#I mean I’m pretty glad I don’t because I’d just kms for real if I ever become rancorous like him | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lockdownuk · 4 years ago

Text

Lockdown Diary Part 9

A personal account during the lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

23/03/2020 8:30pm Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, gives a live address to the nation to, effectively, put the country on lockdown to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus strain, Covid-19.

Many of us have been self-isolating for days but this latest development within the UK in reaction to the pandemic feels very serious and very scary. I decided to keep a simple diary and where better but online.

Day 241: Shit day at work. To cut a long story short, I could complete a task Sueanne gave to me and then I got it in the ear, including a snotty email ay 5:40pm. Pissed off.

Day 242: Had a meeting with Sueanne (our weekly 1-2-1 actually) and she was alright. I feel much better tonight. Last night I didn’t even have an appetitie - unheard of! Going to make up for that tonight, pie and loads of veg! A much better day. Ridiculously, I believe yesterday was all my own fault - I take work for granted sometimes and I let myself down by ignoring the urgency of a task just because it was Sueanne asking me to do it and she was a peer. She is now my boss, and I should respect that.

Day 243: So-so day at work. It’s strange how used to work I am after over six months on furlough. It’s been less than two months back but all the highs and lows amd frustrations are commonplace. Most importantly, it being Thursday, I cannot wait for tomorrow eveninga dn to kick back, drink and smoke. Spoke to dad this morning, he’s same as...that’s always good to know. Sugar levels have been a fucking roller coaster today, and it has really fucked me off! No salad at lunch due to them being so fucking high when I got back from my walk. It ended up being my tea. Sarted watching The Undoing...it’s OK.

Day 244: Glad it is Friday. Just cooking a (very hot) chicken madras, cracked open my first beer. Gonna eat, drink, smoke and watch a good film.

Day 245: Gold was the film I watched last night, with Matthew McConaughey and it was a good choice. I then watch a Kevin Hart stand up show on Netflix...very Eddie Murphy, very funny. I did a 12 km walk today...fucking felt it in my legs. Walked the footpath from Stoke Doyle road to Benefield road for the first time. I liked it and it comes out between Lytham Park and Wakerley Close....I posted on FB about the fact that when I move to Oundle, Clifton Drive was the last street heading out of town. Saw Becks on the walk down Benefield road, She mentioned she’s tired of lockdown. I replied that I’m tired of the virus!

Day 246: Up at 1pm, nice long walk, ordered new slippers and waterproof jacket (my Craghopper is bust again).

Day 247: I screwed up at work today, went for a (ridiculously) late lunch right when I was meant to be at an online meeting that Sueanne had reminded me about in the morning. There’s mitigation but, when push comes to shove, I fucked up and now Sueanne’s on the warpath - one more slip up and it’ll be an offical disciplinary matter.

Day 248: Suzanne wants me to troubleshoot a ticket she has in her queue, some database request for a Cork guy. It’s a test and it’s fucking me off.

I did testing for a network change tonight...8 till 11:15pm.

Elliot and Aaron cleaned the windows today. It was nice to see them.

Rita sent a couple of emails recently. Dad’s ear is all clear but Paul has got testicular cancer.

Day 249: New waterproof jacket arrived today. It’s very nice, bargain for £25 odd. Also picked up slippers from M&S food hall in Corby so, while over their, did a shop at Tesco’s...£109 mainly booze.

By the time I was back, I ended up doing my evening walk at 9.30pm!

Day 250: Leigh from Oundle Chronicle has got back to me. She (he?) has selected the photos that are going to be in the article and wants me to write a sentence on each - where they were taken and what inspited me to do so. Whether that means the stuff I wrote before is not going to be used, or not, I dunno! New slippers are OK and the new jacket is still impressing me.

Day 251: Typing on Day 252. Usual Friday, beers, meatballs, pizza, long chat with Fog. I should mention that, as we approach the end of Lockdown2 in England, Boris and his government have laid out a three tier structure for how the second lockdown will be eased. It’s caused confusion and consternation across the board. None of it affects me, still isolating like I was on day 1. Day 252: Totally forgot about my diary entry yesterday! Up at 1pm, nice long walk, nipped rong Elliots to pay for my windows, had a chat with him, Artron and Camilla - it’s so nice to socialise! Gonna make fish pie and supp a few ales. Day 253: The weekend is over way too quickly. It’s 7.30pm on Sunday as I type and I wish it wasn’t. I wish it was 7.30pm on Friday. Day 254: In a meeting, a working Zoom, with Andy Ashler in the US re: qfiniti, which Sueanne pissed me off about earlier in te day (RCI diary updated), but the meeting went well. I am desparately trying to buy an iPad on Black Monday. As usual with tech, I cannot make my mind up which to buy! Day 255: I haven’t bought an iPad....I’ll wait for the 10.2″ iPad to come down in price. I had more involvement with Andy Ashler and in the US with the Qfiniti project at work. I’m really enjoying it, it’s very technical...although I didn’t finish ‘til 6pm because of it. The Oundle Chronicle is out and an article about me and my pics is on the back page. Leigh, the editor, sent it to me electronically. It’s good. I am chuffed! Day 256: I booked some holidays today, making sure that I didn’t include any days off in the week December 14-18 (SB’s off). So, this coming Friday (4th Dec), Next Weds-Fri and Monday 21st. I know I have only been back from Furlough a couple of months but I am more than ready for some kick-back time. 1-2-1 with SB today, it was a relaxed affair, most espcially becaus eof my success thus far with the Qfiniti project - that being said, I got pretty much nowhere with it today. Ordered a couple of long sleeved Ts and a fleeced hoody from a shop called Doubletwo today, well cheap in the sale. I saw half a dozen joggers on the Milton Road blind bend tonight, oblivious to any other potential path user. I posted about it (in my own, sarcastic way) on the Oundle Chatter FB group. It was met how I’d expected plus some direct digs so I deleted it. Cowardly but, I figure, I don’t get my point across, the vast majority of joggers really don’t think they are doing anything wrong by bulldozing there way around town and, lastly, I couldn’t be bothered with the flak, and its tennis like back-and-forth!

