Rambling

We literally rambled at a rate similar to that of a turtle, using small movements to ensure we did not miss anything mystical in our surroundings. The light was intense and for me it felt like all my senses were in a heightened state. The excitement of the entire day still issued a constant stream of endorphins from my head to my toes. I felt like I was jumping out of my skin, skipping through the avenue with my camera in hand. Of course my feet stayed on the ground and I was not skipping, but I swear at one moment, my heart leapt out of my chest. It was majestic and overpowering being surrounded by mother nature’s glory. Baobab trees on the avenue are, on the average, 1000 years old and 28 feet around the base. They also, astoundingly, hold about 1500 liters of water. How can one imagine being around for 1000 years or, even more fascinatingly, being filled with 1500 liters of water? Amazed, bewildered, and dwarfed in the vastness of the Malgache landscape, I felt emotional. I had several silent moments, alone in my head.

Our pirate explained that these baobabs are the legacy of the dense tropical forests, which once stood in the Morondava region. However, like may areas, due to population expansion, the forests were burned and decimated, leaving only the baobab trees, which currently exist because they are still being used in religious rituals. Although from his accounts, as traditions have changed over the time, religious rites have become secondary to the sustainability of one’s family. Our pirate also explained that Baobabs were once thought to contain medicinal properties, although he could not explain what ailments the bark was used to heal. Over the course of our days in remote areas on the Tsiribihina, we saw forest fires, which seem to be the fastest and easiest way to clear the land for crops. Between the thick jungle grew the season’s harvest of sugarcane, corn and cassava (manioc), which are all staple foods for Malgache families in this region.

In that moment though, the trees, the light and the company were enough to over stimulate the senses. In that brief instance of time, I had no conscious thoughts of anything other than how breathtakingly beautiful it was loitering among the trees, as the light danced in the sky, creating silhouettes with the landscape. As we reached the end of our passage, the sunset marked the end of a glorious and fateful day.