Mon, Sep 9 - Driving to Antsirabe

It was still drizzling when we went to breakfast and when we loaded up the bus and drove off up the mountain.  We are heading back to Tana with a stop overnight on the way. 

Vincent, our driver, stopped to pick up William and Olivia from their village as they are going to help us find a few species in a nearby marsh before we leave the area.  We stopped by a little settlement in what used to be marsh, but now is rice paddies and plots for other veggies. 

The inhabitants followed us as we looked for a Madagascar Snipe.  They looked wet and muddy, but were cheerful.  I can’t imagine their existence out here - tiny kids to adults running around barefoot, building paddy dikes, planting cabbages, living in small huts.

We walked a ways, found a flock of small birds which contained the Cryptic Warbler, a very plain little bird, but a new one.    Then David heard the call of the Pitta-like Ground Roller.  It responded to his tape but was very difficult to see through several layers of branches.  Finally it moved and we could see this lovely bird:  brown head with streaks, white throat, and a greenish back.  

We had to leave at this point and dropped our nice guides off and started driving NW.  As we moved inland the clouds broke up a bit.  The houses here are 2- and 3- story of adobe brick with small windows. 

Market Day

Fano said the kitchen would be on the ground floor and the cooking would heat the house.  Except for the highway we were on and a few streets in towns, there are few roads and cars. 

Everything seems to be done by hand - even cultivating the fields is done by men - the zebu cattle pull carts, but are seldom used to cultivate the fields - maybe because they might damage the complex paddy dike system?  Water has to be hauled up to the houses as does everything else.

We stopped at 1 PM and pulled into a nice motel complex where a local ethnic song and dance group was entertaining the lunch crowd.  Bob and I split a pizza that was surprisingly good. 

We continued driving - we can’t go too fast as this highway has potholes, occasional zebu cattle, men pulling wooden wagons of supplies in the road as there’s no other place to do it.  

We stopped for a break in a small town that is famous for its wood carvings.  Fano took us into one and down some steps to the workshop where several people were carving, polishing, jig sawing, etc.  They were very friendly and showed what they were doing.  The countryside elevation got higher and more beautiful.  This area grows most of the vegetables for the country and the elaborately terraced hillsides and valley were all shades of green and brown.

Just as it was getting dark - and definitely unsafe for driving - we pulled into the Palace Hotel, a very nice business hotel with excellent wifi in our rooms, allowing me to send out a blog post from the distant past!

I had a hamburger for dinner with a delicious chocolate lava cake for dessert.