Twenty Twenty-Five
July - Christchurch and The
Arctic
July 2 - Christchurch. After a really nice couple of days
with Jill and Lesley on beautiful Miami Beach on the Gold Coast I
had a much delayed connection to Christchurch, arriving home at 3am.
I was so, so glad to have my new villa, as it would have been an
uncomfortable arrival to the campervan.
Use these links for the Asian Odyssey triplog and slideshow - and to see a fun little video of
the journey from Kyoto to home created by the Find Penguins app
(which I recommend) use this link.
July 26 - Longyearbyen. I had 2 weeks at home catching up
with a few people before heading off to Longyearbyen, Svalbard for
my Arctic guiding contract. This entailed 48+ hours door-to-door, of
which 29+ hours in a little metal tube including 17+ hours on a
single hop (the 9th longest commercial flight - Auckland ->
Doha). the only bonus was a long stopover in Oslo with a day room at
a nice hotel at the airport.
As ever, the expedition team had some old faces, and some new
ones, which quickly gelled and got to work. The first voyage was a
charter by a German tramping group. The language issue, combined
with a bug acquired on the way, had me somewhat left out and
under-energized. My birthday happened to be on the voyage BBQ/dance
night - which was fun, but, overall, the voyage was unlucky with
wildlife (no bears and not much else), thus quite "pedestrian".
Only a very few images from this period: Voyage 1:
Lillihookbreen, trappers cabin, a vigilant guard (photo credit:
guest, Marc), walrus ashore


August - The Arctic and the
USA
August 2 - Longyearbyen. On another changeover day
after a very short Voyage 2 - only 5 full days to circumnavigate
Spitsbergen. This was a Chinese charter, as is Voyage 3 which will
have the same itinerary. Happily, Voyage 2 was very full of
wildlife. The language barrier is always an impediment, but, with
the help of our Mandarin speaking guides, we manage to give the PAX
a good experience.
Some scenes from Voyage 2: Morning in the sea ice at 81
North, Brunnich's Guillemot at Alkefjellet, the always amazing
Zodiac cruise at Alkefjellet, Polar Bear (badly backlit) hassling a
group of Walrus, on the water with Walrus, sky/cloud/sea ripples,
the whitest Arctic Fox I have ever seen, Barnacle Geese, Svalbard
Reindeer, Reindeer fur shed on the tundra, Zodiac cruise along the
glacier front, Arctic Skua






Use these links for the Voyage 2 slideshow and triplog
August 9 - Lisbon. Where I am kicking myself and spending a
second night after having missed my flight to Boston. Bugger. I
blame myself - but also Lisbon airport. I arrived at my posted gate
1 hour early and was sitting in the gate lounge watching it fill,
and being a bit distracted. 15 minutes before flight time I got up
to see why were were delayed, only to find that the gate had changed
without any announcements. Not even the usual call to a late
passenger to say that the flight was waiting for them. Apparently
their policy is no announcements. Who knew. So, an expensive (1200
Euro) lesson, and my perfect record for never missing a flight
broken.
Anyway, Voyage 3 was a Chinese charter with the same
itinerary - this time with 140 high school students and their 30
minders. Their English was good, as was their enthusiasm, once you
got through the shyness, so it was a fun trip.
Some scenes from Voyage 3: My cabin-mate Jacob hard at
work; Walrus; Skyscape


August 25 - Las Vegas. I had a wonderful stay in New
England visiting with family and friends, including a trip to
Millbrook for Ricketts mates and a dinner with a few Men Of Xavier.
The visits continued on the West Coast until I was diverted to Las
Vegas by Kathy's illness. I was able to get a good deal on Cirque du
Soleil Mystere, The Sphere, and accommodation so enjoyed the
diversion.
Some scenes from this period: Millbrook lunch; Brothers
walk; Men of Xavier; Manhattan Beach; Ricketts lounge and stairs to
LD alley; Exterior light show at The Sphere



For a few clips from the film shown inside The Sphere use
this link Postcard from Earth.
September - The USA,
Madagascar, New Zealand
September 23 - Dubal - The remainder of my Ricketts tour of
Southern and Northern California was delightful. I caught up with so
many old friends and was hosted generously by all - with a special
mention to Candy and John.
Some scenes from this period: Backyard gathering; My
driverless Waymo taxi, a walk in the redwoods, a visit to the
mission and a the #7 taco at Taqueria Super Rica in Santa Barbara,
my car dashboard at the return (I was not driverless but had good
audiobooks).



