Indian Ocean Islands - Northeast USA

Due to the nature of my work, I got a relatively longer vacation for this Easter. I decided to visit the four Indian Ocean island nations in Africa and stop over in a few Northeastern cities in the USA on my way back.

Mar 23, 2024
Northern Grande Comore

The Comoros is one of the poorest and least visited countries in the world. So I wasn't surprised when I arrived at the "Arrival Hall" of Moroni Airport - chaotic and extremely hot (no A/C though the outside temperature was about 30°C). Visa on arrival was smooth at 30 EUR (there is actually nice A/C in the small visa room) - they did ask for a hotel reservation, so it's a good idea to reserve one in advance and print a copy.

Even while I was still in the airport building, a guy with some English approached me for a taxi. I told him I was looking for a tour around the northern part of the island. He gave a ridiculous price of 140 EUR and could only drop to 120 EUR. Another guy with good English approached me and said he is a tour guide and could give me a tour for 100 EUR. Still too high for me, I walked to the parking lot and found one guy willing to do the tour for 60 EUR (actually, that was what he asked for - I didn't bargain, considering it's Ramadan and I didn't want to waste too much time at the airport).

The driver didn't speak a word of English at all, but that was not a problem. I had a fixed itinerary and just told the driver the places I wanted to check out. We visited Planète Plage, Lac Salé, Ivoini Beach / Dos du Dragon, Bouni Beach, and Plage de Chomoni before finishing at Moroni. Lac Salé (a crater lake right next to the Indian Ocean) is definitely the best on all of Grande Comore, the main island of the Comoros. The four beaches I visited were all empty - perhaps due to Ramadan. They were not bad but not super impressive either.

In Moroni, the driver drove around the harbor, so I caught a glimpse of Ancienne mosquée du vendredi (the old Friday mosque). He apparently didn't know Villa Saifoudine (the homestay I booked) and drove to the harbor "by mistake". The door was closed when we finally arrived at Villa Saifoudine. We tried to knock the door hard, but nobody came out. Suddenly, I found a bell high up in front of the door. I rang the bell rigorously. The lady finally came out.

Dos du Dragon

Mar 24, 2024
Southern Grande Comore

Initially, I booked flights to Madagascar through Dzaoudzi, Mayotte, by Ewa Air. About 24 hours before departure, Ewa Air notified me by email that the flights I booked had been significantly rescheduled, making it unfit for my travel plans anymore. I booked another flight to Antananarivo (the capital and the main transportation hub of Madagascar) via Nairobi by Kenya Airways immediately after learning the news (as part of my Plan B). To make it more interesting, when I woke up in the morning at Villa Saifoudine, I received an email from Kenya Airways that the flight to Nairobi was delayed for 1.5 hours. This was actually good news as it made it possible for me to take another "tour" to the south of the island in the morning. Initially, I booked a taxi to the airport via Villa Saifoudine for 20 EUR. With the added time, I would pay 70 EUR for the "tour" and to get to the airport.

After the included breakfast at Villa Saifoudine, my "tour" started. We first went to Iconi to check out Place Bichyoni palace Kapviridjohe (ruins of the Islamic sultanate). The setting on the ocean is impressive. Then we headed to Chindini, on the southern tip of Grande Comore. There is a large beach there. It's also the departure point for boats to other islands of the Comoros.

On the way to the airport, we stopped at Grande Mosquée de Moroni (new Friday mosque) - it's newer but definitely not as grand as the old Friday mosque, which is an icon of Moroni. We also stopped at Plage Itsandra, a popular beach 4 km north of Moroni. I saw a couple of local kids swimming in the ocean. The restaurant at the beach was open to foreign tourists (even though it's Ramadan). Before reaching the airport, we made a last stop at Golden Tulip, the only luxury hotel in the Comoros. Initially, I planned to have lunch here as I knew they open for lunch for foreigners. However, it was a little bit late, and I was afraid the service might be slow, so I gave up the idea. The hotel is quite nice though.

Plage Itsandra

Mar 25, 2024
Antananarivo to Andasibe

The Kenya Airways flight arrived in Antananarivo (Tana) in the mid-afternoon. Visa on arrival was quite smooth - I got my 15-day permit for 10 EUR (the sticker only takes up half a page).

Currency exchange at the airport was also smooth - nobody was watching me count the ariary. There was only one guy following me for a "taxi." He even followed me to the men's room, but when I walked into a shop, he lost interest in me.

I walked outside the airport building and asked the official taxi stand about the price of going to Andasibe. They quoted a ridiculous 200 EUR. I then asked the driver to take me to the city for 50 EUR and grabbed the last seat for the 7 pm Toamasina bus at the BESADY office (COTISSE only had the 8:30 pm bus available).

