And while a few hours before I saw only blackbirds and sparrows numbed by a long winter, here I discover out of the airport a red Foudis and a Myna which make me become aware at once that France is very far and especially that I changed season.
It is early but the temperature is already well and at once I am struck to find this so particular, so characteristic smell, mixture of spices, mature fruits and flowers, that I had discovered during my previous journey already about 2 and a half years ago.
Just the time to go to the Villa Amy for a good shower and a breakfast, that already we already set off to our first stage, the massif of Ankaratra.
Passage near Tana with the palace of the queen always in work after it burned some years before.
The road winds between hills, on the sides from which forests disappeared for quite a long time to cultures as the rice, the corn or still the pineapple with which we fill up at the first opportunity with peddlers.
Soon we see big granite rocks, typical of this region of highlands, nomore cultures but grasslands with zebus, where some years ago you could find evergreen forests.
Eucalyptus and Pines are today the only trees that we see here.
The first orchids we see are attached behind a truck!!
After some hours, we finally see the massif of Ankaratra and we find our first terrestrial blooming orchids: Cynorkis speciosa, Cynorkis flexuosa and Cynorkis graminea.
Far off we can unfortunately already distinguish the first fires that we shall have the opportunity to see closer in the next days.
The night comes quickly in this season, so we have to find a place for our camp and when all our equipment is released from vehicles, we do not resist the desire to make a last small tour before the night to discover our first epiphytic orchids.
Now it is time to eat before going into our tents for our first night in Madagascar.
No comments:
Post a Comment