Travel

     My time spent in Madagascar so far has certainly been filled with adventures. Every day holds something new to discover. From new Malagasy words and signs, to new dishes on the table, to the variety of different customs, beliefs and superstitions; it is safe to say that I'm always learning something!

     One thing I thought a lot about during my New Year's trip was the topic of travel. Living in Chicago for about two years, I thought I had gotten pretty good with public transportation. As I got use to it, I also became pretty good at complaining about it. However, travel here is nothing like that of Chicago, and I have learned a deep appreciation of the transportation options we have available to us in the States.

     I left my hometown of Toamasina on December 27^th. My finial destination was Manakara, which according to Google Maps, is a mere 563.2 miles from Toamasina. However, the travel that laid ahead of me included three days worth of Taxi brousse rides, and stops in two cities, all before reaching Manakara. And, this was if everything went exactly according to plan. (Reminder, I am in Madagascar and we are told to “hold things loosely” for a reason). The plan was to leave Toamasina, and get to Antananarivo (Tana) on the evening of the 27^th, this was a nine hour ride. From there, a fellow YAGM and I would leave the morning of the 28^th to reach Fianarantsoa , a ten hour ride. At that point we would meet up with 3 other YAGM and we would all get on a brousse headed to Manakara, an 8.5 hour ride.

     When I arrived in Tana, I was told there were no tickets left for Fianar for the 28^th, the earliest tickets we could get were for the 30^th. This would mean missing the brousse that we already had tickets for, and not being able to travel with our friends waiting in Fianar. This would also mean missing a night in Manakara. The next 24 hrs. were pretty stressful, but thanks to some amazing people and a ton of help, we were able to get tickets for the 29^th, which kept us on track. This was bump in the road number one, and really nothing looking back..

     We all made it to Manakara and had a wonderful time. We ended our trip with a night on the farm in Vohipeno, where a fellow YAGM is placed. Although all the travel to make this trip work was expensive, exhausting and honestly just not pleasant at times, it was worth it to see my Mada-gals. As we started to make our way back to our sites, we got some news that some of our travel plans might have to change. Specifically, the two of us headed back to Tana would have to hold tight for awhile as Cyclone Ava took its course. Ava came and did a bunch of damage. Roofs flew away, markets were completely flooded out, at least one church and many houses were just gone, totally taken out by the strength of the storm. The cyclone also did a lot of damage to the roads. Roads were broken in multiple spots. Two bridges had been flooded, and washed away. There were also numerous landslides along the roads that were causing blockages. Unlike in the states, there are no alternate routs. There is only one main road that travels North to South. If that road is broken and has lost two bridges, you wait.... That's when your 11 day trip turns into a 28 day trip, and you have no say in the matter.

     What got me thinking of travel differences in the first place is the fact that the same day I was leaving for my trip, some of my Elgin family were also leaving on a trip. They were going to Arizona, which according to Google Maps is a whopping 1,763.5 miles away. They were traveling a little over 1,200 miles farther than I was. However, it was not taking them 3 days to get there. They had the option to hop in a plane that took them the 1,763.5 miles in about four hours. The fact remains that even if they decided to drive, Google says it would have taken 26 hours. (My trip of 563.2 miles took 27.5 hrs) And if something were to happen on one of the roads they were traveling on, there would be at least one if not more, alternate routs to get them to their destination.
I thought a lot about the luxury of travel options the States has while on my trip. It's not just the long trip options, but travel within the same city as well. I remember the days when I thought taking the Red Line home after work, on a night of a Cubs game was torture. It was so crowded and uncomfortable as people would rush in to try to get a standing spot. Then, while I was delayed in Tana on my way back, I accompanied Megan to work. In order to get back, we had to take a 45 minute Taxi-be ride on a van that was meant for maybe 20 people, but held probably at least 30 or more. Also, people talk a lot about how bad the traffic in Chicago is. I'm telling you, its nothing compared to the traffic in Tana. Again, there is only one route to get to where you, and everyone else is going. That night it took us two hours to get home. The next day, it took us four hours to get home. All the while we were sitting in the “jump” seats set up in between the seats that actually belonged there. So we were cramped up next to a stranger on each side, and with no back rest. I think my tolerance for a packed EL has increased!

     This is just one example of the many differences I'm seeing this year. Being in a country that is so different than you own, really makes you reevaluate things. One time while I was driving to Michigan, I got so lost! Like so lost that the GPS had to tell me “recalculating” multiple times. I had somehow ended up on a completely different road. But lucky for me, I was somewhere where there were multiple roads leading to the same spot and I got to where I was going just fine. And little did I know that standing in an overcrowded EL, is something I would learn to appreciate one day.

This is a taxi-be near Megan's. The guy you see standing in the back, stands there the entire trip. The van makes a few stops. As it does, the guy opens the door and people get on and off using the back door. He then holds onto a rope as the van pulls away.