Day 257: Got tomorrow off so worked late tying up loose ends, including the qfiniti project - fucking nuts really, making sure no one asks any questions of SB or the team, in terms of my work load, for just one day off! Still, just had tea, cracked open a beer and am watching Shaun of the Dead. Nice.

Day 258: The main thing I did today is walk. It was about 12km but felt much longer ‘cos it was wintry, pissing down, windy and slippery as fuck. And I really enjoyed it! Badge messaged me today to ask how I am and, in replying, I mentioned that I think I am becoming addicted to walking...it wasn’t a throwaway comment. Just cooked up a chilli (which I think I have ruined with a Knorr beef stock pot), and will tuck in with beers, smokes and telly. While it’s been a day off, this Friday evening will be as all others are at the moment, late, drunken and solitary fun - no doubt.

Day 259: Typing on day 260. That chilli last night was actually OK. Plus I ‘invented’ a meatball wrap - moving on from the TikTok ham and cheese wrap you fold into the toaster, I tried the same with meatballs but no fucking way could I fold it into the toaster slot (pissed up kitchen shenanigans), so I wrapped it in tin foil and heated it in the oven, Fucking delicious. I watched Shaun of the Dead. I think it’s the first time since its release and I couldn’t help thinking “zombies just aren’t like that [in real life]” Wtf?

Day 260: I was quite sensible (for a Saturday) last night, in bed by 2am, up at my alarm this morning, 10:30am. Nice long walk, taking in a new path up by Biggin Grange and took plenty of pics that turned out really good. Btw, posh lost yesterday at Portsmouth (with 2000 fans there) and they lost midweek and last weekend in the FA Cup to Chorley, at home.

Day 261: It’s freezing today...actually 0 degrees. This house is so fucking cold, even with the heating on.

Day 262: Typing on day 263. Last day of work for 5 days. Beers are in order. And a sausage casserole. Day 263: I completely forgot to do a diary entry yesterday....concentrating on starting my work break off on the right foot, which I did. As a result, I didn’t get up until 1pm. So, to stop that sort of day wasting, no beers tonight. Just got back from a shop (£90 in Tesco’s), trying to sort out Romiley’s Christmas present, then something to eat (more sausage casserole) and a early, sober night.

Day 264: So, after abstinence last night, I was up before 11am and did a walk that included the track from Benefield Road to Monson Way past Park Wood. It was fucking hard work due to mud. I have lost coumd the amount of times I nearly slipped right over. Throw into that a hypo, the 12-13km walk was tough. Sorted out Romiley’s present (guitar stand, music stand and guitar exercises book). Took soime nice photos today as well which I’ve prepared and shared. No booze today/tonight either. Some break, a younger me would say!

Day 265: Friday, and I am typing with a beer, balti on the hob and I am just gonna choose a film and roll a single skinner. I am knackered. Up at 10am, cleaned the hall and stairs after a 10km walk. Also, I spoke with dad who is, as always, fine.

Time to make up for the last two sober nights.

Day 266: I am typing this on day 267. So drunk last night I left nearll a full can of beer and went to bed in my jogging bottoms and t-shirt. I have had a day off from any exercise at all which felt very odd. A few beers and watched Snatch. Day 267: While I was nowhere near drunk last night, due to sleeping in late (2pm) I was up ‘til 3am watching TikTok so today I struggled out of bed at just before 1pm. Watch the start of the season’s final GP (Verstappen won from pole and it was boring af), back on the exercising including a 9km walk. Back to work tomorrow which I feel totally conflicted about! Posh won yesterday at home to Rochdale (with the allowed 2000 fans) 4-1 including a 17 minute first half hatrick from Jonson Clarke-Harris.

Day 268: Back to work - Sueanne’s off and it’s the first day I’ve been at work with Jon in charge which involves a daily ‘SUMO’ (whatever that acronym stands for?) at 9.30am every day. I am still involved with te qfiniti upgrade project which seems to have taken a step backwards in the 3 days I had off, so I was working until gone 9.30pm! I have decided to do a quiz, hopefully for Christmas, whereby I don’t want the actual answers (to 25 particular questions, all with a common theme in the answer), merely an omitted question!

Day 269: Stand Up Meeting Online. SUMO. Ian Bird told me. I might struggle with double Y for my quiz. Work was OK, more Qfiniti stuff. Posh drew away to MK 1-1. Posh were 0-1 up but Lincs lost at home. I can’t undertsand why that pleases me so....oh, yeah I can Steve Dee.

Day 270: Struggling to order Dad and Rita booze for Christmas without it being a Morrison’s delivery that I can do through Amazon Prime. That would be OK but it’s just a bit clinical! Meanwhile, now I am paying for Prime, and they are showing some Premiership games (for example, tonight I watched Liverpool v. Spurs (2-1), I really have to contact Sky - I am paying £71pm atm! Sam posted pic of her Christmas tree but mentioned how she’s finding it hard to get in the spirit - Paul has testicular cancer and the outlook is bleak - fuck know’s what she’s going through with all that, trying to shield Romiley from the worst without lying!

#diary #Tumblr diary #lockdown #COVID19 #lockdownuk

1 note · View note

lettersfromtaiwan · 8 years ago

Text

Biking & Hiking SiFenZiWei Mountain 四分子尾山

I’m not sure where I first heard the saying, or whether I made it up myself, but it has been said that “Taipei is Taiwan on steroids”, by which it is meant that examples of almost all the things that are great about Taiwan can also all be found around the Taipei basin: mountainous vistas with breathtaking views, hot springs, delicious and diverse food options, great public transport infrastructure, interesting and historical architecture, waterfalls, and of course hiking. Visitors to Taiwan staying in Taipei don’t need to travel too far to enjoy many of things Taiwan has to offer as the premier living and touring location in East Asia. That’s also been a bit of a problem too in a way. For a long time when I was living in Taichung and in the South it was a source of predictable irritation to read the blogs and watch the videos (the endless parade of youtube videos!) from someone fresh off the banana boat claiming to have “discovered the real Taiwan” but who hadn’t made it further than Banciao or Danshui. I even made a series of travel posts about this called “Not Taipei: A Real Taiwan Trip To ...”.

Yet, when I was forced to come up here to live as part of my job, I came to see why Taipei was such a convenient city to be based from to experience much of what Taiwan is about. Make no mistake here though. If Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taidong, Hualien, Pingdong, Chiayi, & Luodong had been equal beneficiaries of the immense amount of preferential spending from the Central Government that Taipei enjoyed since 1949 (and still does), those cities would easily rival and in many cases beat Taipei as the best of Taiwan’s urban spaces, if only because the weather in those parts of the country isn’t so routinely and monotonously overbearing. Nevertheless, when it isn’t raining, there’s a lot to do in and around Taipei within fairly easy reach. For EVA and I that primarily means hiking.

Just over a week ago, following the official end of the annual Noah’s Rains (known in Taiwan as the Plum Rain Season, and known in Taipei for there being no ‘off switch’ for three weeks solid) I decided to explore a little of the area out of the back of (to the south southeast) Xizhi and Xike, two commuter towns in the thin strip of New Taipei City wedged between Taipei City and Keeling City. Having had a look at Google Maps and Maps.ME I saw what looked to be a promising route for an exploratory mountain ride on my trusty Yamaha, up out the back of Academia Sinica, along a ridge and down into Xike. See the map below. (I’ve added red dots as guide lines for those who want to also ride/cycle/hike it).

Before I get into it, a couple of caveats first. As you will see my photos come from my camera phone which works well with direct light in the same way vampires love garlic, holy water, crosses, and sunbathing. I also must admit having little to no patience for fiddling with the meagre range of semi-impotent settings the camera app does have. The result is often that the ratio of usable to ‘delete later’ photos at the end of any trip is roughly 1 in 10, and many of the good ones are washed out and over saturated or under lit or poorly focused. One day I’ll buy a real camera.

This is a longish post which actually combines two separate visits to the same area so lets put a line break here ...

Setting off out the back of Academia Sinica on Jiuzhuang Street (Section 1) once I passed the turning for Route 109 to Shenkeng the road quickly became smaller and quieter (Section 2) and the seething mass of population dense Taipei was replaced with a few scattered locals and quite a few hikers. Stopping at a bend in the river, I could see why. There are a number of hikes in this immediate area, some of which I intend to return to later ...

Driving on, and with a little help from Google, I located the first turn (across that little bridge in the picture below) to get up into the mountains. A strange little road that looks at first like it’s a private lane with a dead end but which actually rises continuously and very steeply to get you up on the ridge ...

There’s a couple of small adjustments to get on to the well paved and thankfully sparsely used Xiding Road. Below you need to take a right turn here ...

... and here you need to resist the urge to hook left and simply continue straight on that seemingly narrow lane ...

Once on Xiding Road, the quiet views across the mountains are expansive and very impressive, as seen in the header photo to this post and below ...

I puttered along at about 35kph, taking in the views. I love country lanes with no centre line marking but maybe that’s because although I’ve adapted to a city mouse lifestyle I was raised as, and will always at heart be, a country mouse.

Interesting also to see this apparently relatively new wooden building on the side of the road, something you don’t see much of in the north ...

After about twenty minutes, I came to this junction. You take a left here, up the hill onto Qinjin road ...

At, the top, looking back is a statue declaring the local area and culture and another interesting tall glass & steel building with an excellent viewing platform. Looking out south, more impressive vistas ...

A little further on is the 光明禪寺 Guanming Buddhist Temple which has two parts. The section overlooking the mountains on the right side of the road (East direction) ...

... and the main temple across the road ...

I then took another left up through this gate ...

Climbing ever higher yet, I spied the Taipei basin through the bushes. Although it has terrible lighting and is indistinct, I like this shot because you can see both the Keelung and Danshiu Rivers glinting with sunlight in the distance ...

Another Alpine’ish wooden building along the road. Aesthetically this is a very pleasing change from the usual concrete, tile, and steel that Taiwan is awash with ...

When you get to this sign, and the turning opposite, turn right up on to Shixi Road...

... and here was my final turn. Easy to miss, it’s a pretty rough jarring concrete road that requires low speeds and it not advisable in wet conditions ...

Now, bear in mind that I had no idea what was on this road other than eventually it would lead me to Xiping Road Section 2 and back down into Xike. As I came to a peak in the road I first noticed this promising view ...

Aside from the Pacific glistening in the afternoon sun that triangular hump you can see is Keelung Mountain which lies opposite the charming hillside town of Jiufen. Across from this point in the road was a small parking area and this ...

I had no idea what SiFenZiWei Mountain was but seeing as it was only 65 meters away and I’d been sitting on the bike for quite a while, I thought I’d stretch my legs a little and check it out. I’m glad I did because when I did ...

That’s the view starting from the south east and looking all the way round 270 degrees to the south west. It was a simply stunning panoramic visage of the entire area including most of the Datuen Mountain Range. SiFenZiWei, roughly meaning ‘four points tail mountain’, is one of those rare places in Taiwan where you get high enough to see in all directions without an interrupted view. I took a lot more photos but as you can see from above with the sun in my face my camera phone struggled to either get enough light or not be washed out in it. I also took video of planes coming into land at Songshan on Runway 28 which was, as a former trainee pilot, fascinating to see how they performed a controlled loss of altitude and lined up on final through the Keelung Valley. If you focused hard enough you could even see the moment they touched down.

Spying an entrance to a hiking trail leading west down off the mountain (below) I resolved there and then to return with EVA the following week to climb up to the same point ...

The next Sunday, I drove with EVA out along the No.5 to Xizhi to Ren’ai then Qinjin Road and up to the Wei Xing Jinguan, a temple which I had found was the starting point of the trail I had seen a week before. Here’s the route to SiFenZiWei ...

