Lavanono has become one of my favorite places on the planet! There are few better places to turn 30.
Lavanono (lit translation: long boob) is down in the very south of Madagascar, 10 hours drive from Fort Dauphin. We all packed ourselves into a car on Friday morning at dawn. It was a bit of a squash, 7 of us plus driver. We headed off, tunes playing, really excited about the weekend. We went through Ranopiso (lit: cat water), into deep spiny forest, stopping only for a luxury lunch of a cheese sandwich (definitions of luxury change when away from home). We arrived in Lavanono at about 4. It is so beautiful. After hours of driving along really flat terrain you suddenly come to the end of what turns out to be a massive plateau, that drops down to a plain running down to the sea. It is breath-taking. The beach seems to stretch for miles, with the dramatic platau meeting the coastline. Gorgeous!
We unpacked our masses of luggage (you have to take all your own food and water) and straight away leaped into the sea. It's winter here and the sun sets suddenly before 6pm. Lavanono faces West, unlike Fort Dauphin so it was great to watch the sunset over the water. As the sun faded to the west the moon rose in the east. It was a full moon and so bright we didn't need torches. Elevctricity is only available over dinner time anyway, then it's on to candles. A little sip of rum, home-flavoured with vanilla and honey by Gemma completed the evening.
Saturday was spent walking, reading, swimming and generally having a great time. Followed by another beautiful, wine filled evening.
I woke up early on Sunday and the first thing I saw as I opened the door was the moon, big and yellow setting over the horizon. I didn't take pictures, just sat on the step outside the hut and watched. After breakfast Ali, Sarah and I went to Cap Sainte Marie, the most Southern point of Madagascar, where the Mozambique Channel to the West meets the Indian Ocean to the East. At the cape we spotted a whale. A humpback. It was heading the same way we were. So when we headed down to the shore, crossing dunes scattered with remnants of the eggs of now extinct elephant birds, it was just off the coast. In fact there were a couple. Amazing to watch them playing. In the evening we had a bonfire on the beach and various flavours of delicious rum.
I got up again on Monday to see the moon and to quietly contemplate being 30 (with a headache!). What a spectacular place. I spent my birthday relaxing, with afternoon tea on the beach. Perfect.
Back to town on Tuesday and also Jo's birthday. Another fun 11 hour journey! I lost a flip flop, we ate turkey and stopped for beer. Good times. Back in Fort Dauphin it was also a big party evening: The night before Independence. A whole section of town had been turned into a giant street party, with bar tents and a stage with live music and some amazing dancers! We met up with some other Azafady people then headed on to a club to party the night away.
It was such a good weekend!!!
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