Tsingy Rouge

Wow!!!

Alien landscape all to myself.
I hired a guide named Richard and a driver whose name I couldn't pronounce but sounded vaguely similar to BobBob to take me to see one of the coolest geological formations I've ever enjoyed.

The two hour bumpy 4wd ride on National Highway RN2 took us 80km (50 miles) to a stretch of tropical deciduous forest that drops off into a canyon full of what resemble the sand dribbles that I made as a kid at the beach. Only much larger and shades of red and white. With hardwoods and a soaring panoramic vista stretching to the sunset.

All in all, pretty epic.

I felt like I was on the set of a movie.
In a good way.

The drive there was educational. Richard was a wellspring of local knowledge and shared some nice history lessons - I didn't realize that Madagascar only escaped French occupation in 1960. The resultant upheaval, after ~70 years of exploitation (and some benefits, I am sure) helps explain how this beautiful country is .... a mess.

I hate to criticize anywhere I visit, because what do I know? I'm new here. But that said.... the roads are in poor condition; people living just 20km (~12miles) from a major city do not have an electric grid; the country has killed 90% of its fabulous forests and deforestation and climate change are wrecking rain patterns - causing drought and floods; people are fleeing rural areas to the overcrowded cities in search of 'better'; and the incumbent president has delayed elections amidst accusations (supported by 100% of the people I've met) of terrible corruption.

Clearly there is some room for improvement here.

I'm grateful to Richard for his viewpoints and info. Also because we stopped for fresh coconuts, and I love coconuts on a hot day.

Despite all the apparent mayhem- people seem pretty happy. Kids play, adults laugh a lot, I get a smile back every time I offer one. That says a lot about the people, more than the conditions.

Richard was also openly curious and somewhat informed about California's wildfires and our gubernatorial history with Conan The Barbarian. He was a big fan of one of our previous presidents and incredulous that the other somehow was elected at all.

We bonded on the amazing utility of solar power and the vital importance of addressing climate change. I felt a bit hypocritical as I was driven in a private SUV to go see the sights.... but tourism, even eco tourism, is a tricky force to evaluate. Does bringing tourist dollars help conserve natural wonders and forests? Yes. It does. Do plane flights and private cars cause air pollution and increase carbon footprints? Yes. They do.

I used dozens of plastic bottles for water this week, which I would never do at home.

So where do the scales align? I don't know. It is worth considering, though.

We returned to Diego Suarez at night. I grabbed a quick bite at a chinese food place near the hotel. The food was delicious pretty much like what I expected chickem and veggies in hot and sour sauce would taste like: yumm. I turned in early - 6AM taxi to the airport.

What a great day!Okumaya devam et