An Ocean Paradise!

This entry will in some way document a more recent trip we've had and it was a bit ironic that I had just posted the last entry about our trip way back in December as we were setting out on this trip. This latest trip took us to the far south eastern corner of the country where we made our acquaintance with the Indian Ocean for the first time. Some Peace Corps members, who wanted to go to Fort Dauphin, had organized a basketball tournament for local youths.. We called the event "March Madness." Basketball is fairly popular here and such events are useful for bringing young people together. Throughout the event, health PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) give speeches about AIDS, provide condom demonstrations and talk about the importance of hygiene, clean water, etc. etc. The tournament was a success. Additionally, we were fortunate in the accommodations we secured. There is a college in Fort Dauphin where Malagasy adults can receive training on environmental sciences and conservation and prepare for jobs across the country in these fields. It is called the Libanona Ecology Center and it is situated just above Libanona beach. We were fortunate enough to meet one of the founders, Mark Fenn, on our first day in Fort Dauphin. We also met with the academic coordinator to discuss the possibility of working for the center in the future- an extremely positive meeting. For some time there has been a position open teaching English at the Ecology Center for 3rd year PCVs. Although vacant now, there is a house provided by the LEC where PCVs who work there stay. When no one is living in the house, PCVs can stay there when in town (Mark Fenn himself was a former 4- year PCV in Africa many years back). In any case, the house is on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water. In one direction you are facing India and the sunrise, the other- Africa and the sunset. Moreover, the area is covered by trees, so it is shady and cool. The beach is so beautiful that it is actually on the 5000 ariary note which is the second largest unit of currency in circulation. If you are interested in the work of the center, there is a web site (www.libanonaecology.org) and if nothing else you'll find a nice picture of the peninsula that I just described. I'm going to back up a step now, because one of the most salient features of this trip was actually getting there and back. Some PCVs flew, but it is expensive to do so. The other option is a taxi-brousse (bush taxi) from Tana. From Tana it is about a 10 hour ride south to Fianarantsoa (Fianar) along the paved national route RN7. The scenery is enthralling and- though long- this is always the welcome leg of any trip heading south from Tana. The brousse station one uses in Tana to go to Fianar is always an experience. One somewhat amusing feature is the restrooms. There is a fee for usage and upon entry, you need to inform the attendant of your intentions: number one (mipipi) or number 2 (micaca). There is a separate price for each, but if you spring for micaca you're provided with a few sheets of paper. For mipipi, I am directed to the trough. For Stacey, it's a stall for both mipipi and micaca. Stacey pointed out that with this arrangement, should she have her own paper, she could declare and pay for mipipi while clandestinely executing a micaca! Maybe next time. So some 10 hours later we made it to Fianar at around 8pm. The next leg was to get a taxi from Fianar to Fort Dauphin. This ride was purported to take a tidy 36 hours. There is a Peace Corps transit house in Fianar where one can stay in relative comfort with warm showers, beds, kitchen, a television etc. We were told upon arrival that there would be a taxi-brousse tomorrow, but it was recommended that we stick around for one tonight that should be leaving at 10pm (this is already starting to sound like a million other travel stories from Madagascar.) The way taxis work here is that they don't actually leave at a set time like Greyhound. They leave when the taxi is full. We decided to forego the comforts of the transit house and wait around at the brousse station as when traveling in M/car we always try to stay as far ahead of schedule as possible. Now, the Fianar brousse station is anything- but luxurious: I would say it redefines the word 'ramshackle' and I'll leave the rest to the imagination. So 10pm came and went. No taxi. One of the agents offered to let us crash in a minivan which we did. The whole night passed and we re-reinquired in the morning as to the taxi's whereabouts. "It's coming soon," we were reassured repeatedly. Finally, we opted to go in search of some breakfast. We had some coffee and bread and the woman agreed to fry me some eggs. For some reason this was taking forever and I assumed there was a misunderstanding and I wasn't getting eggs (one learns to live with such misunderstandings here). Suddenly, the taxi attendant bursts into the hôtely where we were eating