A long day

Tuesday

It was cold and misty when we got up. After banana cake, banana or dry bread and jam, we left at 7.30. It was the same road back to Antananarivo which took 5 hours. The road was busy with lorries, traffic jams in towns, road works and other hold ups because of the steep twisty potholed roads.

We took a kind of by-pass to head south to the N7, stopping at a pharmacy for us to get our malaria meds. The pharmacist checked for contra-indications with our other meds (we’d taken photocopies of our prescriptions on our phones) and gave us a packet of enough Doxycycline (made in China) for about £5.

We stopped at a lovely cafe overlooking green hills for pre-ordered lunch. Mr C and Dennis had noodles and veg and I had veg soup - it cost 16,000 each, about £4.50. We are Malagasy millionaires. Some people still are not eating after having veg fried rice yesterday - luckily I knew to be wary of re-heated rice.

On the high plateau driving south we could see how red the river was as all the topsoil washes off when the rains come. (Soon).

Harry/Hari/Ari told us about the custom of circumcision of little boys aged around 2 usually but sometimes older. It’s is done young as if the child dies before it takes place he can’t be buried in the family plot. The grandfather on the male side has to swallow the foreskin to give him more life. Female circumcision is not practiced.

After a loo stop we got stuck for 45 minutes while a large crane was being put on a low loader. We got out to watch and also saw some tombs (brick house-like structures) where bodies are kept for a few years till they were ready to join ancestors.

Because of the delay we were driving in the dark but the upside was after enjoying the beautiful landscape of fertile areas growing various veg and paddy fields with blue hills beyond, we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

We reached Couleur Cafe in Antsirabe in the Central Highlands at 7.30. Our supper was curried veg with a beer. Then bed.

Luckily we had an anti-mozzie cube to plug in the bathroom as found a few on the mirror. I bashed them with a book and in the night found several dead in the sink.

I’m posting this on Friday as the hotel here has reasonable wifi in reception. If interested there are backblips. I’m sorry there’s not enough time or wifi to respond to your posts.