On Tuesday, Demi got the group together to discuss the Madagascar trip.
"Gaia, said for me to book the trip for Mom, Ariana, and Alex. I have no clue where they came from, but somehow, I had dates and places in my head. You leave on the tenth at six-fifteen pm. The trip goes from Denver to Frankfurt, Germany. Then to Cairo/Egypt, Salaam/Tanzania, Nairobi/Kenya, and finally, to Antananarivo/Madagascar. Total time is forty-three hours."
"Nothing like the direct route," Ariana grumbled.
"Guys, I really tried, but that's the best route I could find."
"What do we do when we get to Madagascar?" her mother asked.
"I've booked you a hotel room in Anta-whatever it is, for two days to rest up."
"And then?" Aphrodite asked.
"Someone will come and get you," Demi replied.
"Who?" Alex asked.
"I have no clue."
"No name?" Aphrodite asked.
"You wait at the hotel. Someone will pick you up and take you to your destination."
"Which is?" Alex asked.
"Sixty miles away."
"Well, at least it's just an hour from the hotel."
"Actually, the sixty miles will take about six hours."
"Are we going on bicycles?" Ariana asked.
"Look, I'm telling you everything I know," Demi said, apologetically.
"It's okay, honey. Do you have our return info?" her mother asked.
"Hotel on the seventeenth for one night. You fly out the next morning at eight."
"Another direct route?" Alex asked, laughing.
"Yep, but it's thirty-three hours."
"At least that's shorter," Ariana added.
"Actually, it's the same. Madagascar is ten hours ahead of Denver time. It's still the same amount of time."
"Peachy," Ariana grumbled.
"So, we'll need to pack for eight days," her mother said.
"No, just three days. While you're in Madagascar, you'll be provided with your clothes," Demi said.
"What do they wear in Madagascar?" Alex asked.
"Malagasy attire," Demi replied.
"What's that?" Ariana asked.
"Beats me," Demi said, laughing.
"You're a big help," Ariana muttered.
"Sorry, best I can do."
"Anything else?" their mother asked.
"Yeah, have a nice trip," Alexandra said, nearly falling off her chair laughing.
It took a moment, but soon, they were all laughing.
Over the next few days, other questions came up, but Demi had no more information to add. They packed, and each wound up with a single, soft-sided bag for the trip. Alexandra did some research and filled them in on the country, culture, and climate.
The trip was exhausting, and by the time they reached their hotel, they were all ready to drop. Demi had booked the Relais des Plateaux for them, and after checking in and showering they were all three asleep in minutes. Aphrodite had planned ahead and set an alarm to get them up at eight am local time, with the intent of resetting their internal clocks, and overcoming the jet lag. Since they didn't know who was coming for them, or when, they stayed close to the hotel. On the morning of their second day, they were in the hotel restaurant having breakfast when a black man walked to them.
"We go now," he said.
"Who are you?" Aphrodite asked.
He smiled, showing several missing teeth. "We go now," he said again.
"To Miora?" Alex asked.
The man nodded and smiled. "We go now," he said, as he tugged on Alex' arm.
Alex waved to the waiter, who walked to the table. "We're waiting on someone to take us somewhere. Can you speak to this man and see if he's the one we're supposed to go with?"
The waiter spoke to the man in another language, and after he replied, turned back to Alex. "He is here to take three people to the woman. He was told he would recognize them by white hair. I believe you are supposed to accompany him, sir."
"Will you ask him to join us for breakfast?"
The waiter spoke to him again. The man held up both hands and shook them. He looked terrified as he spoke.
"He said something about gods. I couldn't make it out. He will drive you to where you need to go, but he is very afraid of all three of you."
"Thanks," Alex replied.
"Alex, why don't you go to our room and grab our bags? I'll get us checked out of the hotel," Aphrodite said.
"Okay, I'll meet you in the lobby," he replied.
When Alex returned, they were waiting on him near the front door. Keeping his distance, the man led them to a small white car that resembled an old VW Beetle. It was rusted and didn't appear to have glass anywhere except the windshield. They got inside with their bags and looked for their non-existent seatbelts. After several attempts, the man was able to get the car started and pulled away.
"We take a lot for granted," Aphrodite said.
The first couple of miles were on a nice, paved road. Traffic was heavy but the driver was good at getting through it. Traffic began to thin and so did the road. Within another mile it was a dirt road with ruts and holes big enough to swallow the car. Alex was convinced they could move faster if they walked. As the sun rose well into the sky, the humidity rose with it. It was sweltering.
"I wonder how much longer?" Alex asked.
Ariana looked at her watch. "We left the hotel just over an hour ago. If Demi was right, we have another five hours," she replied.
"Ughhh," he groaned.
"Lighten up. This is a once in a lifetime adventure," his mother said, smiling.
"We can only hope," Ariana replied.
Sleeping on the trip was impossible. Every time one would nod off, they would hit a rut or a hole that jarred the entire car. It was hours later when the driver finally stopped the car. He got out and opened the doors. Once outside the car, he pointed. About one-hundred yards ahead was a cluster of shacks.
"Go," he said. Alex made a gesture for the man to drive them. He pointed to a stick in the ground with a dead bird impaled on the end of it and shook his head. "Go." His attitude told them he wasn't going past the dead bird. Aphrodite offered the man two-hundred thousand Ariary, about fifty US dollars. He shook his head, jumped back in his car, and drove away as if terrified.
"Let's hope we're at the right place," Ariana said. She was smiling again.
They walked toward the houses. People stood and stared as they passed. They greeted each one and received a local greeting and smile in return.
"I've only seen women and kids. I wonder where the men are?" Alex asked.
"Maybe, you get to be the new village stud," Ariana chuckled.
"Maybe not," he replied.
"You could do a lot worse. At least they're beautiful," his mother said.
Alex looked more closely. These truly were beautiful people. Some were black and others appeared to be black and kind of Asian at the same time. All the children were about age six or older. They saw no babies. When they actually entered the village there was an older man and woman sitting on a porch.
"Alexandra said it's customary to greet elders first," Alex said, as he headed their way. When he got to the porch, he bowed a little and said, "Salama."
The couple smiled and returned his greeting. A woman of about forty walked to them.
"We've been expecting you," she said to Aphrodite, as she kissed her on each cheek. "I am Nomena."
"Hello Nomena. I'm Di. This is my daughter Ariana, and my husband, Alex."
They all greeted each other with kisses. "Alex is also your son?" she asked.
"He is," she replied.
"I welcome you to our village. I'm sure your trip has been long and hard. We will start with a shower if that is acceptable."
"That would be wonderful," Ariana said.
"When will I meet Miora?" Alex asked.
"You must call her Gades. It's spelled differently than your goddess. If you pass your tests, you will meet her tomorrow," Nomena replied.
"Tests?" Alex asked.
"You must prove your sexual ability first. If you succeed, you will meet her. If not, you will be sent back to the city. For now, let's get cleaned up then have something to eat."
She waved her hand, and three young women ran over and took their bags. Six other women, three that appeared around Alex age, and three about his mother's age, took their arms and led them to a small wooden house.
"The women will bathe you and get you dressed for our meal. I'm afraid they only speak Malagasy. Only two of us in the village speak English."