We saw old run-down colonial buildings, little restaurants and souvenir shops on a small main road in downtown. Like many cities in Madagascar, we can easily imagine how magnificent the place once must have been, by looking at the remains of the past colonization. Today, we see mainly many taxi drivers sitting by the roadside; idly chewing big bunch of green leaves, perhaps waiting for clients.
We then left for the Ramena, where we had a clear view to a beautiful mountain in the middle of the bay, called Pain de Sucre (Sugar Loaf Mountain) from our hotel balcony. We visited amazing Tingy valley (red earth formation in the picture on the bottom right,) with Simon's parents, and stopped in the dry forest to grill some chicken and fish on the way.
After the departure of the parents, we continued to Mer d'Emeraude. There, we took a boat ride, and arrived on a beautiful deserted beach for a picnic. Here, picnic doesn't mean nicely prepared cheese sandwiches and wine in a basket, but it is arriving and going out in the water to catch the fish on the spot. After the grilled fish, we continued our boat ride when the tide came in. Within less than a half an hour, our picnic area was completely under the 1 m deep water, and we were admiring whole new scenery from the boat. Snorkelling the clear turquoise water was sensational, and kids doubled up with us, and watched rays of colourful fish passing under us with passion.
Oh, on the way back, we ended up getting on a local bus. Which is a tiny car (with only 2 original seats,) and its trunk converted into passenger seats with homemade wooden benches. We were 10 people packed in about 1 square meter space, like sardines in a can. Then a fat-bottom-mama with her daughter opened the door, and I was glad nobody spilled out from the trunk. Not in my wildest dream, could I have imagined these people were coming in, too! With the most natural gesture, as if everything is normal, she loaded herself and her daughter, then a huge basket full of anchovies with about 1000 flies hovering on it. When the driver's assistance closed the door behind them, and we were literally piled up, rather than sitting side by side.
Not only we looked like over packed sardines in a can, but we smelled like ones, too.
The nature is always amazing here, and the magnitude of it seems so much powerful than any civilization.
We then left for the Ramena, where we had a clear view to a beautiful mountain in the middle of the bay, called Pain de Sucre (Sugar Loaf Mountain) from our hotel balcony. We visited amazing Tingy valley (red earth formation in the picture on the bottom right,) with Simon's parents, and stopped in the dry forest to grill some chicken and fish on the way.
After the departure of the parents, we continued to Mer d'Emeraude. There, we took a boat ride, and arrived on a beautiful deserted beach for a picnic. Here, picnic doesn't mean nicely prepared cheese sandwiches and wine in a basket, but it is arriving and going out in the water to catch the fish on the spot. After the grilled fish, we continued our boat ride when the tide came in. Within less than a half an hour, our picnic area was completely under the 1 m deep water, and we were admiring whole new scenery from the boat. Snorkelling the clear turquoise water was sensational, and kids doubled up with us, and watched rays of colourful fish passing under us with passion.
Oh, on the way back, we ended up getting on a local bus. Which is a tiny car (with only 2 original seats,) and its trunk converted into passenger seats with homemade wooden benches. We were 10 people packed in about 1 square meter space, like sardines in a can. Then a fat-bottom-mama with her daughter opened the door, and I was glad nobody spilled out from the trunk. Not in my wildest dream, could I have imagined these people were coming in, too! With the most natural gesture, as if everything is normal, she loaded herself and her daughter, then a huge basket full of anchovies with about 1000 flies hovering on it. When the driver's assistance closed the door behind them, and we were literally piled up, rather than sitting side by side.
Not only we looked like over packed sardines in a can, but we smelled like ones, too.
The nature is always amazing here, and the magnitude of it seems so much powerful than any civilization.
