Still September 2007
Coco Beach
Starting at the restaurant: On your left: my purple hut and all the other staff huts, whilst on the right you have the huts for other guests (stone construction still going ahead after a full year) and Coco Beach staff building with Fara, Heri and Tiuri in the front and Naina at the back, just in front of their building you have the loos (mostly working with running water now that the blue barrels have been constructed to collect pumped water twice a day).
Football Pitch
Continuing down the sand track (north) you pass the football pitch on the right, the light by the path (good satellite phone coverage point), another set of loos on your left for staff, and then the local staff huts as well (Boniface and the goats and chickens). Walking a little further will bring the generator shed on the right (at the side of the football pitch) you can cut across the football pitch to get directly to the village, but we will go via the volunteer huts today. On your left you will pass by the sand dunes and frequent signs ‘sabaka’ (hat), crème masoandra (sun cream) etc.
Volunteer Huts
At the top of the slope the 4 volunteer loos on the right and the goat tap and trough on the left, just behind the Radoko (medic) hut, 5 huts for volunteers (4 with 2 bunk beds and 1 with 2 small beds), one hut for Bic (local BV staff) and another hut for Nahuda’s family (cook at Coco Beach). All huts lean to varying degrees and there are no right angles anywhere, giving lots of character, also a number of hammocks strung up all over the place and one of the best views at Coco Beach of Half moon beach and Andavadoaka rock. At the end of all the accommodation huts is the classroom ‘Nosy Cao’ and opposite that the dive center ‘Bat Cave’ which contains two rooms partitioned for equipment and an outside covered area for kit up and down. The compressor lives at the back of the covered area and nearby a tap and a couple of blue barrels kept full for cleaning equipment.
Nosy Cao
Next to Nosy Cao is Zafi’s hut, he is the guardian (and makes the best pendants for necklaces), and behind his hut is the cliff edge, the coral slope up to the Mary statue (best location for watching the pirogue race, and where weather measurements are taken). Opposite Zafi are the precarious steps down to Andavadoaka beach (with full dive kit can seem daunting at first), on the right is the fisheries cooperative (no longer in service, but where George WCS boat driver resides), and behind that the football pitch again (having rounded the corner) which is also the helicopter landing zone (however, as far as I am aware only nuns have arrived by chopper here).
Andavadoaka Beach
A walk along the beach or a minor scramble over some rocks takes you towards the village, past the Ark (an old boutre left to waste, we inquired about buying it for an artificial reef but they wanted full price for it) on the right then our old boat shelters. Behind the scrub is the protestant church.
In front we see Club Aloalo building, white and newly decorated with fish along the walls outside, vines and baobabs on the columns and newly constructed steps, on the inside there is a map of Madagascar and the world. The best choice is to cut up to the village from here otherwise you get into ‘poo territory’ a function of the free shitting policy in this culture (but only kids go on the beach, sometimes decorating their packages with shells, whilst the adults are more discrete and go in the forest, though often quite close to their wells!). Behind club Aloalo (heading east), pass on the right Viviennes hut (washing lady, you can often see your smalls hanging out to dry here), pass the path to the protestant church (right).
Through the Village (southern end)
The road bends to the left (north) as you walk through the village, Nassims camion is often parked outside the large building on the right (behind which is one of the village wells). Continuing through the village there are fences on both sides until you get to the first of the epi-bars. On the left (before the first street turning is a stall on the road, this is where you can often find Cynthia (she makes the best cakes in the village), she lives down the small street, as does Mr. Roger (former president and now vice president of Befandefa) and his family in front of the big tree. You will often find James (local staff boat driver) here as well as he is family and has his hut in the same courtyard. Back to the main road, on the right you have the local lady-boys hut (he also makes cakes, but I find them pretty greasy). As far as lady-boys go he is a bit rubbish, looks like a relatively short man, square face and wears the occasional skirt (his favourite is a knee length yellow one, but more often than not he will just be in a sarong). Next to his hut is his epi-bar and then next to that the supermarket (owned by Nassim, local Karani Indian, we also order all our fuel from him). Supermarket has a seating area outside which is a great place to drink beer (THB) and eat peanuts (best place to buy them is opposite 30p for a bag full enough to feed everyone). On the left after the supermarket is a opening in the fence, a sort of gateway, third hut on the left which an outside covered area, a little picket fence and a few hammocks, is where Thomas (local BV staff Dive Master, boat driver, all around great guy) lives.
Through the Village (northern end)
Back on the main street, on the left is the epi-bar Chez Leon, the current favourite hang out on party nights in the village, has lots of wall hangings of girls from the 80’s, his prized possessions. Outside in the evenings you can buy the best samosas in town and sesame brittle. Straight ahead on the road is the BV notice board, under used. Beside the BV board is a path (short-cut) to the catholic mission school. To the right the epi-bar Chez Antoine (much smaller than the others in town). Next to that the Grande Salle, used for plays and local events. That road continues east to out-of-town, but there is a left road which takes you past the catholic mission and church, and eventually the catholic mission primary school, continuing on is the catrholic mission secondary school and the path leading out of town to Velonsak village or the Mobile Orange point.
Opposite the secondary school is the doctors building (though there is rarely anyone there and most use the BV medic when they can). At the end of Andavadoaka beach is the land that will be used by BV for the eco-lodge (when it eventually gets up and running).
Andavadoaka Beach (north – heading south)
Walking back along the beach watching your step you will pass numerous pirogues, children shouting ‘salama vazaha’, a few fish monitoring structures (shady spots), a large building running east is where Angelo (local BV staff currently doing everything possible and especially working on the compressor, most helpful guy ever) and his family live. Further along the beach there is epi-bar Chez Dada (we normally meet the Nahudas there at the beginning of each expedition), is a great place to be in the summer as there is an outside area for drinking and dancing when the heat inside is unbearable. You can cut up to the supermarket and Thomas hut from here. Walk further along the beach and you return to Club Aloalo, and you know where you are, a short step from Coco Beach once again.
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