Ambrositra
Trip Start
Nov 18, 2002
1
103
157
Trip End
Ongoing
Ambositra,
Madagascar
Friday, April 25, 2008
While we were in Antsirabe we learnt that there was now a new 'tourist' bus service just started up. 'Gasy Bus' is a new company with a brand new mini bus just for tourists (as the locals would find it too expensive to use) which takes the route from Antananarivo to Toliara which is on the southwest coast of Madagascar. It does the whole journey in 12 hours (supposedly) but stops at the main towns and cities on the route N7. A perfect solution to our need. To have our own seat with leg room and without the extortionate rates charged by a chartered driver or taxi.
The Gasy Bus company was just 3 days old when we used it for the first time and super-seeds the original company of Mada Bus. Apparently, according to numerous rumours we had heard that the Mada Bus was now finished as a member of staff had run off with the profits!! Gasy Bus is made up by of the 3 drivers who originally worked for Mada Bus
Carving shed
.Our next stop from Antsirabe was 2 hours down the winding N7 to Ambosita.
We choose to stay in a lovely room at Hotel Angelina which was much better value than any of those we looked at that were listed in the Lonely Planet. Our room had its own seating lounge area with large old windows that opened out onto fantastic views over the mountains and rice terraces. Everywhere was really peaceful although we soon noticed the clouds were rolling onto the mountain range, threatening rain which did eventually fall in the evening and ALL night long for that matter with a great show of thunder and lighting. We had (that evening of the rain)! Somewhat optimistically booked to do a ½ day walking tour of Ambosita with a local guide called Rob. As the rain pelted down and the thunder and lightening crashed and banged we were beginning to wonder if that was a good idea??
By the morning the storm had stopped thankfully and we started our walk at 8.00am in warm beautiful sunshine without a cloud in the sky.
We ambled along the busy main road where the weekly market was in full swing. Clothes, shoes, bags, hats, fruit, fresh meat, live chickens, live ducks, you name it, it was all for sale here. It was all very busy and very colourful with all the local characters there exchanging gossip and selling their wares
Hand powered lathe
.We had specifically asked Rob our guide to take us to see some local 'artisans' at work. Having seen many examples of the different things for sale in the touristy shops we wanted to see things being made first hand.
Our first stop was with a wood turner. This craftsman did not use an electric motor but one powered by hand. A young boy no older than 10 years stood on a rock to make himself tall enough to turn the big handle on the huge wooden wheel. As he turned and turned the craftsman used different sized chisels to create a design on what was just a small block of wood in the beginning. Within 5 minutes a small wooden vase had been shaped, sanded and stained with bees wax. He put a freshly picked rose in it and presented it to me as a gift.
We also saw groups of men clasping blocks of wood between their feet to hand carve objects and bowls with sharp chisels. How they didn't slip and stab their feet we just don't know. (Martin said he saw some scars ! )
Another stop which we specifically requested was to see someone doing some wooden inlay work. This is a speciality of the area of Ambosita. We met with a 28 year old man called Foszer who worked in a small workshop attached to his family home. He had learnt this skill from his father who in turn had learnt it from his father etc etc
Some finished wood vaneer pictures
. Everything was done by hand. The slates of wood were first dyed with different vegetable dyes and left to dry in the sun. Then a fret saw with the tiny blades (hand made teeth cut from the steel wires found within the rubber of an old car tyre) was used to cut out the intricate shapes. The shapes/images were drawn on paper glued to the wooden board then cut out to fit together like a jigsaw.Then whole picture is then sanded and polished to a perfect finish. Foszer's workmanship was of very high quality (and Martin should know)! so when we found a picture of some Baobab trees of Madagascar, it only felt right that we should buy a piece of his work. We also bought an unfinished example of the a similar picture just to have the before and after effect. We got Foszer to sign and date the back of it.
It will serve as a great reminder of our meeting.
It takes 5 days from start to finish for one picture. Not including the colouring of the wood.
Wherever possible we always try to buy direct from the craftsperson rather than buying from a 'tourist aimed' shop charging 'tourist aimed' prices. We know for a fact that the artisan does not get anyway near the price that the shop is charging!!!
Our tour route around Ambosita took us past numerous saw mills at which Martin could not resist having a look
The Workshop
. People were making tables, chairs, cupboards and beds, some even carving scenes into the headboards.It was certainly a very interesting tour and definitely satisfied our needs of wanting to witness local crafts people at work.
In the afternoon we made a visit to the local Benedictine Monastery. We had heard from some other travellers that the nuns there make cheese from Zebu milk. Zebu being the Madagascar equivalent of our beef cows at home. If you choose beef off the menu it will almost certainly be Zebu which tastes (not like chicken!) about the same as ordinary beef.
We walked the kilometre or 2 there and within the courtyard of the monastery and its cathedral type church was a small shop. In it was numerous things for sale, postcards, handmade paper cards, hats, bags and boxes made from weaved straw and 'nun-made' jam, not made from Zebu milk of course! Then there stacked in various sizes in a simple glass cabinet were the rounds of cheese. We bought a large ish one and then set off on a mission to buy some crackers. We trailed past many little wooden shops no larger than and similar to a garden shed (and all selling the same things) to eventually found some 'tuc' biscuits. We raced (well sort of) home, back to our lovely room, swung open the windows and sat in our comfy chairs enjoying the view while we woofed down the delicious cheese
View from our window
. The taste was similar ish to a Dutch Gouder. It was yummy and we promised ourselves another trip to buy some more before we left town.Our 3rd and last day, Sunday, in Ambosita was spent chilling out.
Most people dressed in their 'Sunday best' after attending a church service just walking about meeting and chatting with friends and family in and around the shady spots about the town. We too choose a shady spot to 'people watch.' The children passing by us were especially intrigued by our presence and laughed and giggled when we would say 'salama' to them. We also fulfilled our promise of returning to buy some more cheese from the monastery before we leave this lovely town some 1400+ metres up in the beautiful mountains of Madagascar.