What happened next was my first experience of "mora mora" in Madagascar. The bus didn't leave until 8:40 pm as they were waiting for passengers from another bus to arrive in Tana. The bus made a stop about two hours later for "dinner." Then just about 7 km from the Andasibe intersection, the car broke down. Thank goodness, it only took 20 minutes for them to fix it. When I finally arrived at Hotel Feon' ny Ala, it was almost 2 am. I booked the hotel by phone in advance and notified them I would be late - to be honest, I didn't expect to be this late! After knocking on the gate several times, the security came out to get me.

Breakfast at hotel during my unexpected stay in Nairobi

Mar 26, 2024
Andasibe - Réserve Peyrieras (Madagascar Exotic)

Although I went to bed very late last night, I didn't want to miss seeing the indris (the world's largest lemur) either, which are usually best seen in the morning. So I got up shortly after 6 am and had breakfast at the hotel (not included in the hotel price). As in many developing countries, you don't find people - people find you. When I was just about to leave the hotel and walk to the national park, a guide was already waiting for me (I didn't arrange for that). As I didn't have any preferences for guides, I just walked with him to the national park. The park fee is still 45,000 ariary, but the guide fees are higher now - I paid 70,000 ariary for the 3-hour circuit.

During the first hour of the trek, we didn't see any lemurs. Then at some point, we saw a few people looking up the trees, and it turned out to be an indri. We later found some other indris nearby; apparently, they belong to the same family. However, these creatures were very high up in the trees. It's difficult to see them clearly and take good photos using a regular smartphone. These were the only indris I saw for the entire 3-hour trek.

Shortly after, we saw a group of diademed sifaka family. They looked cuter to me than the indris. And they were not as high as the indris, so you could see them a little bit more clearly. We later saw more diademed sifakas on the trek. According to the guide, diademed sifakas can only be seen if we are "lucky."

Just as we were about to finish the trekking, the guide spotted two common brown lemurs. Unlike the indris and the diademed sifakas, the common brown lemurs are active. It seems they are always either eating or jumping. Overall, not bad to see 3 species of lemurs in 3 hours.

After lunch, I walked to the main highway to catch a passing taxi-brousse. It took me about 30 minutes to get one to Moramanga. From there, I bought another ticket for a taxi-brousse heading for Tana that departed about half an hour later. The taxi-brousse reached the small village of Ambodiamontana one hour later, where I got off and walked to Réserve Peyrieras (also called Madagascar Exotic). It's a private reserve with chameleons as the highlight. They also have other Madagascan animals to show, such as the tomato frogs. The place is handy to visit on the way from Andasibe to Tana, but their price tag is quite high - 30,000 ariary for the entry and 30,000 ariary for the guide.

After Réserve Peyrieras, I walked to the main highway waiting for a passing taxi-brousse to Tana. Two ladies chatted with me, saying "no taxi-brousse to Tana at this hour" (it was still 15 minutes before 5 pm). I saw some passing taxi-brousses, but they didn't stop (probably full). I was thinking of hiring a private taxi or finding a hotel to stay in the small village; then, a taxi-brousse stopped and took me to Tana in 3 hours.

Two tomato frogs (the red one is male and the other one is female)

Mar 27, 2024
Antananarivo - Kirindy Forest

I stayed at K.méléon Hôtel due to its proximity to the airport. It's a very nice small hotel - super clean with good hot water and friendly staff. My flight to Morondava was initially in the morning but rescheduled to the afternoon, so I asked the hotel to get a taxi to two historical sites of the capital, the Rova (Queen's Palace), and the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, then to the airport.

The Rova is near the city center and they have two fares for foreigners - the full ticket for 40,000 ariary and the partial ticket for 20,000 ariary. I bought the latter, which includes the main restored palace building (inside is a museum). There are good views of the city from the palace (all the royal palaces were built on hills).

It took more than one hour to reach Ambohimanga from the Rova. This UNESCO site charges 10,000 ariary but seems less well-managed. Inside the compound, somebody told me "no photo" unless I got a camera ticket (there was no such ticket at the ticket booth). Then when I finished using the toilet there, someone asked for a "tip" (there was no sign of fees for using the toilet).

A one-hour flight took me to Morondava in the mid-afternoon. At the airport, I met the driver and the tour guide arranged in advance and started my 4-day 3-night program. We first drove to Kirindy Forest, stopping at Avenue of the Baobabs for photos (most people come here for sunset though). It took about 2.5 hours to reach Kirindy Forest from the airport. The entry fee to Kirindy Forest has increased to 50,000 ariary, and the guide fee is 70,000 ariary per time (2 hours). The room there is 150,000 ariary per night (breakfast included), so I paid 340,000 ariary upfront (for a night walk and a morning walk).

