So, the reason that I haven’t been able to post any updates over the last few days is because of some technical problems here at Reef Doctor – that being no electricity. The generator failed, and then the back-up generator failed, and so we have been without water, power and of course the internet. In brief, after the going-away party for Shawn , the outgoing director, and Rebecca and Eileen, both volunteers, I headed into Tulear on Saturday morning with Rebecca. She bused up to Atananarivo, and I got some more ariary from the bank and bought another internet card. The plan was to head back Saturday evening, but we got in late after waiting for 2 ½ hours for a taxi-brousse, so I decided to head back on Sunday with Johnny, who was just finishing up in his vacation, and met Rebecca and me in Tulear.
On Sunday morning I began to experience the typical sickness that most people get after a while in this country, problems with both ends as it were, and limped behind Johnny Sunday afternoon as he got us a quatre-quatre that took us back to Reef Doctor in 40 minutes – much faster than the 2 hour taxi-brousse ride. On the way into Tulear, Rebecca and I and crammed ourselves into a taxi-brousse, and as I had been sitting in the cab on the way to Ifaty, this was quite the experience. We were two of sixteen adults in the back of this single-cab mazda pick-up, along with five kids. I couldn’t sit up straight as the roof to the height suitable for the average Malagasy, and I couldn’t rest my feet on the floor as it was layered in forty pound bags of rice. Anyway, a 4x4 is a significantly nicer way to travel in Madagascar – even if your fellow passengers aren’t familiar with the practice of bathing and the deaf driver is in sole control of the radio and loves Celine Dion. I managed not to throw up for the duration of the ride, and then sat in the bathroom here at Reef Doctor for the remainder of the afternoon, until I summoned the strength to drag my feet through the sand to the volunteer hut at five and go to bed.
I stayed in bed all of Monday, and then got up and had a bite for supper and then headed back to bed. It wasn’t really that much of a wasted day as, aside from there being no generator, there was no fuel for the boat, so there was no diving (a more comprehensive description of the rampant ineptitude here at Reef Doctor to follow). So, that was my Monday.
Yesterday was more successful, and I headed out on my last Open Water dive in the afternoon. I have now completed all the skills, including the 200 meter ocean swim which I did this afternoon, and will be starting Advanced Dive training shortly. As for today’s activities, I went out for my first morning dive just after eight o’clock. My stomach wasn’t cooperating again, and it was difficult to stifle my gag reflex as I choked down a few spoonfuls of rice gruel for breakfast. This concoction is over-cooked rice, cooked to point of becoming sludge, and it tastes just like it sounds – terrible. I made it back for lunch though, and had beans and rice – another common combination here in Madagascar, which though tiresome is much better than gruel. My descriptions of food are not indicative of general Malagasy fare, as the cook here at Reef Doctor comes with the rental of the property. Hence, she takes her position for granted, knowing full well that while the staff might like to get rid of her, they can’t. Breakfasts have become so reviled in fact that a couple of guys have started bringing in their own food and cooking breakfast for themselves. It is ironic that the director, in charge of organizing meals (and supposedly monitoring quality) is so hemmed in by the rental politics that he has started making himself an omelet in the morning.
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