JOHANNESBURG,
CAPE TOWN and HERMANUS SOUTH AFRICA
13 NIGHT CRUISE ABOARD THE
AZAMARA PURSUIT
MADAGASCAR
Doreen’s
Impressions
(See
here for links to pictures)
SOUTH AFRICA
In
November 2025, relieved that all the living hostages had been returned
from
Gaza, we flew to South Africa for what was to be definitely our last
South African
trip. Eleanor Pines, my friend from when we were 11 years old, met us
at the
airport and escorted us to Royal View, a delightful retirement home
bordering
the Linksfield golf course where we stayed while in Johannesburg.
During
our three day stay we managed to spend time with almost all my cousins.
On our
first night we had supper with Vanessa and Giorgio Tarazza at George’s
at the Neighborhood.
We realized that we in Israel live in a bubble – Netanyahu’s crushing
of democracy
has not yet directly affected us and thankfully we had no relatives
serving in
that horrible war in Gaza. In Johannesburg we saw that our relatives
and
friends live in safe enclaves. The houses are all encircled by high,
sturdily
built walls, topped with electric wire fencing. Those living in
apartments are
secured by guards. When ordering an Uber we were repeatedly told to
wait inside
and not on the pavement. People drive from one safe enclave to another
safe
enclave, like the Neighborhood, a secured shopping center. You hardly
see a
person on the sidewalks.
Mushe
Kirsch graciously hosted a luncheon where we met with Ali and Shira,
Irene
Bacher and Willie, Mushe’s son. We had
much to share and news to update.
We
met with Marsha Krengel and I was glad to see her beautifully tended
garden
that she had spoken so much about. We even managed to meet with Eitan’s
relatives, Alan and Lama Klotnick.
These
meetings with our cousins were very meaningful. We haven't met for
years and
will most probably never see each other again. It made everything
bittersweet
with an intense desire to hold on to the common memories we share.
On
Friday night we had dinner with Eleanor and Dennis Feinberg at their
tastefully
furnished apartment literally on the edge of the golf course. A
pleasant
surprise was meeting Dennis Gamsy, Eleanor’s brother.
We
then flew to Capetown. Eitan was not feeling at all well and agreed to
be
wheeled around the airport in a wheelchair. We stayed at Pont du Gard
at
Mouille Point, Eleanor’s apartment, with a magnificent view of the
coastline .It
was so different from Johannesburg – people were walking on the rocks
and walking, running or cycling along the
promenade. That night the fog rolled in blanketing everything in a fine
mist
while the foghorns' mournful blast penetrated the closed windows of the
apartment.
In
the middle of the night Eitan took seriously ill and when an ambulance
arrived
from Somerset West, he was taken to the Netcare Christiaan Barnard
Hospital in Capetown.
The ambulance took 50 minutes to arrive; had it taken longer Eitan
would have
been taken to the ICU unit. For two days he was never unconscious, but
neither
was he fully conscious. He was suffering from acute
acute Gastroenteritis and needed transfusions
of antibiotics and hydrating fluids. A family luncheon with cousins was
cancelled, but I did manage to see Wendy and David Ginsberg and Carmen
and
Marlon Kay. Eitan cheered up when visited by the Ginsbergs and his
cousins Charles
and Sheenagh Levy.
Three
days later he had recovered enough for us to return to Mouille Point.
It
was a pleasure to meet Ruth Katzman, the
sister of an acquaintance in Israel.
When
Eitan was feeling better Charles and Sheenagh fetched us and took us to
their
lovely house in Hermanus. On the way we stopped at the Vergelegen Wine
Estate
for a light lunch and a walk around the magnificent gardens, admiring
the library
with 4,500 musty leather-bound books, the prettiest toilet ever and
magnificent
camphor trees, hundreds of years old.
Charles
and Sheenagh went out of their way to show us the rugged shoreline
walks with
their magnificent scenery, introduced us to the fynbos with its proteas
and we
even saw wild horses, all the while allowing us to recuperate from the
hospital
trauma. A memorable luncheon was at Milk, near where cousins Shirley
and Nathan
Kansky used to have a beach house. The restaurant was remarkable
because it was
animal friendly and one could bring any pet, including snakes. On the
way back
to Mouille Point, we passed through Ceres, the vast fruit growing area.
