Maybe - maybe not or Air Madagascar

Our flight to the Masoala Rainforest for our trekking was supposed to take place on September 13th. The flight time was postponed multiple times. Most recently, the flight time was moved up to 6.00 in the morning (instead of 6.30). So we wake up at three o'clock and arrive at the airport at four o'clock. Like last time, the check-in is still not open and we have to wait. We were already warned that many people want to take this flight, as the last one was cancelled and people have been waiting for the flight for 3 days. Eventually, it starts and everyone rushes to the check-in counter. We are not the first, but we are in the first third. It takes forever for something to happen. Then a lady comes to the counter and says something in Malagasy. Immediately, chaos ensues in front of the counter as everyone calls out to the lady and discusses. We already suspect that something will go wrong with the flight again. A young lady in front of us explains that the plane that was supposed to come is not ready for operation, so a small aircraft will come instead. However, there is only room for 15 people. You can imagine what happened next. Everyone wanted to be first. Eventually, a few people checked in and I made my way through and stood at the counter with passports and tickets. As foreigners, we have an additional hard time asserting ourselves against the Malagasy. A lady with her family, who was clearly behind us, tried to cut in front of us and also tried to convince the other Malagasy that they were ahead of us. The lady at the counter seemed unsure, typed something in the computer, and called a colleague. They continued to stare at the computer, wrote names on a piece of paper, and assigned seat numbers. I looked at the paper, counted, and realized: they have already checked in too many people. And so it is: a nun with a child, who had already checked in, were checked out again and their luggage was taken out. Everyone else stood there waiting. By now, it was already past 6 o'clock. Eventually, it became clear that there would be no more flights that day, not even in the afternoon as communicated at some point. We were all transferred to a hotel paid for by the airline - including full board and drinks. They hope to get a plane for the next day. We then go to the travel agency and discuss the options. We will only know in the late afternoon if there will be a flight the next day. The regular flight on the day after tomorrow, the 15th, is also not an option as it is already full. Well, we hope for the flight the next day and visit the former royal residence Ambohimanga, from where you have a nice overview of the city. On the way back, we receive a phone call: there will be no flight the next day, but the airline will book us with priority on the flight on the 15th, which is already full. Ok, that means spending another day in Tana and two days less of trekking. It's a shame, but we will survive. So on September 14th, we take a tour of Tana, visit the queens palace and various government buildings. We also don't miss walking through the famous stairs of Tana. There is dense market crowd and a very high risk of theft. We also notice: we are once again the only white people here. But we don't have anything except my small camera and we get through just fine and wouldn't want to miss it. This was also very impressive and we had some nice encounters... We also visit a workshop where beautiful chairs and objects are made from old barrels and various sheets of metal. Even Christmas decorations like sleds and snowmen! It's unbelievable what they produce, all handmade. Somehow the day in Tana passes by and we go to the PRIORI office to ask at what time the flight for the next day is scheduled. But what a major disappointment: we will not be able to fly again. The next flight would not be until Saturday and therefore too late for the Masoala trekking. And still not guaranteed. We are brought back down to reality: Masoala is not happening for us. And yet we were so looking forward to it, especially the bay and a few days of relaxation in a beautiful marine protected area. We are completely stunned. They suggest an alternative rainforest reserve a bit further north. We need a few minutes to digest this and look at the alternative. It is definitely also very interesting, but much more exhausting than the planned Masoala trek. With our knee problems and my current severe cold that I am dealing with, it might be too much in this climate. We shorten the proposed program and decide to fly there on Saturday (with the new, more reliable airline), do a 3-day trek, and fly back on Wednesday. This way, we can still continue the rest of the program as planned and even arrive one day earlier at our relaxation island at the end of our vacation. But how tedious it is for everyone involved: demotivating and nerve-wracking for us, exhausting for the PRIORI travel agency, which has to adjust the program again and again, cancel hotel reservations and make new ones... Damn it, Air Madagascar!!!