June 23 - after two great rest days on the north end of Nosy Be, it was an early start with a minivan taking us back to the docks, then the speedboat back to the main island, and then another hour on another minivan to where we were starting the day's ride.
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| our support bus on the ferry, and that's as big as the ferries get! |
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| the other half of the group |
So it was between 0930 and 1000 when we got on the bike, already hot, and not too long before there was a bit of headwind to contend with. We encountered the now-familiar 'normal' people traffic along the route - mainly people on foot, bicycle, or zebu cart.
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bike transport isn't just for males - these girls were quite
pleased to give a spontaneous thumbs up |
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two cases of beer - big 700 ml bottles - balanced on a stick across the rear rack
- being transported by bike to a village not accessible by truck |
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Today was the only day of the trip that the zebu carts were smaller and
pulled by just one zebu |
One 'major' elevation change (only a 100 metre climb mid afternoon), and the destination was just outside the Ankarana national park.
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| landscape as seen from near the top of the climb |
June 24 - Dehon, our Malagasy guide for the duration of the cycling, organized a visit to the park which offered lemurs...
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northern sportive lemur - these are nocturnal so this one is
sleeping in a hollow in the tree - its tail is up behind it until
it can be seen above its head. The eyes look like they are open
but apparently there is some kind of film that covers and protects
the eyes when they sleep. |
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| crowned lemurs |
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| female crowned lemur |
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| male crowned lemur feeding on the ground |
...birds (as previously mentioned, we're wrong time of year for birds - it is now the dead of winter - cold season - daytime temperatures only mid-thirties instead of mid-forties in the summer)...
chameleons...
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natures colours are truly amazing - they can be both camouflage and
brilliant at the same time |
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| hard to distinguish the chameleon from the tree... |
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| ...easier to see the people! |
...and caves (with bats)...
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| many steps down to these caves (and back up in the heat) |
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| The black spots are bats - probably several hundred bats of them |
...as well as butterflies including those that hitchhike on our bus...
The other significant feature of the park is the 'tsinghy' limestone formations created as a result of acid rain from volcanic eruptions eroding the limestone.
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| the ridges are extremely sharp - not something you want to trip and fall on. |
The format for this TDA bike trip is certainly different from previous ones we've done - this one very much intended to ensure that we all really experienced Madagascar even if the experiences did not fall conveniently on the direct line between south and north and even if, as is the case right now, that we had two rest days at Nosy Be followed by a single riding day (complete with help from the bus to avoid backtracking on the bikes), followed by yet another 'rest' day located at another Madagascar National Park. On top of that, the accommodation was comfortable, even had a swimming pool which was nice in the heat, and good food.
That leaves just one more riding day tomorrow to Antsiranana and the end of this amazing journey.
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