Air Madagascar managed to lose my fishing rods and Evan’s stands and tripod, but otherwise, the flights were fine – empty and comfortable. The hotel in Tanna was classic – very comfortable (hot water etc.). The father and son blues guitarists were world-class.
The road trip was a blast – the park was brilliant and the guide was very talkative and informative with a dedication to personal service.
Scooter travel was not the most comfortable way to travel, but convenient and fun. Even considering the slightly higher cost of a bigger bike, that may be the way to go.
The kayak trip was also great – beautiful and rustic. Ross has chosen some great spots and the accommodation was more than ample. The guys who ran the trip; Mohammed and the crew of the boat were great – tireless workers with a friendly attitude. Without exception they worked very hard – frustrating for Ross at times I think as the time ethic; sticking to a schedule etc. is not what we are used to.
The trip is certainly not for the comfy chairs and cocktails types – not a luxury trip by any means – but for an outdoors type, just the thing. The bugs (sandflies, and some but not many mozzies), were a right pain. We did not do as much paddling as Ross had envisioned, but fortunately, us lazy ones could always revert to the Dhow. It was stunning to paddle the open blue, or just have the kayaks there to play around the camp etc. We did one or two great island circumnavigations too.
Last, but by no means least, you did a great job in getting flights and itineraries sorted. A friendly person organising one ticket puts a person in the right frame of mind to enjoy one’s holiday.
All in all a good trip, and I think everyone enjoyed it. If there were any areas that needed a little work, I would say that the organisation of the day to day running could have been a little slicker (not a Madagascan trait I do not think… ). There was certain randomness that is delightful, but some (more retentive ones), maybe a little unsettled by it. The food might have a little more finesse in presentation (some colour, variety or garnish), although delicious and well prepared it certainly was. I forget her name, but the lady that ran the galley worked like a Trojan and produced lots of great food under some very difficult circumstances.
So Thanx, it was good. I would go again tomorrow, given the chance.
All the best
Richard