The first stage was the rise to Dajian Mountain, a very steep and pretty much unrelenting climb up stone steps. Although only 0.7 kms, this was by far the hardest part of the entire trail but, as with most mountain hiking, there’s a direct correlation between pain of the ascent and the benefits of the views once at the top. Dajian did not disappoint, providing both a very pleasant and cool resting area (awash with butterflies) including a pagoda with an excellent view ...

As can be seen from the map above and the sign below, SifenZiWei was about 2km further on from this point.

The next sequence of photos are the route from Dajian to SiFenZiWei but I took all of them on my way back down from the peak to Dajian so the direction is the reverse ...

For the intrepid ‘off-road’ hikers, below is the historic trail from Xike ...

After about two hours total time since setting off from the temple, we reached SiFenZiWei again, this time basking in the bright morning light and with planes departing from Runway 10 soaring not far overhead ...

EVA as ‘Sundial’, An LfTComiks™ Superhero Production ...

Wait ... I thought it was 1979 meters? Oh well, what’s 26 meters between friends ...

One thing to note. Taiwanese, aside from being amazing hiking trail builders, are also quite thoughtful in providing lots of nice little resting areas along trails. This trail was no exception ...

Although this trail is super busy, especially the first part from the temple to Dajian Mountain, it is now one of my favourites not just for the views but the variety of trekking environments and paths. I usually get tired very quickly of trails that are only straight up and then straight down the same path, preferring instead a mixture of flat and rise, paved and mud, open and covered. This one was also special for the little details, especially the butterflies. Whether you’re a Taiwan old hand or new to the country and you find yourself in the north with a bright clear morning to spare, I highly recommend spending a couple of hours to do this trail, one of the best I’ve walked so far.

(Hints: the best time of year to do this trail would probably be in October when the weather is still very warm but cooler with a breeze and the skies are clearer. Go very early in the morning (e.g. start at 4am) to get the sunrise at Dajian Mountain. You may need to get a taxi to the temple starting point as I think public transport is limited on that road. Some parts of the trail are fairly rough and require careful navigation and watch out for the wasp/hornets that occupy two or three places along the route)

#Taiwan #hiking #North Taiwan #Taipei #sifenziwei

3 notes · View notes

touristguidebuzz · 7 years ago

Text

How to Travel Around Madagascar

Madagascar. It’s more than an incorrect (but fun) DreamWorks movie. Located off the eastern coast of Africa, this island, nearly the size of France and the third largest in the world, has a population over 20 million but sees only about 325,000 tourists a year.1 I spent two weeks there with Intrepid Travel Travel and was surprised by how few tourists there were (I figured — with no data to back it up — that there would be a lot more), as well as by just how difficult the country was to travel around. The roads are really, really bad. It can take up to eight hours to go 250 km (155 miles) — and that’s on the good roads!

But soon it became clear why there were so few tourists: getting to the country is expensive, there’s very little information about it online, few organized activities, and no hostels, tourism information centers, helpful signs, or anything that would be considered a “tourist infrastructure” (and sadly, very little infrastructure at all). Madagascar’s tourism caters to older Europeans who visit expensive beach resorts or take organized tours, moving around the country in a little bubble. Nary a backpacker did I see on my trip.

Madagascar is a raw, barely explored place. It’s on few people’s radar, and I doubt it will be for awhile, making now an ideal time to go. It’s cheap (once you get there), your tourist dollars can create a really positive impact, and there are few crowds and many cute lemurs and majestic landscapes, which you get virtually to yourself!

How to get there

The first thing you need to know is that getting to Madagascar is not easy: there’s only one daily flight from Johannesburg, Air France has one daily from Paris, and only Turkish, Kenyan, and Ethiopian Airlines have flights that connect to other destinations.

I jumped on a flight deal to Johannesburg ($630 USD for New York to Johannesburg and then onward to Vienna) but that was a stupid thing to do. Given the price of flights from JNB to Madagascar (I paid $800 USD round-trip), it ended costing me more than just booking a direct ticket to Madagascar.

I was pretty stupid not looking up flights enough beforehand and waiting until the last minute, but even “booking smart” doesn’t mean you’ll find a deal. Here’s a chart for December and January (these are a little cheaper since they are not last-minute and it’s low season):

You’re looking at spending at least $500 USD round-trip on a flight from Johannesburg. From Paris, Air France offers direct round-trip flights for around $800 USD. If you are going from the US, you pay around $1,200 USD for a round-trip ticket. Keep in mind those are low season (October-April) flights. During the high season (also the dry season), you’re looking at flights closer to $2,000 USD for the US and $1,200 USD from Europe. From Canada? Prices start around $1,200 CAD in the low season.

However, it’s not all bad news. There are a few travel hacking opportunities. With some planning, you can find a reward flight. You only need 30,000 miles each way from Europe, and Air France has a decent availability (but if you miss the 30,000-point option, you’ll be looking at 60-90,000 points each way). United has very sporadic reward flights on partners starting at 40,000 miles each way, but, sadly, no flights from Johannesburg to Madagascar are bookable on points. Here’s what I mean:

So it takes some work to get there, but if you can string together some flight deals (check out Scott’s Cheap Flights, The Flight Deal, and Holiday Pirates) as well as mile opportunities, you can lower the cost to an affordable(ish) level.

How to get around Madagascar

Organized tours are the most common way to visit the country. One guide told me that about 80% of visitors come on organized tours, and the other 20% hire a private driver to get around. Most of the tourists are an older, very heavily European crowd. I guess that most younger travelers stay away because getting to the country and tours are so expensive and there’s just not much information on Madagascar.

But let’s change that and talk about how to visit the country:

Organized tours A 14-day tour will cost $2,500–4,000 USD. You’ll stay in mid-range hotels (private bathrooms, hot water, breakfast, and maybe even a pool) and have your own bus with a driver and local guide. You’ll also get private guides at each park who will explain what you’re seeing, help spot animals, and give some added context on the destination. Most of the tours follow the same route, hitting all the big parks and destinations in the center of the country, with added paid add-ons to other parts of the country.

