Wednesday, October 19: Bekopaka to Ile Saint-Marie
Today was the second charter flight that we had planned, from Amborodia to Ile Ste-Marie - AKA Nosy Boraha. We had decided to tack on two days here at the end of the trip, because we figured that it would be nice to sit back and relax after the hectic pace that we'd kept up until now. There wouldn't be too much to do on the island, and after all the hikes we'd done these past ten days, we figured that it would be a good idea to be forced to rest up.
So, one last early breakfast at Soleil des Tsingy, and then we packed up and loaded the jeeps for the trip back to the airport, leaving about 7:15. The hotel was gorgeous, and we were a little sad to leave so early, especially because that meant a one hour plus bumpy ride over the dirt road back to the airstrip.
Of course, we should count our blessings, because the alternative would have been the eight hour drive to Morondova, then a flight to Tana, an overnight, and a flight to Ile Ste-Marie the next day.
So, the charter flight was by far the best deal even though the airstrip was a bit rustic, and the road to get there was a bit of a challenge.
I paid our hotel bill with US dollars this time as their exchange rate wasn't too far off. We hopped into our jeeps for one more long slog over that rough road.
Eventually we arrived at the Amborodia airstrip, more or less intact, to find our same airplane and crew awaiting us. We were happy to see them!
We were so glad to unbuckle our seatbelts and walk around, because we both had bruises around our waists from being tossed around in the jeep these past two days. The seatbelts keep you in your seat on the rough roads, but you get thrown around so much that they eventually leave marks.
After loading up, we taxied down the dirt runway and took off for our flight to Ile Ste-Marie. The itinerary was originally supposed to include a refueling stop in Tana, but last night we learned that we would not have to do this. So we had a direct flight, which was a nice change from the original itinerary!
The flight was quite smooth again, with nice scenery. We climbed over the Grand Tsingy shortly after takeoff. Surprisingly, it doesn't look as impressive from the air, so we were glad that we had been able to experience it in person, up close at ground level.
Just south of the Tsingy, more interesting landscapes. Looked cool from the air. I never figured out what exactly it was.
The central highlands were very arid.
The rock formations, red dirt, and nearly dry river beds were very picturesque.
We reached the highest point of the central mountain range, and left the rain shadow that makes central Madagascan so arid. We rapidly descended over the downslopes of the eastern rain forest, leading to the coast.
Nice beaches, with rainforest almost touching the ocean.
Not far to go now, just a little jump over the channel to Nosy Boraha (Ile Ste-Marie).
A quick crossing over the channel separating Ile Ste-Marie from the mainland, and we touched down at the airport. This airport also serves commercial traffic, so it had a nice smooth tarmac runway. So different from where we'd just left!
There was no wait for the luggage, and of course, all had arrived perfectly, so we shook hands with our flight crew and wished them a pleasant journey back to Tana.
Sadly, this was also time to say goodbye to Bela, our main guide who had accompanied us throughout the whole trip so far. As there were no organized activities planned for these two days, we were on our own now. So we said our goodbyes and he headed back to Tana with the charter plane crew.
The hotel had sent a zebu cart to pick us up. I felt bad making the zebu pull us, after all the zebu that we'd eaten the past ten days...
...But they didn't seem to mind. It was a five minute ride to the hotel, where we relaxed in the lobby with a cold drink and filled out the check-in forms.
We had a short tour of the property, including the vegetable and herb garden, the wine cellar(!) - yes, there really was one, and it looked great - the restaurant and bar, the lounge with WiFi, and finally, our rooms.
We settled in and decided that we were going to give the relaxation philosophy a try today. So with that in mind, we headed back to the restaurant and parked ourselves at a bar table with an ocean view for mojitos. They were tasty, and the view only enhanced our enjoyment.
The others eventually joined us and we shared a few pizzas and fries for lunch, along with more wine from the cellar. When you need more, you just walk down into the wine cellar, grab another bottle, and hand it to the wait staff who will open and serve it for you. What a great setup!
One of the other couples had splurged for a larger suite, with a beautiful outdoor porch that overlooked the beach, so we all gathered there after lunch for some more wine, conversation, and relaxing. Nothing else was accomplished today, which was fine by us after the Tsingy hike yesterday.
We didn't decide on any plans for tomorrow, other than to play things by ear and see what we were up for. We actually discussed doing nothing at all, other than hanging out by the pool all day. We'll see what actually happens. Afternoon faded into evening, and it was soon time for dinner.
The food was great tonight. Entrees were sushi with a very hot wasabi for Chris, and I had a bit of gazpacho with eggplant bruschetta.
For mains, I had grouper fillet in a creamy sauce, and Chris had duck again. The duck breast was cut into strips and grilled on skewers. This time they asked how it should be cooked, and it was perfectly medium-rare. Such a delicious change from two days ago!
Dessert was crème brulee, or cappuccino cream in dark chocolate.
There was plenty of South African rose to accompany the meal. Maybe the best food all trip.
We had AC in our room, for the first time in many days, but we weren't used to it and had trouble controlling the temperature. I set it to start cooling before dinner, but at bedtime the temperature still felt too warm, so I turned it down some more. Of course, it eventually got too cold, so we woke up in the middle of the night, feeling quite chilly. An unusual experience after the past 10 days, for sure!
There were also a number of mosquitos in our room, because the windows didn't have screens. I killed a bunch before bedtime, and set up the plug-in mosquito repellent device, but the thought of all those buggers flying around didn’t help us sleep either. But the netting worked and we didn’t get bitten. All in all, it was a very relaxing day, and a nice treat to be here. What a fun time!
