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).

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.