Allée des Baobabs and Kirindy National Forest
In recognition of Bruce's dedicated teaching to medical staff during the past ten days, the hospital director arranged for the hospital administrator Shanta and her mechanic husband Tantely to take us in their four-wheel drive Toyota to see the famed Allées des Baobabs and Kirindy National Forest. Dr. Soamalala also joined us on the excursion.
We started off at 4 am and arrived at the Avenue of the Baobabs just the first glimmers of light where spreading across morning sky. Actually the name “Avenue” is misleading. Making the trip there is challenging since the mud road full of potholes and almost impassable during the rainy season.
But all is forgotten when you immerse your senses into the enchanting majesty of this place. Visitors from all over the globe journey to Morondava to experience this iconic wonder of nature.
I asked Shanta why the government hadn’t taken steps to fix the road, considering that the road leads to such a major tourist attraction. Better accessibility would undoubtedly result in increased revenue for the area.
“It is because tourists like the adventure getting here.”
I laughed, “Rubbish. You would make a great tour guide. You know how to make up believable fibs.”
And for the rest of the day, we amused ourselves by making up all sorts of ridiculous “facts” we might tell gullible tourists.
“You see these gravestones?” Shanta pointed out. “The crocodile eating the snake means that the man and wife fought constantly and were dreadfully unhappy. The gravestone with the two baobabs peacefully standing next to each other signifies that the couple were happy together Notice that the trees are the same height.They were equal partners in their marriage,”
“Oh how interesting,” says the tourist, head nodding.
The camaraderie lightened the long arduous adventure – seven hours on a next-to-impassable road along with an additional hour at Allée des Baobabs and two hours exploring Kirindy.
There are nine species of baobabs in the world, and Madagascar is home to six. Many of the baobabs around Morondava are over 800 years old. No wonder they are called “Reniala” – mother of the forest. Bruce and I have one three foot high Madagascar baobab growing in India. Imagine in eight generations when this tree is full-grown how different the world will be.
We set out for Kirindy National Park, having no idea what obstacles awaited us along the way. The road resembled a river in many parts, and our truck a boat with four fat wheels. On the way, we passed a faded blue taxi brouse stuck in the muck, the passengers lining the road, waiting to be rescued. Tantely stopped and offered to try and pull them out, but the rope to tie the two vehicles together kept snapping under the strain. Another taxi brouse was waiting on the other side for the water levels to recede.
The park was peaceful and sleepy. Previously a Swiss organization had sent researchers here to study the six species of lemurs inhabiting this forest, two dirunal and four nocturnal. Due to severe deforestation, and forest fires, the lemur population has dwindled and the project was suspended. We were taken out into the forest by a very capable guide named Remi who spotted all kinds of birds, endemic turtles, snakes and a troop of brown lemurs. As a child, I fondly remember the silky, spongy touch of the ring-tailed lemur who lived with us, and these brown lemurs were equally as friendly. The guide shared his knowledge of the medicinal and commercial uses of many of the trees we saw.
On the way home, we saw that the one taxi brouse had freed itself and had continued on its belieagered way, but that another one was now hopelessly stuck in the mire. The passengers had been stranded since the night before. Again, Tantaly tried to pull them out to no avail. He offered to give all the women and children a lift into town.
The five of us shared a fantastic fish meal together at our favorite Malagache restaurant and expressed our gratitude for an eventful and wonderful day together.
