| Madagascar Afremail Part 6 - Isalo | |
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What is Isalo? Isalo was a walk through an ethereal plane reminiscent of Middle Earth. First it was plains of sweeping green grass. Then an ascent into a giant fortress plateau that took 2 hours to reach. We found crags, cliffs, valleys and canyons of rock. During our 3 day walk, we came across pristine grottos, slices emerald green rainforests, and groups of lemurs all tucked inside a couple hundred square kilometer world that was just as foreboding as the landscapes of The Lord Of The Rings.
1. It took around 5 hours to walk along the plateau wall before we reached crack that served as our entry point, similar to the one to the right behind the tree. It might just be the one that we entered.
2. Although the park is protected, the grassland outside is not. Along the way we crossed paths with locals and cattle living along the plateau.
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6. She's nibbling on a piece of grass.
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8. We finally reached the crack.
9. This is actually a river that is outside the plateau, before we reached the crack. We had to cross it while on our walk through the grassland and i you look at the photograph below this one, you can see it meandering behind Rob's head.
10. After finally reaching the top, we took a break at a vantage point.
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13. The square shape is an old grave that is about 12 feet across by 6 feet high. Before Isalo became a national park, the locals used it as a place to bury their ancestors, believing that the high plains of Isalo, particularly the jagged plains most resembling Middle Earth landscapes, are spiritually powerful places.
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15. Just another boring weird plant from Madagascar.
16. We met some lemurs just hanging out. They didn't mind entertaining us for a few hours.
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28. The species name is Lemur catta, because they make a meow sorta like a cat.
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30. We found one after another boring picturesque waterfalls and grottos. Yawn...
31. Need I say more...
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