A Rather Different Kind of Flight
At around eight in the morning, our adventure began. Together with Norbert and the architect, I drove to Fort-Dauphin Airport, more precisely to the hangar where Norbert kept his aircraft. For this particular flight, however, we were using a plane belonging to a good friend of his. I'm certainly no aviation expert, but I was especially impressed by how modern the interior looked. While Norbert prepared the aircraft, I was still trying to process the fact that I was about to fly in such a small plane for the very first time in my life, spending roughly an hour and a half crossing Madagascar's mountains! Before long, we were taxiing out of the hangar area, and Norbert contacted the control tower in French to request takeoff clearance. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't exactly cooperating that morning. Even before departure, Norbert had warned me that the clouds surrounding the mountain range could make the flight rather turbulent and that we might have to take a small detour. And let me tell you, he definitely wasn't exaggerating! Normally, I'm actually someone who quite enjoys turbulence on large passenger aircraft because it feels a little like riding a roller coaster. But what I experienced in this tiny aircraft was on an entirely different level. Every movement of the air seemed to affect the whole plane, and at some point, my enthusiasm for turbulence disappeared completely, hahaha. As expected, we had to take a detour to avoid the low-hanging clouds as much as possible while gaining enough altitude to cross the mountains safely. Fortunately, once we had made it over the mountain range, the air became calmer, and I could finally enjoy what I had been looking forward to most: seeing Madagascar from above.
A Landscape from Another Planet
What appeared beneath us was almost impossible to describe. Enormous, rugged mountain ranges stretched towards the horizon, crossed by deep valleys and branching riverbeds that looked like giant cracks running through the landscape. In some places, I couldn't see a single trace of human settlement. No roads, no houses, nothing but the breathtaking natural scenery below us. I genuinely don't think I've ever spent so much time staring out of a window in complete amazement as I did during that flight. What fascinated me most was how quickly the vegetation changed once we had crossed the mountains. While the region around Fort-Dauphin is relatively lush and green, the landscape further inland became noticeably drier. The greenery gradually disappeared, giving way to reddish-orange earth that stretched across vast parts of the highlands. At times, it almost looked like a desert or the Australian Outback. Eventually, our landing strip came into view, although calling it a runway might have been a little generous. Essentially, it was just a long stretch of compacted red earth where we were supposed to land. On top of that, we were dealing with a fairly strong crosswind, meaning Norbert had to carefully control the aircraft throughout our approach. I could see how focused he was, and at that moment, I really began to appreciate just how much experience and skill he had developed as a pilot over the years. While I found the situation rather exciting, Norbert landed the plane with an impressive sense of routine, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world. And just like that, we had arrived in Betroka! The moment I stepped outside, I felt as though I had landed somewhere in the Australian Outback. Strong winds swept across the open landscape, the ground was covered in reddish-orange soil, and there was hardly any resemblance to the green surroundings of Fort-Dauphin. It genuinely felt as though we had entered an entirely different world in just an hour and a half.
An Afternoon in Betroka
Shortly after our arrival, someone picked us up and drove us into town. From there, we went our separate ways for a while. The architect headed off to work, while Norbert and I had several hours to spend in Betroka before our return flight. We first sat down at a small local restaurant and ordered something to drink. Norbert, as always, was perfectly prepared and had brought his laptop so he could continue working for his company while we waited. I, on the other hand, decided to take the opportunity to explore the town on my own. Within just a few minutes, I noticed how different Betroka was from Fort-Dauphin. The infrastructure appeared considerably more basic, and much of daily life took place along the dusty streets. Instead of the tuk-tuks I had become familiar with in Fort-Dauphin, I saw people transporting passengers through the streets in hand-pulled carts. I also had the impression that people here were even less accustomed to European visitors than those in Fort-Dauphin. One of the most interesting places was the local market, where I wandered between all kinds of goods and clothing. And believe it or not, I even discovered a Borussia Dortmund football shirt! That was definitely not something I had expected to find in such a remote part of Madagascar, hahaha. Around one in the afternoon, I met Norbert again for lunch at the restaurant. We were served rice, beans, and meat. Under normal circumstances, nothing particularly unusual, but after my recent typhoid infection, I had become much more cautious about certain meals. Seeing the food brought back some rather unpleasant memories, so this time I decided it was probably better not to take any chances. We spent the rest of the afternoon in Betroka until the architect finished his work at around four o'clock and we all headed back to the plane.
An Experience I Will Never Forget
Fortunately, the conditions for our return flight were considerably better. The clouds had begun to clear, and thanks to a tailwind, the journey back to Fort-Dauphin took only about an hour. This gave me another opportunity to admire the extraordinary landscapes below, many of which had been partly hidden by clouds during our outward journey. As I looked through the window and watched the mountains slowly pass beneath us, I kept thinking about Norbert. I find it genuinely remarkable how much this man still does at the age of 78. While many people his age might already be enjoying a quiet retirement, Norbert continues to fly across Madagascar, run his business, and dedicate his time to all kinds of projects. And he does it all with such enthusiasm and ease, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. I think it is precisely this energy and passion that make him such an inspiring person to me. Eventually, we landed safely back in Fort-Dauphin, said goodbye to the architect, and Norbert drove me back to the monastery. That evening, as I thought about everything that had happened, I could hardly believe how much I had experienced in just one day. Within a few hours, I had seen Madagascar from a completely new perspective, visited a remote town, and discovered landscapes whose beauty I could barely have imagined beforehand. Looking back, this was probably one of the most extraordinary excursions of my entire stay in Madagascar. And for that, I simply cannot thank Norbert enough. Without him, I would never have had the opportunity to experience this country in such a unique way. It was a day I will probably remember for the rest of my life.