and informs us that the taxi is leaving- now! As we get up to pay, the woman proudly shows me that the eggs have been prepared and are waiting expectantly on a distant counter- perhaps for some time now. We had no time, so I paid her for the eggs- I hope someone enjoyed them- and we were out of there. We were informed that the taxi was not at the station where we were. So instead, we were whisked into a smallish car- paparazzi evasion style- which sped off to where we would catch the taxi. Five minutes later, we came to a fork in the road. And there it was. The original Millennium Falcon in all it's glory! Upon previous inquiry, we had been shown an example of the type of brousse that it was by the station agent. What he showed us was new, spacious, comfortable and accommodating. What stood before us was the antithesis of this. It called itself 'Tata'. Stacey protested bitterly refusing to board and wanting a refund. This was essentially an enormous school bus just packed full or people with about 6 feet of belongings on the roof- including a motorcycle. It didn't appear that any seats were available. The last seats to go are always these 'jump-seats' which is essentially a non-seat that is attached onto the side of one of the bench seats that folds up and down to allow access to the annals of the vehicle. Two things stand out about this arrangement. There's always a lot of traffic in your direction whenever the taxi makes a pit stop, and secondly there is often no back support. It's more like a bench. Thirty-six hours on a bench with no back on an unpaved- and at times barely passable- road redefines discomfort. Another feature of most Malagasy taxis is that the seat in front of you ends before your knees do! The Malagasy are overall shorter than Americans. Moreover, there is never any room in the rows. They fit as many people in a row as possible- even if they are practically sitting on top of you. So, you can't move your legs to either side. It's just a match between your knees and the metal housing on the seat in front of you for the duration of the ride. And so, upon further deliberation, a sober examination of the realities and the failure of alternatives to present themselves - while the whole time the entire busload of passengers, who had already been waiting just for us to show up, were still waiting for us to make up our minds- we decided that this was THE way to Fort Dauphin.
And so off we were- neatly packed into our seats with our gear stashed seven feet above on the roof. The road at this point was still paved. Yet, before long we began to learn what it takes to get to this part of Madagascar overland. The paved road ends just past Ambalavao. The going is not too insane at this point and- as it is upon traversing any significant distance in M/car, the scenery begins to change as one exits and enters the various microclimates. We started with grasslands as far as the eye could see. Many hours later lower scrub brush began to appear with some low tree cover- not quite forest. Eventually, some baobabs began to creep up on the horizon and gradually we entered the spiny desert that blankets the southwest and central plateau. The road appeared impassable at times and on more than one occasion it felt like the bus would assuredly tip over- you know when you get that distinct shift in gravity sensation (young people pay for it via rollercoasters and the like). In any case, the Tata remained erect. At other times the rising water was creeping in the door of the bus. Occasionally, we were obliged to disboard while the Tata negotiated a particularly perilous stretch. One highlight was passing through the occasional small village or town where we would stop to eat and have a break- people really do live in the middle of nowhere!! Moreover, they don't see too many white folk along that stretch, so our presence in particular is seldom unnoticed. Sleep is particularly challenging aboard the Tata and only occasional patches avail themselves to the weary traveler. The best night's sleep we had was on the road behind the Tata. It was just after dusk and we were just one hour outside of one the small villages when the driver came to a halt disappeared to the front of the Tata and returned carrying an enormous head gasket. The engine in the bus is right next to the driver underneath this constructed platform on which additional passengers can be transported. They were cleared out. Off came the platform and then the driver and his partner proceeded to perform an entire top-end rebuild of the engine. We were in the front row, so to speak, for this operation. It was an incredible mess- grease everywhere and coming right at us. Why we waited as long as we did to abandon ship, I don't know, but eventually we did conclude that greater comfort would avail itself outside of the Tata- which was going no place soon. Fortunately, we had our sleeping bags in which we crashed until the makeover was completed and we were awoken in the