A flight with no hitches - we are getting rather used to on time arrivals and departures, nice food and different customs procedures. I set off the security alarm again but this time there wouldn't have even been the token search if I hadn't looked around surprised and said "replacement knees". Going through customs at Antananarivo was an experience. (1) be given the form after instructions are given to put your tray up and we hit a bit of turbulence (2) get a temperature check as you walk through the door (3) there are 4 customs officers to check your health declaration ie no temperature, illness lately (4) there are 3 officers taking $37 US off each of us and giving us a slip of paper with details like passport number and name (5) there are 2 lanes - in each 1 officer check the passport and another sticks the Visa in (6) we are down to 1 officer who stamps the piece of paper and our visa in the passport and adds his signature (7) another officer checked our passports again before we were allowed out. Bottle neck extreme.
Our transfer was there holding a little white board with our name. I needed to go to the loo and the only loos were inside the last security door - so another passport check for me.
It was a good 50 minutes drive to our accommodation which sits on the hill above the city. It is an expansive city and looking down from the balcony we can see streets of market stalls. We know from our drive in they will contain second hand clothes, raw chickens, sausages and beef hanging in the mid 20's heat, sunglasses and crafts. We saw a tailor at his work and a young girl drying her cell phone with a hair dryer.
It is Saturday and we aren't yet sure if other days are washing days but Saturday certainly is. Clean clothes hung out to dry on fences, cars and grass. It is also a working day for those working on the roads, in construction and the many rice paddies that line the roads. Children of all ages are playing football, there is a game of petanque nearby and some are swimming in the water hole.
After checking in we wandered up the street.
Thankfully we were ignored by most locals who saw us more as a nuisance as we walked on the road criss crossing to get to pavements which felt slightly safer. Little taxis sailed past - most would look more at home at Southwards museum after a good paint job. We are pleased we didn't book a cycling trip here as vehicles travel too close and many of the streets are cobbled. We found a supermarket and bought a packet of crackers and 2 oranges (20,000 ariary) about $10 NZ which feels quite expensive. Dinner at the hotel was 67,000 ariary - the wad of notes isn't going to last that long at this rate.
We met our fellow travellers tonight and they are from the States, Switzerland and other places I have yet to find out. We had dinner with the Swiss couple who speak very good English. We are looking forward to having to use our phrase book over the next few weeks but I think will be glad of their help.
And before we head to bed - here are Harry's reflections on the vehicle fleet. Motor scooters are prolific and don't have number plates, the four wheeled carts with a steering wheel are novel and practical (and strong enough to bowl over a scooter), lots and lots of very old French cars eg Citroen and Renault - the taxi fleet is full of them all beige which gives the impression the fleet is regulated. Public transport is mainly large vans where there is no limit to the number of people clinging to the sides.
This is going to be an adventure.
Our transfer was there holding a little white board with our name. I needed to go to the loo and the only loos were inside the last security door - so another passport check for me.
It was a good 50 minutes drive to our accommodation which sits on the hill above the city. It is an expansive city and looking down from the balcony we can see streets of market stalls. We know from our drive in they will contain second hand clothes, raw chickens, sausages and beef hanging in the mid 20's heat, sunglasses and crafts. We saw a tailor at his work and a young girl drying her cell phone with a hair dryer.
It is Saturday and we aren't yet sure if other days are washing days but Saturday certainly is. Clean clothes hung out to dry on fences, cars and grass. It is also a working day for those working on the roads, in construction and the many rice paddies that line the roads. Children of all ages are playing football, there is a game of petanque nearby and some are swimming in the water hole.
After checking in we wandered up the street.
Thankfully we were ignored by most locals who saw us more as a nuisance as we walked on the road criss crossing to get to pavements which felt slightly safer. Little taxis sailed past - most would look more at home at Southwards museum after a good paint job. We are pleased we didn't book a cycling trip here as vehicles travel too close and many of the streets are cobbled. We found a supermarket and bought a packet of crackers and 2 oranges (20,000 ariary) about $10 NZ which feels quite expensive. Dinner at the hotel was 67,000 ariary - the wad of notes isn't going to last that long at this rate.
We met our fellow travellers tonight and they are from the States, Switzerland and other places I have yet to find out. We had dinner with the Swiss couple who speak very good English. We are looking forward to having to use our phrase book over the next few weeks but I think will be glad of their help.
And before we head to bed - here are Harry's reflections on the vehicle fleet. Motor scooters are prolific and don't have number plates, the four wheeled carts with a steering wheel are novel and practical (and strong enough to bowl over a scooter), lots and lots of very old French cars eg Citroen and Renault - the taxi fleet is full of them all beige which gives the impression the fleet is regulated. Public transport is mainly large vans where there is no limit to the number of people clinging to the sides.
This is going to be an adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment