Ikaka is the name of the river running
through a settlement that has literally sprung out of nowhere. The reason;
beautiful, abundant and lucrative sapphires. The first was found just over a
decade ago by a Swiss-Frenchman who we had the good fortune of meeting today.
Since then, approximately two hundred thousand people have migrated from all
over the world for a piece of the action.
All the mines here are open cut and still
excavated manually by long trains of men (a guided tour by the big chief’s
right hand man was 20,000Ar). It is apparently done this way to keep the locals
employed and families happy.
The guides in the area have a tendency to
tell their tourists that the town is dangerous. It does have a bit of that
blood diamond feel about it, but we had no trouble and I’m not sure where the
rumours are founded.
The road trip continued and the famous Baobab
“bottle” trees finally made an appearance. No great forests like in the west,
but quite a few great trees dotted through the countryside as we got closer to
Tulear. They are absolutely enormous! It’s easy to understand why Baobabs have
become such an icon of Madagascar.
We arrived in Tulear about 2pm and after
saying farewell to our driver and lovely BMW, headed straight out to Ifaty by
taxi brousse (3000Ar). A small beach town on the west coast, Ifaty is well
known for its beaches and seafood, and is cheaper than the resort towns up
north. The distance from Tulear is only 25km, however roads are so poor that
the trip takes about an hour even with a 4x4.
The sun was just setting as we booked into
our hotel, Auberge-inn (15,000Ar bungalow no amenities/20,000Ar with ensuite).
There is no hot water or electricity and it’s lights out after 9.30pm. I’m writing
my blog now by torchlight (btw, you can make a lantern by shining a torch
through a bottle of water) but have somehow managed to trap a big fat mosquito
inside my mozzie net. Shoo!
Tips for travellers: buyer beware! A group of
men approached us on the beach claiming to be fishermen and offering their
day’s finest catch as part of a full set dinner they would cook us on the
beach. They asked us for a 10,000Ar advance to buy ingredients and we agreed on
good faith. Things looked good so far, they didn’t just pick up and run.
Unfortunately when the party returned with the goods, our fresh fish (that was
advertised as fresh, if not still alive and kicking!) was day or possibly week
old pre-grilled fish from the markets. We left after an argument and found food
elsewhere but there was no getting around the fact our advance was
non-refundable. Two little girls later told us it was a scam they’d been
operating for quite some time now. It’s too bad, since there are a lot of
legitimate fishermen in Ifaty out to earn an honest buck. So, the moral; check
the goods first! It should apply to all purchases here!