There
we drove through a town mainly populated by brown (coloured is no
longer
politically correct) packers of the fruit and their families. It was
quite
different from what we had seen of South Africa that far. Whereas in
Johannesburg
one hardly saw anyone walking outside, here everything was noisy; the
pavements
were crowded with people and the roads jammed with cars and trucks. We
had passed
through a brown area, described above, so different from what we had
seen. When
we arrived in Capetown, large areas are covered by tin shacks one next
to the
other, with dishes for TV and electricity. Sheenagh suggested they were
people
who came from rural areas hoping to make big bucks and failing, as well
as immigrants
from other African countries.
In
Port Elizabeth the port area is totally black, not a white face to be
seen. Our
guide spoke of extreme poverty. Port Elizabeth has a huge car and tyre
industry, where they assemble cars and send them all over the world. If
these men
are not earning a living wage, then the industry must smell of
corruption.
There is no longer apartheid in South Africa, and white South Africans
find it difficult
to be accepted at a university and at good paying jobs. Giving jobs on
the
basis only of colour and not on the bases of excellence destroys a
country. And
no-one would talk about the corruption where funds for electricity,
roads,
water and important services went.
We
stopped at the Blaauwklippen wine estate in Stellenbosch and enjoyed
really
delicious pizza, before returning to Mouille Point.
CRUISE DAY
1: EMBARK CAPETOWN
(Click for an example of the ship's
daily activities)
On
our last morning we joined the crowds along the promenade, had coffee
and
returned to regretfully leave the apartment.
When
we arrived at the cruise terminal, porters whipped away our luggage and
Eitan
was encouraged to sit in a wheelchair, expediting our entry on to the
ship. The
suite is lovely, roomy and with a verandah. We even have a butler,
Xavier and
his assistant, Kusari. Pity I didn’t
know the butler could unpack for us!
Like
with all ships we had to learn where our muster station is. I was more
concerned about seasickness than the boat sinking and dutifully took a
sea sick
tablet when the captain announced that it was time.
CRUISE DAY 2: DEPART
While
Eitan relaxed on the ship, I walked to the Waterfront , a huge mall
surrounded
by restaurants and fun things to do. A fierce wind made walking
challenging,
but by the mall it was a delight. The bridge connecting two parts of
The
Waterfront slowly swung open to allow boats to pass. Nearby there were
seals
sunning themselves on a concrete platform. When I went to inspect I was
relieved
to read and see that the seals could freely come and go; it was in
place of the
jetties that they could no longer use. In addition to the shops in the
mall
there were restaurants galore and entertainment outside. It was a fun
day. That
night, back on the ship and after a tasty meal served by the most
attentive and
friendly waiters, we even went to the cabaret show.
CRUISE DAY 3: AT SEA
A
relaxing sea day. Thankfully it wasn’t too rough. We read, walked, ate
and even
played bridge. That evening we went to the steak restaurant for a
delicious
dinner and most attentive staff. We were nonplussed when the woman
sitting at
the table next to us demanded to be moved to another table. Her husband
apologized profusely again and again. I didn’t know what was happening
until
Eitan explained she didn’t want to sit next to people responsible for
genocide.
CRUISE DAY 4: PORT
ELIZABETH
Port
Elizabeth, where Eitan was born and where Julius and Laura used to live
by the
golf course up on the hill. Unfortunately we only saw the obviously
poor part
of town near the port. For a town that is a center for assembling
thousands of
cars , including EVs, waiting to be exported all over the world, and
has a soot
factory for colouring tyres black, the obvious distress of the town by
the port
was surprising. Poor infrastructure and money improperly invested has
its
effects.
We
continued to the Pumba (warthog) Private Game Reserve. Climbing into
the high
open jeeps was a challenge for both of us. There were few tracks within
the
reserve. Mostly we drove up and over rocks or down breathtaking slopes.
