jme & Bryan take on Africa 2017- Day 12: Leaving Tana for South Africa

I have had really weird dreams since I arrived here- very long, elaborate ones, which have been very odd. Of course because of the Van Damme reference, I dreamed we met him- only he was the weird guy Gavin, who runs Hooli in the sitcom, Silicon Valley. I got hired on at Bryan’s work because I had learned enough from his discussion of it to do some outsourcing for them…they clocked in and out with a laser gun and a tv like a video game. Oh- and a nemesis worked there too and was trying to get people to stop fostering with Motley Zoo...good times.

It was weird to get up at 715a and think it was late, but we didn’t have to leave the hotel till 1230p. We spent to morning finishing packing and I was working on the photo issue again. We decided to go out at about 1115a to cut our mango and have a drink by the pool, when I saw Lima’s van there. They had already arrived!

We waved to Lima and he called Armand who was in the restaurant. He had brought his two girls, both named pretty names, but which I can’t remember…though I do remember their meanings: God’s gift and loved one. They are cute—5 and 6 and they greeted me with “bon jour” and stuck out their hands. Instead I said “Salama” and they seemed confused, but smiled. They were excited to be with dad again.

As a guide he is gone for 2 weeks + at a time, during which a family friend cares for them. His wife asked for a divorce last year, quite surprisingly- but the kids asked to stay with him and she didn’t contest. Apparently here kids can speak for themselves at 7 either way, which I so wish was the case in other places- namely where my dear friend and her kids are still being tormented and harassed by a sick, estranged husband/ father, who is a monster. They are being hurt daily by his presence and influence, never mind outright abuse…I would give anything to change this for them. If only Madagascar rules applied…

We sat down at the poolside tables and the little girls had some Sprite, clearly a treat. Lima came and sat with us and we shared our mango with them. Armand showed us the daily trip notes he makes for his tour groups, literally outlining each thing they do from morning until night. It is all hand done, even with drawings of the things they have done- mostly by him, but sometimes the guests. It is really cool and so nice of him to document this way.

He had prepared one for us, which listed the species we saw—which included 9 of the 12 main ones, which is pretty cool. We did note see tenerecs, which are like little hedgehogs, which I wish we could have, but we saw a lot- and we know we are lucky.

Somehow on vacation, we do seem to have good luck, even though most often it seems the craziest lame things often happen to us in home life. I am not complaining, we have it good and we know it, but sometimes- especially this year- I have been seriously wondering when it will stop. I suppose though when you spend a lot of money and go half way around the world to see things, there’s never a better time to have good luck!

On the back of our trip notes, he has included many Malagasy sayings and phrases, which will help me keep things fresh. I will try to find an online Malagasy course or some kind of lessons, while it is fresh in my mind. If I let it lapse, it might seem like something I fancied but couldn’t possibly do…whereas if I just do it, it will become reality. Such is how I view most things- and I have indeed tackled and tried most things I have ever talked about! Why not?

We chat for a while and find out Lima has 2 teens, a boy and girl 15 and 16, so they can be pretty independent when he is gone. He travels a lot though too, so I am sure that’d hard. I didn’t ask about a wife or gf.

We exchange emails and make Facebook friend requests, but then it’s time to leave for the airport. The reality we will be leaving here is really hitting hard. I am so sad to go, it is a really amazing place full of so much excitement and interest…yes, poverty and such too, very heavily, but it only endears me more to the people.

When we pull out of the hotel, we realize there is a really cool souvenir shop directly across the street, which kind of bums us out we didn't see…but we have saved ever penny to split among Lima and Armand. Why leave with anything when it can instead so much more, benefit these great, hard working people?

When we got to the airport, the guards stopped the girls from rolling my bag, but Lima had both our bags in hand and he continued. I had to stop and turn back to say goodbye. Armand hugged me, which was nice because I am sure this is not something he offers everyone, and I said goodbye to the little girls in Malagasy and shook their hands.

