Tuesday October 30, 2012
Total USD left to date - $33,099.65
Total USD left to date - $33,099.65
We arrived in Antananarivo Madagascar right on time at 2:10 pm. We were all really relaxed after the great week we had in South America . We had honestly been a little homesick and really appreciated the amazing hospitality we received from Michelle's family.We had a bit of a hard time going through customs . We had acquired things from our travels and they had to be thoroughly checked and approved to be allowed into the country. Jamie made the situation a little easier because she spoke French which helped move the process along. After getting through customs we walked to the pick up area where we had a car waiting for us . It was included as part of our accommodations. We all got into our van and headed to our hotel in the middle of downtown Antananarivo. We decided that after saving so much money in South America that we could splurge in Madagascar .
Our accommodations include transportation to and from the airport , breakfast , with the choice of either a buffet or continental breakfast in your room and other amenities. We had reserved 4 standard twin suites . We decided to draw straws to see who got the 1 room to themselves , excluding Michelle, since she had already had the luxury in Columbia. TY got the winning straw. Here is a description and pictures of our accommodations-
Set in the business district in the centre of Antananarivo, this 3-star hotel is just a 5-minute walk from the Presidential Palace. You can relax in the hot tub or enjoy a cocktail in the on-site bar.
The rooms at TANA Hotel are contemporary in style and offer views of the surrounding city. Each one is air-conditioned and also has a seating area with an LCD TV and a minibar.
A buffet breakfast is provided every morning in the breakfast room. You can also use the hotel’s room service and enjoy the breakfast continental-style from the comfort of your room.
Massages and free private parking are some of the other facilities at this hotel. You may also organise a shuttle service at the 24-hour reception to Ivat Airport, which is 8 km away.
We had made reservations at the TANA Hotel which was located in the center of the city. Upon our arrival we were greeted by the concierge , Mahnie .
(Info through Booking.com and the Tana hotel website.)
Our accommodations include transportation to and from the airport , breakfast , with the choice of either a buffet or continental breakfast in your room and other amenities. We had reserved 4 standard twin suites . We decided to draw straws to see who got the 1 room to themselves , excluding Michelle, since she had already had the luxury in Columbia. TY got the winning straw. Here is a description and pictures of our accommodations-
Set in the business district in the centre of Antananarivo, this 3-star hotel is just a 5-minute walk from the Presidential Palace. You can relax in the hot tub or enjoy a cocktail in the on-site bar.
The rooms at TANA Hotel are contemporary in style and offer views of the surrounding city. Each one is air-conditioned and also has a seating area with an LCD TV and a minibar.
A buffet breakfast is provided every morning in the breakfast room. You can also use the hotel’s room service and enjoy the breakfast continental-style from the comfort of your room.
Massages and free private parking are some of the other facilities at this hotel. You may also organise a shuttle service at the 24-hour reception to Ivat Airport, which is 8 km away.
Mahnie suggested we unpack and take advantage of the massage services they offered at TANA. She offered us a package deal , hour long massages for the seven of us for $250 USD or 2,768,890.00 MGF (Malagasy Franc)-
NO BRAINER ! We made our way down after unpacking and Mahnie walked us to the hot tub and spa area of the hotel . She asked us if we wanted her to make us dinner reservations . We were so impressed with the hospitality we had received allready. Mahnie explained tourism was very important to the people of Antananarivo.
What a great way to start off our week in Madagascar! After our massages we made our way to our rooms to shower and get ready for dinner. We had decided to meet in the lobby at 7:30 . At 7:15 Kevin decided to check on TY because no one had heard from him since the massage. He had fallen asleep! We all made it down to the lobby by 7:30. Manhie had made us reservations and scheduled a car for transportation to and from the restaurant. Mahnie had made us a reservation at , Le Cafe De La Gare. After our amazing afternoon we were really excited about dinner. After a 10 minute drive we arrived ready to feast.
We were again amazed at the hospitality. Our servers explained to us that the food in Madagascar reflects various cultures such as Arab, Indonesian, French, and African. Traditionally a meal is eaten sitting on the floor , served on large plates and eaten with spoons. Ro and Ravitoto are two specialties of Madagascar cuisine and we got to try both. Ro is made by mixing rice with various local herbs and fragrant leaves and Ravitoto is made of meats and herbs, deep fried in oils and spices. It was amazing. Although we were hoping that Pepto Bismol or Tums were available somewhere if we were going to eat like this all week. After eating and hanging out we made plans for our first full day tomorrow and headed back to the hotel around 10:00 . We were beat after the plane ride massages and fantastic dinner. We turned in around 10:45 excited about the rest of the week.