The night walk started shortly after 7 pm and it was a good one. We spotted a red-tailed sportive lemur, a grey mouse lemur (the second smallest lemur in the world), and a family of pale fork-marked lemurs licking each other. We also saw two chameleons.

Queen's Palace (Antananarivo)

Mar 28, 2024
Kirindy Forest

The early morning walk started at 7 am and it was not so successful. At the very beginning of the walk, we saw a Verreaux's sifaka and that was all about it. We did see the same red-tailed sportive lemur we saw last night and some reptiles (several iguanas, a lizard, and a snake). According to the guide, it's impossible to see fossas in March as they are hiding to breed their babies. Too bad none of the guidebooks mention this.

Another thing guidebooks are completely out of date for is Réserve spéciale d'Andranomena. I was hoping to check out this place to possibly see more animals there. However, this place has been closed to general tourists since COVID-19 (it's only open to research programs) but still appears in some guidebooks.

Feeling a little bit disappointed, I asked the guide to do a detour to Baobab Amoureux (a strange baobab tree that looks like an intertwined pair but it's actually one tree) and Avenue of the Baobabs again for a cup of baobab juice (8,000 ariary, tasting good).

We arrived in Miandrivazo shortly after sunset, giving me an opportunity to take a photo of the beautiful Mahajilo River.

A Verreaux's sifaka at Kirindy Forest

Mar 29, 2024
Lake Tritriva

We left Miandrivazo at 6:15 am heading for Ampefy. Just before Antsirabe, I asked the guide to make a detour to check out Lake Tritriva, passing the less famous Lake Andraikiba. They charged a 10,000 ariary entry fee for foreigners and another 15,000 ariary for "Circuit 1" (mandatory). There is no guide needed. I got no idea why they charged the fees separately. In fact, the ticket I got showed a price of 25,000 ariary. Viewing of the lake from the top is partially blocked by trees and the trail is poorly maintained/marked. It's possible to walk down to the lake, but I didn't bother. There is even no toilet at the site, despite the hefty foreigner price tag. Overall, I would consider this place "optional."

I had a delicious Madagascan lunch (hen'omby ritra) at Zandina in Antsirabe. About two hours on the way from Antsirabe to Ampefy, there is a waterfall on the left side of the road with a Sainte Marie statue - interesting setting. We arrived in Ampefy around 5:30 pm but couldn't find any hotels available (obviously due to the Easter holiday). After about two hours, we finally found a simple but not necessarily cheap (62,000 ariary with cold shower and shared toilet) place called Espace NY AKAMA north of Ampefy.

Lake Tritriva

Mar 30, 2024
Geysers d'Andranomandroatra - Lemurs Park

The main reason I came to Ampefy was to experience Geysers d'Andranomandroatra, and I was not disappointed. The geysers are interesting, and the clay massage I had was good - 30,000 ariary for feet, shoulder/back, hands, and head, and there were three masseurs working on me!

Before reaching Tana, we stopped at Lemurs Park, a free-range zoo with the following six species of lemurs: black lemur, crowned sifaka, black-and-white ruffed lemur, Coquerel's sifaka, ring-tailed lemur, and grey bamboo lemur. The park charges 70,000 ariary and will assign a guide to you (included in the price). A walk in the park can last from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.

A late afternoon flight took me to Mauritius in two hours.

Clay massage at Geysers d'Andranomandroatra

Mar 31, 2024
Mauritius

Mauritius Island is a nice place to visit but lacks world-class attractions. I decided to hire a taxi for a full day island tour. It turned out the 3,000-3,500 MUR mentioned by a guidebook was for a day tour focusing on either the north or south part of the island. For a day tour covering both the north and the south, I finally agreed with a taxi driver for 6,000 MUR.

Starting from Flic en Flac where I stayed, the "tour" first stopped at Le Morne where there is a Slave Route Monument from which some history can be learned. The beach at Le Morne is said to be the best in Mauritius (there are some luxury hotels around) but is quite disappointing to me - nothing really special or eye-catching.

The "tour" continued to Chamarel Waterfall (free) and Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark (550 MUR) - both are worth visiting. I planned to visit Gorges Viewpoint and Alexandra Falls but both were closed (perhaps due to Sunday). Luckily, at Le Pétrin some pink pigeons were seen. It started to rain cats and dogs and I had a very quick look at Grand Bassin.

