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Ramena

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    • Madagaskar & La Reunion
      2
      Day 13

      Ramena

      November 23, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

      Um 10 Uhr werden wir vom gelben Renault 4 abgeholt und fahren nach Ramena. Wir haben wieder einen Bungalow am Meer, hier scheint aber die Base von mehreren alten, dicken Europäern mit jungen madagassischen Frauen zu sein. Am Mittag laufen wir los Richtung Ostküste. Wir spazieren 11km am Strand entlang und sehen unglaublich schöne, wilde Buchten mit türkisfarbenem Wasser und weissem Sand. Zurück lässt sich zum Glück ein 4x4-Taxi organisieren, denn es ist 37° und wir sind sehr müde 😅
      Zurück beim Hotel geniessen wir den Sonnenuntergang und gehen Fondue Bourguignonne essen.      Read more

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    • TravelerSummer Of Yes
      Day 96

      Wish I Had A....

      October 14, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

      One of the amusing side effects of this unplanned sortie has been that I don't have: many things.

      I haven't weighed it recently but my pack was 8kg in Croatia. I'd guess it is similar now but let's round up to 10kg just in case. That's 22lbs.

      I forget the exact capacity, but it is nearly 35liters. That, by most metrics is a large day-pack.

      And yet ... I have been fine with it for almost five months on the road in a dozen countries and three continents.

      Still.... I do find myself frequently wishing I had something or another. Today? Some sort of mount for my GoPro. All I have is a floatie handle and I would really like to capture some imagery of me wingfoiling so I could share it. Yeah, I want to brag a little. That's part of it.

      But also I'd like to share something other than sunrise/sunset and pics of me reading a book in the shade are even less interesting than me learning how to fall off a foil board.

      The wind is fickle today, so maybe I will try to take out the camera. I dunno if I will even be able to get the foil up out of the water... But maybe!

      Until then.... here's my feet while I read, a friendly doggie, and a pretty splash of dawn's early light.      Read more

    • TravelerSummer Of Yes
      2
      Day 95

      Breathwork Interrupted

      October 13, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

      No need to hurry for the sunrise today: clouds wrap the morning in a white-gray blanket, muting the sun's fiery arrival but making the sea an enchanting palette of verdigris, old glass, and pewter.

      Still at 5:15 I got out of bed to sit on the white sands and meditate with the shish of gentle waves and the breeze in my sleep tussled hair.

      Stillness evades my mind today so after a while I opted for apnea training instead. I'm always impressed at how three minutes can seem like a very long time indeed, but a 15 minute session ends ao quickly. Time is fun like that: slippery stuff.

      As I was finishing, and as the sun was starting to show some small headway in it's struggle with the clouds, a happy dog came bounding up the beach. For those of you who aren't "dog people", I don't know how to describe the pleasure of having a friendly one greet you, for those who are I suppose I don't have to.

      I don't know anything about him except that he is friendly and seems well fed. Lucky dog, him, to live near a beach with friendly tourists.

      The road to this paradise ends about 1km (halfish mile) from the resort so there are a couple of cow carts that lug supplies (or luggage). It is very quaint. It is also very quiet - I hadn't realized until just now how pleasantly the absence of internal combustion engines compliments the birdsong and wavesounds.      Read more

    • TravelerQuer durch Madagaskar
      Day 17

      Salama Sakalava

      April 22, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

      Mit einem kleinen Propellerflugzeug ATR72 gings heute in den Norden. Angekommen in Diego werden wir vom Taxifahrer erwartet. Da der Weg zu unserem Hotel über Sandpisten führt, dachten wir auf uns wartet ein 4x4 Wagen. Aber als der Taxifahrer uns zu einem alten Renault 4 führte, schmunzelten wir. Aber souverän schaffte es die alte Kiste, schüttelnd über Stock und Stein. Ein weiteres mal begrüssen uns die Hotelmitarbeiter als ihre einzigen Gäste und geben uns eines ihrer besten Bungalows. Das Hotel liegt gleich am Meer und ist äusserst naturnah. An unserem ersten Spaziergang am Meer entdeckten wir Muscheln, Krebse und schwimmende Meeresschikdkröten.Read more

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    • TravelerSummer Of Yes
      Day 97

      Ramena

      October 15, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

      Took a little trip into a nearby town as I'd heard that Sunday nights are fun there.

      It was fun. I enjoyed seeing a sunset facing West.

      The town reminds me of several places I've been in Nicaragua or Costa Rica, 20 years ago. Relatively rough around the edges - concrete and asphalt, but still rustic and bare bulbs vs. light fixtures.

      We ate on plastic tables & chairs on the sand, our food was cooked over fires (and was delicious and inexpensive).

      Music was LOUD vs good. People, mostly locals, mostly young, were having fun. Qat is pretty commonplace - an herbal stimulant that people chew. It's a funny thing to watch as they put leaf after leaf into their mouth until they have a large wad in their cheek. I'm told it is somewhere between caffeine and cocaine, in the spectrum. That sounds like a heckuva range to me.

      I called it an early (9PM) night because I didn't want to be alone in a 2wd taxi on rough dirt tracks in unknown lands very much later than 10PM. Also, waking for sunrises doesn't pair well with staying out late. Truthfully: It is also a bit exhausting to socialize in French and some English. I am learning... But a different language is always more mental effort and less return on investment: the conversations are shallower by dint of less understanding/common ground, but I am glad that I went and enjoyed seeing another place.

      On the way to the bar, we were walking on the beach and I grabbed my phone to catch a quick video. Pulling it and my money (all the money I had at the moment) from my pocket - the unnoticed money fell onto the sand and I kept walking.

      Lesson: use different pockets for phone vs. money!

