The wood cutter
As I entered the village, I was greeted by a very dejected young villager, his arm hanging limp at his side .His right hand on his little sons head. Some thing drew me to him. I walked over and as I got closer I could see his arm was covered with a shabby bandage, his [...]
The dodgy chief
We arrived in the village, a long 12 hour day, dark and wet. A villager had offered us a place to stay, but said we should first meet the chief for his approval. He disappeared and after a while through the darkness we could see two shapes reappearing, villager and chief in tow. After [...]
Speedster
Lifting into the air it came, smoke bellowing from everywhere and misfiring repeatedly, the whine of its engine screaming under the strain as it flew over the crest of the hill. Bits and pieces seemed to be falling off in the process, but on it came gathering speed as it now started to descend the [...]
Mud truckers
I have never seen roads as challenging as I’ve seen in southern Madagascar. I remember travelling from Fort Dauphine to the start of the run at Cap st Marie. The main road was Asphalt for 20 km , then it turned into 50 -50 pot holes and asphalt and finally it degraded into a sand [...]
Leaving Antananarivo
Living on the budget that I have, big cities are not the place for me. There is no escape from the harsh realty of poverty and suffering of thousands flocking to city life in the hope that they will find prosperity. I am living on the underbelly of the city, like a flea. Its cheap [...]
The leach
It had been about 30 minutes slowly fighting our way through the undergrowth and I experienced the first feeling that something was crawling up my leg. I brushed my ankle, but nothing happened it was still there. I looked down and there was a long thin pliable insect wriggling its way up my leg, but [...]
The bucket
Nick and I had finally got to the extraction point where the crew were waiting. It had been an eight hour slog through mud driving rain and dense forest. Nick was staggering in a semi haze nauseous and suffering with his stomach not being well, his leg was turning redder and with every step the [...]
Moonshine Village
Sprawled on the banks of this massive muddy river that seemed to be the main exit point for all the water collected in the rainforest was a rickety rundown village, its main road consisting of runny slurry of bog, mud and whatever else could run down the slope. We slipped and slid into here after [...]
Maggot man
It had been another 12 – 14 hour stint and the days have begun to add up. The main problem has been food, nothing but boiled rice and the odd bit of fruit that we have foraged in the jungle. The rain is unrelenting with the cyclonic depression hanging just over the island; it’s not [...]
Into the Rain Forest
The rain has begun to play havoc on the trip as well the support crew. We have reached Ramanafana at the foot of the jungle and rain forest. We can go no further the only option is to head up 200 km through the forest and jungle to Finarina. Here I am able to hook [...]
