After a fewdays rest I was heading out for another walk. 110 km should covers in fivedays. My last walking experience still fresh in my memories I decided to hire aporter (read: a black man to carry my luggage like in the good old colonial times),along with my guide to get trough the Parc National l’Masoala, and in generallynot to get lost in the jungle. The area is without roads of any kind – not eventhe usual connection of potholes – so this time there wouldn’t be any pickupsor motocross’ to pick me up.

Doing the firstthree days we walked in terrains of big green hills (it went from sea level upto a 1250 metersand back down again), trough waist-deep rivers and because of the rainy seasonthe paths we should follow was covered in 15 cm of mud. Pretty much forcing us to walk alongand in small streams instead.

Having stomachproblems for the first time on this trip, I struggled on day one. Weakened bydehydrations due to vomiting at noon and getting a case of travelers’ diarrhea whenwe finally reach camp for the day, this was not my best day. Tough we had finishedthe 25 kmin the planned 7 hours, I feared for the days to come when I crept into mysleeping back rather early that night. But Hakuna Matata (‘there are no worries’ in Swahili), I flew through thesecond day, felling better than ever! Having, apparently, been sweating thelast bit of illness, which was left in my body, out doing the night.

Anyway, thefought day of the hike was definitely the most interesting and I deeply regretthat I’d ran out of batteries to my camera when we got that far (4 was empty and4 destroyed by water),

From themorning we had to use machetes to get forward, just to give up a few hours laterand make our way down to the river. Waking on the river shores, we had to crossthe river 13 times and even walk in the middle of it for almost an hour strait.

On this daywe saw lemurs, chameleons and snakes. We even had to climb the rocks on the riverbankto get pass the two small sections of the river where crocodile lives!

All in all,this King Day took us 35 kmin 11 hours, actually finishing our walk a day ahead of schedule. Leaving onlya 4 hour wait and a 3 hours drive the last 20 km to the coast town of Antalaha. Driving on theback of a small truck careering 25 people on its load, 4 in the cabin and even 2 on themotor hood, this became a carry of 30+ souls, even picking a few more up alongthe way. You gotta love the effectiveness and lack of respect for dangerous roadsthey have in Africa.

Bonus info:The first King of a united Madagascartook the name: Andriamanpoinimerinandriantsimitoviaminandriampanjaka (to makeit easier his people shortened it to Andrianampoinimerina).