But just
driving through the bush and seeing the well remembered thorn trees,
inhaling the
dust and the smell of the wild was so satisfying. We did see a few
animals:
elephants, even baby elephants playing in the water; a black female
rhino with
square jaw and fierce looking horn grazing peacefully with her big
baby. We
also saw a Cape buffalo, a herd of wildebeest, a few giraffe and of
course
impala, kudo, blesbok and many warthogs. But the prize was seeing a
white
lioness sauntering along the road. They were first sighted at Kruger;
they are
not albino but a mutation and are pure white. We thought we had had
enough
excitement for the day when our jeep broke down and we all thought it
was going
to overturn. I thought: “This isn’t fun anymore!” Another jeep came to
extract
us. At first the guides wanted us to jump from one jeep to the other,
but
agreed we should quickly skirt the broken jeep and hop into the other
one. A
bit of a scary procedure with the white lioness just behind the tree.
An
excellent day and delicious dinner.
CRUISE DAY 5: AT SEA
We
liked the seating arrangements at self-service meals.
You sat anywhere there was a place,
encouraging mixing and talking, usually an enjoyable thing. Seating for
served
dinners was on an available basis. We spent a quiet day at sea, but
Eitan had
spent hours preparing for a small bridge tournament. It was very
successful and
enjoyable.
CRUISE DAY 6: DURBAN
We
were up early to get our first glimpse of Durban, trying to recognize
North and
South Beach and various other places. The entrance to the harbors is
along the
Bluff. When we were young there was a whaling station at the entrance
and the
smell pervaded everything. I searched the Bluff and wondered how, when
we and
our children were young, we had gone to the sea side of the Bluff and
spent
hours searching the rock pools for sea urchins, fish and sea stars. It
was
magical. From afar I saw the marina and remembered the wonderful times
we had
spent on my dad’s motor launch the Loudrena.
When
people heard that we were planning to go to the Victoria Market by
ourselves to
buy curry, they were horrified and said it wasn’t safe and we had to
take a
local guide. Ruth fetched us and took us to a spice shop where they
sold
prepacked curries. Not what we wanted. We found a shop where a young
woman put
a little of that and a lot of that and a bit of this in a bowl, mixing
the
spices well until we were happy with our choices. Vacuum-packed, we
hope the
smell doesn’t pervade our clothes before we reach home.
We then went to the Warwick African market.
In the clothes area we saw the uniforms maids wear today - brightly
colored
dresses with frills and an apron. I didn’t need the dress, but couldn’t
resist
and bought a lovely fancy apron. We then walked to the vast muti
market. Even though
modern medicines are freely available, the locals choose first to go to
the
medicine man and only if he can’t help will they turn to a doctor.
Ruth
drove us through town, which was thronging with black people, but we
did
recognize the names of the department stores we had frequented when we
lived in
Durban. We also passed the house where Eitan used to live in Musgrave
Road and
DHS, his school. The synagogue where we got married no longer exists.
Helene
and Selwyn Levitan fetched us and drove to Umhlanga Rocks where we had
a very
nice Indian lunch and then drove to their lovely home in a gated
community.
Helene and I are friends since high school and we had lots to talk
about.
That
evening after dinner there was a very professional African dance show
that had
us in awe at the physical prowess of both the men and women. It was
with a
feeling of deep sadness that I watched as the ship sail past the Bluff
and
enter the open sea. Perhaps we could manage another visit again?
CRUISE DAY 7: RICHARDS BAY
Richard’s
Bay exports a lot of South Africa’s minerals worldwide, as well as coal
to the
power station at Caesarea. We choose not to go and see the hippos and
went to
the Dumazulu Cultural Village. It was a pleasant morning with excellent
explanations by the guide. We learnt about the cultural heritage of the
Zulus
through song and dance and saw how they make making spears and shields
from
cattle skin.
On
returning to the ship we had to have our passports stamped as we were
leaving
South Africa. Our next stop was Taolagnaro Madagascar.
On
the day’s activity sheet it was written that there was Kabalat Shabbat
at 6.00pm
in the card room. More interested to know whether there were other Jews
aboard
ship, I went. There were about 12 of us and we had a most enjoyable
Kabalat Shabbat.
CRUISE DAY 8: AT SEA
With
no rush, I opened the curtains and looked with delight at the dark blue
Indian
Ocean, calm and vast to the horizon. In high school in Durban, we
graduated
from pencils to pens, a metal nib joined to a stylus that had to be
dipped into
a pot of ink embedded in our wooden desk. We also had a sheet of
blotting paper
to dry up any blobs of ink. Penmanship was very important. We had to
learn how
to lightly draw the nib on the way up to an ‘l’ or ‘t’ and then press
down
firmly as we continued to write, just
like this. Later we
were
allowed fountain pens that eliminated the need to dip the pen in ink
all the time.
