Madagascar Map

 

 

 

         Map of the Indian Ocean

latest picture: October 17, 2011

• click a picture to see details

076  We approach Morondava at the

West coast: Bottle shaped Baobab trees,

also called bottle trees, (Adansonia)

loom already on the horizon

077  How insignificant are the almost

30 years of our LandCruiser compared

to the age of this majestic tree. A

Baobab can get as old as 1’200 years

078  A landscape like off the picture

book: Blooming hyacinths and Baobabs.

In Malagasy, the giant tree is called

“Reniala” (Mother of the Forest)

Village life in Morondava

079  Two women are on their way

home with a big fish. There is close to

nothing that is not carried on the head!

080  A woman has rubbed her face

with a paste of the Masonjoany plant.

This mask protects not only against the

sun, but is said to clean also the skin

081  Playing cards is a popular

pastime for young and old

082  At the tire works barrack

in Morondava: The tube cannot

be repaired anymore.

We buy a new one for US$15

083  Hand drawn rickshaws are common

in Madagascar (in the capital Antananarivo

all rickshaws are prohibited). We are

amazed at what speed rickshaw men often

maneuver bare feet through the traffic

084  A canoe with set sail glides

soundlessly over the water

as the sun sets

085  Crossing of two “antique”

means of transport on the way to

the baobab alley near Morondava

086  Baobabs near Morondava (about

10 miles North): Every part of the baobab

is useful: Its bark is used for roofs, its

fiber for ropes and its fruit is edible

087  In the region around Morondava

often dozens of these giant baobab

trees pop up on the horizon

088  Behind a newly planted rice paddy

a new “forest” of Baobab is looming

089  Looking for fish in the swamps?

090  A giant baobab surrounded by

banana bushes and water hyacinths

091  We are coming closer to the center

of the Baobabs near Morondava: Our

LandCruiser rolls past the first giants

092  The access to the famous

Baobab alley near Morondava

leads through typical African bush

093  These giant trees are so impressive

that again and again we are tempted

to take a picture

094  There is no car traffic. Our encounters

on the lonely dusty sand track is an oxcart

on its way to the village …..

095  .…. a herdsman with his wife,

his dog and his goats …..

096  ….. and another oxcart

The famous baobab alley near Morondava

The belief of the Malagasy people is that their ancestor’s souls live in this tree and protect them

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100  On the dry bushes miraculously

bright yellow flowers are blooming

101  The three of us pose for a picture at

the famous Baobab Alley near Morondava

102  Two Madagascar pied crows

(Corvus albus) croak in complete harmony

103  A family is sitting in front of their

bush hut, gathering around a radio

104  The little boy asks us shyly to

buy bananas. Who can say no?

105  Zebu’s are flocking to

a new grazing area

106  In Miandrivazo, said to be the

hottest place in Madagascar, the sun

is setting with a beautiful red glow

107  On the RN 34 between Miandrivazo

and Antsirabe we drive through a hilly

highland covered with golden shining grass

108  The moon is rising beautifully

and serene behind a tree where

birds settled down for the night

109  A home from the colonial French

time in Analaivo before Morondava.

Remaining from that era are also the

French language, the fresh baguettes, the

cheese boxes “La Vache Qui Rit”, the ball

game “Pétanque” and the liqueur “Pastis”

110  People in the hot coastal areas

live in simple airy straw huts. The

“kitchen” is always outside. Most of

the life takes place anyway outdoor

111  A Catholic church built in a

modern architecture – here in Mahabo

– is rather seldom in Madagascar. The

old traditional architecture prevails

112  We stop at the village market in

Mahabo besides the parking place of the

oxcarts that carried the goods to the market

113  Trading and bargaining is going

on at the market square. But it

is also a place for socializing

114  Everywhere smiling faces: Waiting

for the market to end in Mahabo

115  A viewpoint between Malaimbandy

and Morondava is just perfect

for our picnic

116  The arid grassland in the West

is dotted with the lush green of the

Bismarckia nobilis palms. They

are endemic to Madagascar

117  The Tsiribihina River with its green

islets near Miandrivazo looks like an

oasis in the arid landscape. Canoe river

trips are offered from Miandrivazo

to Belo before the West coast

118  Solitude as far as our eyes reach:

Between Miandrivazo and Antsirabe the

black ribbon of the asphalt meanders through

the mountains of the Central Highland

119  Scattered trees in the arid Central

Highland near Antsirabe are pleasant green

dots in the landscape. The most pleasant

dot however is our LandCruiser!