My connection to Madagascar via
Paris and Addis Ababa went mostly smoothly. I was met at the
Antananarivo airport by the tour operator (use this link for my tour) and transported to my hotel.
Right from the start the congestion and activity of "Tana" told me
that I was in the third-world. There would be a period of
adjustment. At dinner I met Jan, and were were briefed, learning
that we would be together for 2 days, then go our own ways. So, for
the most part, this would be a solo tour for me. Days 2 and 3 were
spent in the vicinity of Andasibe visiting national and private
parks in pursuit of wildlife. This was a huge success. We were able
to have close, controlled, encounters with several lemur and
chameleon species in the private parks, and more distant, wild,
encounters in the national parks. The private parks are not quite
zoos - especially for lemurs. They house and protect animals -
sometime ex-pets - and foster captive breeding. The lemurs roam
free, but are very accustomed to humans, and fed when needed. The
chameleons are in big open cages (ala aviaries) where they can roam
and breed. They are captured from the wild, and the eggs returned to
the wild. The other lizard and amphibian species are, unfortunately,
in smaller cages. So, feeling sorry for the frogs and geckos, I
found the lemur and chameleon encounters wonderful, and the cost to
the individual animals acceptable. Not everyone would agree. We had
a great guide (Claudia) for the national park walks and saw several
lemur and other species in the wild. We saw and heard the largest
lemur - Indri - but I was unable to record their song - which can be
found here.
Some scenes from this period: Coquerel's sifaka x 4 (sifaka
are a group of lemurs named for their alarm call) plus a video of
the young testing his jumps; deal
d leaf chameleon, panther chameleon turning color to match the
bricks, well camouflaged gecko, panther chameleon, Parson's
chameleon eye? to eye, Madagascar giant chameleon, Parson's
chameleon x 3, video of Madagascar giant chameleon being fed by the
guide - in normal speed and slow motion (slo-mo photo credit Jan
Cobb); Diademed sifaka x 3; Red duffed lemur; Indri; Black and white
ruffed lemur x 3, brown lemur; bamboo lemur; mouse lemur (photo
credit Jan Cobb










It was then was back to Tana to farewell Jan, and spend the
next 3 days in the central highlands. These days were mostly travel
days with 6+/- hours in the car, and 2+/- hours seeing local sights.
Honestly, none of the sights were "Madagascar Highlights", so the
activity of these days was seeing the day-to-day life of the people
of the cities, towns and countryside of this region. My impression
of these people is that they deserve my admiration. Everywhere there
was activity with people working - tending shops, fields,
zebu(cattle) and more - and transporting goods - by foot, bicycle,
zebu cart, motorbike and more. They were nearly always fit, well
groomed, well dressed, and getting on with life in difficult
circumstances. Everyone was doing what they could to make their own
way in the world. Their world, the central highlands, as I visited
it in the dry season, was scorched and sometimes torched. A land of
tended fields where water was available, and brick making where it
was limited - both very labor intensive. Every village was a street
lined with shops/stalls and throngs of people doing what was needed.
Even in the countryside, we would often pass groups on foot, doing
what was needed. When we stopped at a "highlight" there were people
selling trinkets, which I resisted. Only after it was clear that I
was not buying, did they appeal for money.
Some scenes from this period: A video of scenes from the
National Route 1 on the way out of Tana; brick-making and rice
tending; Nene (my driver) on a local "geyser (a bubbling spring of
carbonated water), a butcher in a local market, a young woman with a
load of papaya on her head (in all my travels there were loads on
heads everywhere, but tough to capture in pixels - this woman was
kind enough to stop and allow me to take her photo (for a small
reward), a sweet, sweet potato vendor; Lake Tritriva (a lovely
secluded lake in a volcanic crater - justifiably popular with young
tourists), the view from the lake rim over the highlands.





