I entered the land of amazing sights. Mountains with vertical, smooth walls intersected by parallel furrows – as if shouting 'Do not dare violate our sanctity!'. Omnipresent redness of laterites and gradually growing emptiness. No trees, no shrubs, no people or buildings.





That day was not easy – the 120 km I covered included crossing two passes and enduring the 45 degree heat – I could feel it all in my legs. In the evening I arrived in a village called Ankaramena, where I checked in to Eden Hotel. This name was beautiful, but barely reflected what I encountered inside. The hotel featured just one bed lined with straw. Oil lamp and candles that I always had at hand ensured light. I could not count on a toilet or running water. Moreover, I could not fall asleep among giant 5 cm cockroaches crawling all over the walls. They were making such a scratching noise that for a moment I thought somebody was trying to break into the room! Genuine Eden!

The route did not look enticing on the next day. In addition to a few more passes to cross, I had to cope with a road full of holes, and devoid of its 'asphaltness' at some points. On many occasions I was forced to take detours in order to avoid roadworks. Naturally, road repair teams were taking their time – it was scorching hot. At times – when there were no road workers in sight – I would ignore 'no entry' signs and use the opportunity to cycle on flat roads of acceptable quality, at least for a while.

Finally I reached Ihosy, where I found a decent hotel for a reasonable price, namely FMG 25,000. After a hearty meal, I set off for a photo hunt. Indeed I had many 'targets' – elderly people, women carrying a variety of objects on their heads, etc. I fed my Canon and went to sleep.

The morning brought yet another strenuous climb to reach yet another pass. The sights were marvellous. When I got to the top of the slope, I was expecting a decent downhill ride, but I got disappointed. The land was flat, and instead of asphalt there was powdery red laterite soil. The road led through the desert stretching to the horizon. The only variation in this landscape were termite mounds and dry tufts of grass. The temperature rose to 50 degrees Celsius. How did I know? My CatEye cycle computer featured a built-in thermometer. As usual, I could not count on any shade in the desert. Moreover, my journey was hampered by poor road surface, damaged by vehicle traffic. I tried to swerve and spare the bike, but usually it ended with getting stuck in loose sand. Some Malagasy drivers told me later that such roads can be either crossed very fast or very slowly. Well, I had no choice.

On one occasion I spotted a big tree by the road. Mirage, I thought. However, when I realised that the tree was actually growing there, I stopped in its shade for a while to catch my breath. What was worst, I hadn't even the slightest idea how far I would need to cycle along that road. Just emptiness all the way to the horizon! Try to imagine what kind of thoughts rushed through my head at that moment. Everything seemed so unreal, for example the distant contours of buildings and cars. I was in seventh heaven when it turned out that the far-off cottages were real and what's more – one of them housed a shop. In that situation, Coca-Cola and Fanta advertisements looked comical. Admittedly, these soft drinks were available, but their temperature did no differ from the ambient temperature. They were hardly fit for drinking, but does a thirsty man have any choice? A few women were peering at me for some reason. I was used to being immediately noticed by everyone, wherever I appeared. Besides, they were laughing behind my back, especially at my cycling outfit. Malagasy men never wear such shorts. Those ladies must have thought that only vazahas are crazy enough to cycle along such a road. Probably they were right. A dozen kilometres from that place I returned on an asphalt road, the laterite-covered hell having totalled 41 km. After an hour I reached a village called Ranohire, where I stayed for three nights – I simply wanted to see another interesting National Park.