Total for dinner - $95.00 USD or $1,052,178.00
Car- $12.00 USD with tip or $132,908.72 MGF
Total for day one = $357.00 USD
$3,953,975.00 MGF
Wednesday October 31, 2012
After a full nights rest in our ever so comfortable beds at The TANA, everyone woke up feeling rejuvenated and ready for our first adventurous day in Antananarivo. We woke up and met for breakfast in the hotel lobby at 8:30 am. We then proceeded to have an exquisite breakfast together in the breakfast room where the buffet is provided every morning! Once everyone had their coffee, tea, toast, fruits and eggs we all realized how much we could get used to this lifestyle! Below shows the lobby where we met.
At breakfast we discussed what we should do for the day. Kevin remembered our concierge, Mahnie telling us about the infamous Croc Farm in Antananarivo. We decided to look it up on TripAdvisor.com to see if it would be worth spending our day there or not. The Croc Farm had nothing but excellent reviews from TripAdvisor and since the group collectively loves animals we decided to check it out. The Croc Farm opens each morning at 9:00 am, but Michelle read on a Madagascar Toursim website (http://www.madagascar.world-guides.com/madagascar_attractions.html) that the best time to visit was midday, AKA feeding time!
We finished breakfast around 9:30 am so we wanted to kill time until it was time to go see the various animals at the Crocodile Farm during their feedings. I remembered we had a hot tub at The TANA so we all rushed up to our rooms and fetched our swimsuits and headed to the hot tub. Although we weren't out in the city yet, it was nice to relax and talk with each other about the last few weeks we've had around the world! Also, there was native music playing over speakers where the hot tub was located. The music provided a nice ambience of the culture in which we were about to experience.
After we nearly passed out from the spa, we took showers and got ready to go to The Crocodile Farm. We called "The Taxi Brousse" service. A Taxi driver named "Abi" greeted us in 15 seater, Mazada Van picked at The TANA at 12:10 pm. The ride took about 15-17 minutes to get to the Croc Farm. The ride was only 4,000 Ariary ($1.82 USD).
We arrive at the Croc Farm and its now 12:25 pm. The admission lady at the front of the Farm was thrilled to have a group of Americans come to the farm so she made us an exclusive deal: She charged us 65,848.60 Ariary ($30.00) for our entire group! The Croc Farm was so interesting and to our surprise there were many different animals to see. Here is some of what we saw upon our visit to the Croc Farm:
After a full nights rest in our ever so comfortable beds at The TANA, everyone woke up feeling rejuvenated and ready for our first adventurous day in Antananarivo. We woke up and met for breakfast in the hotel lobby at 8:30 am. We then proceeded to have an exquisite breakfast together in the breakfast room where the buffet is provided every morning! Once everyone had their coffee, tea, toast, fruits and eggs we all realized how much we could get used to this lifestyle! Below shows the lobby where we met.
At breakfast we discussed what we should do for the day. Kevin remembered our concierge, Mahnie telling us about the infamous Croc Farm in Antananarivo. We decided to look it up on TripAdvisor.com to see if it would be worth spending our day there or not. The Croc Farm had nothing but excellent reviews from TripAdvisor and since the group collectively loves animals we decided to check it out. The Croc Farm opens each morning at 9:00 am, but Michelle read on a Madagascar Toursim website (http://www.madagascar.world-guides.com/madagascar_attractions.html) that the best time to visit was midday, AKA feeding time!
We finished breakfast around 9:30 am so we wanted to kill time until it was time to go see the various animals at the Crocodile Farm during their feedings. I remembered we had a hot tub at The TANA so we all rushed up to our rooms and fetched our swimsuits and headed to the hot tub. Although we weren't out in the city yet, it was nice to relax and talk with each other about the last few weeks we've had around the world! Also, there was native music playing over speakers where the hot tub was located. The music provided a nice ambience of the culture in which we were about to experience.
After we nearly passed out from the spa, we took showers and got ready to go to The Crocodile Farm. We called "The Taxi Brousse" service. A Taxi driver named "Abi" greeted us in 15 seater, Mazada Van picked at The TANA at 12:10 pm. The ride took about 15-17 minutes to get to the Croc Farm. The ride was only 4,000 Ariary ($1.82 USD).
