Madagascar Map

 

 

 

         Map of the Indian Ocean

latest picture: November 9, 2011

• click a picture to see details

223  Antananarivo, the capital of Mada-

gascar, has many fascinating corners

despite its chaotic hustle and bustle

224  Already on the outskirts of the

crowded capital Antananarivo rice fields

are spreading out – after the hectic and

chaotic city life a pleasant sight

225  Street kitchen line the way. Sweet

potatoes are one of the vegetables being

cooked on charcoal in the big pots

226  After heavy rains and due to erosions,

the Sisaony river at the lemur park, 15 miles

West of the capital Antananarivo along the

RN1, got its reddish brown color of the soil

227  The crowned Sifaka

(Propithecus coronatus) is

peeking curiously through

the tree leaves

228  The Malagasy Giant Chameleon

(Furcifer oustaleti) with a length of

up to 27 inches is considered as the

biggest species of chameleon

229  We hear a fight and see this Skink

lizard (Zonosaurus laticaudatus)

swallowing the tail of its enemy. Our

guide says that the victim will survive

and its tail will regrow

230  “Am I not a cute fellow?” The

Coquerel’s Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli)

has a beautiful dense fur. It lives mostly

in a group with four or five others

231  “Am I not enviable?” The

Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur

(Varecia variegata) is endemic to the

island of Madagascar and belongs to

the threatened species. It is spending

most of its time in the high canopy

232  The Spiny-tailed iguana (Oplurus

cuvieri) is common in Madagascar. Its

special characteristic is the black collar

233  Is it not adorable, this little

Lesser Bamboo Lemur

(Hapalemur griseus griseus)?

234  Looks like the personified devil! This

Black Lemur (Eulemur macaco) lives in

Madagascar’s Northwestern rainforests

235  “No, I am not a mouse, I am a

lemur!” The Grey Mouse Lemur

(Microcebus murinus) is nocturnal.

It weighs between 2.0 to 2.4 oz

236  An appealing sight: The village

church West of Moramanga along

the RN2 is perched between a

mountain ridge and cultivated paddies

237  A blooming yellow Poui Tree

dots the Mangoro river bank

238  Our LandCruiser drives through

the cobblestone main street of Andasibe,

a peaceful little village in the Eastern high-

lands, 16 miles East of Moramanga

239  Emil is trying hard to get

an internet connection over

the mobile net in Andasibe

240  Deep tropical greenery frame

the lovely church East of Andasibe

241  We are driving through dense

vegetation to the Mantadia

National Park near Andasibe

242  Women return from the market

and walk back to their remote village,

the goods placed on their heads

243  No reason for worries:

The little river to cross is

a breeze in the dry season

At the orchid park in Andasibe we discover:

244  A white “Angrecum“ orchid

245  A “Grammangis elisii“

(Grammatophyllum ellisii) orchid .....

246  and a beautiful stag horn fern

(Platycerium bifurcatum)

In the flower garden of the hotel Feon’ny Ala in Andasibe we admire:

247  The Torch Ginger or

Porcelain Rose (Etlingera elatior):

A flower of great beauty

248  A Shell Ginger (Alpinia

zerumbet) with its hanging blossoms

249  A Golden Chalice Vine

(Solandra maxima) is flowering

between the foliage of a tropical tree

250  A pond dotted with tiny islets

of plants is a lovely sight a bit South

of Brickaville along RN2

251  How trustworthy is this wooden bridge

on the adventurous track to Manombato

on Lac Rasobe near Brickaville?

(turnoff = PK286 along RN2)

252  The mother has a smile for us

when we pass her modest home on

the stony track leading to Manombato

253  At Lac Rasobe, which is part

of the Pangalanes Canal, we find a

beautiful long white sandy beach

254  A group of people are walking

along the beach of Lac Rasobe

with their fishing net

255  The fishing group are returning with

their catch from the sea still carrying their

fronds with which they beat the water

to chase small fishes into the net

256  The sun is setting

at Lac Rasobe

257  A girl washes her dishes and scrubs

her sooted pots with sand before the sun

sets at Lac Rasobe. There’s no electrical

light at Manombato without

an own generator

258  The sun is rising at Lac Rasobe,

covering the almost motionless

surface in a red glow

259  The pineapple belongs also to the

tropical fruits growing in Madagascar

260  A life without hectic: A fisherman

is poling his canoe along the

Lac Rasobe shore

261  Ripe lychees hang from a tree.

Madagascar is the main exporter

of this tropical fruit to Europe,

delivering around 20’000 tons a year

262  Crossing a village on a market

day is always an exciting experience.