I went with Intrepid Travel Travel on its Experience Madagascar tour as part of my site’s partnership with them. Our guide Patrick was a phenomenal resource, answering all my questions, providing advice, and giving tips on what to see and do in this country that lacks a lot of resources to research.

If it were up to me, I would have focused the trip’s itinerary more. I think Intrepid Travel sometimes tries to do too much; for example, the trip to Ile Sainte Marie adds way to much time on the bus. While I liked everything we did, I wish there had been more time visiting each place and less time driving.

Going on your own Madagascar is a difficult place to do solo. There’s no tourist infrastructure or hostels, information is limited, and public buses don’t go to many cities and national parks. You’ll need to know French, too, as English is barely spoken. In my opinion, this makes it really arduous to get around without any assistance.

But could you travel around on your own? Sure — though very few people do, it’s totally possible to visit solo. But I think you’d need to be an experienced traveler, really OK being pushed out of your comfort zone, and in absolutely no rush, because getting around on a budget will take time. Since the roads are really bad, getting from point A to B is a challenge. In a public taxi brouse (small van packed to the gills with people), you’ll move slowly. Buses go when they are full. There’s no set timetable. Sometimes they show up; more often than not, they don’t.

(However, seeing the condition of the buses and how many people they cram in there, plus the number of accidents on the road, I’m not sure I’d even get in one. I wouldn’t want to spend 24 hours packed like a chicken in a van with no air conditioning (and sometimes not even windows). I have too much anxiety to whip around on narrow roads.)

Renting a car and driver costs $50 USD a day (or slightly more if you want 4WD) and is the most popular option for people looking to go on their own (and not wanting to wait for the buses). While you could drive on your own, most of the companies I looked at required that a driver go with you.

You can also fly around the island, but there’s only one airline (Air Madagascar), and most routes cost around 200 euros per leg.

Going with the flow is key here if you want to travel solo. You either have to pick a small area to cover or have a month or more set aside to explore Madagascar thoroughly.

So, what should you do? If you’re really looking for some rugged, old-school independent travel, Madagascar is the place to do it. If you have lots of time and are up for a real challenge, go solo but give yourself plenty of time to do so — and learn French! (I really can’t stress the need for knowing French. Outside the big towns and a few tourist areas, English is barely spoken.) You’ll cover slightly more ground and have a lot more freedom if you rent a car and driver.

If you aren’t looking for that kind of rugged experience and would like something more organized, a tour is the best – and really only – option. I wanted a tour to help me get the lay of the land and answer all my questions about the country. Additionally, I don’t speak French and didn’t have a lot of time. A tour was a great orientation to a country that was an enigma to me. It was a wonderful way to meet people in a destination with few independent travelers. (One thing to remember is that the clientele of the tours here is older and the tours cater to that in their itineraries, activities, and accommodation. The tours here aren’t designed for active backpackers.)

If I went back, I’d go by myself but I’m glad I went with a tour on my first visit.

Is Madagascar safe?

When I was wandering around, I never once felt unsafe. I was more of a curiosity than anything ,since they see so few tourists, especially those not ensconced in a bus. There are a lot of beggars, especially kids, and you have to just keep saying no and walking away. The taxi drivers here take no for an answer and no one really bugs you.

That said, crime is rife throughout the country, and not one local I knew recommended going out after dark. They don’t even do it. In fact, many hotels in the capital of Antananarivo hire escorts to take people from the hotel to bars or restaurants.

During the day and, especially in smaller villages, walking around is perfectly fine. At night, I would use a lot more caution, especially in the capital.

What are prices like?

Though getting to the country is expensive, once you are there everything is incredibly cheap. Your money goes a long, long way in Madagascar. I went to a local market and spent 100 ARY on a spring roll. After realizing that there are 3,000 ARY to the dollar, that meant I had paid just three cents. As I was still hungry, I bought 15 more.

Even when you are eating at the hotel restaurants the tours go to, most meals aren’t more than $4 USD. In regular, local restaurants, they are half that price.

Madagascar food is mostly chicken, zebu (a type of cattle), pork, stews, and rice. LOTS OF RICE. (Get the Zebu in a stew. It’s better that way.) There’s also a lot of surprisingly good pizza in this country. You’ll definitely need to know French if you go into the non-international places (or travel outside of the cities).

Even on the road, there are a lot of restaurants (again, knowing French is going to be key here, especially outside the capital Antananarivo). Hotels are $20-50 USD per night (on the cheaper range outside the capital). You can easily find accommodation on booking.com. Keep in mind that, again, there are no hostels in the country.

Here are some typical prices:

Meals at restaurants that cater to tourists – 10,000-25,000 ARY ($3-8 USD)

Meals at regular, local restaurants – 3,000-6,000 ($1-2 USD)

Street snacks – 10-200 ARY (up to 5 cents US) (Be sure to try the nem (spring rolls). They are incredible!)

Accommodation – 65,000-160,000 ARY per night ($20-50 USD)

Car with a driver – 160,000 ARY a day ($50 USD)

Grocery prices – 10,000 ARY ($3 USD) (This would get you a kilo of rice, some zebu, and a variety of vegetables.)

SIM Card – 3,100 ARY ($1 USD) for a SIM and 25,000 ARY ($8 USD) per gig of data.

Park entrance fees – 55,000 Ariary ($17 USD) and guides start at 20,000 AR ($6 USD)

Local mini buses – 10,000 – 20,000 ARY ($3-6 USD)

***

Madagascar was a beautiful, raw, and enchanting country. There’s no place like it on earth. Far off the tourist trail, this a destination where your inner Indiana Jones or Anthony Bourdain can be set free to explore. I’m so glad I went, and though the old traveler adage is “I can’t wait to go back,” I suspect that my visit to Madagascar will be the only one in my lifetime. I hope I’m wrong, but given the difficulty getting there, it really can be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

And I hope you make it in your lifetime!

1 – Official stats are 293,000 but I’ve seen higher and lower figures so consider this an estimate. Links: Source and Source

Note: I went to Madagascar with Intrepid Travel as part of our ongoing partnership. They paid for the tour and my expenses during the trip. I paid for my flights to and from Madagascar. They offer 10% off their tours to readers so click the link and save on your next trip.

