“Tsara Be” is an expression that I used a lot in Madagascar, and for good reason. Simply, it means “very good”. Six weeks here went by in an instant. I underestimated how comfortable I would get in a place that is so challenging and how difficult it would be to leave....
July 19 – 21, 2016 Wrapping things up and coming full circle. I have officially reached the end of my bicycle tour of Madagascar, and effectively, Africa. In less than 1 week, I'll be back in Boulder. I couldn’t let things end without a little more adventure and...
July 16 – 18, 2016 …go swimming and rinse it off. Feeling the need to escape the buzz of Diego, I cycled up to the quaint beach town of Ramena. It lies 19k to the east on a peninsula jutting out into clear, emerald water. My plan was to follow some “secondary roads”...
July 14-15, 2016 The “road” was a battlefield, showing the scars from decades of erosion and disrepair. I use the term road loosely. This is Madagascar. More than ever, I was happy to be on a mountain bike. I weaved and zipped by the over-loaded taxi bruesses as they...
July 13, 2016 The word “tsingy” means to “go on tip toes”. It is the name of the unique, razor sharp, moonscape limestone formations located in several places in Madagascar, but to my knowledge, no where else in the world. I cycled an easy 30km from Ambilobe to...
July 12, 2016 I suffered today. It was supposed to be a mellow, flat, straight, and easy 110km from Ambanja to Ambilobe. It was all those, except the last bit. It was above 90F for the first time since I arrived in Africa. (To be clear, it has been 90F in Africa, but...
July 11, 2016 Off the big island (Nosy Be) and back to the BIG island (Madagascar). I arrived at the boat dock at 9am to get on one of the small speed boats that will transport me back to the mainland to continue my trek north. The boat costs $15 and takes 30...
July 6 – 10 2016 The third law of physics states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I take this to mean…get moving and things will happen….not in a positive or negative way…but rather, just something. Make some action. It’s just physics…right?...
July 5, 2016 A 40 minute flight from Ile Sainte Marie to Tana and I had essentially un-done my last 3 weeks. It’s sad to me to think of traveling in this way, but most people do…simply A to B. What if I skipped all the adventure, connections, and interactions of the...
Being June 30 – July 4, 2016 After riding nearly 300 arduous kilometers the past 3 days, it was time to focus on “being” rather than “doing”…something I’m historically challenged by. I’m much better with a daily schedule and being on the go. The ride from Toamasina to...