We arrive at the Croc Farm and its now 12:25 pm. The admission lady at the front of the Farm was thrilled to have a group of Americans come to the farm so she made us an exclusive deal: She charged us 65,848.60 Ariary ($30.00) for our entire group! The Croc Farm was so interesting and to our surprise there were many different animals to see. Here is some of what we saw upon our visit to the Croc Farm:
We had SUCH a great time at The Croc Farm. Watching the crocodiles fight over food was intense and thrilling! It was really neat to see the other exotic animals like the lemurs and the civet cats because we never get to see animals like those at home. We were having so much fun that we lost track of time and realized we had been there so long when the sun started to fall behind the trees. It was now 5:40 pm and we came to the conclusion that it was time for dinner. We called "Abi" our taxi man from earlier and he picked us up from the Croc Farm at 6:00 pm on the dot! We headed back towards the hotel and as we were traveling down the Rue de la Reunion and Ty spots "KUDeTA" and insists we have dinner there. We have Abi drop us off there and he informed us that it was only a short walk of 5 mins from our hotel. SO we paid him 4,000 Ariary again and parted ways.
The restaurant KUDeTA was divine! They offered a wide array of entrees like vegetable kabobs, a chicken dish, salads, chocolate desserts, and great drink specials. We enjoyed it tremendously because the restaurant was vibrant in color and continued that contemporary, modern feel which matched that of our hotel. The bill for our dinner was 147,040.89 Ariary ($67.00 USD).
Everyone was stuffed from dinner at KUDeTA so we took a slow walk back to the Central TANA Hotel and made our way up to our rooms. It was a thrilling day for all of us between breakfast, the hot tub, exotic animals, and delicious food. We were worn out so we went to bed incredibly early! Everyone was asleep by 9:15 pm! It was a great day to say the least!
Total costs for the day: 220,889.49 Madagascar Ariary ($100.72 USD)
Totals:
Food- 60 USD or 660,589.25 MGF
Taxi- 30 USD or 330,295.04 MGF
The restaurant KUDeTA was divine! They offered a wide array of entrees like vegetable kabobs, a chicken dish, salads, chocolate desserts, and great drink specials. We enjoyed it tremendously because the restaurant was vibrant in color and continued that contemporary, modern feel which matched that of our hotel. The bill for our dinner was 147,040.89 Ariary ($67.00 USD).
Everyone was stuffed from dinner at KUDeTA so we took a slow walk back to the Central TANA Hotel and made our way up to our rooms. It was a thrilling day for all of us between breakfast, the hot tub, exotic animals, and delicious food. We were worn out so we went to bed incredibly early! Everyone was asleep by 9:15 pm! It was a great day to say the least!
Total costs for the day: 220,889.49 Madagascar Ariary ($100.72 USD)
Thursday November 1st
On
Thursday, we woke up at 9 am very tired from our long day at The Croc Farm.
We walked down to the lobby and ate a very yummy breakfast. We had eggs,
bacon, and everything else we could eat on the delicious buffett! At breakfast
we discussed what we wanted to do for that day. We asked Mahnie what he
recommended and he told us about Ambohimanga. Ambohimanga is the former royal
capital and is a very beautiful historical site.
We
decided to look more into Ambohimanga and found out it is only open from 8am to
11am and from 2pm to 5pm. When we were looking this up we realized it was
already 10 oclock and we should just wait until the 2 oclock time. We all went
up stairs to take showers and hang out before we were on our way!
Around
1 oclock, we called for a taxi from the eastern taxi-brousse station in Tana.
The drive to Ambohimanga is 30 minutes but could be 60 if we hit traffic so we
decided to leave a hour early.The price for the taxi service there and back was
only $30 USD for the whole group!
Once
we got there, we walked up to the entrance (see picture below). There was an
entrance fee of 10,000 Ar with a guided tour included. We decided to take the
guided tour and it was definitely well worth it.
Once on the tour, we learned a lot about
Ambohimanga. We learned that it is the most sacred of the twelve(sacred) hill
that surrpound Antananarivo. The view from the top of the hill was my absolute
favorite part. It was beautiful! I have posted a picture below.
Our
guide was very good at explaining the culture and traditions of the last king
and queen's! We were all very fascinated by the old practices that are still
continued there today. We were actually able to go into the palaces but
unfortunately no photos were allowed. After viewing the palaces, we had decided
it was time to eat.
Since
we hadn’t eaten until around 10 that morning, we decided to have an early
dinner around 5 at a little place called Chez Haga. It was only a 2 minute walk
and had cute outside patio dining with a French menu. It was so
delicious. I have posted a picture of Emily's food! After we ate, we took the same taxi back to our hotel and went to bed very early. We were all so tired from such a fun day!
