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.