What was special was that we could fill the bladder of the pen with any
color
we liked. My favorite color was the blue of the sea that I was looking
at. Only
later were ballpoint pens introduced, but we never used them.
CRUISE DAY 9: AT SEA
Another
relaxing day at sea, waking to eat a leisurely late breakfast, reading,
playing
bridge, doing some washing and attending an enjoyable show given by a
Mentalist
in the evening.
CRUISE DAY 10: MADAGASCAR
Because
our tour only started at noon, I decided that I had to dip in the tiny
swimming
pool and then relax in the hot tub. The pool was deep, so I could do
all my
water exercises in the pool. Getting out of the pool up the rungs
proved more
challenging as my knees no longer seem to have the strength to raise
me. Since
no one was in the tub I decided I couldn’t take the risk of being
boiled in the
tub.
After
lunch we made our way to the tuktuks for a tour of Fort Dauphin. Smiley
was our
driver and off we went, following a long line of tuktuks. We were
amazed that
there were enough tuktuks for all the people on the tour, but then we
saw that
there were very few cars about, a few motorbikes and bicycles but many
tuktuks,
serving as taxis for the locals.
We
loved sitting in the tuktuk with the sides wide open and feeling part
of what
we were passing. Our stream of tuktuks passed through
streets lined with shacks selling
everything, from household utensils, clothes, tyres and fruit –
leeches,
mangoes, pineapples and more – as well as sweet potatoes, cassava root,
live chickens.
There were also tiny shacks where cooked food was sold. It began to
rain. Smiley
our driver let down a length of plastic to prevent us getting wet; the
shop
keepers covered their wares with plastic – everything was displayed out
front-
but we noticed that the people just continued walking in the rain. Only
one
woman walked under an umbrella while two men passed carrying babies
wrapped in
plastic to prevent them from getting wet.
We
drove through a better area with houses and shops, hotels and
restaurants until
we arrived at Fort Flancourt, where we got off and followed our guide.
We were
constantly pestered by men, women and children holding beads, wooden
chameleons
and lemurs, bundles of vanilla sticks and red pepper. It was awful,
reminding
me of my time in Mali. As we entered the Fort Flancourt Museum, built
by the
French in the 1800’s (the guide kept on changing the date) to guard the
French settlement
from pirates. We walked around until we entered a small museum. The
most
interesting thing was what looked like a giant ostrich, called an
elephant
bird, long extinct. I found it interesting that they grew and cooked
(white)
rice that served as a staple. Eitan pointed out a little hat made from
bamboo
that a baby boy wore when he was about to be circumcised.
We
then drove to the beautiful Libanona Beach where we were treated with
one
delicious lychee and strange tasting cola and orange drinks As we
walked back
to our tuktuks, Eitan wasn’t to be seen. He came later; he had fallen
and
scraped his arm and leg. He said he was fine but I certainly wasn’t and
nearly
collapsed, very upset by my inability to keep him safe. On our return
to the
ship Eitan busied himself with making order to our photos while I
collapsed in
bed, emotionally exhausted.
After
a delicious Italian dinner at Aqualina, a specialty restaurant
complimentary to
passengers who had booked a suite, we went to see ‘Creweoke’ which was
charming
and we all cheered the staff as they sang songs.
CRUISE DAY 11: AT SEA
The
boat is very steady and I never felt seasick, thanks to two halves of a
seasick
pill Vered gave me. Usual day at sea – leisurely breakfast, bridge in
the
afternoon and then down to the washroom for a final round of washing
and
drying.
That
night was White Night Party. Everyone was dressed in white and tables
were set
around the pool area with lights. There was a presentation of the flags
of the
49 countries of the passengers aboard and we were pleased to see Israel
included. The party was very special and the atmosphere was exceedingly
festive. Food and drinks aplenty, a band that had everyone dancing –
even we
managed a dance in the swaying ship. The captain, whom we knew only as
a voice
over the loudspeaker until then, appeared as a Viking, greeting us and
walking
through the crowds.
Many
people had been on multiple cruises with Azamara. We shared a table
with a couple
from England. We were impressed to hear she had been on 35 cruises, but
her husband
had been on 72!