The next 2 days of the tour were a cruise down the
Tsiribihina River (I was told that the name means "No Swimming" in
Malagasy based on the presence of many crocodiles in the past). I
was joined by Faliana and her son from the tour company, with a crew
of 4 plus a guide. The boat was set up with a table/benches on the
lower deck with an awning and chaise lounges above. I spent all the
time, except at meals, on the upper deck. This was the perfect break
after few days of fairly rough traveling. We chug-chug-chuged along
with the breeze providing a pleasant temperature. The guide, Ernest,
was very knowledgeable with good English. The 4 crew members (3 plus
cook) seemed to be always having fun and laughing. The food was
quite good, and the tents/bedding provided for our overnight stops
were very comfortable. The highlight of the first day was a stop to
walk a short distance up a side canyon to a waterfall - a beautiful
waterfall with a troop of lemurs to greet us. The water was clear
and warm. The pool at the base of the falls was not deep, so you
could paddle right up to the falls, or go behind them. This was a
truly magical spot - and we got clean and refreshed as a bonus. On
both days there was a good variety of river life on display, crocs,
birds (herons, egrets, kingfishers, bee eaters, parrots, and more -
even an owl), a steady stream of boats and canoes, and always locals
lining the banks, working, doing laundry, bathing, or whatever. The
river itself changed character along the way - sometimes in a narrow
gorge and sometimes so shallow in the flat areas that the boys
needed to get out and push. On day 2 we called into a couple of
frenetic riverside trading hubs - where the locals congregate to buy
and sell anything. These were interesting, but I was glad to be back
on the river. That evening, we were close enough to a village to
attract a small group of locals to come to the campfire and sing and
dance for us (for a small tip). All very amateur, and really fun.
Some scenes from this period: Our craft (The African
Queen she is not - but a great ride), river paddler in the
ubiquitous dugout pirogue, our cook with a fresh catch of prawns
(delicious for dinner - photo credit Faliana), croc, arrival at the
waterfall (note welcoming brown lemur), waterfall (photo does not do
it justice), bathing pool near the falls, magnoes along the river
bank, laundry with self powered agitation, market (some women use
sandalwood to lighten their skin (go figure)), baby baobab trees
(note the egrets), last morning sunrise






The 3 nights after leaving the river were spent a lovely
hotel to the north in the Bekopaka region to allow visits to the
strange limestone formations known as Tsingy. Immediately, the calm
of the river was a thing of the past and the adventure of
Madagascar's roads began anew. Previously they had mostly been thin
strips of pavement with many, many potholes and gaps to be dodged.
Here the "road" was a rutted, rough, narrow red dirt track. The only
place I have seen roads nearly this rough was in the Australian
outback. We bounced and rattled our way forward - making progress at
the rate of 25 kilometers (15 miles) per hour - hanging on all the
way. At first it was sort of fun - a bit of a wild ride. But after
about 20 hours over several days I was glad to see the pavement
again in Morondava. Happily the hotel was lovely - a true oasis.
I'll add here that the quality of my accommodation has exceeded my
expectations. Every one has been clean, comfortable and welcoming,
and a couple have been quite luxurious. Likewise, the quality of the
meals has been very good, whether in the hotel or in a stop off the
road. The menus are always in French and the food prepared to a high
standard using fresh ingredients. All this is rather a surprise for
one of the poorest countries in the world. The roads are diabolical,
but the rest of the traveling logistics are first rate.
So, back to the Tsingy. There are 2 - large and small. They
are weirdly eroded limestone outcrops - weathered into cliffs,
canyons and very pointy spires. Tsingy translates to "walk on
tiptoes", but I can't imagine trying to cross them barefoot. The
locals have engineered routes over, under, around and through the
maze. At the Big Tsingy you are issued a climbing harness and attach
to cables in the walls in places for safely. Little Tsingy is more
of a series of tight squeezes in a labyrinth. Both a quite unique
experiences, and both start/end with forest walks for some lemur
spotting.
A full days drive south including 2 ferry rides, and lots of
hanging on, brought us the Kiringy Natural Reserve. Here a night and
morning walk revealed a few new lemur species, and included my best
viewing of their remarkable athleticism - jumping from branch to
branch to search for ripe fruits. Sometime they strung together 5 or
6 jumps with the longest being well over 5 meters. Great fun to
watch.
The final attraction of the tour was Baobab Alley - just
north of Morondava. Here a group of largish tress happens to be
clustered along the "road" - making a famous photo op. All along
this stretch of "road" we had seen clusters/groves/forests of
Baobabs, and walked amongst them in Kiringy.
Some scenes from this period: The "road" (trust me, it was
worse than it looks); Little Tsingy: tight squeeze, looking up; Big
Tsingy: landscape, climbing to the top, landscape, sifaka; Ferry
ride heading south (not just cars along for the ride); Kirindy
forest: chameleon, red fronted brown lemur (I wanted to show the
tail this time); Baobab forest along the road south; Baobab Alley:
In daylight (note size of car for scale), sunset x 2, locals posing
with trunk; Morondava: View of the beach from the lunchtime cafe;
Avocado salad for lunch (and my only Three Horses Beer (Madagascar's
favorite but not mine)); Room 15 at my Morondava hotel (note
swimming pool reflection);