Lima was up near the security point with the backpacks and somehow two porters had grabbed the rolling bags- and we had nothing to give them. I have just handed over to Lima his share of the tip and quite literally had not a cent of Ariary left. I opened my hands and told the guys, "Azafady" (sorry) and "Misaotra (thank you), which they honestly did seem to appreciate. I had some protein bars in my bag which I said was the only thing I had. They took it, I don’t know if they cared or not…but it was the best I could do.

As we got to the counter, the lady told us it was not possible to get our bags to Cape Town. What? Immediately we thought of the usual weight problem, but what could we do? Her English was somewhat limited but I got the gist that she meant it was not possible to tag them all the way through Johannesburg to CT, not that they couldn’t fly.

That was a relief, but how strange is it that on the way here, we flew multiple airlines, through multiple countries and our bags were checked through…but here’s we’re taking one airline to one country and it isn’t? So bizarre. Just a note that when you travel internationally, seriously, pack as little as possible. Pack 1/3 what you think you will need. You will make due- and you will be happier for it!

So our bags go on the conveyor- again perhaps never to been seen again. Actually, we have no idea what we will do in Joburg really, because do you really leave the gates, go to baggage check then go all the way back through security? Is there another baggage claim for people moving within the country? We have no idea and it is these little things that do make you a bit edgy and uneasy, when you have another flight to catch! Stuff like this though is easier not to worry about when you're with someone- it can be really hard when you're alone.

Sitting in the airport, my legs are itching so badly. The red spots are now red slotches and spreading, like whatever gives the histamine reaction was unleashed and is flowing underneath my skin. The Gold Bond lotion only helps so much and I don’t really want to go to the bathroom and put more on, when I remember the Benadryl. I ask Bryan for some but I need water and we have no money. I ask him to hunt for some while I am trying not to claw my legs up. He comes back with some water and chips, which we mow down…but not before the pill had gotten stuck in my throat and was causing terrible heartburn feeling that would not go away.

We see other people and try to guess their nationality. The Americans we see have masks on- which we have since abandoned. It’s one family travelling together, and one of them looks sickly as it is. Honestly, we had forgotten when we’d gotten to Ft Dauphin, in all the bustle we’d made it into the airport and not put them on. By then- and especially with the heat and thirst- I was not going to wear one anyway…and here, although we intended to wear them, in the hustle and bustle we forgot again…maybe it wasn’t too late, but honestly. we know the plague is under control now and it’s mostly just news hype in America.

Is it a real concern? Yes…but at this point we’d probably been exposed to so much more, it didn’t seem like it should be something to worry over. There was one lady wearing her mask sometimes, then eating and drinking and walking around with it down, then putting it on again. This doesn't do anything and you may as well just not wear it. I see her on the plane now wearing it- kind of (the top is gaping again). Anyway, we’re not worried about the plague any more than anything else at this point. We wash our hands and don’t touch our faces or noses…that’s just it.

We are pretty sure many people are French. There’s a couple with an REI bag we are pretty sure are American’s who are waving a UV wand in their water bottles. Duh, we didn’t have to spend $5 on water when we had our LifeStraw bottles?! But still, the comfort of bottled water is enticing- although it wasn't really cold. We probably paid another $5 in international transaction fees for it too…not so smart.

Our flight is called shortly after and we walk quite a ways on the tarmac to get to the plane. We’re on and this is where I am typing now. The adventure is to continue, now in South Africa where we have our shark dive scheduled for tomorrow!

The hotel we are supposed to stay at sounds really nice. It is a smaller hotel, boutique style again, where the owner is there and every day greets you. They go out of their way to make thing comfortable for you and it seems like a lot better bet than some big hotel where it’s all ritzy (but not really) and you spend a lot more for it. Trip Advisor (where we found this hotel) is really helpful and I will be posting about the Berenty Reserve, Hotel Andasibe and to sing the praises of Armand, Lima, François and Lambert!

