked up the hills to Musee du Foto. An interesting museum of Madagascar history and photography. The current theme was water…
An interesting and leisurely place to visit.
With some nice views over the city.
After that back to the hotel where we’ll have our driver bring us to the airport. Been a fun trip, when I return I’ll rework the main page to provide a better summary and clean things up.
We made it to Antananarivo. My bike is boxed, so the total for the trip will be 619km. While it was sometimes busy, we made it to the middle of a city of one million plus without seeing a single traffic light.
The day started in Ambatolampy at a nice guest house. They have a good menu here, even if I haven’t been particularly adventurous with my cuisine.
There was a mix of roads today. Some brand new smooth asphalt and a little gravel. Several sections of road construction. This meant vehicles had to stop but on bicycles we could sneak by. This also meant cars and trucks would bunch up and pass in longer streams.
A small church right next to a larger one, perhaps the old and new?
I initially thought they must be very religious until I realized there were too many Mary and Jesus combinations. This was just business of this particular village.
The RN7 is the major road/economic lifeline through the area we’ve traveled – bringing visitors and commerce. Today, I realized outside of the towns we’ve seen three patterns:
Today is the best illustration of places that set up handicrafts, Jesus/Mary, toy trucks, etc. Visitors can stop, but there are too many of them so you are pretty much left alone on a bike
At the start, travelers were further between. Kids would run after us yelling all day long. While there were gaps between villages, these looked like dry, difficult places to live. Most people didn’t wear shoes.
In between was a little more prosperous, there was terrace agriculture tended by people with some zebu cows. More people including many walking along the road. We would greet and say hello.
So I’m glad we saw this slice and were going slow enough to experience it on a bike.
There were still a few one-lane bridges. Most were wider. While there was construction also fewer potholes and rough roads.
We stopped here for an early lunch.
Not sure what this was but intrigued to see some tents.
Another store area.
At 12km to go we came around a traffic circle and from this point on it was all built up. I didn’t get photos as I was concentrating on riding with oncoming vehicles and checking my mirror behind.
I did notice you could learn English, French, Spanish and Piano.
Traffic was heavier leaving the middle of the city than entering. Without too much difficulty we found our hotel, met with our driver. We already packed the bikes. Our flight isn’t until tomorrow night so we’ll get some time as tourists to see a small bit of Antananarivo – but the main cycling event is complete.
I now know why some drivers and bus passengers were wearing masks. It wasn’t for spreading viruses. Instead it was dust, lots of dust on the road.
Today looked easy on paper, 97km with not too much climbing. What I didn’t factor were some long stretches of unpaved road. The longest gap was 18km but there were several other gaps of 3-5km and a lot of smaller gaps. This made for slower riding and also a lot of dust.
We started in middle of Antsirabe and even in the morning was a moderate amount of traffic. Sometimes on the rough unpaved sections I am just as fast as a large truck, though mini-buses and motorcycles are faster. By end of the day the local cyclists were also faster.
One of the first gravel patches. There was a short section of construction here. For much of the next ~45 minutes the road was calm, presumably because vehicles were stopped at construction point while we cycled past.
Not sure what the occasion was but festive atmosphere complete with a band.
We’ve seen these large sacks collected here for a while.
The road was wide. Cars could drive pretty fast. This meant a lot of dust.
Carrots and other vegetables. Unlike further south we didn’t spend as much time greeting kids and people all day long. I attribute this to the road being busier and strangers more common.
They did however have toy trucks for sale along the road.
Also musical instruments. In some places the mini-buses or tourist vehicles will stop here. Locals come to the windows and try to sell things. They aren’t quite sure what to do with us, but here were more inclined to leave us alone.
One of the last rest stops today where I stopped to get a coke. They have both Coca-Cola and World Cola here. Not sure on the relationship but both use similar logo and design pattern.
Today was an easy rest day in Antsirabe. We explored the market, took care of some errands and cycled out to a nearby lake for lunch.
Our hotel is in style of French chateau in Versailles and has a number of interesting early air travel posters and maps. We are close to middle of Antsirabe and this area feels like it gets a few more tourists.
This morning we set off to find the market. It was large and with a maze of small paths once we were in it, but even getting close the streets were crowded. A collection of photos follow…
A crowded side street
Panorama view…
Meat
Fish
Large sacks of grain including ones saying from India.
Flip flops are common foot wear. Some poor enough in the country villages have bare feet and flip flops are the next step up.
Scaffolding
Bert got a hair cut
Two days ago, a little screw fell out from my eyeglasses. I had prescription sunglasses (and duct tape) so enough alternatives to get by but still helpful to have this shop help fix things. They weren’t quite sure what to ask so asked 5000 ariary which was a fair amount.
On the way back we came through middle of town. I believe the names are of various tribes.
Also nearby was a double decker.
