Monday, June 2, 2014

Willy Saves Mara

The small wooden pirogue had been serving the seas for many years. Until last week. It had such a hard time on the turbulent waters of Nosy Be, that it broke in half. Three local fishermen are hurled out. Two of them have been never heard from again. The third, Mara Beanjara (45) is helpless in the churning sea. Twenty years at sea, but he can't really swim...

Island
He struggles in the water, desperately. Suddenly he spots a little hill top, or a small island, he does not know very well. He climbs on it, frantically hanging on to the edge.  Then it starts to move. The island rises from the water and guess what: it's a huge whale!

Thank you Willy! 
Terrified
For hours Mara Beanjara holds on to the fin of a 10-meter long humpback whale. The giant dives under water but pops up each time soon enough, as if he knows he's carrying a terrified passenger. Yearly, hundreds of  humpback whales pass the coasts of Madagascar, looking for a partner. These very intelligent animals, like dolphins, are intuitive and can sense panic and anxiety. An entire  night the giant fish swims along with his friends from the colony with the fisherman on his back. Until the next morning, when a cargo boat can save the man.

Coma
Mara Beanjara is in a coma as he arrives in hospital of Nosy Be. But not for long: he is, after all, able to tell about his 18-hour ordeal in all Malagasy newspapers. And to thank his buddy the humpback whale.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing! It's miraculous.

    A Malagasy Reader!

    ReplyDelete
  2. respect,
    a story with full emotion ...
    I thought only delphins could save someone who is in danger. lucky mara. A right chosen title

    ReplyDelete

  3. I am glad that I found a blog that shows life in Madagascar.
    :)

    Happy New Year !!!
    Greetings from Polish.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Suzanne,

    My name is Joe Pinzone and I'm casting an international travel show about expats moving abroad. We'd love to film in Madagascar and wanted to know if you could help us find expats who have moved there within the last 15 months or have been there for 3-4 years, but recently moved into a new home. The show documents their move to a new country and will place the country in fabulous light. The contributors on the show would also receive monetary compensation if they are filmed. If you'd like more information, please give me a call at 212-231-7716 or skype me at joefromnyc. You can also email me at joepinzone@leopardusa.com. Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Joe Pinzone
    Casting Producer
    P: 212-231-7716
    Skype: Joefromnyc

    ReplyDelete