120  A work of art in the arid

Central Highlands: A “spider net” of

rice paddies surrounded by grassland

121  Obviously no washing line

is needed to dry the clothes

122  A motif off the picture book

for a painter: A small hamlet in

the Central Highland between

Miandrivazo and Antsirabe

123  Busy life in Betafo, lying 14 miles

East of Antsirabe along the nearly

370 miles long RN 34/35 via

Miandrivazo to Morondava

124  A rural scene like on the African

continent: A family steps out of their

thatched hut and admires our

LandCruiser while we take pictures

125  Herdsmen have a hard life

in the highlands. In Southern

winter time it can get pretty

cold and humid

126  The hearty smile of this girl

symbolizes the nation’s spirit.

Despite of great poverty people

show a joy for life

127  Who can probably keep in mind all

those complicated and long village and

city names. Like on this battered “road

sign” on RN7 – the only road to the South

– the majority starts with the letter “A”

128  Potholes in the tarmac are

repaired by hand the old fashioned

way. Often also women do the

roadwork to earn a few cents

129  Crossing villages are always a

challenge as they are exotic and

crowded. People come from far to

sell fruits and vegetables and

buy the necessities of daily life

130  The long anticipated rain finally

fell. The rice crops are planted, each

single one by hand – it’s hard work

131  Golden glistening cornfields

are framed by rice paddies in

different growing stages

132  We are driving across the

picturesque highland of the “Betsileo”,

the third biggest tribe of the country.

Their planting skills allow three

harvests a year instead of only two

133  It is a Sunday: Families are on

their way home from the church …..

134  ….. many are waking towards us;

others are heading in our direction, often

for long distances. For the majority, feet

are the only “way of transport”

135  A group of people make a little

break at a roadside kiosk where also

big bottles of “Three Horses Beer”

(THB) are sold. After all it is a Sunday!

Some villages along the RN7 between Ambositra and Fianarantsoa

136  Adapted to the surroundings

137  Sandwiched between

granite rocks and rice paddies

138  Typical two-storey brick

houses of the “Betsileo” tribe

139  Ambalavao, situated on the

tableland between Fianarantsoa

and Tuléar (Toliara) is one of the

most attractive highland villages

with neat wooden balconies

decorating their houses

140  In Ambalavao a family pushes its

full yellow jerry cans from the local water

supply through the village street. Their

little daughter sits proudly on the top.

This scene is quite familiar, because there

is no private water system in rural areas

141  The cathedral built of red

bricks is the centerpiece of the

highland village of Ambalavao

and a special sight during the

flowering of the Jacaranda trees

142  In the small Anja Reserve, 8 miles

West of Ambalavao, we discover this

lizard, a young Giant Malagasy

Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti), which

in its camouflage is hard to see …..

143  ….. also this blooming Persian

Lilac bush (or also called Syringa)

(Melia azedarach) is growing there …..

144  ….. and then we see them,

high up in the trees – the ringtail

lemurs (Lemur catta) with their

black and white bushy tails that

are two third of their body size

The small Anja Reserve, 8 miles South of Ambalavao, is a village project

to protect these cute lemurs found only in Madagascar and nowhere else in the world

145  What a fascinating sight!

Determined the first two primates

come around the corner

146  What is so exiting higher up?

A mother with her two cubs

147  The youngster makes it

comfortable on a tree branch and

looks what happens below

Divided in 15 lemur families that live in different territories, the Anja Reserve harbors 300 of these primates. By chance,

our visit falls on October 18th, 2011 – the day of our 27th anniversary of our epic journey. Is there a lovelier place to celebrate?

148  “I don’t let me disturb!”

149  “Riding on my mother’s

back is really comfortable”

150  “Oh boy! - two more

tourists are coming”

• Madagascar part 1: Tamatave-Andasibe (Lemurs)-Antananarivo-Antsirabe-Miandrivazo
• Madagascar part 3: Ambalavao-Isalo N.P.-Tuléar-Ranomafana (Lemurs)-R.N.7-Antananarivo
• Madagascar part 4: Antananarivo-Ankadibe (Lemurs)-Andasibe-Manambato-Foulpointe-Tamatave