My tour ended in Morondava where we hit pavement again, and I
flew back to Tana. If you liked the traffic scene of leaving Tana
you might like this one of the tuk tuks and tricycle rickshaws of Entering Morondava. Back in Tana, I had a
morning city tour that included the Queen's Palace.
Some scenes from this period: View from the flight of the
central highlands; The Queen's Palace: the palace, her throne, view
of Antananarivo from the palace hill (the highest point in town);
Night view from my guesthouse balcony



So, what to say about my Madgascar experience? Sitting here
in the Dubai Airport only 24 hours after leaving, surrounded by
gleaming glass and metal amid the luxury and duty free shops, may
not give true perspective. I had booked the tour hoping to see The
Nature of Madagascar - meaning the unique flora and fauna of this
"biodiversity hotspot". I certainly got that with visits to nature
reserves and national parks on many days. But, what I really got was
a tour to The Nature of Madagascar - meaning the way that life goes
on here - at least in the narrow slice of central Madagascar that I
visited. I mentioned before that I was struck by the number of
people on the go everywhere. As soon as you left the park, or the
hotel room, you were in a sea of people all going about their
business. Despite being "one of the poorest countries on earth", I
saw no sign of malnutrition - even in the rural villages with
thatched roofed timber and mud houses. Everywhere people were clean,
and mostly stylishly dressed and groomed. The Malagasy people with
whom I interacted were kind, friendly and shy - even through the
language barrier (I have never been more happy for my schoolboy
French). The guides were skilled and very knowledgeable. I learned
lots. My drivers were brilliant on the roads, and solicitous of my
comfort. When I saw groups of locals relaxing they were always
chatting and laughing. Unfortunately for them they are very limited
in their ability to make more of their lives. Criticism of the
government (well justified) was a constant theme, as was the lack of
education and opportunity. The countryside is seldom beautiful. This
is a rugged land cleared of the previous forest, and often recently
burned, or burning, to promote grass growth when the rain come is
November or so. The wild places were never jungles, but rather,
normally, patches of second growth woodlands. There is much more
that could, and has, been said about the impact of humans on
Madagascar - I leave that for you to research if you have interest.
Traveling in Madagascar is not a relaxing holiday. It is, in
some ways, a tough slog. But, to me, the respite of the meals and
accommodations, the brief but wonderful wildlife experiences, and
the immersion of this unique way of life, made it all worthwhile.
The FindPenguins video of this journey isn't so appealing -
too many stops with not enough detail on each - but it is here NorthernSummer2025FindPenguins.
Continue to October
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