The final leg of my time in Madagascar took me all the way to the West Coast. I first passed through Isalo, a hot desert town, where I hiked through a river-cut canyon and found one last lemur species, the Verreaux Sifaka. You might've thought I'd be sick of seeing lemurs by this point, but each time it was just as exciting, and this viewing may have been the most exciting of all. Even though Isalo National Park is the most visited out of all of Madagascar, Mr Elder, our guide, and I were the only ones on the trail when these two charming lemurs decided to take the same path as us. Our videocamera was unfortunately out of battery life, so a series of pictures is all we have to communicate the adorable way they bounced along the trail on two legs like humans!
In Isalo we also had the opportunity to visit a sapphire mine, which was really interesting! They dig straight down searching for round river rocks, an indication that sapphires might be present. If any are discovered in a test dig, they will continue the open-pit mine, pumping underground water out, while workers carry heavy bags of dirt up to the top to be sifted. I learned that sapphires actually come in all colours, and rubies are actually red sapphires and emeralds are green ones! The most traditional deep blue colour is the most rare, and therefore, most expensive to buy.
Next, we arrived at the port town Tulear where we watched sunset views over the Mozambique Channel. We had to take a boat transfer to get to our last destination, Anakao, a beach town just south of Tulear. We relaxed and walked the beach, eating fresh fish for lunch and dinner.
Then we flew back to Antananarivo for a night so that we could catch our flight onwards to the French island Reunion.
All in all, I have fabulous things to say about Madagascar! It is a country full of polite and friendly people who made this the most enjoyable country to visit so far on the trip for me. The landscape is incredibly diverse and beautiful, as you have likely seen from all of my photos. It was tough to choose from the hundreds we've taken because they are all so stunning! There's something for everyone from white-sand beaches with turquoise water, to dusty deserts with baobab trees, to hills, mountains and rock cliff faces.
Although expensive to get to due to its distance from us, it is incredibly cheap once you're here. We stayed in nicer hotels or private bungalows with great views for usually $20-$30 Canadian a night. That means, unfortunately, that the standard of living here is far below what we experience at home. Electricity and running water in homes is unlikely. As you read in earlier posts, many children do not attend school and sadly a good portion of the population is illiterate (unable to read). Adults and children alike work very hard to provide for themselves.
Two days after we leave, Madagascar is having a federal election. They have had years of instability in their government, so this could provide the opportunity for growth and change. I know that Mr. Elder and I will be watching to see how everything unfolds and we'll be hoping that it improves the lives of the Malagasy people. We'll find a charity to donate to that increases opportunities for education because it pained us both to see children working instead of attending school. They are a nation of wonderful people who I hope to see thrive and improve their quality of life. It is a good reminder to us to be thankful for the things we often take for granted!
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