Two Indian Ocean Neighbors, Reunion Island and Madagascar: A Slideshow by Chantal Langenfeld
Please join us the evening of Wednesday, Nov.12 at the Sisson Museum Events Room in Mt. Shasta when intrepid traveler Chantal Langenfeld presents a slideshow on her 2014 trip to Reunion Island and Madagascar. Showtime is 7:00 pm with a suggested donation of $8.
The island of Reunion, a tiny chunk of France in the Indian Ocean is one of France’s overseas departments, 39 miles long and 28 miles wide only, with a population of less than a million. Sugar and tourism are the main source of income. Occupied by France in the mid 17th Europeans and enslaved Africans, Chinese, and Indians resulting in a mixed race population. The uniquely diverse “Creole” culture is showcased in stunning colonial architecture, colorful religious buildings and festivals, exotic food and music.
Reunion is a mini-Hawaii with mind-blowing geography, lava fields, lush primary forests, jagged peaks, white sandy beaches and hip coastal cities. Its 3 cirques, formed by the collapse of subterranean lava chambers and erosion, are traversed by only a few roads more crooked than a politician. “Nothing could have prepared me for the cirque de Mafate, accessible by helicopter or hiking trails only. A hiker’s paradise with jaw dropping ravines, shifting colors, steep, tortuous trails…and blissful serenity. ”
Madagascar, west of Reunion, one of the worlds largest islands, was cast adrift from Africa 165 million years ago with its cargo of strange animals and plants that have evolved in isolation ever since. The island’s inhabitants are descended from Indo-Malaysians seamen who arrived 2000 years ago. The island’s main crop of rice, grown in hillside terraces is very reminiscent of Indonesia .
Madagascar’s 1960 independence from France ushered years of corruption, political unrest, economic mismanagement and foreign meddling. The Central Highlands are a picture of massive deforestation and erosion. Rivers run red with topsoil flowing out to sea. The Malagasy people, tall and proud are toiling to survive. Lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities are shocking.
Madagascar’s National Parks and the flux of eco-tourists in search of lemurs might be the country’s key to a brighter future. Trampsing through the jungle in search of the long tailed monkeylike creatures is unforgettable.
Slideshow presenter, Chantal Langenfeld was born and raised in France. She traveled extensively around Europe, North Africa and Asia before settling in Mt Shasta. She has run a river rafting company for the last 20 years. Winters find her in the Mt Shasta backcountry or at the Nordic Center. Between seasons she lets wanderlust guide her.
