Two days later, I'm in Madagascar!

 I am tucked in my little Madagascar bed eating airport Pringles, but I thought I should check in.

Arriving in Vancouver

Let's start at the beginning.  So many days ago (two?) I got up at 2:45 am to get ready to leave for the airport at 3:45am for my 6 am flight to Vancouver.  My saintly friend Valerie M. drove me.  You may remember that I booked a super early flight in case ANYthing went wrong and I had the ferry as a back up.  Well nothing went wrong so I had a several hour layover in Vancouver. I bought some Pringles and read my book.

By the time I bought my Pringles, 
I was the only bag left on the carosal.

Flight to Paris was equally uneventful.  The food was mediocre at best.  I was already scrambled for what day and time it was.  It was dark but it was daytime according to my internal clock.  I watched three movies and four 45 minute tv episodes, French with subtitles to keep me awake.

I had about two hours in Paris to get to M gates in Terminal 2E.  And the 2E train was not working so they has buses running.  No problem, I made it just as people were starting to line up to board.  I was looking for blue passports and quick dry pants to see if I could find another tour person.  Barely any and no one near me to talk to.  

When I got on the plane and to my seat, my seat mate was a Canadian, also heading to a tour but with a different company.  That was the extent of our initial conversation because I fell asleep before we even left the ground.  It was a long flight, over ten hours.  This time it was bright daylight outside but my internal clock was saying it is time to sleep.  So, I slept some, read my book some and chatted with Karen some. She is also solo traveling.  We had a lot in common but her trips involve rafting and biking and mountain climbing.  So, really nothing in common at all!  haha.  

Anyway, near the end of the flight I asked where she is staying in Antananarivo. The Belvedere!  Did she order an airport transfer?  Well, yes she did.  And that's how I scammed a free ride to the hotel.  I gave the guy a huge tip so not actually free, but technically free.  Whichever, it's a win for me!

Multilevel line ups to visa and border control.  I've got my passport sticker and stamp so I am good to go. 

Before we left the airport, I exchanged 400 euros.  I have a brick of cash now.  I don't even know what I got, she didn't give me a receipt.

my room is really dark, or I don't know how 
to use my camera, or both.

30 minute ride to the hotel.  Lots of clusters of men standing around the streets at 11:30 at night. No women I could see.  So, no walking around at night.  

It was hard to see what the hotel looked like in the dark but it seems to have lots of open to the outside areas.  My room is nice.  There is a second bed up on a loft. I'm going to have to take pictures in the day with better light. Or after I figure out my camera.  Or both.

This should be fun.  I am trying my water purifier for my water tonight.  So, we should know by tomorrow how well it works.  Fingers crossed! 

It starts as bacteria and turns it into nuclear waste

This is a terrible post but I am publishing anyway because I am too tired to care.  Good night all.  

New hut, new costs, new warnings, new people, new visa (who knew?)

August 2

I just wrote a post about the deadliest road from Nosy Bohara and how that show kind of freaked me out.  The next day, I got an email from the airline saying they have changed my flight to Nosy Bohara (just by a couple of hours).  And then an email from my hotel there saying they were cancelling my reservation.  It's a sign I said...  A sign to double down!  

I booked a new, better, even more picturesque hotel with a bungalow right over the water!  

Hotel Lakana, this one is on the west side of the island. And comes with breakfast and dinner.  Just to laugh further in the faces of the gods of bad decisions and fair warnings, this booking is non-refundable!  HA! I'll show you... 

August 4

Planning!  

August 6

BC Day long weekend but I forgot I signed up for a class so I am at my computer.  Since I'm here, procrastinating and not doing my homework, time for a bit of travel research.  

After the Morocco entry form debacle, I thought maybe I should actually look and see if Madagascar has some sort of entry visa.  I had already kind of looked but I realized I hadn't REALLY looked.  

Google Madagascar visa. First site is the Government of Canada's info on Madagascar.  The first info they give is travel advisories.  Risk level high.  This doesn't really surprise me.  The Government of Canada is a bit of an old granny with the advisories.  Robberies, murders, political unrest blah blah blah.  

This was a bit more surprising, although I don't know why.  Assaults on Nosy Bohara common enough to get a mention.  Avoid traveling this area alone. I'll stay in my twig hut, I'm sure it is secure.  

I did find out there is an election in November 2023.  I already knew that they are a bit, let's say precarious in their government, so I'm glad I'm not going to be there for that. 

Ok, enough of that nonsense.  Do I need a visa?

Apparently yes.  I can get it before I go or I can get it at the airport.  I do not like sending my passport to random "foreign representatives in Canada" so I'll get mine at the airport.  I can live with 'long delays'.  $27 CAD according to the website.  

But I can fill out the form now so I'll do that before I leave.  Do I really need a passport photo? I am guessing not, but do I want to spend $15 to be safe and/or to save time at the airport? Maybe.

Thinking about saving money.  I was half considering not paying for the single supplement and risking  not getting my room on the tour.  When I went to Morocco, there was only one other single woman and she paid the supplement.  So, I got my own room by default!  Score!

I opened this to discussion in the staff lunch room and got a unanimous and resounding "get your own room, how is this even a question...".  They are right of course, the lunch room counsel is always right. I am broke but not that broke.  

I found the 'chat' for my tour on my G Adventures app.  No one chats apparently, but it does show that there are 14 people on my tour so far, and it shows their names and when they got added.  Based on very suspect data (guessing gender by name, guessing single status by sign up date), I see at least four single women.  

Faith, Wilma, Bobbie & John.  Sabrina.  Joanne (the only one I can be sure of). Boyana & Dachaz.  Jenna & Haider (I've chatted with Jenna on FB and I think she is a single).  Guido.  Lynda.  Wayne & Aisling (just joined today).  Garry and Catherine joined but unjoined two days later. 

I called G and outright asked. Of course the nice CSW couldn't tell me but he did say 'if you want your own room, I would recommend you book one'.  It is less than $700.  When is the last date I can add this option (basically, can I get it onto my next visa bill - did I mention I have no travel budget for this trip!).  Mid-August.  Ok, it's in my calendar. 

Back to my regularly scheduled long weekend!  But first, a lemur: 

Indri