Introduction to the blog

The SAGA tour 'Madagascar: Land of the Lemurs' took place in December 2011.
Our group consisted of eleven tourists led by an excellent 'Tour Manager'  and  a brilliant 'Local Guide'.

Instructions on how to use the blog:
The blog consists of 14 video presentations arranged as I prepared them. (Which was not in a recognisable order!)  I have, therefore, subsequently numbered the videos to give an indication of the sequence of events.

To play any of the videos:
1. Click on what you want to see from the list in the BLOG ARCHIVE (on right-hand side).
2. When that opens up, read my comments and wait for the video to display
3.  NEXT CLICK ON THE PLAY SIGN TO PLAY THE VIDEO
but note that if you CLICK ON THE WHITE RECTANGLE (on the blue bar), you can MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN
(And if a 'Kadoo' advert appears, click on the top right hand corner and click the X which will appear)

If you have a problem with viewing the videos, let me know.
I hope you enjoy Madagascar as much as I did!
(I used a wide variety of  music to accompany the videos - some purchased in Madagascar and some from my own collection - whatever created the mood I felt was appropriate! Hope you enjoy my choices!)

11. Trip to Les Dunes d'Ifaty ( 5min 16sec )

This video records the last leg of the holiday for our SAGA group. We travel through the Sapphire towns, see   the baobab trees, the Tropic of Cancer and arrive at Les Dunes d'Ifaty. As a special, final, treat Groupe Ifaty sing and dance for us...

3. Visit a Village ( 6min 18sec )

We visited a village and crossed paths with many people on the way to Ranomafana. This video records that journey. I have tried to keep captions to a minimum because the pictures speak for themselves.
The houses in the village are normally sited with the entrance facing west. Every space is utilised. The small bed is for two people and therefore very cosy! The north west corner is regarded as a sacred, special place. In some ways the hurriedly taken photographs of the inside of the house, using my old camera with a rather grubby lens, do not do justice to the organised, efficient organisation of the two tiny rooms.

6. Tea Plantation and Factory ( 7min )

We visited the tea plantation and factory which was a short distance from the Hotel du Lac.
The factory was a busy, noisy place but it was interesting to see how the design of the machinery accomplished tasks efficiently. Quite fascinating.

10. Lemurs at Isalo National Park ( 3min 31sec )

It was a very hot day. We spent the morning at Hotel Jardin du Roy, exploring the ground and relaxing by the swimming pool. Then we travelled to the nearby Isalo National Park to go on a lemur-spotting trek. This little video records that event. (Trying to photograph and video the lemurs is not always easy. They are fairly active and it can be difficult to track their movements. Then, as I have since realised, the auto-focus sometimes decides the foliage is the subject of the picture!)

7. Fianarantsoa to le Jardin du Roy ( 8min 28 sec)

Although this video records the 200 mile journey from the Hotel du Lac at Sahambavy to Ranohira, via Fianarantsoa it is really about the excellent Hotel Jardin du Roy, in the Isalo National Park near the village of Ranohira.
(Note that although it was on this journey that we visited the paper-making factory at Ambalavao  and the Anja Reserve they are the subject of separate videos.)  

5. Visit to a Primary School (18 min 54 sec in total)

It was interesting to visit  a primary school in a different country.
The school was very welcoming and, as a teacher, I immediately felt at home in that environment.
 The school has limited resources but everyone was doing what they could for the education and welfare of their pupils. I would happily have stayed and done some teaching!
(I had to split the video into two parts because of download limits!)

Visit to a Primary School - Part One (6 min 59sec )

Visit to a Primary School - Part Two ( 11min 55sec )

2. Antananarivo to Antsirabe (Revised version) (11min 32 sec)

On this trip from Tana to Antsirabe we visit the fascinating aluminium recycling works and enjoy a demonstration on how to turn a zebu horn into a souvenir!
You will also enjoy a ride on a rickshaw and be able to laugh at the way I dealt with (or not) the souvenir sellers!...I ended up with an interesting pack of stones and my much prized rickshaw. (For something which cost so little and although made only of scraps, we spent the rest of the holiday treating the rickshaw as if it was an expensive crystal glass. It came home tucked safely inside a walking boot and is now proudly displayed in a cabinet!)
Also in the video, Mana talks about ancestral beliefs and I include a translation of a sung version of the Madagascan National Anthem.
(In this blog I also include the original version of the trip from Antananarivo to Antsirabe. I produced this revised version so that the whole trip was in one video and I wanted to eliminate the background music during the rickshaw ride. The compromise I made in doing this is that the image quality is not quite as good as in the original version.)

8. Paper making at Ambalavao ( 7 min 1 sec)

It was quite fascinating to see exactly how paper was made from the Avoha tree. The process is explained in this little video by Mana, the local Madagascan guide who accompanied us throughout the trip.
You may notice that I change the name of the Avoha tree at one point in the video...see if  you can spot the mistake!

9. The Anja Reserve ( 8 min 21 sec )

The Anja National Park is in a lovely, dramatic setting. The focus here are the ringtail lemurs but the chameleons are also fun!

14. Antananarivo to Antsirabe Part 1 then Part 2 (Original version) (Total time = 11 min 33 sec)

I had to split this video in two because it was too large to fit on the blogsite. It includes the rickshaw ride from the Hotel Vatolahay, an explanation of Malagasy ancestral beliefs and the Madagascan National Anthem.  
Although the picture-quality of this original version is slightly better than the revised version I completed the revision because I decided it would be better not to split the video in two parts and I wanted to do away with the music played on the valiha when the rickshaw ride commenced!

Part 1

Part 2

4. Ranomafana - first sight of lemurs..then to Sahambavy ( 11 min 38 sec )

Our first sighting of lemurs in Ranomafana National Park was an exciting event and it was a very memorable experience.This video demonstrates the difficulty of locating and then photographing lemurs in the pouring rain!
Then we see photos of Setam Lodge, where we stayed, and the chameleons we spotted on a night walk! Next day we saw a tree boa, Ranomafana village, a weaving co-op. Then we were 'on the road' and stopped off at Ambatovaky, a blacksmiths village, saw a waterfall...and eventually we arrived at Hotel Du Lac, Sahambavy, which is in a lovely setting and has attractive gardens.

1. Around Antananarivo ( 2 min 26 sec )

This short video is taken in and around Antananarivo, which is the capital city of Madagascar. The photographs are presented  with background music played on the 'valiha' ,a Madagascan type of zither.

13. Nosy Be ( 7 min 27 sec )

As a post extension Linda and I travelled to the island of Nosy Be and stayed at the Hotel Vanila. This video recalls memories of the location and a very interesting excursion to two islands - Nosy Komba and Nosy Tanikely. You may have guessed that 'Nosy' means 'Island'.

I was pleased to see the black lemur on Nosy Komba but had a closer encounter than I expected! The snorkelling at Nosy Tanikely was wonderful and I was very pleased with the photographs I took with Linda's waterproof camera.

12. AmbondronA ( 5 min 48 sec )

Mana, our local Madagascan guide, told me he has a  son who is a member of the band 'AmbondronA'. In this video I try to guess which band member is his son! See if you agree and perhaps one day I will find out!

In the videos on this blog I have chosen music which I think suits the mood I want to create. Sometimes I have used  the recordings I purchased in Madagascar, such as the valiha music, Groupe Ifaty and AmbondronA.