I was itching to stretch my legs and take a few breaths of fresh air after all the congestion of the big city, not to mention the constant hassle from eager pick-pockets. The only way to do it was to hire a tour guide who would facilitate the chaotic transportation by buses (multiple buses that operate by some secret code that Malagasy people understand perfectly and new foreigners can’t fathom) and who knew where the trails were and where they led and which buses to take home when the trails ended. Traveling alone is one of the hardest things. It isn’t so much the loneliness of it that is problematic. It is the practicality and most notably the safety. Since the political conflicts and strikes of 2009, Madagascar has become somewhat unsafe for the traveler who fits my profile (female, alone, unable to speak the native languages, on a budget). Actually, sometimes being in my position is really hard. There is so much I want to do here in this unbelievably beautiful part of the world but I cannot because my hands are tied. If only I had a traveling companion! Eva explained that taking a bus alone with my obviously foreign appearance and having to carry a lot of cash because there are no mastercard ATMs where I am going makes me a big red target that the thieves will certainly hit. They are waiting at the bus stations because it is the season when maids leave the big city with their salaries and head for their home villages for holiday. The thieves pick them out of the crowd and steal their cash. So she continued, ” the thieves are there now waiting and you will come along and they will target you.” I thought about what I would do to prevent this. Eva told me never to fight the thieves. If they want something, give it to them because sometimes they have guns and will shoot you. Sometimes they will shoot you after they take your money anyways. The fact that I am alone immediately paints the red circle around me and I become the gleaming red and white target. To change the “traveling alone” status you have to meet people who don’t have jobs, who have enough money to travel, and who want to. This means for the most part your traveling companion will not be a local (my Malagasy family for instance can’t go around with me because they have jobs and the kids are too young), but rather a fellow traveler. To meet travelers you have to stay in expensive hotels/hostels and then you miss hanging out with locals. But that is only if you are lucky enough to meet and talk to the fellow travelers in the hotel/hostel. In my case, with no opportunity to meet other travelers and unable to bear another minute in the chaos and pollution of the city I had to hire a guide to get me out of town and into the mountains. The hike was absolutely beautiful. It was very strange to have a hiking companion whom you don’t know at all and have met only in the context of business: I am paying this man to take a walk with me?
Yes, that is how Madagascar works. You always need to pay a guide to experience the beauty of nature. What if I want to enjoy nature by myself? No, I must bring along a stranger who might be genuinely friendly, or professional, or manipulative. When I live in Antalaha I will find secret entrances into the forests so that I can have a peaceful experience outside. Plus the guides stop too much. I like going on a HIKE, not a nature stroll. Maybe I will become a guide and take myself on a hike and pay myself. : )
Tracing Leprosy 