early morning- Tata repaired, time to re-embark. So off again we were. We felt kind of bad for this one fellow. He had gotten on just in the previous town and only to go to the next town. He probably could have walked in less time that it took to repair the Tata. We were approaching the deep south at this point. This became obvious, not only as the dessert became increasingly spiny, but as we began to encounter the Antandroy tribespeople who have traditionally inhabited south central M/car. One giveaway as to there identity is the spears that they carry- throughout M/car people do not routinely carry spears. They also sell roasted goat on a stick- how they get the goat's leg to stay on the stick with the fur still attached all around, I don't know. Our immediate destination was Ambovombe where our friend Travis is stationed. We arrived at around 1am- unfashionably late owing to the rebuild debacle. This was the end of our affair with the Tata. We would spend the next day with our friend and the following day get a brousse East to Fort Dauphin. As for Ambovombe, it is a veritable wild west saloon town. The buildings are wooden shacks, the ground- sand, the fauna- cacti. In fact, the raketa were in season when we arrived. We know these as prickly pears in the U.S. which is, of course, the fruit of a certain variety of cactus which is quite delicious. Everyone was eating copious amounts of these. Our friend gave us a tour of the area and it was nice to see his site as we are good friends from training, but nowhere near one another in the country. We also tried a 'specialty' of the area- Ribibi (sp.?). Essentially, this is soured milk with the whey removed leaving a sour mound of curds with a texture slightly lighter than Ricotta cheese and a flavor that is, well- distinctly sour! I was not a convert. In fact, my tolerance for cheese and dairy type products is quite vast and I did eat nearly a cupful of it! If you're interested, remind me when I'm back in the states- I'll prepare some for you. The ride onto Fort Dauphin was about six hours and it is a rewarding stretch. Initially, you cross through some of the best- the most lush and varied- parcels of spiny forest. Then you pass giant Sisal plantations where Sisal stretches as far as the eye can see. Sisal cultivation carries an interesting story. Sisal was introduced to M/car in the 1920s. The demand for it declined over the years as synthetic substitutes became available. But in the 1990s, there was a surge in the demand for Sisal because green consumers in the west were demanding biodegradable packaging (to save the environment- no doubt) and Sisal is ideal for this. No problem, the Malagasy simply cleared about 100 square miles of endemic spiny forest to meet the demand. As one exits the spiny forest pushing east, there is a sudden and dramatic change. You drive over a mountaintop and suddenly the southern parcel of rainforest that lies in a strip from North to South along the east coast of M/car. This part comprises much of Andohahela National Park. This terrain continues until one is deposited in Fort Dauphin. Upon approaching this coastal destination, the presence of the ocean becomes more and more palpable as the increasing sea breeze permeates the air and cools the lungs.
We landed in Fort Dauphin. We taxied to the market and found a place to eat. I'd noticed a couple cockroaches before we sat down. Within five minutes, we realized that they were EVERYWHERE: on the floor, the walls, crawling over our feet. I killed well over a dozen just by putting my foot down as was required. The local clientele were delighted to see the 'vazaha' reaction to their infestation and could hardly contain their mirth. We absconded. We went to the house that we were to stay at, but no luck couldn't get the key and ended up at not a bad little hotel near the beach. We did get into the house at Libanona the next day. What to say about our time in Ft. Dauphin? Well, we spent a good deal of it, outside of the tournament, exploring the town and walking the beaches. One highlight, was watching the fisherman and children walking down the beach with their catch hanging from a stick. Common were Hammerhead sharks as well as the more common variety. A giant Swordfish passed- so big it was folded in half over the stick that supported its transport. The sword had been removed- experience probably dictated this precaution. On another day, I wandered the market to see what was actually available in the way of fish. I did this solo. I enjoy immensely shopping in the market- Stacey less so. And I admit that even in the states it would be frustrating to shop with me as I DO read all the labels and ingredients and DO search for just the right specimen of fruit vegetable etc. The market abounded with fish. Huge steaks cut from various ocean leviathans. All kinds of tiny fish, crevettes (shrimp/prawns), octopus, squid, things people put in fish bowls to look at, as well as plenty of stuff I've never