Today was the second charter flight that we had planned, from Amborodia to Ile Ste-Marie - AKA Nosy Boraha. We had decided to tack on two days here at the end of the trip, because we figured that it would be nice to sit back and relax after the hectic pace that we'd kept up until now. There wouldn't be too much to do on the island, and after all the hikes we'd done these past ten days, we figured that it would be a good idea to be forced to rest up.
 |
| Water Hazard! Road to Amborodia Airstrip |
So, one last early breakfast at Soleil des Tsingy, and then we packed up and loaded the jeeps for the trip back to the airport, leaving about 7:15. The hotel was gorgeous, and we were a little sad to leave so early, especially because that meant a one hour plus bumpy ride over the dirt road back to the airstrip.
 |
| Tree Hazard! Road to Amborodia Airstrip |
Of course, we should count our blessings, because the alternative would have been the eight hour drive to Morondova, then a flight to Tana, an overnight, and a flight to Ile Ste-Marie the next day.
 |
| There really is an airport out here! |
I paid our hotel bill with US dollars this time as their exchange rate wasn't too far off. We hopped into our jeeps for one more long slog over that rough road.
 |
| Are we there yet? Still on the Road to Amborodia Airstrip |
Eventually we arrived at the Amborodia airstrip, more or less intact, to find our same airplane and crew awaiting us. We were happy to see them!
We were so glad to unbuckle our seatbelts and walk around, because we both had bruises around our waists from being tossed around in the jeep these past two days. The seatbelts keep you in your seat on the rough roads, but you get thrown around so much that they eventually leave marks.
 |
| Amborodia Airstrip. Next Stop, Ile St-Marie! |
After loading up, we taxied down the dirt runway and took off for our flight to Ile Ste-Marie. The itinerary was originally supposed to include a refueling stop in Tana, but last night we learned that we would not have to do this. So we had a direct flight, which was a nice change from the original itinerary!
 |
| Southern part of Tsingy de Bemaraha NP |
The flight was quite smooth again, with nice scenery. We climbed over the Grand Tsingy shortly after takeoff. Surprisingly, it doesn't look as impressive from the air, so we were glad that we had been able to experience it in person, up close at ground level.
Just south of the Tsingy, more interesting landscapes. Looked cool from the air. I never figured out what exactly it was.
The central highlands were very arid.
The rock formations, red dirt, and nearly dry river beds were very picturesque.
We reached the highest point of the central mountain range, and left the rain shadow that makes central Madagascan so arid. We rapidly descended over the downslopes of the eastern rain forest, leading to the coast.
Nice beaches, with rainforest almost touching the ocean.
Not far to go now, just a little jump over the channel to Nosy Boraha (Ile Ste-Marie).
 |
| Final Approach to Ile Ste-Marie |
A quick crossing over the channel separating Ile Ste-Marie from the mainland, and we touched down at the airport. This airport also serves commercial traffic, so it had a nice smooth tarmac runway. So different from where we'd just left!
There was no wait for the luggage, and of course, all had arrived perfectly, so we shook hands with our flight crew and wished them a pleasant journey back to Tana.
Sadly, this was also time to say goodbye to Bela, our main guide who had accompanied us throughout the whole trip so far. As there were no organized activities planned for these two days, we were on our own now. So we said our goodbyes and he headed back to Tana with the charter plane crew.
The hotel had sent a zebu cart to pick us up. I felt bad making the zebu pull us, after all the zebu that we'd eaten the past ten days...
...But they didn't seem to mind. It was a five minute ride to the hotel, where we relaxed in the lobby with a cold drink and filled out the check-in forms.
 |
| Us and a well-stocked wine cellar. What could go wrong? |
We had a short tour of the property, including the vegetable and herb garden, the wine cellar(!) - yes, there really was one, and it looked great - the restaurant and bar, the lounge with WiFi, and finally, our rooms.
We settled in and decided that we were going to give the relaxation philosophy a try today. So with that in mind, we headed back to the restaurant and parked ourselves at a bar table with an ocean view for mojitos. They were tasty, and the view only enhanced our enjoyment.
The others eventually joined us and we shared a few pizzas and fries for lunch, along with more wine from the cellar. When you need more, you just walk down into the wine cellar, grab another bottle, and hand it to the wait staff who will open and serve it for you. What a great setup!
One of the other couples had splurged for a larger suite, with a beautiful outdoor porch that overlooked the beach, so we all gathered there after lunch for some more wine, conversation, and relaxing. Nothing else was accomplished today, which was fine by us after the Tsingy hike yesterday.
We didn't decide on any plans for tomorrow, other than to play things by ear and see what we were up for. We actually discussed doing nothing at all, other than hanging out by the pool all day. We'll see what actually happens. Afternoon faded into evening, and it was soon time for dinner.
The food was great tonight. Entrees were sushi with a very hot wasabi for Chris, and I had a bit of gazpacho with eggplant bruschetta.
For mains, I had grouper fillet in a creamy sauce, and Chris had duck again. The duck breast was cut into strips and grilled on skewers. This time they asked how it should be cooked, and it was perfectly medium-rare. Such a delicious change from two days ago!
Dessert was crème brulee, or cappuccino cream in dark chocolate.
There was plenty of South African rose to accompany the meal. Maybe the best food all trip.
We had AC in our room, for the first time in many days, but we weren't used to it and had trouble controlling the temperature. I set it to start cooling before dinner, but at bedtime the temperature still felt too warm, so I turned it down some more. Of course, it eventually got too cold, so we woke up in the middle of the night, feeling quite chilly. An unusual experience after the past 10 days, for sure!
There were also a number of mosquitos in our room, because the windows didn't have screens. I killed a bunch before bedtime, and set up the plug-in mosquito repellent device, but the thought of all those buggers flying around didn’t help us sleep either. But the netting worked and we didn’t get bitten. All in all, it was a very relaxing day, and a nice treat to be here. What a fun time!
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