Before going farther, I used the opportunity to see the Island of Sainte-Marie. In order to get there, I had to take a 30 km cruise on a small boat, lasting 2.5 hours. I almost got seasick! We set off from a small port on a river, in the place where its water flow into the ocean, forming waves up to 1.5 m high! The cruise on the boat that took 14 people instead of 4 was a real horror! On the island I quickly found a hotel. It was a bungalow with no electricity, but with a shower, and situated right at the ocean. On the next day I cycled around the island, taking no luggage with me. First I got to the d’Ankarena cave occupied by huge swarming bats that feed on fruit. In the meantime I passed by a local tourist attraction – a pirate cemetery. In the past the island used to be the centre of piracy in the whole Indian Ocean. On my way back I spotted sand moving strangely in front of the bicycle. I stopped but nothing happened. It was only after a while that I saw small, quite strangely looking crabs crawling out of tiny holes in the ground. One pair of their claws was disproportionately big, and constantly in a waving motion. It looked as if they were encouraging me to do something – they seemed to beckon me over with their claws, just like somebody saying 'come here'!

Then I headed for the north of the island, riding along a typical mountainous road – just rocks and mud. Consequently, it took a lot of effort to cover 40 km. Besides, I got a flat tyre on the way, but thanks to a handy MacGyver’s kit I managed to fix it quickly. Finally I could rest on a beautiful beach, and then return to the hotel. I rode extremely fast, as I had to be back before dusk (that was 5 pm).

On the next day I was supposed to leave the Island of Sainte-Marie, but the boat did not come. That’s the way it is over there - if there are not enough passengers, a given means of transport will not leave for its destination! Apparently, there were too few people willing to visit the island. It wasn’t until the following day that I reached Soanierana-Ivongo – by a different, much more comfortable boat.