P.S. – Want to step up your travel hacking game? I’m speaking at Frequent Traveler University’s Expo in Chicago on November 18th. It’s the world’s largest travel, points, and miles event and there are some good speakers there. You can click here to get your ticket. Also, as a reader of this site, you get 75% off the ticket price with the code “NOMAD”.

The post How to Travel Around Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

0 notes

fadingfartconnoisseur · 7 years ago

Text

How to Travel Around Madagascar

How to get there

How to get around Madagascar

But let’s change that and talk about how to visit the country:

You can also fly around the island, but there’s only one airline (Air Madagascar), and most routes cost around 200 euros per leg.

Going with the flow is key here if you want to travel solo. You either have to pick a small area to cover or have a month or more set aside to explore Madagascar thoroughly.

If I went back, I’d go by myself but I’m glad I went with a tour on my first visit.

Is Madagascar safe?

During the day and, especially in smaller villages, walking around is perfectly fine. At night, I would use a lot more caution, especially in the capital.

What are prices like?

Even when you are eating at the hotel restaurants the tours go to, most meals aren’t more than $4 USD. In regular, local restaurants, they are half that price.

Here are some typical prices:

Meals at restaurants that cater to tourists – 10,000-25,000 ARY ($3-8 USD)

Meals at regular, local restaurants – 3,000-6,000 ($1-2 USD)

Street snacks – 10-200 ARY (up to 5 cents US) (Be sure to try the nem (spring rolls). They are incredible!)

Accommodation – 65,000-160,000 ARY per night ($20-50 USD)

Car with a driver – 160,000 ARY a day ($50 USD)

Grocery prices – 10,000 ARY ($3 USD) (This would get you a kilo of rice, some zebu, and a variety of vegetables.)

SIM Card – 3,100 ARY ($1 USD) for a SIM and 25,000 ARY ($8 USD) per gig of data.

Park entrance fees – 55,000 Ariary ($17 USD) and guides start at 20,000 AR ($6 USD)

Local mini buses – 10,000 – 20,000 ARY ($3-6 USD)

***

And I hope you make it in your lifetime!

1 – Official stats are 293,000 but I’ve seen higher and lower figures so consider this an estimate. Links: Source and Source

The post How to Travel Around Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

via Travel Blogs http://ift.tt/2hvKG14

#IFTTT #Travel Blogs

0 notes

tamboradventure · 7 years ago

Text

How to Travel Around Madagascar

Madagascar. It’s more than an incorrect (but fun) Pixar movie. Located off the eastern coast of Africa, this island, nearly the size of France and the third largest in the world, has a population over 20 million but sees only about 325,000 tourists a year.1 I spent two weeks there with Intrepid Travel Travel and was surprised by how few tourists there were (I figured — with no data to back it up — that there would be a lot more), as well as by just how difficult the country was to travel around. The roads are really, really bad. It can take up to eight hours to go 250 km (155 miles) — and that’s on the good roads!

But soon it became clear why there were so few tourists: getting to the country is expensive, there’s very little information about it online, few organized activities, and no hostels, tourism information centers, helpful signs, or anything that would be considered a “tourist infrastructure” (and sadly, very little infrastructure at all). Madagascar’s tourism caters to older Europeans who visit expensive beach resorts or take organized tours, moving around the country in little bubble. Nary a backpacker did I see on my trip.

How to get there

However, it’s not all bad news. There are a few travel hacking opportunities. With some planning you can find a reward flight. You only need 30,000 miles each way from Europe, and Air France has a decent availability (but if you miss the 30,000-point option, you’ll be looking at 60-90,000 points each way). United has very sporadic reward flights on partners starting at 40,000 miles each way, but, sadly, no flights from Johannesburg to Madagascar are bookable on points. Here’s an what I mean:

How to get around Madagascar

But let’s change that and talk about how to visit the country:

If it were up to me, I would have focused the trip’s itinerary more. I think Intrepid Travel sometimes tries to do too much; for example, the trip to Ile Saint Marie adds way to much time in the bus. While I liked everything we did, I wish there had been more time visiting each place and less time driving.

Going on your own Madagascar is difficult place to do solo. There’s no tourist infrastructure or hostels, information is limited, and public buses don’t go to many cities and national parks. You’ll need to know French, too, as English is barely spoken. In my opinion, this makes it really arduous to get around without any assistance.

You can also fly around the island, but there’s only one airline (Air Madagascar), and most routes cost around 200 euros per leg.

Going with the flow is key here if you want to travel solo. You either have to pick a small area to cover or have a month or more set aside to explore Madagascar thoroughly.

If I went back, I’d go by myself but I’m glad I went with a tour on my first visit.

Is Madagascar safe?

When I was wandering around, I never once felt unsafe. I was more of a curiosity than anything, since they see so few tourists, especially those not ensconced in a bus. There are a lot of beggars, especially kids, and you have to just keep saying no and walking away. The taxi drivers here take no for an answer and no one really bugs you.

During the day and, especially in smaller villages, walking around is perfectly fine. At night, I would use a lot more caution, especially in the capital.

What are prices like?

Even when you are eating at the hotel restaurants the tours go to, most meals aren’t more than $4 USD. In regular, local restaurants, they are half that price.

Here are some typical prices:

Meals at restaurants that cater to tourists – 10,000-25,000 ARY ($3-8 USD)

Meals at regular, local restaurants – 3,000-6,000 ($1-2 USD)

Street snacks – 10-200 ARY (up to 5 cents US) (Be sure to try the nem (spring rolls). They are incredible!)

Accommodation – 65,000-160,000 ARY per night ($20-50 USD)

Car with a driver – 160,000 ARY a day ($50 USD)

Grocery prices – 10,000 ARY ($3 USD) (This would get you a kilo of rice, some zebu, and a variety of vegetables.)

SIM Card – 3,100 ARY ($1 USD) for a SIM and 25,000 ARY ($8 USD) per gig of data.

