Madagascar > Farewell to Nosy Be

The flight to Antananarivo isn’t until a quarter to seven this evening. The departure time has been changed several times over the past few days. Originally, according to my ticket, the flight was supposed to be at quarter past four. Now I won’t head to the airport until four o’clock. This effectively gives me a full day in Nosy Be. I walk to the beach for a breakfast with a sea view. Afterwards, I return to my room, pack my bag, and take the liquids out of my carry-on. I have to check out by eleven o’clock. I leave my luggage at the reception desk and head back to the beach. I stroll along the entire bay. Various vendors try to sell fruit, sunglasses, and T-shirts. At the end of the bay, I walk over some rocks—a route that’s only accessible at low tide. At the far end of the bay is a luxury resort. From the terrace overlooking the bay, I order a drink. It’s very pleasant here, so I decide to have lunch as well. In the afternoon, I walk back to the hotel, bidding farewell to Madirokely and Nosy Be. On the way to the airport, I learn that the flight to Antananarivo will make an additional stop in Majunga. This adds roughly an extra hour of travel time, which also means I probably won’t arrive at my hotel until after ten o’clock. Sigh. When I arrive at the small airport building, there’s little activity. The departure hall door is still closed. After about half an hour, it opens. The ticket is handwritten, and at the carry-on check, it doesn’t matter if the scanner beeps or not—my bag isn’t checked or scanned at all. While waiting for the plane, darkness falls. I don’t see any aircraft arriving, not even when the departure time passes, indicating a delay. In the departure hall, several beetles are drawn to the light. They fly around the waiting area or fall to the ground when they hit the spinning fan. The floor is littered with two-centimeter-long bugs. Some people anxiously cover their heads. Outside, the staff pass the time by hunting cicadas, which also fly toward the light in the departure hall.

Madagascar - Old French cars in the capitals streets

Nearly an hour later, the aircraft arrives. Fairly quickly, I walk to the plane. Outside, insects buzz everywhere. One cicada is on a passenger’s bag inside the plane. Startled, the flight attendant picks up the bag and removes the insect at the back. Then we take off toward Majunga for the stopover. Forty minutes later, the Air Madagascar plane lands hard on the runway, literally bouncing during the touchdown. The second flight to Antananarivo goes more smoothly. I land in the capital again at half past nine. This is my third time arriving here—it’s becoming familiar territory. The luggage is loaded onto the bus again, and I drive to the Chalet des Roses hotel. Because it’s later in the evening, the trip goes much faster than last time. Still, it’s nearly eleven o’clock by the time I sit down in the restaurant to grab something to eat. I order a light soup.