Day 8: destination massif of Ambondrombe

Just before the departure, we have to go to the market of Ambondrombe to buy big bags which will protect our bags during the next days in forest.

On the road again and all around us, once more a landscape of big granitic boulders and rice fields.
 

When we arrive in the village we fall at the time of the break and we are quickly surrounded with children in pupils' clothes, curious to see these "wasaha"...there are not so many strangers in this part of Madagascar.

In fact, we wait to obtain the permit which will allow us to penetrate into this area and it is also necessary to us to find carriers and guides.

There are not enough pupils' clothes for all the pupils, and the pupils are too numerous compared with the number of teachers, so when one half is in school, the other half is in break....that's why there are so many children near the school all day.  

We take a track which leaves the village, a really bad track full of holes but fortunately it has not rained much in this part of Madagsacar.
We far in the direction of a school complex, lost in the countryside, but which allows a lot of children to be schooled.   

This school complexe has been created by Germain, a friend of my friends, an highschool teacher, who became in the same time the Director of this school. 
We will sleep in his house tonight and once more when we will come back in 4 days.

Even if the school is free, some children are not at school because their parents are too poor and they need them to work in the fields...

Germain's house is one the left on this picture, its roof shine in the sun light.
We have to walk half an hour to arrive to its house, there is no more road after the school yard.

We quickly lunch and decide to take advantage of the afternoon to visit forests surroundings, just to have an idea of what we will find the next 4 days.

We immediately  find our first orchids.
Terrestrial orchids in grasslands...

Cynorkis speciosa and Cynorkis fastigiata

Their natural hybrid, Cynorkis fastigiata x speciosa

...and epiphytic orchids as soon we arrive in areas with trees.We  discover gorgeous tree ferns too.

Aerangis pallidiflora and Aeranthes caudata

Aerangis citrata

This stroll was short and twilight falls fast, especially when we are in forest thus it is reluctantly that we give up our researches.

It is our last night under a real roof before finding the enjoyments of the "wilderness camping".

A surprise before sleeping, all the children of the district came to see the strangers...the "wasaha"...