or:  Why Are There Always Chickens?

Every time I travel, there is some sound that seems to be consistent through my trip.

For this trip so far, it seems to me chickens and roosters. I don’t like them, especially at four in the morning.

Who am I kidding? I don’t like them at any time of the day. Except at dinner. Cooked.

What’s really weird, is they seem to put in an appearance even in places where I can’t hear them. I’m looking at you Bo Kaap.

We stayed at a fantastic AirBnB in Bo Kaap, Cape Town. Fantastic except for the chickens. The place was immaculate and very funkily decorated. Except for the chickens.

These chickens are beaded and part of a fundraising effort for a local charity. The cause is great. The product is not. They also sell amazing full sized poodles in pink, various African animals and just general knick knacks. Why did the owners of this AirBnB choose chickens?

From here to Mauritius (yes, my life can be a little tough at times) the sounds of roosters woke me at all hours of the morning. I always thought they woke up with the sun. This is not true. In various countries, they seem to wake up early. Mauritius is one of those countries. It’s like they can’t wait to start the day.

They want everyone to start it with them.

Now I’m in Madagascar and traveling around from the inner part of the country through to the west. The trip is taking four days.

Each day so far, the roosters have been awake before me. I am awake for the next rooster who seems to want to join in with the first in some bizarre kind of song. In some parts of the country, dogs like to join in with a weird harmony. They tend to go back to sleep fairly quickly but the roosters, they want the whole town to wake up.

It’s still dark when the cacophony begins.

The upside, it’s nice to wake up early to get ready for the day’s adventures and to have time to relax and think about things.