Wednesday, October 12: Antananarivo to Diego Suarez to Amber Mountain
Today, we were due to head northward to Diego Suarez, via Air Madagascar...AKA "Air Maybe," as in "Maybe we'll fly today..." They are (in)famous for changing their schedules, so the rule of thumb is to allow a whole day for travel anywhere in the country, and don't book any connections that depend on them being right on time.
We were initially scheduled for a 6:00AM departure, but yesterday that was moved to 11:30. Better for us, but we'll miss some time in Amber Mountain. For now, back to the Monaco Embassy in Antananarivo.
We were up somewhat early and I took advantage of the fast Wi-Fi to purchase and download a new copy of Adobe Photoshop elements, which I had meant to do before we left home.
1.8 MB came over in about 30 minutes; not bad for free Wi-Fi. We won't see that type of speed again for a while.
We had a leisurely morning at our hotel with a nice included breakfast, then we had a few minutes to pack up. Our ride left at 9:00, and we were ready well before then so we got brave and walked around the block.
One circuit of that, and we had seen enough of Antananarivo. We were ready to head out.
There were some nicer parts of Tana that we saw along the way. There is a large lake in the center of the city which was scenic.
Some parts of the city were less photogenic, though.
Traffic wasn’t too bad for most of the drive to the airport, though we eventually had to get off the main highway to get around a slowdown. The side streets were tiny, but our drivers squeezed through.
We arrived at the airport and things got a bit annoying. First they seated Chris and me separately - though the other two couples were seated together. Our guide spoke with the check in agents but they wouldn't move our seats.
Then I triggered the metal detector going through security, and got an impressively thorough pat down. Then a few minutes later, another security agent came into the boarding area and tracked me down, so that I could stand by while they did a manual search of my checked bag! Argh - what a pain in the neck! I was a little frazzled after that.
But we boarded early for our late flight, and the kind gentleman next to me switched with Chris so we could sit together. The plane took off nearly on time, and we were underway. So things were definitely looking better.
We arrived at Diego Suarez (I should mention that the airport code is "DIE," which did not inspire confidence, but we made it) a little after 1:30. We grabbed our luggage, which had all made it, piled into jeeps, and headed into town for lunch. We had lunch on an outdoor patio of a restaurant in the main town called Le Tsara Be.
We both started with a crab salad with mango and tomato. Not one that I'd had before, but really a great combination of flavors.
Then I had pasta with fruits de mer for a main, and Chris had a fish fillet, with the pieces nicely crisped and served with capers, lemon juice, etc.
Dessert was ice cream and profiteroles. Lunch was very relaxing, with a pace to match, and we were pretty stuffed by the end. It was 4:00 before we got moving from there. Needless to say, we weren't going to go hiking this afternoon!
We drove through town for a bit, stopping at a few points of interest and scenic viewpoints. This town, as opposed to Antananarivo, looked like a place that we would want to visit more later. There was a nice seaside vibe, and even though it wasn't rich, it looked less crowded.
There was an abandoned hotel at the north end of town.
There were a bunch of kids inside. They were friendly and wanted to get their picture taken. So we obliged. One of our companions had brought a Polaroid-type camera and took a few snapshots. They were excited to get print copies of their pictures!
We even had time for some shopping. At the local grocery store we got a few bottles of wine for later, and at another shop we bought some souvenir T-shirts. Then we headed to our hotel in Joffreville, near Amber Mountain. I guess that Joffreville is named after the same Joffre in the statue above.
The road was rough in spots, but even the secondary road wasn’t too bad. We got in long after dark, partly because we stopped for a few chameleons along the way.
This was really impressive because the guides could see them at the side of the road in the dark! Every once in a while we'd stop the jeep and find one. Only later did I discover their secret - the chameleon's eyes reflect the car's headlights. So they glow, and are easy to spot.
The Litchi Tree Hotel seemed very nice, with spacious guest rooms, and the setting was really pretty. We settled in for a few, then cleaned up and got ready for evening.
There were some adorable geckos outside the room. We liked them because they eat bugs.
The electricity here is from a generator, which only runs from 5:30 to 10:00 or thereabouts. So we plugged in our electrical equipment for charging and headed to the main building for dinner.
It was really tough to eat the large quantities that were served, because we had just finished a huge lunch three hours ago. A shame, as the food was very tasty. We started with a red bean soup, which was quite warm and made us all sweat.
The main course was shredded zebu meat, cooked in a soy-based sauce, and served over whole wheat noodles.
Dessert was a custard; Chris and I shared a single one because we were so stuffed.
Wine selection was limited and relatively expensive; about 90.000 per bottle. We had a South African sparkling wine that was so-so. But once that was finished, we borrowed the ice bucket to chill our wine in our room for later.
We stayed out on the common porch with our group, sipping the wine until nearly 10, then we headed in and got ready for bed before the electricity cut out. But strangely, the lights didn’t go out until almost 11. Bonus time.
Once it got dark, the wind started whipping, and that kept blowing tree branches up against the building. This generated a lot of unfamiliar and unexpected scraping noises, so we slept fitfully and woke up frequently.