Totals:
Food- 60 USD or 660,589.25 MGF
Taxi- 30 USD or 330,295.04 MGF
Activities- 70,000 Ar or 350,000 MGF or 31.79 USD
-Alex Rathbun
Friday November 2, 2012
Open air market
-Kelly
Saturday November 3, 2012
On Saturday, we woke up around 8:00am. All of this traveling is finally beginning to catch up to us, so we were all exhausted. We decided to fall back asleep for a while. We woke up at 9:30am and headed down to the common area for breakfast. The breakfast was especially delicious this morning! T.Y. thought the english muffins were top notch and decided to pocket a few for later use.
We went back up to our rooms to get ready for the day. We planned to visit Traces Moto, which is a place that rents out motorcycles for touring Madagascar.
We piled in a taxi at 11:30am and arrived at Traces Moto at noon. We were so excited to ride motorcycles for the day! Traces Moto had 12 different motorcycles to choose from. After a brief training session, we were ready to go at 1:00pm! Here is a picture of Michelle and Emily on their motorcycles ready for departure:
We began our tour and were amazed at the landscapes around us. Here is a picture of us (from left to right: Jaime, Alex, Kelly, T.Y., and Kevin) riding by an incredible sight:
Here is a picture of Michelle and Jaime riding past a local townsperson:
We were having such a good time and didn't want it to end, but unfortunately, our tour came to end around 4:30pm. When we arrived back, we realized we had worked up quite an appetite riding motorcycles all day. We decided to feast on some local cuisine. We took a taxi to Restaurant Sakamanga and arrived at 6:00pm, ready to eat!
We ordered our food at 6:15pm and we were all impressed when received it at 6:30pm, despite how busy it was. The food was delicious! The food came to a total of $70 USD. Here is a picture of Alex's food:
When we finished we were all so full and took a taxi back to our hotel and arrived at 8:00pm. We decided to play a game of Monopoly to wind down for the night. The game didn't last long thanks to Jaime's expertise, which quickly won the game for her. We finally fell asleep around 10:00pm, so that we could rest up for Sunday!
Totals:
Food Total: $70 USD or 770,688.42 MGF
Taxi Total: $30 USD or 330,295.04 MGF
Activities Total: $120 USD or 1,321,178.82 MGF
Total for the Day: $220 USD or 2,422,161.17 MGF
-Kevin Burnet
On Saturday, we woke up around 8:00am. All of this traveling is finally beginning to catch up to us, so we were all exhausted. We decided to fall back asleep for a while. We woke up at 9:30am and headed down to the common area for breakfast. The breakfast was especially delicious this morning! T.Y. thought the english muffins were top notch and decided to pocket a few for later use.
We went back up to our rooms to get ready for the day. We planned to visit Traces Moto, which is a place that rents out motorcycles for touring Madagascar.
We piled in a taxi at 11:30am and arrived at Traces Moto at noon. We were so excited to ride motorcycles for the day! Traces Moto had 12 different motorcycles to choose from. After a brief training session, we were ready to go at 1:00pm! Here is a picture of Michelle and Emily on their motorcycles ready for departure:
We began our tour and were amazed at the landscapes around us. Here is a picture of us (from left to right: Jaime, Alex, Kelly, T.Y., and Kevin) riding by an incredible sight:
Here is a picture of Michelle and Jaime riding past a local townsperson:
We were having such a good time and didn't want it to end, but unfortunately, our tour came to end around 4:30pm. When we arrived back, we realized we had worked up quite an appetite riding motorcycles all day. We decided to feast on some local cuisine. We took a taxi to Restaurant Sakamanga and arrived at 6:00pm, ready to eat!
We ordered our food at 6:15pm and we were all impressed when received it at 6:30pm, despite how busy it was. The food was delicious! The food came to a total of $70 USD. Here is a picture of Alex's food:
When we finished we were all so full and took a taxi back to our hotel and arrived at 8:00pm. We decided to play a game of Monopoly to wind down for the night. The game didn't last long thanks to Jaime's expertise, which quickly won the game for her. We finally fell asleep around 10:00pm, so that we could rest up for Sunday!
Totals:
Food Total: $70 USD or 770,688.42 MGF
Taxi Total: $30 USD or 330,295.04 MGF
Activities Total: $120 USD or 1,321,178.82 MGF
Total for the Day: $220 USD or 2,422,161.17 MGF
-Kevin Burnet
-Kevin
Sunday November 4, 2012
We woke up Sunday and had another delicious breakfast at our hotel. Mahnie was again super helpful and had scheduled one of the tour busses to pick us up , tour Lemurs Park , have lunch and bring us back all for $120.00 USD or 265,813.32 MGA. After eating breakfast we grabbed our cameras and eagerly waited on our ride . We were picked up at 10:00.There were others going to the park that day and we made friends with several of the couples and groups. We even got a "MUST " eat at restaurant suggestion and rang Mahnie to set it up for later on that night.