Park entrance fees – 55,000 Ariary ($17 USD) and guides start at 20,000 AR ($6 USD)

Local mini buses – 10,000 – 20,000 ARY ($3-6 USD)

***

And I hope you make it in your lifetime!

1 – Official stats are 293,000 but I’ve seen higher and lower figures so consider this an estimate. Links: Source and Source

The post How to Travel Around Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Travel Blog – Nomadic Matt's Travel Site http://ift.tt/2hvKG14 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Travel Blog – Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

0 notes

theladyjstyle · 7 years ago

Photo

But soon it became clear why there were so few tourists: getting to the country is expensive, there’s very little information about it online, few organized activities, and no hostels, tourism information centers, helpful signs, or anything that would be considered a “tourist infrastructure” (and sadly, very little infrastructure at all). Madagascar’s tourism caters to older Europeans who visit expensive beach resorts or take organized tours, moving around the country in little bubble. Nary a backpacker did I see on my trip.

How to get there

How to get around Madagascar

But let’s change that and talk about how to visit the country:

You can also fly around the island, but there’s only one airline (Air Madagascar), and most routes cost around 200 euros per leg.

Going with the flow is key here if you want to travel solo. You either have to pick a small area to cover or have a month or more set aside to explore Madagascar thoroughly.

If I went back, I’d go by myself but I’m glad I went with a tour on my first visit.

Is Madagascar safe?

When I was wandering around, I never once felt unsafe. I was more of a curiosity than anything, since they see so few tourists, especially those not ensconced in a bus. There are a lot of beggars, especially kids, and you have to just keep saying no and walking away. The taxi drivers here take no for an answer and no one really bugs you.

During the day and, especially in smaller villages, walking around is perfectly fine. At night, I would use a lot more caution, especially in the capital.

What are prices like?

Even when you are eating at the hotel restaurants the tours go to, most meals aren’t more than $4 USD. In regular, local restaurants, they are half that price.

Here are some typical prices:

Meals at restaurants that cater to tourists – 10,000-25,000 ARY ($3-8 USD)

Meals at regular, local restaurants – 3,000-6,000 ($1-2 USD)

Street snacks – 10-200 ARY (up to 5 cents US) (Be sure to try the nem (spring rolls). They are incredible!)

Accommodation – 65,000-160,000 ARY per night ($20-50 USD)

Car with a driver – 160,000 ARY a day ($50 USD)

Grocery prices – 10,000 ARY ($3 USD) (This would get you a kilo of rice, some zebu, and a variety of vegetables.)

SIM Card – 3,100 ARY ($1 USD) for a SIM and 25,000 ARY ($8 USD) per gig of data.

Park entrance fees – 55,000 Ariary ($17 USD) and guides start at 20,000 AR ($6 USD)

Local mini buses – 10,000 – 20,000 ARY ($3-6 USD)

***

And I hope you make it in your lifetime!

1 – Official stats are 293,000 but I’ve seen higher and lower figures so consider this an estimate. Links: Source and Source

The post How to Travel Around Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

How to Travel Around Madagascar http://ift.tt/2hvKG14

#Travel Blog – Nomadic Matt's Travel Site digital nomad

0 notes

survivorpanem · 8 years ago

Text

EPISODE ELEVEN - “ONLY SO LONG BEFORE THE PET SNAKE TAKES A BITE “ - ANDREW

hieeeee. omg okay.. i feel like it's been a hot minute since i made an actual confessional and not just me vs kait and jenn in my host chat. ANYWAY. i won my second immunity basically just my luck sdhg. i just had one person in mind and went down the list each and every time and put there name with who i thought fit best and that really played out for me? NOW. i just won my third immunity and jake literally... went off one. saying fuck me and shit. like bro skldhg. im gonna be at work till 10pm tomorrow and im gonna miss tribal and the whole day. i couldn't risk anything because anything could happen so i had to ensure MY safety. like i love jake but i swear he has one more nasty mesage to send me before i ask him "who do you think ur talking to btw?" can i just say this real quick... allison- started the rally to try to get me out me- lets get allison out. allison- goes home. ryan- was partners with jordan pming everyone trying to get me out. me- lets get ryan out. ryan- goes home. jordan- same as above. was partners with ryan pming everyone trying to rally votes against me the allison week. me- lets get jordan out. jordan- goes home. everyone- lets get andrew out its time! me- lets get jaiden out. jaiden- goes home. https://68.media.tumblr.com/02aa5ec34518a894eef3408820de7bbd/tumblr_ohuo4d0OUh1uxnkpto1_1280.jpg NOW. im not getting jake out. he can have his hissy fit all he wants but i know theres loyalty still down there. but do i want isaac or andrew out now? hmm..

ME: TRIES TO SAVE ANDREW IS SUPER EXCITED WHEN JAIDEN FUCKS HIMSELF OVER SO ANDREW CAN SURVIVE THINKS WE'RE GOING TO WORK TOGETHER ANDREW: I'M GUNNA ELIMINATE SAM FROM THIS CHALLENGE ME: BOY WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? I'M OVER IT!! I'M READY TO KILL ANDREW I've decided I want me, Zack, JC, and Sam B to final 4 because fuck Jake and Andrew for killing me and fuck Isaac because he's guilty by association. Also in all of these receipts of Jaiden trying to try up the votes, ANDREW is the one who suggested me! Jaiden said me or JC and Andrew COULD HAVE SAID JC BUT HE DIDN'T SO BYE ANDREW. AND HE THREW HIS VOTE TO ME WHEN IT COULD HAVE GONE TO SOMEONE ELSE HONESTLY BYE

