Bad bloggers

Well, Terra and I have returned from our adventure in Madagascar.
As you can tell, we barely posted on this blog of ours. Internet access was difficult to come by in most places we were traveling, and, honestly, we never wanted to be inside on the computer when we could be outside exploring!

So, now that we are back we are going to be writing a bit here and there about our journey and post some photos.

Here are a few photos to keep you all interested!
Tibora's Flickr

if a man doesn't love you, eat more rice

Hello Lovelies!
The title is a fabulous tana-ism from our taxi driver today.
We have spent our first week officially in Madagascar. We arrived jetlagged and a bit crazy, but luckily Christie and her pals took care of us. We stayed in the capital Antananarivo (tana) for a few days getting ourselves acquainted with money, language, customs, directions etc. Since the coup, most foreigners were evacuated so we are some of the only whities around. Since this was a french colony there are some french travelers/workers around. I barely got into the country since I had filled my passport, so terra and i made our way to the us embassy to see if we could have pages added or apply for a new one. They were able to tape in a new section officially, but it makes my passport look really sketchy, oh well it works!
We went to visit an eco orphanage (akany avoko, read more about it here: http://www.akanyavoko.com/) and have set up a workshop there for next week using photography and communication skills to build self esteem.
This is very much a developing nation which is reeling from political strife, lack of an economy and over population. One minute it is heart wrenching and overwhelming, the next beautiful and sublime.
We left the city to see some of the more lush areas of the country.Christie, terra and i headed out to Antsirabe where we hiked out into the forest to watch indiri lemurs, chameleons, and other creatures. It was amazing! All though there were these tiny leeches (the size of inch worms) that we had to be wary of. Sometimes they crawled up on your shoe to your leg, and sometimes they leapt from trees onto your head. Thats when you know you have good friends, when they are willing to check you for leeches. In the next few days we will head out to the hot springs of Ramonofana park, and the Avenue of the Baobabs (just like home!).
I hope this note finds everyone safe and sound!
Love, tibora

Day 2

The view from Christi's front porch.

We boarded our plane at 7am on Monday from San Francisco to Washington DC (5.5 hours).When we arrived at IAD in DC, Frank & Barry, Terra's friend's met us there with glowing smiles and big hugs. We laughed delirously and snacked before our longest flight from DC to Johannesburg, South Africa (with a short stop in Dakar, Senegal). 17 hours later we arrived in JoBurg. We stayed at a hostel on the outskirts of town and met some great travelers who were preparing for a 40 day overland trip to 5 different countries. we drank, we laughed and we met some of the guides leading the overland trips, who upon hearing we were outdoorsy ladies with white water guiding experience promptly offered us jobs. Tempted with tales of the glorious sites of the Motherland, we declined since we had something more epic planned out: MADAGASCAR!

The next morning we hopped on a flight (with about 30 american mormons) for a 2 hour trip to Antannanarivo, the capitol of Madagascar. Christi, Terra's friend from college, an AMAZING & INSPIRATIONAL woman met us at the airport. She was suprised (but not too suprised) to find out that we had befriended a Slovenian fella while waiting in line for our visas. I think Terra and I were a bit too relaxed in planning this trip because when I arrived in JoBurg I barely made it through due to my passport pages being filled! I will have to apply for a new passport in Tana (nickname for the capitol of Madagascar). Luckily I travel with extra passport photos. The other travel faux pax we made was paying for our madagascar visa- sure it makes my passport full and pretty, but it cost $85 and as we came to find out, the visa fee was waived for all tourists until Dec.31,2009 (due to the recent political coup). C'est La Vie.....

Christi, Terra, Gaspar (Slovenian pal) and I took a long, packed taxi ride to Christi's fantastic house in downtown Tana, where Christi opened up her bag of goodies we carried from the states for her. I know how absolutely nice it is when you are living in a foreign place and crave some of the comforts and neccessities of home. We got the full tour of her abode, and decided to have some dinner. We went to an amazing Indian restaurant, that was a beautiful subterannean escape. There are plenty more stories from this dinner, however they will have to be told face to face, as it would not be wise for me to publicly share. It was nothing bad, just an eventful evening that of course would happen to Terra and I on our first night in MADAGASCAR!

Arrival!

We arrived in Tana, Madagascar!
22 hours of flying, one night in JoBurg, and we are here and ready to explore!
Christi (dropsmakewaves.blogspot.com) is awesome! She is a friend of Terra's from college and has been living in Madagascar for the past 5 years. Her house in Tana is fantastic and we are all so excited to explore the island!

Departure

We are packing amidst attending weddings & celebrating love!
We depart on Monday for 2 days of travel to arrive in Madagascar on the 15th of July!
Get ready for pics, stories, and much more!