Week 37 - Madagascar
The weather was still nice Sunday morning, we enjoyed brunch and decided to go to a hotel with a swimming pool and private beach. It really was beautiful. C wanted to read, so we found a good spot for him, J wanted to explore tide pools nearby, and S wanted to swim in the pool, so I took him up there. The pool looks out over the ocean and it's a very nice spot.
S swam for a while and then went to use the bathroom but there was no toilet paper and when he came out it was obvious that he couldn't get back in the pool. I took him down to the ocean and helped him clean up, we relaxed there a little bit, which was pleasant despite a gentle rain because we had a cabana, then thought we'd get a late lunch at the restaurant. By then S's feet were sandy, so we thought we'd wash them at the pool shower. We'd seen other people use it earlier, but the water wouldn't turn on when we tried. Then we found out the restaurant was closed so we just came home. Our host family has a saying, TIM, This Is Madagascar, that they use when things don't work out the way you would expect them to if you're used to first world privilege. S has picked it up, so when the water didn't work, I just shrugged at him and said, TIM. He pointed out to the ocean and said, "This is Madagascar, it's beautiful," I was so proud. That's just the attitude I was hoping my kids would get from traveling. He did fuss a little about the restaurant being closed because he was hoping for some pizza, but he was happy to play with his friends while I cooked and ate pasta instead.
The rain that started Sunday afternoon continued all night and most of the day Monday. Monday morning we woke up to no power. We just did school work and house chores until it came back mid-afternoon. It did pause raining for a while Monday morning so I was able to take my usual walk and bring back pastries for breakfast. This property has a variety of accommodations. We're in a really nice three bedroom apartment with a full kitchen. Another option is a tree house, which doesn't have a kitchen and isn't big enough to be practical for us in the long term, but I knew the kids would love it, so I arranged for one night there just for fun. We did that Monday night. J opted for his usual bed, but the kids and I headed down there after dinner.
We had a friend waiting for us.
We had planned for S's human friends to join us for bedtime stories, C planned to read with us then go back to the main house and sleep with J, but he thought the snake was so cool he decided to stay in the treehouse with me and S. We have been told there are no poisonous snakes in Madagascar, but our host helped him find a new home just in case. C helped the younger kids with a mad lib he had created and I read two silly stories.
Then our friends went back to their own beds because they have a regular school schedule, C and S snuggled a bit and fussed at each other a bit, then we all went to sleep.
I slept pretty well, though the rain and wind continued through the night and the treehouse gently rocked at times. Actually, it was quite comfortable.
Even better, it's close enough that I could leave the sleeping kids in the morning and come back to our main house for coffee.
It rained pretty much all day again Tuesday. We did school work, and S played with his friends. In the evening we went upstairs to our hosts' house for a Malagasy cooking lesson. We made salad and deviled eggs, which are more French than Malagasy, but our host wanted to make something vegetarian for me. We made a shrimp dish served over rice which J and C really liked. S actually tried a deviled egg, which is progress. I really enjoy spending time with this family. The kids get along well and the grownup conversation is interesting. It was a nice evening.
Wednesday was packing day. It stopped raining and is beautiful again. I went to my favorite shops, bakery for breakfast and grocery for plane snacks and Easter treats since we'll be in a hotel Easter morning. S announced that he's done with math materials. He did a double digit long division question abstractly today. Since I will need to get a job with benefits when we get back rather than teach from home, and I'm tired of carrying them, I decided to give our hosts the long bead frame and the stamp game. They're thinking of starting a tutoring program for local kids. I spent a little time showing how the materials work and sharing Montessori principles, my favorite thing to do. It's the end of an era though, I've taught a lot of kids with those materials, but this is the perfect new home. We are still carrying the Nightingale Montessori algebra box though!
In the afternoon I had time to walk to my favorite fruit stand and get some oranges for eating on the plane. I'm really going to miss this town. I love walking around here, it's always beautiful.
I'm a bit sadder about leaving Madagascar than most other places. We've had a great time, and I feel like we've made friends that I hope we can stay in touch with.
Thursday was the start of what is going to be a very long week. I got up early and finished some last minute packing and cleaning. Our wonderful hosts served us a delicious breakfast of Malagasy fried bread and coffee.
We said sad goodbyes to our human and animal friends.
They got a taxi for the luggage and the host drove us himself.
That turned out to be a good thing, because we needed to pay for extra baggage and assumed that either we could use a card or that there would be an ATM at the airport. Nope and nope. We need to stop assuming things. Our host paid for our baggage and later we were able to repay him by wire transfer, along with our final bill. After that little hitch everything went smoothly. Our flight was actually early and we returned to the hotel where we stayed on our way in. It's friendly and comfortable, plus there's a pool. We had lunch, then took a taxi to the embassy to pick up our new passports. We were prepared for another ordeal, but we were back at the hotel in 45 minutes. J wrote a note authorizing me to pick his up and waited in the car with the kids. I wanted him along in case there was an issue, but it was all very smooth. I knew not to bring anything except the old passports, plus I was only one person, so the security was easier and I only had to wait a few minutes, then verify that the information was correct and I was on my way. I think the traffic was lighter because people here often go home for a long lunch so there were fewer cars out. We did school work on the plane so we thought we would have the rest of the day to relax. However, we saw online that our flight to Mauritius had been cancelled. After several attempts to get through to the airline we started working on a backup plan flying through Reunion. Eventually, we were able to get through and were told the flight was not cancelled, but it took a couple hours. We then completed entry forms for Mauritius, and by then it was time for dinner and bed.
Friday was also supposed to be a relaxing day at the hotel. We did sleep in and enjoy breakfast, then I started re-reading the entry requirements for South Africa. Mauritius no longer requires a pre-departure PCR, but one on arrival, though it's not clear if that's to be done at the airport or the hotel. South Africa does require a PCR for non vaccinated travelers, including kids, and ours are considered non vaccinated because they only had time to get one shot before we left Reunion. We considered waiting to do PCR's until Mauritius, but we might not have been able to get the results back in time unless we went to the lab, and we didn't think we'd want to make that drive after a flight. So we went off in a taxi to get it done here. It was a convoluted bureaucratic process that we had difficulty understanding in French. We had stopped at an ATM on the way, but still didn't have enough cash. We were able to put it on a credit card and it ended up being considerably cheaper. Hmmm, we suspect the registration guy was going to pocket the difference. I do enjoy taxi rides here. The traffic is terrible, but there's so much to see out the windows. Herds of zebu, goats, and chickens, shops and people, all interesting to watch. Anyway, it's good we got the PCRs done because on the way back to the hotel we got an email that the flight to Mauritius is delayed until Sunday, so now instead of spending the night in Mauritius we get another night here, but have only an hour in Mauritius to catch our flight to Johannesburg. We're hoping to get our bags checked through, despite it being a different airline. There is a later flight if we miss the first one, but it includes a layover in Reunion and will make for a very long day. So we'll just hope for the best. We don't mind the extra day here at all. S in particular doesn't want to leave. I know he misses his friends in Fort Dauphin a lot, but I'm surprised he isn't ready to get out of the city. Neither he or I like cities, but Tana (Antananarivo) is different, probably because of all the agriculture happening within the city. Plus, people in Madagascar are just nice. His comment about the delayed flight delay is that TIM also stands for This Is Mauritius. And there's chocolate cake at the hotel, so life is good.
Saturday was finally the relaxing day we had been waiting for. We mostly hung out in the room. I did take the boys to the pool, but it was a little chilly and we didn't stay long. Here's hoping we make it to Johannesburg tomorrow!