THE RIDE BEGINS!
Meeting the group…
Back in Tana, the capital of Madagascar, I meet the tour leaders and fellow bicyclists for dinner. The leaders are from New Zealand as well as 9 bicyclists, and there are 2 cyclists from England and myself. They all start off with a beer or a cocktail so I can already tell this is going to be a lively fun group! They all have participated in at least one and some up to five Escape Adventures tours. I’m looking forward to learning from them. Since I’m vegetarian I’m happy that one of the leaders is vegetarian.
LOVELY LOCALS
The next day we meet the truck out of town where all the bicycles have been unloaded and we are matched with our bike. We are off!
It is a lovely but mostly uphill day. I notice how beautiful and friendly people are. The Malasy are a mixture of Asian, Indonesian and African. They are quick with a smile and a greeting. The children wave at us and call out “Salama” which is the local “Hello”.
WHO IS NUTMEG?
We arrive at our hotel shortly before dark and learn that there is no running water… so our shower consists of jumping in the pool which is nice and chilly! One thing I love about travelers is that no one is disturbed with not having water. Everyone just makes do and moves on and laughs.
We meet up for dinner and a lively discussion even though we are sore and exhausted. We are very proud of ourselves for making it through this first very hot and challenging day.
Anabelle, my roommate on this trip, introduces Nutmeg - a small wooden turtle figurine she purchased at the market. She explains that the purpose of Nutmeg is to recognize someone in the group each day for their ‘humanness’.
I end up being the ‘proud’ first recipient of Nutmeg. I was very eager for my ‘shower’ and dove into the pool swimming underwater to the other end - not realizing how murky the water was and bumping my nose hard on the other end of the pool. I couldn’t deny it as I acquired a scar. It was a good laugh and the beginning of a fun evening tradition.
With Nutmeg tucked in, off to the next adventure!