Here the one of Ampasimadinika

South of Tamatave (Toamasina)

263  No matter where and how

comfortable one sits – the main

thing is to get a ride. Taxi Brousse

are always overpacked

264  A little break: Pushing a heavily

loaded cart by hand is hard work –

for many though the only mean

to transport their goods

265  A fisherman does not know

any fear. Even the breaking of a high

ocean wave does not stir up his blood

266  Between Tamatave (Toamasina)

and Foulpointe (Mahavelona) at the

East coast, we pass a coastal stretch

with attractive views, be it with

traditional thatched huts …..

267  ….. or with an azure blue

lagoon and a white sandy beach

268  An endless lonesome sandy beach

attracts us at the East coast between

Tamatave (Toamasina) and Foulpointe

(Mahavelona). Here we look

towards the North from …..

269  ….. our lovely picnic

spot near Vohitsara …..

270  ….. and here we look

towards the South

271  The beach at “La Pirogue” Lodge

in Mahambo at the East coast brings

back old memories of the Caribbean

272  White sandy beaches line the

remote East coast at Mahambo

273  A coconut vendor walks along

the beach seeking thirsty customers

274  Brightly painted traditional fishing

boats line the Northern part of the

white sandy beach at the

Manda Beach Hotel in Foulpointe .....

275  ..... in the middle is the

lovely hotel swimming pool .....

276  ..... and on the Southern part

are the deck chairs where

tourists are sun tanning

277  The morning glow announces

a new day in Foulpointe

278  Foulepointe: Early morning, a

father glides with his canoe and three

children over the almost motionless

waters of the lagoon

279  A little boy plays with his

toys at the Foulpointe beach

280  Playing cards is a popular pastime,

also at a beach shack in Foulpointe

281  A mother is weaving with

Raffia palm fibers a basket while

her two children watch her

282  At the Ivoloina River, 7½ miles

North of Tamatave men dive with

baskets for sand on the riverbed

that is used as constructing material

283  Is it not a lovely providence that

we drive past Santa Claus exactly on

December 6th, on our way back from

Foulpointe to Tamatave?

284  At a side street in Tamatave

three women are spreading out piles

of cloves on a cloth to dry in the sun

285  We smell the spicy scent of

cloves already from far away

286  At the beach in Tamatave we

see mostly children bathing and

playing in the polluted water

287  Two fishermen pause with their

canoe at the beach in Tamatave

288  Liliana takes a bicycle rickshaw

(Pousse-pousse) to the supermarket

in Tamatave while Emil lies

down with a diarrhea

289  At Tamatave’s beach front piles

of young coconuts are on offer.

Passersby love to quench their thirst

with the vitamin-rich juice inside

290  At a street corner, a girl looks

after the banana stall together

with her little sister

291  In a neighborhood of Tamatave

school children are busy making hats

from leaves of the “Travelers Tree”

(Ravenala madagascariensis)

292  The Flamboyant Trees (Delonix regia)

in Tamatave are in full bloom when we

make the preparations for the shipment

of our LandCruiser after our three

months’ stay in Madagascar

293  Saying once more good-bye

to our faithful LandCruiser. Emil is

driving it in Tamatave into its

24th container with

destination: La Réunion

294  One of Liliana’s most treasured

pictures: What is this adorable little

girl from Tamatave with her

selfmade hat from the leaves of a

“Traveler’s Tree” thinking?

• Madagascar part 1: Tamatave-Andasibe (Lemurs)-Antananarivo-Antsirabe-Miandrivazo
• Madagascar part 2: Miandrivazo-Morondava (Baobabs)-Antsirabe-Fianarantsoa-Ambalavao (Lemurs)
• Madagascar part 3: Ambalavao-Isalo N.P.-Tuléar-Ranomafana (Lemurs)-R.N.7-Antananarivo