The Road to Toamasina

I arrived in Madagascar one week ago. After a long series of flights we arrived at a Guest house in the capital, Antananarivo. None of the names here are short. Not for the towns, not for the people, not for the shops. Early Sunday morning we boarded a small bus and were "shuttled" to the Africa Mercy. Docked in the largest port in the country, the Africa Mercy has been in Toamasina since September.

The 356 km journey took more than 9 hours as we traveled the main highway between the port and the capital. This winding twisting road took us past much of the countryside, markets, and villages as we followed all manner of vehicles and transportation. Most of it moved slowly. We passed vehicles constantly on this winding, pothole filled highway. There was evidence of some unsuccessful travelers with trucks overturned on the curves, and many vehicles abandoned or under repair by the side of the road,

 A lush green countryside was evidence of the long rainy season that has just ended. Most days are 30C and humid. We have experienced 2 major rainstorms this week. The first delayed our flight from landing and the second dampened the spirits of those looking to walk to town after work was finished Friday afternoon.