Nicola and I were really nervous about getting to Tana before our Air France flight so Nicola had looked into the possibility of a bus. K had talked to her walking friends who said we should trust that the flight on the 21st would leave on time. We didn't so I phoned Air Madagascar to see if I could get on the afternoon flight that day. He said that I should go to the airport at about 11:30 for a 1:30 flight. K looked it up on the website and said the plane wasn't leaving until 2:30 so we didn't need to be there until 12:30.
Before leaving we said good-bye to M at the plant. We shook hands and I told him that we would likely see us again that night and then we headed on our way. I was getting very nervous about getting a seat on the flight when my phone rang at 12:50. It was the attendant from Air Madagascar who asked where we were. I said that we were just arriving at the airport. She told me that she could wait a minute but if we didn't arrive right away, she was going to give away our tickets. I couldn't believe it. The guy at Air Madagascar, the same one who'd been yelled at by the Frenchman had reserved us a ticket on that flight. We were going to make it after all. K seemed pretty sad to see us go but we really needed to get on that Air France flight.
The plane was small, 25 seats by Nicola’s count, three to a row, two on one seat, one on the other. As a twin prop we got excellent views of the landscape. Much of the land around Tamatave was forested but became more denuded the close we got to Tana.
The Tana Hotel was modern and the room was nicer than the Colbert however it was missing some of ambience so we made a trip over for some juice in their Café. Then we went out for some more souvenir shopping. Much of the neighbourhood we'd already scoped but new to us were the jewelry stores located right nearby. Nicola had noticed some funky stuff in display cabinets and the Hotel Colbert. These stores featured only high end merchandise heavy with gold and chunky. I did notice a single black pearl on chain and Nicola suggested we enquire. Almost two million ariary or $1400. He told me that the pearl was from Tahiti and very valuable. Why would I want to buy a pearl necklace from Tahiti in Madagascar? When he could see I wasn't interested he came back with a pledge to give us a deal but it could never be enough of a deal.
Dinner was supposed to be at the Kudeta which was obviously French and filled with expats. Standing in the doorway, we were asked if we had reservations. When we said no, they told us we were full. We must have had faces of utter dejection (probably because we had no idea where else we would go) they suggested that we could sit at the bar and they would find us a table. Five minutes later, we were given one in the bar. The food was excellent and the atmosphere excellent as the restaurant is of a quality that would be competitive almost anywhere.
Walking home in the dark made us a bit nervous as there are no street lights and the city is not known for being safe.
Before leaving we said good-bye to M at the plant. We shook hands and I told him that we would likely see us again that night and then we headed on our way. I was getting very nervous about getting a seat on the flight when my phone rang at 12:50. It was the attendant from Air Madagascar who asked where we were. I said that we were just arriving at the airport. She told me that she could wait a minute but if we didn't arrive right away, she was going to give away our tickets. I couldn't believe it. The guy at Air Madagascar, the same one who'd been yelled at by the Frenchman had reserved us a ticket on that flight. We were going to make it after all. K seemed pretty sad to see us go but we really needed to get on that Air France flight.
The plane was small, 25 seats by Nicola’s count, three to a row, two on one seat, one on the other. As a twin prop we got excellent views of the landscape. Much of the land around Tamatave was forested but became more denuded the close we got to Tana.
The Tana Hotel was modern and the room was nicer than the Colbert however it was missing some of ambience so we made a trip over for some juice in their Café. Then we went out for some more souvenir shopping. Much of the neighbourhood we'd already scoped but new to us were the jewelry stores located right nearby. Nicola had noticed some funky stuff in display cabinets and the Hotel Colbert. These stores featured only high end merchandise heavy with gold and chunky. I did notice a single black pearl on chain and Nicola suggested we enquire. Almost two million ariary or $1400. He told me that the pearl was from Tahiti and very valuable. Why would I want to buy a pearl necklace from Tahiti in Madagascar? When he could see I wasn't interested he came back with a pledge to give us a deal but it could never be enough of a deal.
Dinner was supposed to be at the Kudeta which was obviously French and filled with expats. Standing in the doorway, we were asked if we had reservations. When we said no, they told us we were full. We must have had faces of utter dejection (probably because we had no idea where else we would go) they suggested that we could sit at the bar and they would find us a table. Five minutes later, we were given one in the bar. The food was excellent and the atmosphere excellent as the restaurant is of a quality that would be competitive almost anywhere.
Walking home in the dark made us a bit nervous as there are no street lights and the city is not known for being safe.
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