Ambositra

We asked the receptionist at our hotel the best way to get to Antsirabe and he offered to call and make arrangements for us.  After we got credit, he called 4 different companies trying to locate 3 seats.  He had to call so many as most were fully booked.  The last call took longer than the previous ones, which was a good sign.  Especially considering there were no more numbers listed on his paper.  We’d get picked up at 3:30 am and hoped that the early start meant we’d make it as far as we wanted to get.  

The bus arrived at the hotel early, but we were already ready.  We were the first ones on and after we picked up a couple from another hotel we headed to their office.  Once we paid our way, we loaded in the bus and left with a mostly empty bus.  On the way out of town we stopped where people were waiting beside the road and filled up the open spaces.  We followed the same route we’d taken almost 2 weeks before through the rice paddies and back up into the highlands.

The bus arrived to Antsirabe earlier than planned, which meant we could grab lunch before catching the next ride.  The rest of the bus continued on to Tana although they all unloaded for food when we jumped out.  We tried to eat at the same hotely, but the waitress didn’t understand what we were ordering and avoided us.  So we crossed the street and found another spot.  There were several cyclo-pousses waiting for us hoping to give us a ride, but we declined them and walked to the bus station.  

 

Once we were spotted, several people tried to help us find the right bus.  We were told prices, but kept walking around.  The actual price was listed in some of the offices so after we got the official price we found an almost full taxi-brousse.  The available seats had almost no leg space and we did some rearranging to make us fit.  We found the last 2 passengers and we made a move for Ambositra.  The car struggled to make it up hills so the 2 hour journey took almost 3, but we still made it.  We thought it’d be impossible to make the 580 kms (360 miles) in one day, but we succeeded.

We walked towards the city center to find a hotel.  The first one we saw was more expensive than we thought it should be so we continued on.  At the second, we decided to leave bags behind and Sarah and I went searching for a place.  After walking around almost the whole town, we decided to go back to the first option.

 

While we wandered around, Tico spoke with 2 guides about hikes to the nearby villages.  Their English level wasn’t what we were looking for, but we had their number just in case.  When we checked in to Hotel L’Arene, the manager gave us the name of a guide.  He happened to have the same name as the man Tico had just spoken with so we were hesitant to reach out.  As we were making ourselves at home in the room, the manager knocked on the door with the guide, Roger, he had just told us about.  We were heading down for dinner so he joined us.  

 

We discussed different options for hikes and also what we could do with Sarah’s last day with us.  The decision was to go see the King’s Palace or Rova the following day and then Tico and I would do a 3 day hike through the Zafimaniry villages afterwards.  We worked out all the details and then called it a night as the early morning had caught up to us.

King’s Palace

Roger knocked on our door and we were almost ready.  He needed to do one more thing so we finished up and headed downstairs.  Directly in front of our hotel was a food stand so we ordered tea and different plates for breakfast.  Roger found us there and once we were all done we walked through the town towards the Rova.  We stopped at different places while he explained things and got fresh mofo gasy.  

 

As we walked through the rice paddies, there was a family digging up the soil and making bricks.  We walked over to get a closer look at what was happening.  The plot was not theirs, but they were being paid for each brick they made.  The parents were digging up the soil that was then thrown into a pile.  Their 4 small boys were mixing the soil while another one packed the soil into a wooden frame to make the bricks.  Sarah took the opportunity to get her hands dirty and made a brick.  The young boy guided her through the process and she added her contribution to the rows of bricks that were laying out to dry.

 

 

 

The path took us above the city, which offered a great view of the fields and homes below.  Before we entered the palace, we were given several things to keep in mind.  There was no finger pointing towards a tomb, you must enter a house with your left foot and exit with your right and it’s common practice to greet the garden upon entering.  We crossed the dry moat and climbed the rock that used to be the lookout post.

 

 

 

 

There were 2 houses that had been rebuilt after they were destroyed by a storm, but were exact replicas of the originals.  The wood was etched with designs and the windows had intricate carvings.  He explained the corners of the homes and what was done or placed in each of them. The doors faced the West and gifts for their ancestors were placed in the Northeast corner.  Both the outside and inside of the buildings had intricate designs carved into the wood.  There were designs that resembled honeycombs and spiderwebs and several others that had been carried down through the years.  

 

 

 

One of the houses continued a small museum that had pieces of the Zafimaniry people placed inside.  We saw examples of their brushes, furniture, a coffin and much more.  There was time to walk around the garden before we stopped again at the lookout post and learned about where the king was shot and killed.  By then, the sun was getting hotter and it was time to work our way back down to Ambositra. 

Back to town

As we went down the hill, we passed one of the typical 3 story houses we’d seen around the country.  Roger spoke with the family and they invited us into their home.  They were in the process of cleaning the first floor, which happens to be where the zebu sleep.  This is for security reasons as well as using the animals heat to warm the house.  They placed cardboard over the trail of poop coming out of the door and we climbed the stairs to the second floor.

 

There were 3 generations of women sitting in the bedroom where we were offered a seat.  A bench was provided and was rearranged so that we sat in the proper section for guests.  They were cooking in what would be considered a closet to many that was off to the side of the bedroom.  Their typical kitchen is in the attic, but they were cleaning the area so were temporarily using the space below.  Roger took a small portion of their local alcohol, similar to moonshine, and placed an offering in the Northeast corner as an example of what is done for the ancestors.  We explored the other rooms and then continued walking to town.

 

 

 

 

 

We passed more rice paddies and saw some that were flooded with fish living in them.  The people took advantage of the off-season of rice to breed small fish in the space to earn more money.  Our tour ended at a souvenir shop where they were carving miniature flower vases for every girl that arrived.  Once we got the items we wanted, we carried on through the town.  We grabbed lunch before Roger led us through the market and then we parted ways until the evening.

 

 

 

We cleaned up and had arranged to have a night out as it was our last night with Sarah.  Roger came to get us and we walked to a local bar to get a few beers and beef skewers.  We opted for getting dinner on the street and then headed to the karaoke bar.  Since arriving in the country, we had seen sign after sign for karaoke.  It was time to see what it was all about.  We took turns signing songs by Bob Marley, Eagles, Shania Twain, and of course Michael Jackson. It was a great way to end Sarah’s visit before we’d send her back to Tana on a bus to catch her flight.

 

Helpful tips:

• If you don’t have time to do a multi-day hike to the Zafimaniry villages, the tour of the King’s Palace gives you good insight into their lives.
• It is possible to visit the Rova without a guide, but Roger was able to explain details that we would not have gotten without him.
• Ambositra is famous for the savika (similar to a rodeo), where the objective is to ride the hump of a zebu (ox) as long as possible.  There is one per month and if you are there, it’s a must.