Changes

After a night at Hotel Le Coco Beach in Maroantsetra we walked in the early morning hours through the small town to the river where the pirogues to Andranofotsy leave from. Along the way to the "harbour" we stopped at the market to have some breakfast. For our relatively large pirogue we paid 12,000 Ariary for three people and left around 8.20am. There were also cheaper pirogues available, but we would had to wait until one is filled with passengers.

For the next 1 hours and 20 minutes it was a very pleasant, relaxing pirogue ride with amazing scenery along the many small river arms of <i>Andranofotsy River</i>. Around 9.40pm we arrived near Andranofotsy.

After breakfast with tea and fried bananas at our hotel we left the village around 6am. As the day before the trail followed the river downstream, sneaking up and down small hill and through valleys with rice fields. Today was the first time we had to cross the river by foot, which turned out to be no problem with a bit of balancing.

After 1 hour we reached Tanambao, another 1 hour and 20 minutes later Fizono and from there about 1 hour and 45 minutes later our final destination Ankovana at noon. Ankovana is a very small village with very basic accommodation. After a chat to the woman renting out rooms at [[Hotel Centrale Ankovana]] she invited us to stay at her private house next door for 5,000 Ariary per person. We accepted her invitation and were rewarded with a huge dinner (rice, fried egg, boiled vegetables and cucumber salad). Happy and with a full stomach we fell asleep.

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Heavy rain in the night and early morning hours delayed our departure a bit. We soon realised that the trail had turned into a mud pool, making it quite difficult to walk. Sliding backwards down a hill with the hands stretched out in the hope to hold on something, whilst trying not to completely loose the balance or searching for a shoe which got stuck in the mud were only some of the challenges we had to solve. But after even our guide once ended up on his buttocks we did not feel too much like clumsy [[vazaha]] anymore.

At around 1.30pm we arrived in Ambalaharongana where we went straight for the river to clean us and our clothes from the mud of the day. Beside a school and football field there is not much to see in the village, so we went early to bed.

The most challenging day - not in elevation but distance, as we walked over 50km to make it to Antalaha before night. After leaving Ambalaharongana at 6am we reached Marofinaritra at almost 10am. The trail ends at Marofinaritra and the road to Antalaha starts. But "road" does not necessarily mean cars. There is the occasional 4x4 taxi or more likely taxi motorbike on the road. The scenery changes slowly from rice fields to more and more villages and fruit plantations.

As it was Sunday, we walked the last few kilometres together with hundreds of kids which left their villages for a week of school in Antalaha. As the distances are too long to walk back and forth each day, the kids stay throughout the week in the city. After 63,086 steps we finally reached Antalaha just after sunset, exhausted but happy and very proud! It was a great feeling to have been able to answer with "YES" when being asked at the borders of the city if we came from Maroantsetra and to see the admiration in the eyes of askers!