Antananarivo day 2

I am up at 4am.  Mostly because I am still dealing with jet lag.  I also have a 5:30 am meet up for my next guided walk.  But I actually got up and out of bed, dressed and over to the bar so I could get another post out.  

Our tour started on Friday.  We met at 6pm for dinner.  The itinerary had been reversed so we were flying out the next day, meeting at the hotel at 3:30.  So we had the day.  Half of the group decided to go to the Royal Palace.  It is a ways out of town.  I heard the traffic in Tana was bad but it was BAD!  It took us two hours to get there. Which gave a nice overview of the town, poor parts, less poor parts, people going about their business.

We eventually got to the palace. Which was a palace.  But a Madagascar palace, to be fair.  Here are a bunch of pictures which may jog my memory a bit. 

View from the meeting room

The meeting room

The crypts

People come and light candles at the crypts still
It's hard to see but there are blood drops all around
from animal sacrifices performed outside the king's crypt

After the palace, we went for lunch at a 'local' restaurant (not a tourist place).  There were kittens there.  I think I have more pictures of the kittens than the rest of the vacation at that time.  

This is (from front) middle kitten, little kitten, cat 

Little kittens when we first arrived, before the begging began

Oh, I forgot.  As we were driving to the palace, we passed an exhumation.  I don't think I mentioned this was on my wish list because I didn't think it would happen. It's called Famadihana.  In Madagascar, around this time, families remove ancestors from their crypts, wrap their bones in cloth and drink with them for the day.  It is a cross between a family reunion and a wake.  Very celebratory and lots of rum.  Then re-encrypt them.  I told our guide if we can get in on one of those parties, I could die happy.  I didn't get a picture from the road but as we were waiting for our food, a group passed the restaurant on their way to an exhumation.  It was like a parade.  Music, dancing, lots of hooting!  

Those tubes are the mats they use to carry the bones

Our drive back to town was much faster, despite the cattle drive going down the middle of the city street. 

Back to the hotel.  Gathered our group and off to the airport.  Where our flight was delayed. Of course.  

We arrived in whatever town/airport we arrived in and got to the Bamboo Club Resort in Ifaty around midnight.  It was pitch black.  I found my bungalow and crashed.  

And that is where I will leave you.  Day one in Ifaty has been a LOT.  I will try to post the million pictures I took today or tomorrow (wifi dependent).