The arrival — Kaylee Travels

Madagascar is a breathtaking country. That was my first impression as we drove off from the hotel the morning after our arrival. The city of Antananarivo, called Tana by most, was a mix of typical city scenes of traffic, and rural scenes of rice paddies.

As we went further, we were surrounded by lush green jungles. The going was slow, sometimes painfully so, as our driver artfully dodged potholes and lorries. People curiously watched us drive by as they manned their stands selling brilliant red rambutan fruits, called Chinese lychees by the people here, among other tropical delicacies. One hour turned to two, to five, to 12. We stopped for the bathroom and for drinks, but otherwise went on. My trip to the ship took a little over 14 hours. Long, bumpy, beautiful, difficult hours. But finally, through the darkness of the night in Toamasina, the ship became visible. We had made it!