After the market, our errands and finding the local “supermarket” we made a short cycle ride west to nearby lake. There was a hotel here for lunch then a ride back. Here “hotel” describes a restaurant for food and that may or may not have rooms to rent.
Today was a nice ride on the RN7 to the larger town of Antsirabe. There was some climbing but overall less climb and shorter distance made for a quicker day than yesterday.
Hotel last night was very nice, particularly the meals. This morning we had bread, eggs and also banana/chocolate crepe, yum. There was light drizzle overnight but it all cleared off. So far temperatures ideal for cycling with highs in low 70s and overnight lows in the 50s. Definitely a welcome change from central Texas where August 11th is statistically the warmest day of the year.
It is never very hot here but this is the dry season so areas can be quite wet. One also wants to avoid cyclone season the first months of the year.
Shows one of the road markers we follow. Sometimes they are all chipped away and unreadable.
What better use for a picket fence than laundry
There were plenty of settlements along the way, though less distinct villages.
Ilaka Center
These folks were busy driving the zebu cows back and forth on the field. Not sure if it was non-motorized rototilling or other reason.
Our lunch stop was outside and villages. It seemed to be popular with minibuses stopping
Rice, vegetables and chicken.
Orange seller
Some sort of welding
This area also had several churches
Bert stopped to adjust his bike. Here he picked up an entourage of seven local cyclists
The pack went up the hill. This turned out to be the steepest hill for the day. From here we rode the last 15km on into Antsirabe. This is a large town. Given we have some time, plan is to take a rest day here tomorrow and look around.
Today was a good day of riding, ~96km with a lot of hills. We passed through multiple small villages so seemed like calling out “Bon Jour” or “Salome” most all day long.
These are the instructions for hotel guests. There was only cold running water, but we asked and they brought a bucket of hot water we could use for washing. Mix some hot + cold in a cup. Except for livestock it was a quiet restful sleep.
We knew there was a bunch of climbing today. The road was slightly better but still had those occasional gravel patches. The photo above after cresting the second hill on the way down – first time I saw corn.
There was also honey. After the first two hills of ~1000 and ~600 feet (yes, I set my odometer to measure distance in kilometers and elevation in feet but I don’t think I’m the only one with this mix) we had the longer climbs on the day.
We stopped here for an early lunch. With a crowd of ~15 onlookers we got some noodle soup and a two egg “omelet”. It was good.
Across the street…
Were the foosball tables.
After this a further ride slowly up the hill.
Slow enough for a second lunch stop at the next village.
Somewhat later we came across this wedding convoy, balloon decorations and honking horns.
From here the last kilometers over the last hills, through Ambositra and out the other side.
I didn’t stop much here but did notice people drawn carriages. From here I headed outbound a few kilometers to the hotel we had reserved. A rather nice place at end of a long hilly ride.
We’re in a hilly part middle part of Madagascar. We knew we didn’t have the speed to do the full ~150km + 7000ft climb between Fianarantsoa and Ambositra in one go or even with our Ranomanafa detour so looked for places to stop along the way. Ambohimahasoa was one such place (and if it didn’t work out it was nice to have a vehicle).
So we started today with a ride back to the RN7. This skipped ~2000ft of climb and some rough road.
An amusing aside we sometimes see shirts here with western lettering (no Emirates so far though). Today we saw a small kid with a Colo State shirt. Our driver has a Texas A&M Tri-Delt shirt (for those Aggies fans). The lettering does seem to be English more than others.
It was overcast and cool starting out but we quickly warmed up with climbing.
One of our first villages had this nice little shop.
Near the top was this tourist board where we talked with some Scottish tourists. Most of the tourists we meet are European. So far we’ve met German, Dutch, French, Scottish, Italian (?). French is the most common foreign language spoken as shown by this sign.
Rice paddies
Today there were several shrines like this. I hadn’t noticed any before Fianarantsoa.
This is one of the largest truck we see. The road today had many gravel patches and even two sections of construction. Some of the roughest we’ve had since our first day riding.
This brought us to our end village. When yesterday was a very touristy destination – today was the opposite. Tourist bungalows (no wifi), restaurants with inexpensive but sometimes iffy looking food items (noodle soup or chicken with rice or bread are things I look for, beef or things that look like they’ve been out in the air/flies I avoid).
Market street in town.
As best I can convert, gas a little less that $5/gallon. Otherwise a relaxing afternoon in a small town on the RN7 in Madagascar…
We started in the busy city of Fianarantsoa headed outbound. Relatively quick cycling and for a bit we even paralleled railroad track. The road was good, though also more traffic.
I was amused to find this crosswalk in the countryside. On the one hand people pretty much walk wherever on and across the road. What also amused me this is one of the main roads in a country of 30+ million people.
This is an agricultural area. The soil looked good though mostly people working the land by hand or perhaps some zebu cows.
At 26km we turned from the main RN7 road. Our destination was Ramonafana National Park. This was another of must-see sites from the guidebooks. The road was at least as good condition and much quieter.