seen before. I couldn't help but think that if we could live in Fort Dauphin, we could actually afford to eat this stuff regularly. Much is of course available in the states, but at $16.00 a pound it's not going to grace our plates that often. Apparently, the langouste (lobster) is quite good there as well, but it wasn't the season while we were there and we saw only smallish examples of this. We did get to eat some good seafood as well. I had a crab at a bar one night. It was like a bar snack and it was pretty big. It was just the body the claws had been removed, but there was meat stuffed on top of it. It was cheap and looked good so I tried it. It was so full of delicious crab meat I was stupefied. I'd never extracted so much meat from just a body before. A friend of mine decided to follow suit and apparently his sentiments were also positive since his effort involved devouring a good portion of the shell as well! At a quaint little restaurant on the beach, we savored some grilled Tuna kabobs alongside crevettes cooked in garlic, oil, and parsley and also a crèpe stuffed with mixed seafood- definitely the apex of our culinary experience in Ft. Dauphin. We met a lot of people. Some NGOs (non-government organizations- usually aid workers and the like) who work in the area. One of them invited us to a barbecue he was having- food and drinks galore overlooking the beach- a splendid time. We also met many PCVs whom we had yet to meet. Overall, Fort Dauphin was a lovely city and not overwhelmingly touristy at the moment. In recent years, a mine has opened and it has brought a modicum of prosperity to the area. It's conceivably possible to own land there, apparently the miners are buying it up now, and equivalent property elsewhere would be worth a fortune. Save for some sudden influx of cash in foreign aid or the like, the road to Ft. Dauphin is unlikely to see pavement in the near future. For most, it will remain a fly only site and this arrangement may allow it to maintain some if its small town feel. The time came for us to leave Fort Dauphin. For now, I'll confess that I have more than a hunch that it is not the last we will see of this city!! We shared the return trip with some other volunteers. We were alone in opting to brousse both ways. Most coughed up enough dough to fly at least one direction, others had no choice because of their site location. The vehicle we returned in was a notch kinder than the Tata and went straight through all the way to Tana. Unfortunately, the vicissitudes of traveling and consuming unfamiliar food and drink over a period of days had caught up with my stomach. And what better way to start off on a 44-hour brousse ride than with a bout of diarrhea! Fortunately, I was a couple of days into the experience and- realizing it wasn't a routine matter- I had opted to start the Ciprofloxacin- Stacey always carries an arsenal of meds with us- which had me cured at least by the time I returned to Tana. The drawback was this: although not uncontrollable, there was no doubt that I would need to make a deposit with every stop of the taxi-brousse. Peeing in the open is common here. For the other, some cover is desired. Only this meant traipsing through the dense and punishing spiny dessert to acquire some privacy. Aside from the scratches, I did land a thorn in my foot. It was painful and I didn't understand why I couldn't get it out. A few days later, I found that it was protruding through from the underside of my sandal. The trip north was gentler overall and we covered the same amount of territory in less time, made it safely to Tana and then returned to our site a day later. And that was our Fort Dauphin trip!
I'll now turn to a few unrelated musings on things here in Madagascar. If you are reading this now- and assuming it's still a newish post- we are probably at the Peace Corps training facility at Lake Mantasoa for our mid-service conference. This is an opportunity to reconnect with those in our stage whom we met in Washington and trained and lived amongst for the first 11 weeks in country. There is also some training and workshops. When we return to site, we will have about six weeks left until the grande vacance which is akin to summer vacation here, although it's actually winter. As I mentioned we will be away from our site for July and August and will return to resume teaching in September. We are both feeling anxious to complete the school year and enjoy some time away from the site as well as to feel the sense of accomplishment in completing a year's worth of service. When we come back we'll have a fresh start- new classes, new students and much more experience with the same process. We are also set to undertake our most ambitious trip yet in M/car through the entire month of August with our friends Carol and John- (for the first leg). This will be our first foray into the northern part of the country. You're certain to hear all about it! Ok, what else? Maybe talk about food now.
