So I have arrived to a humid, hot and very sleepy old colonial town. Just had a walk around to get my bearings, I knew from the guide books everything shut down in the afternoons but I should have guessed that meant Sundays too. Not even anywhere to get a beer, so back in the lovely hotel bar deck- but no-one else around! And having to have a large beer (65cl) all to myself!
The hotel is a bit posh for what I've been used to and few a bit soleless so far but I'm sure I'll get used to it. But it is nice to have a safe in the room, power shower and comfy bed and pillows. However hardly any English spoken. My airport transfer was in the hotel air conditioned mini bus - the first air conditioned transport since I've been here, and as I got into the bus I was handed a cold towel...a bit of a shock and felt over the top but I'm guessing tourists straight off the plane appreciate it.
On my walk up the main street, feels a bit like an old Mexican town all shut up, with the odd shutter blowing in the wind. A few people walking around, either youngish Malagasys enjoying their Sunday afternoons and romantically gathering to watch the sunset, or the odd older (late 50s) white man with spindly legs who much less romantically I'm surmising have or are looking for pretty younger Malagasy women. There have been quite a few of those couples around.
But on my walk I found loads of closed up local tour operators which is what this place is all about and was only meant to be a base. So first thing tomorrow I'm going to book some tours to national parks and do some hiking, including hopefully a three day camping trip to do snorkelling. I also need to work out how to get to Nosy Be - the main island where I want to go for a few days and do a dive or two. The flights are expensive and it's not that far so I'm going to see if there is a bus and then you get a speed boat transfer to the island.
I will probably have to book back into this hotel for one night so I have good wifi in my room as I have a board meeting which is basically my time all afternoon and evening conducted on Skype or equivalent. So the next day or two I'm going to use the time to relax and read the board papers and do a bit of work.