We came across some additional villages.
More agriculture here. It was a little hillier and otherwise a nice ride. At 48km we stopped at the last village before the park.
Two restaurants across from each other. We ate soup and rice and could see the other restaurant across the street.
We also stopped our riding at lunch. The road got worse and descended ~2000ft past the park.
Here was the park sign. We then made our way to the main area and paid a guide for a two hour walk.
This park has ~14 species of lemur (7 nocturnal and 7 diurnal). We saw three but they were much more shy than Anja park.
Several of the lemur photos.
A bird
A mongoose
Our guide.
Elsewhere in the park.
After this further descent to Ramonafana town. In contrast with other places we’ve been this feels much more touristy with hotels and restaurants. Also slightly warmer as it is lower.
Nice to see a few more lemurs today and get in some quiet riding.
Madagascar is a former French colony and that is the most common foreign language. While I had French in high school, my English, Dutch, Spanish and Russian (in that order) is better so I find myself mixing words. Fortunately many transactions are simple like buying something where I can point and say the number.
The first 5km we left town and then bounced up and down before starting a sustained 7km+ climb up and out the valley. A view back follows from further up.
We unfortunately came on a motorcycle/bicycle crash (not us) on the way up. To set the stage, one needs to describe the road as having large potholes, sometimes half the road. Hence cars/trucks often swerve from side to side seeking a route without holes. Motorcycles and us on our bikes can swerve even more.
A motorcycle passed us going moderately fast. Coming downhill was a Madagascar bicycle. I didn’t see the exact crash but did see the bicycle go down. The cyclist was down for a while but gradually sat up, rubbed his leg and then tried to come up. By now the motorcyclist had already left, “hit and run”.
We waited a bit more to see he was really ok and also motioned for cars/trucks to slow. It seemed his knee took the worst hit but not broken.
Now time to see the bike. His rear wheel wasn’t turning as it got jammed in the dropouts. With a small minitool I had that happened to match the nut and some passing women who had a hatchet, it was possible to loosen the bolt and let the rear wheel turn. The metal crank was also bent but pounding with a rock and hatchet straightened it enough to ride. The front rim was seriously out of true but it was at least downhill for the rider.
We bid “bon voyage” to each other and continued the trip. Glad we could at least help him get mobile again.
Another three kilometers and we were at the top to see views from the other side.
Despite the incident I don’t see roads here as much worse than elsewhere in Africa. I’ve got my mirror but mostly requires checking both front and rear. Trucks and cars are patient, the motorcyclists and three wheelers need some more care.
From this point we mostly followed a valley. There was still a considerable amount of short hills along the way but not the single big hill.
We came through more villages.
Here was a case where minibuses stopped and then locals approached with trays of food to sell. We’re even more out that we can see locals. Close enough to trade smiles.
One of the villages had a large church.
A short while later was a mosque. Despite both churches and mosques, I don’t get the sense this is a particularly religious country.
There was some sort of dedication going on.
Basic agriculture.
Without too much difficulty we found our way to the larger town of Fianarantsoa. Overall a good ride.
Today we stayed in Ambalavao and cycled to the Anja lemur preserve 12km south of town. It was an interesting place to stop.
Slept in, we’d been getting up before sunrise to give enough time for longer rides. Rather than breakfast in the hotel we went looking on the street. A standard fair seemed to include rice, bread, some meat in broth – though we were also looking for eggs.
So we mostly explored the market for a while before finding a place with table out front. It seemed a bit more like a drinking stop – but with some conversation we agreed on an omelet, tea and bread. They sent someone out to get ingredients and soon enough a nice breakfast.
Before breakfast some market photos shown below. It was active and lively with plenty to buy…
Fish
Charcoal
Bundles of wood
Eggs
Some sort of root, not sure what
Carrots
Bicycle parts
This seemed to be a bicycle repair place. A bicycle does seem to be a common mode of transport here.
After breakfast, we walked back to the hotel and late in the morning were on our way cycling to the lemur preserve
It was located in front of dramatic granite outcroppings. They were able to stash our bikes and then we got an obligatory guide and went for a 90 minute tour.
We saw many lemurs.
All ring-tailed with 14 black stripes and 14 white
They weren’t afraid of people.
A young lemur
A pair. They lived in matriarchal clans and we’re territorial.
A leaping lemur
This also provided nice views of the area. We see more terrace farms, more granite hills than further south. We’re now also around 900m (3000ft) elevation.
On the way back we saw this stand. There was a sign for fast food. The host told us she put it up just today. There was a menu and we were able to find something she had available (tuna, fried rice and vegetables).
Ambalavao is known for having a zebu market (zebu is a type of cow). I could see them on the ridge but didn’t go off the track. However did take a photo of this zebu herd being driven down the street.
Otherwise back to the hotel at the end of the afternoon. Nice to have a relaxing day to explore.