I'm honestly v upset to see Jaiden go :( I was definitely stressed in those last few confessionals but I really do luv Jaiden so much and actually did see us getting so much further in the game together :/ I don't know why he had to flip and not even tell me about it but idk hopefully I can make the best of this. Like I'm not the reason he got out necessarily and I feel like our relationship was good enough to have an ok chance of getting his vote if I ever make it to FTC, which is highly unlikely idek why I'm thinking about that when it's still like 5 votes away if it is going to be a f2 like I think it is. Then the immunity challenge seemed to go well even though I didn't win. It appears to have raised distrust towards Andrew from Sam which is veryyyy good because I'd love to get Andrew out! I'm not a fan of the comp slayers in the game, even miss Zack and Jakey who are my allies are worrisome because of their challenge abilities. Sky Ferreira is sex btw. Speaking of jakey too I'm not sure where his head is at? Idk I got weird vibes in the challenge, especially since he took me out before comp queen Zack which is...interesting, so it's caused a bit of untrust with jakey and I too. I'm just worried that he's actually going to start picking his game up and start slayin and when he does I wonder if he's going to stick with me or flip and go with other people. So I need to keep an eye out for his ass, and another on the finish line. I'm also going to try for the time being to just continue playing as if I don't have an idol. I feel like idols can impair your judgement abilities and actually be a kind of crux to your gameplay because you can get a bit too assured of yourself, and you can never feel safe in these games. It's worrying now too because I see like one of the main benefits that was around keeping Jaiden was that he was such a big threat, it was just like you could just be like oh yeah let's do Jaiden, and people would be like yeah tru and then of course you could flip it to who you really want later. Now jaidens gone and Isaac asked me who I wanted to vote and it's not like I could be like oh yea we should vote Jaiden hurr hurr. So idk I was just like what about jakey idk and he was like yeah I think jaidens high key annoying and I was just like ok 👀 mama calm down as he continued talking about how jakey a lil trifling hoe, but I mean jakey likes Make Me (Cry) by Noah Cyrus so could he really be that bad? Idk. I should ask what his zodiac sign is before I make any decisions for the vote or ideas of his character.

flkjfdsal I don't remember if I did a confessional but this could be my last one since it's 20 minutes before the vote and I've heard NOTHING from anyone except for JC! so like fuck Andrew and Isaac honestly I REALLY hope me Sam Zack and JC stick together but I don't see it happening. I'm pretty sure I'm getting voted out so like it's been real.

I'm so happy I've made Final 7 but more importantly, I made it passed Jaiden! This vote is messy btw I just woke up from a nap and I have no idea what I'm doing.

So I'm being voted by Sam G, JC, and Zack. I know that for sure. I'm hoping Myself, Isaac, and Sam B all vote together. And just get out JC. I guess Zack is playing a map on me. So he'll see I voted for JC. And they might play an idol on JC and I'll be fucked. I dunno if an idol is being played tonight but hopefully if it is then it's played on Sam G? I really don't wanna die. But id I am then Zack is a snake. Like I knew that asdfghj but. I was hoping maybe he would actually take the secret pair beware thing farther. I guess it was fun while it lasted. Only so long before the pet snake takes a bite. Anyway, I'm probs not surviving tonight. So I hope Isaac or Sam B or Jake wins. But like 98% hope Isaac wins because he fucking deserves it. This will likely be my last confessional so. It's been fun and I'm glad I was able to play a pretty awesome all-star season. Anyway DAN GHEESLING IS MY BROTHER BYE.

I HATE MAKING DECISIONS! I have 5 minutes to decide whether I want to work with Isaac and Andrew or Jc and zack. I'm super nervous because there will be drawbacks for each option I choose. Zack will probably yell at me a LOT if I flip and Isaac will probably be so hurt by me and not want to be friendship anymore. And I want to work with Andrew in PI Allstars so I don't want to betray him here. Ugh this is messy fuck

welp i have 5 minutes so zack fucked me over hard core in immunity this round and all trust i did have in him is lost. this round it would be ideal for JC to leave but idk if sam b. is smart enough to make that move... um!!! yeah im just trying to convince her but i dont rly see it happening. andrew will prob leave or me tbh. i honestly think its me lmao. oh well. fuck zack

WELL, It appears Andrew is voting me again! Vote me once, shame on you; vote me twice, bitch you gotta go! Ugh idk I'm heeeeella nervous that I might be going tonight so I'm definitely keeping my idol close, we might be seeing a play tonight. Maybe even two if Andrew has one. Hm. So, I approached Isaac, told him I wanted to vote Andrew. He claimed he was down to vote Andrew too, but told Sam that he wasn't going to vote me but would vote someone else. Sounds like an idol might be getting played on andrewwww so they're splitting the votes, huh?! How. Fucking. Cute!!! This is disgusting I'll probably have to play my vote negator on whoever Isaac votes and use my idol for everything to work out tonight. UGH! This is so worrisome, idk why Andrew had to vote me tho! Like girl couldn't you vote either Sam instead since everyone else is on your side and Zack is immune. Whyyyyy meeeeeee 😢😢 it's not like I was pushing to vote for Andrew this week and last week also! *sarcasm* but I mean still, come on! It's not like Sam G wasn't pushing for you too, ugh. I don't know this is tough, if anything I'm probably gonna at least reveal to someone that I have an idol tonight or something. I need to find out how this vote is gonna go down...this is gonna be a long bumpy rife

Later...

Oh my fucking God Samantha BUSSY voted me out I can't fucking believe this. I'm honestly shook like I messaged Sam G first asking if she flipped then when she said no I went to Zack when he said no I was like what the fuck, how could it be pure angel Sam Bussy??? I pressed her and eventually she admitted to it. So I went to her and she denied it at first but finally admitted to it later. Then I called her and I think I flipped her. Hopefulfuckingly! I'm trying to flip Isaac as well just in case anything goes wrong and hopefully I can. I really hope I stay my dumbass should've played my idol when my gut told me to, but I simply didn't listen, I'm so stupid! But if I /do/ survive, then this would really be a wild move and I'll definitely be playing shit next week, if not everything smh. I'm puhRAYING that my mist works, because if not I'm going down as a big idiot who went home with their idol, probably the first big idiot who went home with their idol in storybook history! THE BIGGEST IDIOT IN STORYBOOK HISTORY!!! Kms if I go out this game I'm screaming.

#touchofrebellion

0 notes