Initially, I planned to have lunch in Port Louis, capital city of Mauritius. The taxi driver said most restaurants and shops are closed Sunday afternoons. So we went to L'Ocean for a late lunch then went to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden (300 MUR) nearby before heading for Château de Labourdonnais (550 MUR including rum tasting and juice).

The rain became very heavy and I decided to skip Grand Baie and asked the taxi driver to head for Port Louis where I had a look at the harbor and the China Town Gate before sunset.

Dinner at the popular Pakbo Restaurant in Flic en Flac was delicious - reservations recommended.

Pink pigeons at Le Pétrin

Apr 1, 2024
Flic en Flac

Since my flight was around 1 pm, I decided to check out Flic en Flac beach in the morning - it's not too bad but nothing special either.

In the late afternoon, I was on Praslin Island (entering Seychelles at Mahe Island Airport then another short domestic flight). It turned out the decision to stay at an apartment near the jetty was a good one - it's a relatively busy area with several supermarkets, restaurants, and takeaway outlets.

Flic en Flac Beach

Apr 2, 2024
Cousin Island & Curieuse Island

Visiting Cousin Island and Curieuse Island is a highlight of any trip to Seychelles. Cousin Island is for birds, and Curieuse Island is for giant tortoises. Most tourists join a tour that usually also includes snorkeling in the afternoon. There are numerous mosquitoes on Cousin Island (mosquito spray may only partially help), but the place is still quite worth visiting due to its uniqueness. To my surprise, feeding is allowed (and actually encouraged by the tour guide) on Curieuse Island. Giant tortoises are wandering around the fields behind the beach where grasses seem to have all been eaten by giant tortoises. The late afternoon snorkeling was quite disappointing.

A chick on Cousin Island

Apr 3, 2024
Praslin Island

An independent day tour by public bus. Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) actually has an app where tickets (credits) can be purchased online and shown as QR code and used when boarding the bus. The app also has the functionality to search for routes and timetables (though not real-time). It worked perfectly and helped avoid the hassle of buying a bus card while on Praslin Island (cash is not accepted on the bus).

Even with the same route number, the actual routes can be different at different times of the day, so using the SPTC app to search is handy. The frequency of the buses varies and can be from every 15 minutes to around one hour. The most popular site on Praslin Island, Vallée de Mai, can definitely be visited by relatively frequent buses from the main tourist areas. Contrary to the guidebooks, group tours don't run at fixed times at Vallée de Mai; it runs when there are 8 people joining the tour (150 SCR per person, or 1,200 SCR for a private tour). There are 3 loops in the park; even the longest takes a little bit more than one hour to finish. At the entrance of the park, there are some nuts on the table that can be used for photo ops.

There are direct buses from Vallée de Mai to the junction to Anse Lazio, passing Cote D'Or - a popular tourist village with a beautiful beach and a good stop for lunch (Leo's Food Bus not too far from the bus stop is a cheap and good takeaway option - there are simple tables and stools nearby).

Anse Lazio is the best beach on Praslin Island - a 20-minute walk from the nearest bus stop. There is a long stretch of beach and two smaller beaches at the southern end. The latter are more scenic. It's very hot in the mid-afternoon, so having a drink at Honesty Bar on the hill overlooking the ocean is a delight.

Coco de mer (world's largest seed) at Vallée de Mai

Apr 4, 2024
La Digue Island

A day tour from Praslin Island. It only takes 20 minutes by ferry to travel to La Digue from Praslin. The 9:30 am "Around La Digue Boat Tour" by La Fidelite Boat Charter at the jetty provides a good opportunity to look at all the beaches on La Digue from the water and is especially a good option if you take the 9 am ferry from Praslin. The population on La Digue Island is less than 3,000 and most people ride bicycles (bike rentals are available to tourists for 100 SCR near the jetty). A "must" on La Digue Island is the scenic Anse Source d'Argent (enter through L'Union Estate, 150 SCR). Tourists staying on La Digue Island tend to have a sunset dinner at Belle Vue on the mountain, but it seems busy and a reservation is definitely needed. Day trippers can take a taxi to the restaurant (they serve drinks and sandwiches during the day) - it's much quieter and the view is fabulous too.

Looking at a beach from the "Around La Digue Boat Tour"

Apr 5, 2024
Mahe Island

The 8 am ferry from Praslin arrived at Mahe Island (the main island of the Seychelles) shortly after 9 am. The capital Victoria is near the jetty and can be checked out easily (don't miss the Bicentenary Monument and the Clock Tower). Since my flight was in the late afternoon, I decided to hire a taxi for a 3-hour quick loop of Mahe Island for 1,750 SCR.