CRUISE DAY 12: REUNION
Not
only did we have to move our clocks forward but we had an early start
to our
tour. Our ship was docked at Point des Galets at Reunion. It is not
pronounced
Re-union but Reunion like the French for street. Our
bus took all ten us up a torturously
winding road to 2200 meters. There we walked to a railing and just
before the
clouds covered everything we could see the jagged edges of the Cirque
de Maido
(or caldera, a huge depression formed by the collapsed eruption of a
volcano)
and the village below.
When
we returned to sea level we went to a huge hangar where we had a
cooking class
led by Chef Pepe Jose. The first thing was sausages, fried then cooked
in a
tomato sauce with mashed black pepper, garlic and ginger. Supposedly a
Creole
inspired dish, definitely not my thing, but I did like the chopped
mangold and
lentil dish served with it. But best of all we learnt how to make
thin-skinned
samosas, fill them and then seal them with flour and water. Pepe Jose
said that
samosas need to be refrigerated for at least 24 hours, so we fried and
ate the
tuna samosas prepared by a previous group. The best samosas we’ve had
for years
without a fishy trace. We had a fun game where we had to identify 15
bottles
filled with spices ranging from salt with vanilla – just to put us off,
although Eitan recognized the salt - to molasses.
After
that we went to the Cemeterie Marin by the sea, where Catholics, Indian
and
Chinese were all buried. Many years ago there was a huge storm and the
waves
uncovered 800 bones of slaves. Slaves from Africa and later indentured
workers
mainly from India were brought to work in the highly profitable sugar
industry.
We
visited a huge cave where pirates who plagued the island were supposed
to have
been the first inhabitants. The main one, La Buse is said to have been
active
in the West Indies before he came to Reunion where he died. He is said
to have
buried an enormous treasure that people from Reunion are still looking
for.
We
were very excited as there was a vast array
of curry dishes for supper. Rather a disappointment as even the
vindaloo could
be eaten by anyone.
Reunion
was vastly different to Madagascar; it is an overseas department of
France and
the French influence and infusion of funds and infrastructure were very
evident
in the cleanliness, roads and lighting.
CRUISE DAY 13: MAURITIUS
When
we arrived at Mauritius we had to leave the ship and go through
immigration in
the cruise terminal and then return to our ship to await our tour of
the day.
We were a small group, only 3 couples. Paired off with another couple,
we were
let off at the Central Market with an envelope containing local money
and a
list of ingredients that we had to buy, including eggplant, happily
substituted
by zucchini. The market was clean with a plentiful array of fresh fruit
and
vegetables that we recognized from home. Finding a grocery store that
sold
flour was a bit more challenging. Eitan and I then split off from our
‘partners’ and went to explore the rest of the market – each kind of
food was sold
in a separate hall: perfectly plucked chickens in one, then fish,
mainly tuna
and marlin and other fish we couldn’t identify as they were in pieces
in
another and beautifully cut pork and last hall for meat.
We
met up with our group and drove to Eureka Colonial House, where we
walked
through the beautiful old house. In the lush garden, under umbrellas we
were
treated to samosas (not as good as yesterday) and fried eggplant.
We
then took out the ingredients that we had
bought at the market and prepared part of the lunch –zucchini and onion
in a
seasoned batter, fried over a tiny coal fire heated in a bowl of oil.
The other
couple made a very tasty potato curry. We tasted what we had prepared
and enjoyed
lunch on the verandah. Wandering around the house we found a wooden
statue of a
wooden dodo that unfortunately became extinct some 400 years ago.
Back
on the boat we needed to rest, pack and write as we disembark tomorrow
morning
at Port Louis Mauritius.
CRUISE DAY 14: DISEMBARK
and MAURITIUS
After
disembarking we checked into an hotel apartment and then went out to
explore.
We were in the heart of the city but not in the tourist area. Eitan
needed to
change money, which turned out to be something of an experience. A
clothing
shop changed money, but not euros to the local currency Malagasy
Ariary. We
were pointed in the direction of a bank that we found quite easily, but
it
couldn’t change money either. We were given instructions where to find
a money
changer near Macdonald’s and with map in hand we continued our search.
Asking
many people on the way we finally found a money changer (not near
Macdonald’s).