Okay, so I readily acknowledge that there is a distinct food section of every blog. In truth, I have invested quite a bit of time in cooking- stretching out and trying new things. A joke between us is that when other PCVs ask us about our secondary projects, I often respond that cooking is our secondary project- of course, secondary projects are those that are supposed to benefit the community and are usually not self-aggrandizing. Although, there is a newly started English club in town that we are quite a part of- the only native speakers in the town- and there is a cooking class that I teach. So far, I have only taught them to make devilled eggs and only girls showed up. I think it was a bit of a departure to boot that it was I who was teaching the class and not Stacey. In any case, in the U.S. it dawned upon us at one point that we should keep track of the things that we cook. I make things and often forget about them for long periods of time. We thought that it would be nice to have a list of a bunch of things that we have eaten/ do eat so that when we are trying to decide on a meal we'll have some sort of road map. Perusing the back of our Peace Corps cookbook, I just recently glanced the list of things that we have made to date. We have about six more weeks at our site before we are away for most of the summer until September. The following list is- thankfully- not exhaustive, but here are a bunch of concoctions or staples that have provided sustenance for us over the last nine months:

Cardamom Infused Pain Perdu, Fried Rice, Dry-fried String Beans w/ Crispy Beef, Potato-vegi Hash, Ginger Batter-fried Courgettes, Provencal Tomatoes, Vegetarian Bean Curry, Steak Fajitas w/ White Beans, Corn Fritters & Spanish Rice, Pan-seared Tilapia with Garlic-Cilantro-Lime pesto, Cream of Tomato and Basil Soup, Spicy Asian Beef with Chinese Brown Sauce and Celery, Cheeseburgers w/ Caramelized Onions, Filet Mignon w/ Garlic-Worcestershire Butter Deglaze, Italian-style Sauteed Courgette Sandwich, Mashed Potatoes w/ French Onion-Porcini Gravy, Grilled Philly Cheesesteak Subs, Kung Pao Beef, Mine Sao w/ Peanut Sauce, Jasmine Pork with Chick Peas, Pesto Pasta, Oatmeal Pecan Raisin Cookies, Beef Loin w/ Porcini Herb Gravy, Annie's Mac & Cheese w/ Bacon and Leeks, Spaghetti Alla Carbonara, Coconut Curry w/ Jasmine Saffron Rice, Egg Drop Soup, Beef Stew, Spaghetti All'Amatriciana, Vegi Panini w/ Homemade Olive Oil & Herb Marinated Mozzarella, Omelette Aux Fines Herbes et Fromage, Spicy Lamb w/Curried Peppers and Onions, Carrot Ginger Soup w/ Garlic Bread, Bol Renverse, Roast Turkey w/ Pecan Walnut Raisin Stuffing, Lamb Chops w/ Garlic Lime Pesto Rub & Apple Sauce, Wild Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Scramble w/ Stock-simmered Fried Potatoes, Beef Brisket w/ Garlic-herb Mashed Potatoes, Oatmeal Pancakes w/ Fresh Cherries and Honey, Beef Jerky, Egg Salad w/ Truffle Oil on Rustic Bread, Grilled Tandoori-style Lamb, Senge Peanut Stew with Beef, Crushed Cassava Leaves w/ Peanuts, Carrot Cake, Kim Chi, French Onion Soup, Baked Squash, Minestrone Soup, Baked Rosemary Breaded Cotellete (pork chop), Latkes, Bacon, Brine-soaked Herb Roasted Chicken, Beer-battered Onion Rings and Fried Zucchini, Hummus, Baba Ganoush on Garlic Crostini, Slow Simmered String Beans w/ Shitake Mushrooms, Mu-shu Vegetable w/ Crepes and Hoisin Sauce, Cuisse de Nymphe (frogs- lots of them), Sweet and Sour Pork, Wild Mushroom Alfredo, Cheddar Pepper Poppers, Eggplant Parmesan, Caesar Salad w/ Croutons, Biscuits & Gravy, Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce, Fried Pork Chop w/ Tomato Onion Mint Compote, Bean & Rice Fritters, Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca, Meatballs, Fried Plantains, Pad Thai, Guacamole, and more.......
Talk to you all soon!