Fotsy Maso: getting to the lake

Tuesday-Wednesday, Days 6-7, October 20-21

We make the nine hour drive to the bridge to see firsthand how serious the situation is. Just as we arrive it begins bucketing down with heavy, heavy rain. This is the last thing we need, as rain will turn the road up to the lake into a sticky, slippery mess. But the rain passes as quickly as it arrives, and we can relax....for the moment. We visit the bridge and it is not as serious as we had feared. The bridge itself has not fallen down, but they are replacing an old section as part of routine road repair. We are assured that they will complete the repairs by the end of the day tomorrow. There is a huge line of lorries and vehicles extending for several km on either side, so that even after the, single-lane, bridge is fixed it will take hours for the vehicles to cross. We need to avoid travelling at night as incidents of banditry have increased here in Madagascar, so this means that we will plan for an early start the day after tomorrow, at first light. A bustling market has sprung up on either side of the bridge with food of all descriptions and music - you may as well enjoy yourself while waiting!

Thursday, Day 8, October 22

The bridge was fixed last night and traffic must have cleared during the night as well. Even the market has disappeared leaving no trace. We make it to Antsohihy in good time and it is seriously hot and humid, much more so than during our recon visit in July. The heat saps one’s strength and we all have to be careful to pace ourselves. Nigel and Sparky go into high gear and start setting up the hotel rooms in preparation for ducklings. Tomorrow we will finally go up to the lake.

On a personal level, I receive a call from my wife back in Tana to tell me that she and my two boys have been diagnosed with H1N1 virus, which has just arrived in Madagascar. I have been feeling increasingly ill myself since leaving Tana, with fever, headaches and serious fatigue. Richard Lewis will be joining us in a few days from Tana so he will bring me some Tamiflu just in case. I just hope my fever doesn’t get too much worse before then as we will be a long way from medical help by the time we reach the lake tomorrow. My main concern is of course for my two little boys back in Tana but I tried to ensure that I kept away from the other team members, virtually quarantining myself to prevent possibly infecting others. We develop a plan to get medication (Tamiflu) sent to the site and prepare for my possible evacuation. However, I am not the only one feeling under the weather: Nigel, Glyn and Sparky are all battling stomach ailments, and various stages of colds. The heat and stress of working and travelling in Madagascar can really wear you down, and all the new bugs picked up by the team in Nairobi, Tana and during plane travel are taking advantage. The team is in rough shape overall, even before we have made it to the lake itself, but we are a stubborn crew and just keep moving forward.

Friday, Day 9, October 23

So far, so good. The drive up to the lake is dusty and dry but this also means it is much easier than the trip in July. We arrive after dark and by now I am in very poor shape. My fever is the highest it has been and I can barely move. I make it down the hill to the camp site but am completely useless at this point. We have a Survivor moment where the guys compete to see which team of two is able to put up the new tents the fastest. Felix and Frankly (our stalwart driver) vs. Glyn and Nigel vs. Sparky and myself. Sparky is on his own as I am completely exhausted at this point and have to sit down with my head in my hands. Sparky has his tent up the fastest. I crawl into my sleeping bag and immediately fall asleep.