Fortunately just opposite the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage site which
documents the history of indentured labourers mainly from India: men, women and even children to work the sugar
cane fields. They were called indentured labourers but often their
conditions
resembled slavery that had been abolished. It was particularly
interesting for
us as indentured workers were brought to work in the Natal sugarcane
industry.
Mahatma Gandhi spent 21 years in South Africa where he developed his
revolutionary philosophy of nonviolent resistance, starting his
political
career.
We
then went to the Caudan waterfront where Eitan had a delicious curry.
In the
evening we went to City Orient, a Chinese restaurant, not too far from
our
apartment. Aware of our experience earlier that day, I decided to check
how to
get to the restaurant with Google Maps in hand. It was after 5 o’clock
and all
the shops were already closed and the pavements not well maintained. I
did find
the restaurant which was on the second floor, no elevator, but it
looked most
inviting. We later ordered a taxi and slowly climbed the steps to the
restaurant where we enjoyed a meal. When we finished we asked the
reception to
order us a taxi. They looked at us in astonishment – all the people
there were
locals and had come by car. They couldn’t get a taxi and told us to go
and find
one outside, which we weren’t prepared to do. A young couple who heard
all this
offered to take us back to our hotel, and that is how we met Deepa and
her
husband. Not being sure if they would agree to take us if they knew we
were
Israeli, we said we were from South Africa. I now have to write to her
and
break the news. It was a bit scary getting into a car with strangers in
a
strange land, wondering if they were planning to kidnap us. Silly me.
MADAGASCAR TOUR
The
next day we flew to Antananarivo Madagascar in anticipation of a 2 day
tour to
see lemurs.
The
first day was a day of stupendous overload. We left Antananarivo with
Zu our
guide and drove through town on a double highway busy with cars and
scooters, until
we left town for Andasibe on the N2, the national road that turned into
a 2
lane windy road, well paved in the beginning but further along it was
filled
with potholes. Trucks replaced most cars and passing them was a breath
holding endeavor
on the narrow road with people and houses and drop offs,
while overtaking the slow trucks in front of
us just before a bend was always a hair raising event.
Every
low lying place was filled with rice paddies, private ones for home
consumption
and to sell a little, if left over. The road was raised and the paddies
stretched
far away on either side of the road. When there were houses on the
sides of the
roads the paddies were behind them, continuing to the wooded hills in
the
distance. They were so orderly and beautiful, we were enthralled.
A
few hours later we drove past a village. We saw people lining up to buy
lychees, which don’t grow in the north, and then trying to sell them in
pretty
little baskets to passing cars. Bicycle rickshaws without motors were
the main
means of public transport. A railway line ran alongside the N2 but was
not in use.
We were saddened to see men pulling carts loaded with goods. Sometimes
they
were in the middle of the lane adding further chaos to the line of
trucks and
cars. We never saw a horse. The houses near the road had electricity
but no
running water, so yellow containers of water were carried home. We saw
women
and children washing clothes in the brown rivers, sandy from the rain.
Incredibly
the clothes come out white and were placed on bushes or grass to dry.
With
the wealth of greenery and flowering bushes we were surprised to see on
occasion a small roadside stand selling potted plants. The ones I
recognized
were full blooming hydrangeas.
We
stopped at a private reserve, Madagascar Exotic at Peyrieras, to see
chameleons. Eitan, who didn’t bring his
walking
sticks, was given iron rods that he could use to navigate the uneven
rise to
the chameleon enclosure. There are some 100 different chameleon species
in
Madagascar. I can’t remember the names of the various chameleons, but
their
colours and shapes are stupendous. Some were hooded, other horned,
others just
beautiful. Seeing our enthusiasm, our guide brought snacks (insects) on
a stick
and held the snack about 30 centimetres away. We saw how a chameleon
rolled its
tongue and then whipped the snack away. Of course we have seen this on
TV, but
to actually see it live was fascinating. We held tomato frogs, tiny
frogs about
the size of a thumbnail; we saw two frogs mating, the male on the back
of the
female and about a quarter of her size. We admired the large yellow
Madagascan
moon moth with its tail-like wings. An adult lives for a few days,
reproduces
and then dies.
Then
we saw geckos, the most amazing one was the king of camouflage,
indiscernible
from the lichen covered bark it clung to.
