Southern Highlands

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to ride in a private brousse (with Jody Weir and her husband, Alistair, who are doing research in the Maromizaha Forest) to the Fianarantsoa area of Madagascar. When in Mada, a private brousse is always preferred to the often painful taxi brousse (long legged vazaha, van crammed with Malagasy, no leg room, you get the idea). Fianarantsoa is the center of the Betsileo region of Madagascar, the Southern Highlands, which is reached by Route National 7 (RN7) about 8 hours south of Antananarivo. This area of the country features some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen yet in Mada. It has all mostly been deforested, save for some few stands of endemic trees and many eucalyptus stands (used for making charcoal). The remaining vegetation is scrubby and grassy because of the relative dryness of the area due to the rain shadow caused by the chain of mountains that runs along the entirety of the east coast of Madagascar (relative because of the very wet East and the quite arid South and West). Terraced rice fields and houses that were built from the very earth they stand upon are enumerable in this area. The mountains of the Southern Highlands feature monstrous rock faces and stone hills that continue from Antananarivo through Antsirabe and to the south of Fianar. Antsirabe is located close to a dormant volcano crater (some 100km in area) that offers extremely fertile farmland, providing the region with some of the best vegetables one can find on the island. I, however, am yet to spend any time in Antsirabe. Add it to the looooong list of places I have to go here.

But I was able to spend a couple of days in Fianar, and I loved it. The feel of the city reminded me of the month I spent in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico, in 2008. I was also lucky in that the weather was fantastic while I was there. The days were sunny, dry, and breezy and the nights clear and brisk. Fianarantsoa in Malagasy translates as "good learning", and there are several universities located there. The first night I was there, a fellow PCV was throwing herself and several other volunteers a going home (to the States) party and invited many Malagasy folks as well. It felt strange to meet so many Malagasy people all at once who could speak English so well. I was impressed, to say the least. The city also offered some delicious eats. I had the best pizza I've had in 6 months, with grilled chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, garlic, and great cheese. I also ate ice cream for breakfast. Twice. I bought a kilo of garlic (real garlic! not teeny tiny POS garlic) for $1.50. I spent two nights in Fianar and one night about an hour south of there in a city called Ambalavao, where I and a few other PCVs visited another PCV's site (thanks again to Brad for the hospitality!). We made an amazing chili and a salad bar (a salad, really, that we just made way too much of).

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (my site), I have given a couple of compost pile demonstrations and worked with a couple of farmers building compost piles near there bean and rice fields. I have also been giving informal English lessons to whoever has wanted to learn (mazotobe!) but next week I've called a couple of meetings with the guides that work in my forest to organize a more formal English class schedule, which should be up and running in about 2 weeks time. Also, beginning in about 2 weeks, I will have my first Environment Kids Club session, teaching kids about the forest that they live so close to and how it relates to their life and to the world at large. It's also getting close to rice season and I plan on getting out and getting dirty working the fields with several farmers. Blisters on the hands much? Ai i ra! I want to learn their methods of farming before I start trying to introduce them to advanced yield techniques (System of Rice Intensification or SRI).

Rat update: add 3 to the running tally for a total of 8 so far killed in Madagascar at my hands. Good news: the past two nights, there were no rats whatsoever in my house!

Take care folks!
Until next time, Go VOLS!

James