      As we entered the bar and I wanted a beer, I quickly noticed (with a sinking feeling) that the proverbial cupboards were bare.

      A lot of good fortune smiled on me. I popped back out of the bar and walked a few meters to find a small pile of bills, damp in the sand. Neither waves, wind, nor human had moved them in the five, maybe ten minutes between dropping and finding them. Several people were standing nearby. If I were inclined to believe that something supernatural were looking out for me, this would feel a lot like proof!      Read more

    • TravelerQuer durch Madagaskar
      Day 18

      Strandtag

      April 23, 2023 in Madagascar

      Unser Schlafrythmus hat sich dem Tageslicht angepasst. Um 5.30 Uhr beginnt es hell zu werden und wir verwachen durch das Licht. Aus dem Bett beobachten wir das bewegen der Wellen und den Sonnenaufgang. Anschliessend gingen wir schon um 6 Uhr an den Strand spazieren und machten Yoga. Das Frühstück war mit geröstetem Brot, Omelett, Kaffee und Graviolasaft sehr lecker. Um 9 Uhr nahmen wir ein Kajak und padeltten ca. 1h Stunde auf dem Meer. Die Wasserhöhe wurde immer knapper. An paar Stellen blieben wir auf Felsen stecken und mussten das Kajak stossen. Zurück am Strand konnten wir über eine freigewordenen Sandbank zu einer Insel laufen und retteten Tigermuscheln. Da kaum Wasser noch da war, reichte es zum ins Wasser sitzen. Zum Abschluss des Tages gönnten wir uns eine Massage.Read more

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    • TravelerSummer Of Yes
      Day 103

      Every Beginning...

      October 21, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

      ...is some other beginning's end.

      -or-

      Should I Stay or Should I Go?

      I'm oddly reluctant to hit the road from this pretty little windy bay in NE Madagascar.

      I arrived without a plan and have managed to avoid making much of one in the time I have been here.

      Madagascar is enormous: 144% the size of California, about the size of metropolitan France (the part in Europe). I'm a bit overwhelmed by the extent of things I could do and by the challenges of getting around. Roads/busses aren't easy here and local planes are notoriously unreliable - I hear many fly a day or four later than scheduled.

      I've been sitting by this white sand beach, reading my kindle, practicing French, and riding the wind for a few hours/day. I'm well fed, well rested, salty, sun-kissed, and have enjoyed an hour of massage nearly every day.

      Paradise? It might be. I'm certainly having a devil of a time departing towards an unknown city full of noise and bustle.

      Yet I want to see more of this marvelous country. I try to imagine going to California and only seeing one beach.... unacceptable to me.

      The way appears as we travel the way. Time to hoist my backpack and move along?

      After breakfast. And maybe another wing session. And perhaps lunch..... Maybe a night....      Read more

    • TravelerSummer Of Yes
      Day 104

      Happily Still Here, and Tired

      October 22, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ 🌬 84 °F

      Yesterday was emerald/turquoise waters and blue skies. I really thought I'd depart... But the wind picked up.

      Today is 25-30 knots and .... Emerald/turquoise waters and blue skies.... with waves.

      I just spent 2 hours getting my ego smooshed down and dunked, repeatedly. I was feeling pretty cocky after free-riding yesterday (letting the wing trail while I briefly foiled along a wave).

      So I spent about two hours doing jumpies with a kite, too. Great core workout. Ouch. And an ego boost as I kite much better than I foil.

      I finished the day by having dinner w the hotel owner and two other guests. They patiently pretended that my French is better than I think it is, which was fun. I learned, but quickly forgot, a hilarious French slang for sleeping*. Kinda like "hit the hay" but it translates roughly as "put the meat in the tea towel". I'll have to relearn it as this is just the sort of thing that makes learning a language fun.

      Today's high winds and choppy waves, with a much smaller/squirrelier wing (3.5m vs 6m), and a smaller, more 'performance' foil (1,500 vs 1,600) showed me that I have a lot of opportunity to practice and learn.

      Which is awesome! Because learning is fun, even if it means a few helpings of humble pie (washed down with ample salt water).

      I am so glad that I stayed a little longer. My body aches, my smile- muscles are worn out, and life feels good.

      * « mettre la viande dans le torchon »
      Can't wait to use this.      Read more

    • TravelerSummer Of Yes
      Day 94

      Almost Caught It! Sunrise #2

      October 12, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

      The day starts early here in Eastern Madagascar. 4:45 found me hustling to watch the sky... it started the show without me but I enjoyed it very much all the same.

      Getting mobbed by doglets after watching a cow-drawn carriage after watching a slowly changing panorama of colors all by myself is a fantastic start to the day.

      Life isn't perfect, though. In the interest of fairness I'll share that I am feeling a tinge of loneliness. I'm in an incredibly romantic spot all by myself. My body is sore (despite the hourlong massage I enjoyed yesterday). I have to do my tax return today via my cellphone. That's gonna be unpleasant, for sure (and is the result of my own lack of planning). I've got a few mozzie bites. I'm not as involved with my family as I'd prefer to be; it's not easy from across the world. I am glad that my French is improving but frustrated at not being able to make myself understood beyond a very topical level.

      So, yeah, cry me a river. I know. I recognize that I've got it really good and I am grateful for the good luck and the support of other people that have made it possible for me to be living my life this way.      Read more

    • TravelerSummer Of Yes
      Day 93

      Kites are Pretty

      October 11, 2023 in Madagascar ⋅ 🌬 79 °F

      One of the many things I love about kiting as a sport is that it is so casually beautiful.

      In part, that's due to the fact that windblown beaches are pretty places. In part, the sunlight playing on colorful inflated nylon is often beautiful. That the colorful nylon then goes out into the sea .... voilà!Read more

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