Passing
another village, Zu told us that our lodge was only 8 kilometres away –
a ride
that took almost an hour because of the state of the road. We arrived
at
Vakona, a delightful forest lodge and were helped to our apartment up a
hillside with many steps – a challenge for both Eitan and I. We were in
the
middle of a forest with enormous trees, bushes, hibiscus, hydrangeas
and
beautiful trumpet flowers. Far away we heard the cry of some animals.
Down
the steps to the lodge for lunch, up the steps for a rest and then down
the
steps again for our afternoon tour to see lemurs.
In
the forest there are four islands where the lemurs live. They don’t
like water
and so remain on the islands. We had to cross by canoe to the first
island. Now
I can laugh about it, but there were tense moments as three men made
sure Eitan
stepped into the canoe without falling into the water.
Three
species of lemurs live on the nearby island, safe from injury by cats
or dogs. Most
are herbivores and eat from the leaves, fruit and flowers that grow on
the
island, but they are also fed.
When
or if ready they are transferred to
another island where they have to forage food for themselves in the
hope that
they can be released into the wild at a later stage.
We
delighted in the critically endangered Black and white ruffed lemurs
swinging
from branch to branch. It was their call that we had heard at the
lodge, a
hooting sound that can carry a long distance. We were upset when they
started
their raucous cry, afraid that we were upsetting them, but it was to
warn of a
nearby falcon that could try to catch their babies. We
watched Bamboo Lemurs eating….. bamboo. The
other lemur on this island is the Brown lemur. One was cold and wrapped
its
tail around its body. Like other lemurs they love bananas, given as
snacks and
were amused to see one try unsuccessfully to eat bamboo.
On
the second island we were enchanted by the white Dancing Lemurs
prancing sideways
on their hind legs with their arms outstretched when on land and not
leaping up
to 6 meters from tree to tree. This island is also home to the Red
ruffed lemur
with a black bushy tails. The long tails of lemurs are not prehensile
but used
for balance; their opposable thumbs and big toe help them grasp
branches as they
jump from tree to tree. As we were paddled about the island in a canoe
we
stopped to see Ring-tailed lemurs, the most recognizable of lemurs
because of
their striped tails and white faces with black circles round their eyes.
Exhausted
we returned to the lodge and remained there so we didn’t have to
negotiate all
those stairs until after supper. We opted out of the night tour, well
pleased
with the exceptional day we had enjoyed. We released the mosquito
netting
around our bed and crawled inside for a much needed sleep.
The
next day we went to a crocodile reserve in the park to view Nile
crocodiles.
There are three separate areas for adult crocodiles, medium-sized
crocodiles
and baby crocodiles. Many years ago our dear friend Mina gave Danielle
an
alphabet book about unusual animals; z was for zebu, a type of cattle
with a
hump of fat on its back and long droopy ears. Essential to Madagascar
they are
raised for their milk, meat and hides; and as a by-product, food for
crocodiles.
We
then drove to Analamazaotra for a 2 hour walk through the forest. It
was lovely
walking along the sandy paths despite the ups and downs. . We
eventually
stopped to see the Indri lemurs, the largest of the lemurs in
Madagascar. They
live in families and we watched a mother and her 3 year old baby cling
to the
branches while the “hyperactive” younger baby swung from branch to
branch. The
indri are known for their “singing” –loud screams and hoots that can be
heard a
mile away. We were fascinated and then walked back.
Luckily
we were back in our vehicle when it started to rain. In fact it poured
almost
all the way back to our hotel in Antananarivo. We were horrified to see
sandy
water gushing down between the houses, the rivers swollen and the rice
paddies
that had been carpeted by green and yellow maturing rice, flooded,
threatening
food insecurity. It was the only upsetting incident in our two-day tour
from Antananarivo.
With
apologies to our vegan and vegetarian grandchildren, I am forced to
admit that
I enjoyed a delicious zebu steak at our hotel that evening.
The following day we flew back home to Israel. When we got off the plane there was an uphill walk along the sleeve. I asked Eitan if he needed a hand. “No” he replied, “I am a forest walker!” We are delighted that at our age we can still experience adventures and come out not too badly!
For
pictures see the following pages on eitanlevy.com
Cruise Day 4 – Port Elizabeth and Pumba Reserve
Cruise
Day 10 – Taolafnaro Madagascar