Today, we were due to head northward to Diego Suarez, via Air Madagascar...AKA "Air Maybe," as in "Maybe we'll fly today..." They are (in)famous for changing their schedules, so the rule of thumb is to allow a whole day for travel anywhere in the country, and don't book any connections that depend on them being right on time.
 |
| It really is the Consulate of Monaco! |
We were initially scheduled for a 6:00AM departure, but yesterday that was moved to 11:30. Better for us, but we'll miss some time in Amber Mountain. For now, back to the Monaco Embassy in Antananarivo.
 |
| Outdoor sitting area, Maison Gallieni |
We were up somewhat early and I took advantage of the fast Wi-Fi to purchase and download a new copy of Adobe Photoshop elements, which I had meant to do before we left home.
1.8 MB came over in about 30 minutes; not bad for free Wi-Fi. We won't see that type of speed again for a while.
 |
| Maison Gallieni, from the street below |
We had a leisurely morning at our hotel with a nice included breakfast, then we had a few minutes to pack up. Our ride left at 9:00, and we were ready well before then so we got brave and walked around the block.
One circuit of that, and we had seen enough of Antananarivo. We were ready to head out.
 |
| Lake Anosy, Tana |
There were some nicer parts of Tana that we saw along the way. There is a large lake in the center of the city which was scenic.
Some parts of the city were less photogenic, though.
 |
| Highway Traffic, Tana |
Traffic wasn’t too bad for most of the drive to the airport, though we eventually had to get off the main highway to get around a slowdown. The side streets were tiny, but our drivers squeezed through.
We arrived at the airport and things got a bit annoying. First they seated Chris and me separately - though the other two couples were seated together. Our guide spoke with the check in agents but they wouldn't move our seats.
Then I triggered the metal detector going through security, and got an impressively thorough pat down. Then a few minutes later, another security agent came into the boarding area and tracked me down, so that I could stand by while they did a manual search of my checked bag! Argh - what a pain in the neck! I was a little frazzled after that.
But we boarded early for our late flight, and the kind gentleman next to me switched with Chris so we could sit together. The plane took off nearly on time, and we were underway. So things were definitely looking better.
We arrived at Diego Suarez (I should mention that the airport code is "DIE," which did not inspire confidence, but we made it) a little after 1:30. We grabbed our luggage, which had all made it, piled into jeeps, and headed into town for lunch. We had lunch on an outdoor patio of a restaurant in the main town called Le Tsara Be.
 |
| Crispy whitefish with capers |
We both started with a crab salad with mango and tomato. Not one that I'd had before, but really a great combination of flavors.
Then I had pasta with fruits de mer for a main, and Chris had a fish fillet, with the pieces nicely crisped and served with capers, lemon juice, etc.
Dessert was ice cream and profiteroles. Lunch was very relaxing, with a pace to match, and we were pretty stuffed by the end. It was 4:00 before we got moving from there. Needless to say, we weren't going to go hiking this afternoon!
 |
| Antisirana Bay, Diego Suarez |
 |
| Statue of Joffre, in Diego Suarez |
There was an abandoned hotel at the north end of town.
There were a bunch of kids inside. They were friendly and wanted to get their picture taken. So we obliged. One of our companions had brought a Polaroid-type camera and took a few snapshots. They were excited to get print copies of their pictures!
We even had time for some shopping. At the local grocery store we got a few bottles of wine for later, and at another shop we bought some souvenir T-shirts. Then we headed to our hotel in Joffreville, near Amber Mountain. I guess that Joffreville is named after the same Joffre in the statue above.
 |
| Panther Chameleon. How did they find them? |
This was really impressive because the guides could see them at the side of the road in the dark! Every once in a while we'd stop the jeep and find one. Only later did I discover their secret - the chameleon's eyes reflect the car's headlights. So they glow, and are easy to spot.
The Litchi Tree Hotel seemed very nice, with spacious guest rooms, and the setting was really pretty. We settled in for a few, then cleaned up and got ready for evening.
There were some adorable geckos outside the room. We liked them because they eat bugs.
The electricity here is from a generator, which only runs from 5:30 to 10:00 or thereabouts. So we plugged in our electrical equipment for charging and headed to the main building for dinner.
It was really tough to eat the large quantities that were served, because we had just finished a huge lunch three hours ago. A shame, as the food was very tasty. We started with a red bean soup, which was quite warm and made us all sweat.
The main course was shredded zebu meat, cooked in a soy-based sauce, and served over whole wheat noodles.
 |
| Even the plates are beautiful here. Litchi Tree Hotel |
Dessert was a custard; Chris and I shared a single one because we were so stuffed.
Wine selection was limited and relatively expensive; about 90.000 per bottle. We had a South African sparkling wine that was so-so. But once that was finished, we borrowed the ice bucket to chill our wine in our room for later.
We stayed out on the common porch with our group, sipping the wine until nearly 10, then we headed in and got ready for bed before the electricity cut out. But strangely, the lights didn’t go out until almost 11. Bonus time.
Once it got dark, the wind started whipping, and that kept blowing tree branches up against the building. This generated a lot of unfamiliar and unexpected scraping noises, so we slept fitfully and woke up frequently.
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