We woke up Sunday and had another delicious breakfast at our hotel. Mahnie was again super helpful and had scheduled one of the tour busses to pick us up , tour Lemurs Park , have lunch and bring us back all for $120.00 USD or 265,813.32 MGA. After eating breakfast we grabbed our cameras and eagerly waited on our ride . We were picked up at 10:00.There were others going to the park that day and we made friends with several of the couples and groups. We even got a "MUST " eat at restaurant suggestion and rang Mahnie to set it up for later on that night.
We arrived at Lemurs' Park just outside Tana (about 45 minutes away). They have multiple types of lemurs there on the reserve which are quite friendly and will walk within a foot or so of you. The guide was very informative and spoke English quite well. Easy trip from Tana. It's an experience you cannot miss while in Madagascar!
We ate at their restaurant after the tour. Many of us had the zebu which was very tasty. Served with a side of rice and tomatoes. Traditional madagasy preparation. There is also a small gift shop with items that are not too overpriced (similar to "bargain prices" at the handcraft street market).
There is an entrance fee (for tourists and Malagasy), I believe 10,000 Ar a piece.
After lunch we headed back and shared all our pictures from the park. We arrived back at Tana around 5pm. We all decided to relax in the hot tub for awhile . We agreed to meet up and head out to dinner around 7:30. We had reservations at Sakamanga' for 8pm.
Everyone met up and we got a car . The ride took about ten minutes . We were so happy that we took the advice of our fellow travelers, the atmosphere was lovely and we all ate like kings!
We ate at their restaurant after the tour. Many of us had the zebu which was very tasty. Served with a side of rice and tomatoes. Traditional madagasy preparation. There is also a small gift shop with items that are not too overpriced (similar to "bargain prices" at the handcraft street market).
There is an entrance fee (for tourists and Malagasy), I believe 10,000 Ar a piece.
After lunch we headed back and shared all our pictures from the park. We arrived back at Tana around 5pm. We all decided to relax in the hot tub for awhile . We agreed to meet up and head out to dinner around 7:30. We had reservations at Sakamanga' for 8pm.
Dinner , the cab and tips totaled a mere $140.00 USD or 310,115.54 MGA. We got back to Tana around 10:30 and decided to have some cocktails at the bar. Michelle, Emily and Jamie split a couple bottles of wine and Alex , Kelly, Kevin and TY had a couple pitchers of the local beer, Three Horses . We all had an amazing day and called it a night around 1:30 am. Everyone was really excited about our plans to go to Le Six Disco tomorrow night. We agreed to meet up by 10 am for a late breakfast and crashed for the night.
-T.Y.
Monday November 5, 2012 For our last day in Madagascar, we wanted to take it slow by relaxing enjoying the environment. We decided to visit the Tsimbazaza Zoo. Emily called us a cab to take us from the hotel to the zoo. Once we got there our tour guide showed us the various Madagascar wildlife such as ostriches, camels, wart hogs, lemurs, and fossa.
Although the zoo was somewhat disorganized, it was cool because there was a lot more freedom. Kevin wanted to feed some of the animals, so we bought some food and feed the ostriches and camels. One of the camels thought that Michelle’s hair was food and started to nibble on it a little; she obviously screamed and yanked back, so she might have lost a chunk of hair. Before, we left the hotel; Jamie had packed us a picnic to eat at the zoo, so we took a lunch break. After our lunch break, T.Y. wanted to see the crocodiles get feed. The crocodiles were huge and scary literally devouring their food in 5 seconds. On our way out of the zoo, Kelly asked our tour guide where we should go for dinner. The tour guide suggested Café Charly restaurant.
At Café Charly, Michelle requested to sit by the window for the view. Kelly thanked her later because the view was magnificently breath taking. The international cuisine was pretty average same as the service overall the experience was pleasant especially with the jazz ambiance that eased me during long periods of waiting. Dinner came to a total of 990,883.87 MGA.
After dinner we decided to partake in some of Madagascar nightlife. Since Kelly likes to dance, we want to Le six disco. The best disco in Antananarvio not only did we meet locals, but we also met other toursits. Overall the experience was eye opening. After T.Y. tried to put some moves on one of the locals and Alex had one too many beers, we decided to call it a night. We then proceeded to the hotel to get a good night’s rest, so we would be ready for our flight that leaves at 9:15am.
Total for the day: 1,431,276.70 MGA
-Michelle
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