So the first flight goes off without a hitch. Our luggage could not be checked through to Cape Town for some reason so we had to reclaim it in Johannesburg (Joburg). I will say that the airport there has really got it down in terms of systems. We got our luggage, got through customs and security within like 15 minutes! It was the easiest time in an airport we have ever had…the airline, South African Air though? Not so much.

It is nice to that they feed you on every flight, whether it’s short or long- and their version of a “snack” is a sandwich rather than a full meal. We received an Indian rice and chick peas dish which was pretty good really- but that’s where the fun ended for me and veg meals!

We got on the next flight without incident and made our way to Cape Town. This flight I did not get the veg meal- and actually neither did Bryan- but the attendant found a veg meal for someone else and gave it to us. It was a bit baffling, but it worked out and we were ok with the one meal because the flight was short.

I was not sure what to expect of Cape Town, but I do think of it as a place of wealth and privilege. The advertisements as we walked through the airport, for banking, banking, banking, diamonds, more banking and diamonds, solidified this impression. The ads were a bit unnerving though, like the banking one said “You have sacrificed for your money. Protect it”. “It’s your money, we help you keep it”. It was just written in a really negative and selfish tone, like someone is always trying to take it from you…and especially when we’re in a place where honestly, I am not sure how many people really have sacrificed for their money- or know what it really means to sacrifice- it was a little distressing. Granted these are impressions, but I imagine the feeling of white superiority here will be even more intense than in Madagascar.

We had not made arrangements for a ride to the hotel (oops), and here, rather than going outside for a taxi, the drivers wait inside at a little desk and then greet you as you walk by, asking if you need a taxi. It was a bit weird, for a minute we were not sure if this was a weird scam or not, but the driver talked to all the airport people and they have to wear a bright yellow construction worker type vest to identify themselves. He seemed nice enough, so we decided to go for it. We walked with him to the car.

The taxi ride was about 25 minutes or so and it was dark, but our driver was pretty chatty and wanted to tell us things about the city, which was nice. His accent was pretty hard to understand, but we did get the majority of it. He told us where he grew up- pointed to it as we went by- called, the flats. When we would see this area in the day time, we had a whole different perspective.

The driver had not been to our hotel though he knew the general area and street in Green Point- which is a really nice area of town. It’s near the waterfront, which I knew we’d like and we like a smaller, quieter place, to a big fancy one. The taxi driver was very nice and patient because although we came prepared with Rand, we really didn’t know the conversion rate- or rather it was hard to do.

Basically $1 is 14 Rand, so doing in multiples of 15 was easier…however when it came to tipping, we were really unsure. We gave him a 50 Rand bill which is about $3, but he insisted it was too much and gave us a 20 back…so good for him for being so kind, although i think we were spot on and he shorted himself?!

The door to the Treehouse Hotel is an old Indian or Southeast Asian looking wood door and it’s locked, so we press the buzzer to go in. The owner was there and greeted us with great enthusiasm- I swear he was the nicest guy ever. I also worried he was going to kill himself if he was always that dutiful and always on the ball!

He showed us where we’d have brekky- but at night cake is put out as well, so we dove into the cake. We didn’t get much for dinner, so we were starving and chocolate cake it would be! We devoured it and we went to get our bags upstairs. The owner insisted on carrying them, which they were heavy- and the front bell started ringing and he needed to let the guests in…but we got to our room and he ran off to get the door and our stuff from the elevator where he’d put them.

The room was really nice. The bathroom was pretty spectacular- the shower overlooks the neighborhood with clear glass about to your shins, then opaque to just past eye level, then clear again- so you can see outside while shower, but no one can see in. There is a water shortage (level 4), so we are requested to be short and conservative with it. There is a little bucket in the shower- it’s purpose of which we are unaware...

At this point it was getting late and we were really tired- and the call time for our shark dive was 415am! But they pick us up and drive us, so we could sleep…but needless to say we were wishing for a bit more sleep.