The first stop was Beau Vallon, a popular beach village 15 minutes' drive from Victoria. Despite being touristy, the beach itself is quite beautiful, maybe because it was in the morning and there were not too many people there. After coming back to Victoria, we went into the mountains. I initially told the taxi driver to go to Venn's Town - Mission Lodge in Morne Seychelles National Park via Sans Soucis Road. Somehow the driver took La Misere Road (another less famous mountain road) and it turned out to be not bad either, as the La Misere Viewpoint offers a better view than Venn's Town - Mission Lodge, I believe.

After getting out of the mountain to the western part of the island, the driver stopped at several beaches (not requested by me but nice) before reaching Anse Soleil (part of my itinerary to the driver), a nice beach at a bay which seems to be getting more popular these days.

The last "official" stop of the loop was Jardin du Roi Spice Garden. It's not cheap at 175 SCR but offers some exotic plants which are used as traditional medicines. On the way to the airport, the taxi driver stopped at Anse Royale Beach for photos (a "non-official" stop).

A 3-hour flight took me to Nairobi where I connected to a 15-hour flight to New York City.

Anse Soleil

Apr 6, 2024
New York City - Philadelphia

My flight arrived early in the morning, so I had a chance to check out a few places I didn't see last time when I visited NYC more than 20 years ago. I first stopped at the United Nations headquarters and the nearby Chrysler Building and Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central Terminal is truly amazing - both the exterior and the ceiling. My next stop was Chinatown where I checked out the two famous addresses: 16 Pell St and 83 Mott St - headquarters of the two most (in)famous Tongs about a hundred years ago. Of course, I didn't miss Doyers St (battleground of the Tong wars then) either. My last stop was the 9/11 Memorial. Only one pool had water at the moment. I don't know how to describe my feeling as 24 years ago I was on the observation deck on the 107th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center then.

A 1.5-hour train trip took me to Philadelphia. My 2-hour stopover there was purely to learn some American history at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. I did reserve a ticket for Independence Hall online and was advised to arrive 30 minutes early. Since there were not a lot of people lining up for security check, I actually waited a little bit inside the complex even though I arrived less than 30 minutes before the tour for security check. No ticket is needed to visit the Liberty Bell, but there is a similar security check.

Doyers St, New York City

Apr 7, 2024
Washington DC - Arlington

A quick tour to see some of the famous buildings on TV started at the White House. For the majority of tourists, the best photo of the White House can be taken from Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The southern part of the White House can also be seen from East Street NW, but it's quite far.

To save time and energy, I took a bus to the southeast corner of Independence Avenue SE and First Street NE and walked to the Supreme Court, passing the magnificent Library of Congress. The Capitol is just opposite (also the east end of the National Mall). All these sites are closed on Sundays so can only be seen from outside. I then walked to the Washington Monument to take the 11 am tour reserved in advance. The view up there is definitely worth the effort to try to get a ticket in advance when it's released.

After the Washington Monument, I checked out the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial then reached the Lincoln Memorial at the west end of the National Mall. To my surprise, I couldn't see the "I have a dream" marker 18 steps from the top. Part of the steps are closed for construction so it might be in the closed part.

The last "site" of my trip was Arlington National Cemetery across the river from the Lincoln Memorial (about a 20-minute walk). I first stopped at the Military Women's Memorial then used Custis Walk to see the Tomb of Robert Todd Lincoln before reaching President John F. Kennedy Gravesite. Walking back directly to the Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center takes only 10 minutes.

View of the White House from the Observation Desk of the Washington Monument

Overview

Despite having to change my flight to Madagascar, the trip to the four East African island nations in the Indian Ocean was a success. The Comoros was a unique experience as there were virtually no tourists there. Madagascar is popular for backpackers for a good reason - lemurs and baobabs. Due to its bad road conditions and inadequate domestic flights, car hire is sometimes inevitable and quite expensive. Both Mauritius and Seychelles are considered "luxury" holiday destinations but can definitely be done on a budget (by staying at apartments and eating takeaways). For those looking for "sites" rather than relaxing at beaches, Mauritius can be done relatively quickly. Seychelles definitely needs more time, as the unique coco de mer and giant tortoises shouldn't be missed, and the beaches there are some of the most scenic I've seen.

My stopover sightseeing in Northeast USA went according to plan. I particularly liked Grand Central Terminal in NYC and the views at the observation deck of the Washington Monument in DC. While the national park staff at various sites in Philadelphia and around Washington DC were nice, the security personnel were not the friendliest folks in the world.