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Madagaskara

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Madagascar - A report for the Old Millhillian travel grant

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In between the packing and repacking, I was anxious and nervous not knowing what to expect for the seven weeks I was going to spend in Madagascar volunteering for ReefDoctor. Months earlier, I had a long talk over coffee with Roderick the director of the ReefDoctor NGO and felt compelled to spend my time with this NGOs instead of going through other volunteering companies.

I was not wrong. I had the most incredible seven weeks adventure in this little village of Ifaty on the Bay of Ranobe, South Madagascar.

The journey to the ReefDoctor site was not easy, mostly due to the lack of French I possessed and the general transportation of Madagascar. However, I was welcomed in almost instantly by other volunteers and staff, and soon enough, it seemed like I had been here for ages. It didn’t take me long to realize perhaps I packed a little bit too light for the winter season.

Within the next few weeks, I was required to complete my Science Training which means learning to identify different types of corals, invertebrates and fishes to be recorded in the monthly survey. Since there were only two of us who were new, we had to pick up the pace quite quickly. The training period involved doing underwater IDs, mimic transect line, coral table cleaning and passing an exam at the end.

Every morning, we would get up early and dive. It was a mental challenge everyday to jump down into the cold winter water at 6 in the morning but it’s always worth it! The Bay of Ranobe is a semi-enclosed lagoon in the southwestern coast of Madagascar. Within there are several habitats from barrier reefs, patch reefs, sea grass beds and mangroves. Our dives are conducted within the lagoon on a few specific Marine Protected sites close to ReefDoctor.

Life is very simple in the village of Ifaty. The village is small but comprised of roughly 300 inhabitants called the Vezo which means they are a fishing village. The locals speak mainly Vezo dialect with a little bit of French. They live in thatched leaves hut close together extended inward from the Bay with only one primary school built with help from ReefDoctor after a storm destroyed it. Everyday, the men would take their fishing boat – an incredible design itself – and paddle out to the sea whilst the women and children wait for low tide and collect anything that is strained behind on the shore.

At ReefDoctor, we live in huts made just like the villagers. There is no electricity line or running water, everything was done by hand. We get to charge our phones for three hours a day, no Internet, shower by taking a bucket and no light. Every evening we had dinner in the most stunning sunset by the sea waiting as the night full of stars take hold.

Alongside with our daily work, volunteers were also encouraged to get involved as much as possible with other projects. This meant helping the aquaculture project, which involves a strenuous trek through an extensive seagrass bed amidst the fear of stepping on sea urchins, to build sea cucumber and seaweed farm. Several days of the month were dedicated to fisheries where we would wait to ID the fishermen’s catches to build up data in the monthly survey.

With help I honestly have learnt so much about the marine environment and the coral reef system within just a few weeks.  It slowly became clear to me the main issues affecting the marine habitats within the Bay of Ranobe had a lot of do with the increase in local population and to a certain extent, the sustained increase seawater temperatures across the globe. The increasing population of Madagascar has led to an increase in the native Vezo people and other migrants living on the coastal of the Bay of Ranobe. With this pressure, not only are there pressure on land but also on the marine environment to cope with nutrient loading from agricultural fertilisers and intensive fishing techniques. All the coastal habitats interact with each other. On World’s mangrove day, we were invited to visit the Honku NGO who were working in the same region and witness the affect of deforestation of forests and mangroves on the Bay of Ranobe – high sedimentation. This resulted in sediments covering the coral reefs and disrupt the life cycle of this habitat.

Of course, it was not just all work, no play. The most memorable moment for me was the release of two incredibly beautiful turtles back to the sea. On top of that, seeing a extraordinary pair of humpback whales on one of our dives was just unbelievable. Everyday, I got to sit by the sea and watch the stunning sunset go as the starry night took hold. Then there was the mind-blowing scenery of the trek through Isalo NP that showcased the impeccable beauty that Madagascar has to offer! It was incredible to witness the various landscapes from dry tropical desert to the extraordinary canyons among savanna grassland within Isalo. Also, the diversity of species in Madagascar.

