ESCAPE
It was a hectic time at home to travel to the other side of the world. I had moved to a new flat and had to finalize my taxes, then deal with emails of marketing people of agencies that want me for a campaign to advertise cars. As payment they suggest the new currency, “Facebook-reach”, shorthand for will you do it for free? The bad weather hasn´t stopped for a while either. A cold has been constantly following me for a few weeks now and there is no sign of wind anytime soon – I know, the tough life of a pro windsurfer hey! Regardless, it´s time to escape.
At 30,000 feet we draw near to the equator. Thomas Traversa, next to me, is already asleep. I close my eyes and leave all negative thoughts behind. I try to grasp my excitement for this trip, which has been growing stronger and stronger in the last week, and then I fall asleep too. The next morning we arrive in Madagascar´s capital, Antananarivo, and take another plane to Fort Dauphin. From there we travel on land. From my German point of view our movements seem rather unorganized and improvised.
I am not sure if group leader Gilles doesn´t want to share his exact plans with us or whether he simply doesn´t have any. However, I am happy when we arrive at a campsite by nightfall. We are still far from our final destination and I am already overwhelmed by Madagascar. I saw people in their villages and huts, on the fields or, mostly it seemed, somewhere on the road. They travel, trade and transport goods, children play and many wave at us when we drive by. Some are smiling, some wear heavy expressions that must resemble their daily life I assume. With an average speed of 25 km/h we move south through vegetation that becomes more and more hostile, people and cattle appear thin and starved.
