Ambohimanga....Lemurs ….Madagascar…..

Need to catch up with all the travels done in 2018! Let me begin with Madagascar. Not the movie but the real country! The simplest way to reach Madagascar is from Johannesburg S. Africa.  The flight crossed the Indian ocean and the lush green forests and mountains are in sight when we landed at Antananviro.  Madagascar is the remnant of the ancient Gondwanaland and due its isolation its flora and fauna are unique.

We checked into the Carlton Hotel overlooking the lake and this is the only five-star hotel in Antananarivo the capital of Madagascar.  Though French is spoken widely, the hotel staff are conversant in English. Time to explore the Lemur sanctuary park. Lemurs are a separate species from monkeys are apes. It was interesting to see their antics.

Another must visit place is Ambohimanga a UNESCO World heritage site near Antananarivo.  The largest ethnic group Merina consider this as their spiritual and national identity.  Till the French colonized Madagascar and its surrounding islands by defeating the King Radama II.  Madagascar gained independence in 1958 and named as Malagasy republic.

An island with species nowhere to be found in the continental Africa, rain forests, spices, orchids mixture of ethnic groups makes this island an exotic location. Time to fly back to South Africa.

PEACE ON EARTH

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