During the 6th weeks, time flew by, I felt immersed in the Malagasy culture (thanks to Rina for teaching me Malagasy!) and was so sad I had to part with all the friends I’ve made along the way at ReefDoctor. We’ve had so much fun, countless laughter and crazy moments.

All I can say is that I have had such an unbelievable time at ReefDoctor that simply cannot be described. There were so much laughter, friendship and wonderful time. I have seen so many awesome animals like the amazing humpback whales during one of our dives, the biggest Peacock Grouper I have ever seen, releasing two beautiful turtles back to the ocean and taking a selfie with a gorgeous green Chameleon. Oh and lots of lemurs too!

So I will write all the lessons I’ve learnt from this trip:

1.  Things never go to plan but relax, that’s part of the fun!

Getting around Madagascar rarely ever goes according to plan. If anything, I have learnt to stay calm and have a laugh because virtually every single journey I have taken has been interesting.

The first time, I landed at Tana airport into the chaos of the Malagasy styled immigration and visa office. I was aware I would have a language problem but I didn’t comprehend how overwhelming it would be. It didn’t help that they were announcing my name on the speaker in French either. After a while struggling to explain myself, I found my way to pay the visa fees and the officers took my passport away along with 10 others, all at once.

Finally we got out to find that our domestic flight to Tulear has been moved earlier with no warning given. So I decided to tough it out and stay at the airport, freezing until the next morning. We watched the final world cup match until they kicked us out.

The airport was definitely not designed for people to wait in. There weren’t many seats to find. We ended up sitting in a narrow aisle, on a set of coloured worn out plastic chairs where we met a brave young mother who just had her baby boy and they were going to see the father for the first time.

The village of Ifaty has to be reached by an hour and a half ride on a taxi-brousse. There is no better way to have a true Malagasy experience than having a ride on the local transport - taxi brousse. They range from small trucks to bigger truck/car travelling on mostly unmade road. It can be overwhelming at first when it seems like the whole village is coming with you. Every inch of the vehicle is fully utilized because anything and everything goes in and on a taxi brousse.

As I sat on the seat, rice bags and wood panels would go under and piled up to our seats so that sometimes I would have to crawl into a ball. Then the furniture, bags would be strapped to the top as well as animals being taken to the market like chickens. The fishes went under the truck. You will grow to love the blasting upbeat Gasy music, especially the infamous DJ “Mr Nice”. It is not unusual to be hanging off the back of the truck for an hour either when there is absolutely no room left but trust me you will appreciate it considering how stuffy it would be inside when the driver is unwilling to go, circulate around the town until he can fill the entire truck to the maximum.

Nothing that goes on a taxi brousse surprises me anymore. In fact, they always gave me a good laugh. On my journey back to the capital Antanarivo, a goat was strapped down on the truck above my head for 20 hours overnight, then there were baby cribs, turkeys etc. However, I am glad I took this route along the RN7 highway – Madagascar’s best road, because I got to see the beautiful landscape changes from the dry desert sand of the south to the rice paddy of the central highland. It was definitely worth seeing!

2. Learnt the local language

This was definitely my gateway into the Malagasy culture. Within the first two days arriving at the campsite, I met the most awesome Malagasy girl with a wicked sense of humor.

With the kind help from Rina, I was able to "speak" Malagasy and be understood with a laugh from my friend at the village. As part of our work, we held English lessons for children and adults from the village. My basic Malagasy proved to be very useful to translate some words in English into Malagasy. In returns, the kids taught me how to count in Malagasy!

3.  The People

I have to say the most important component of my whole experience was all the people I met over the 7 weeks. I have made so many friends and was inspired by so many for their love for the ocean and the environment from all walks of life. They have been so patient to answers all my questions and so much kindness it has definitely made my entire adventure unforgettable.

The Malagasy people are diverse, with 18 different ethnic groups, the differences don’t just range from different origins and dialects but also customs and “fady”. “Fady” is the Malagasy word for taboo.

The 7 weeks in Madagascar all seems like a dream to me. I spent the last week making my way back to England bringing with me so many memories that I hope will never forget.

Thank you for giving me the most incredible experience in Madagascar that I could ever ask for. Without the generosity from the OldMillhillian and the support of my friends and family, I wouldn't be able to have had such an opportunity.

Thank you!