Deja vu, back in Tulear

Well there has been a slight change of plans, in that we have not yet returned to Anosimparihy, and we are now in Tulear again. It’s starting to get hot especially here in Tulear, and it’s usually best to avoid going out in the midday sun until after 4pm, when things start to cool down. Piles of unripe mangoes are popping up everywhere on the tables in the marketplace and roadside vendors, but supposedly they’re not safe to eat for those not adapted to unripe mangoes until rain falls for the first time this season.

Mango stand in Mangily

Also, had a strange experience of deja vu, running into the group of SIT students doing the same program I had done exactly 2 years ago, and repeating all of the same experiences; same bus, same restaurants, same staff. It was great to see some of the program staff from when I was in Madagascar 2 years ago, and was happy to be recognized by them.

Also had a little bit of déjà vu, in another trip to Mangily, the tourist village north of Tulear, including another hour long taxi-brousse ride in the back of a small pickup, although this time with a real seat of sorts. This time didn’t get to profit quite so much from the beach, as with the warmer weather and warmer water, the ocean is packed with medusas, or jellyfish. Supposedly they’re not poisonous, but can cause some serious itching if they’re ruptured, and it’s still pretty unnerving to swim surrounded by jellyfish. We took advantage of Hotel Solidaire, a hotel restaurant in Mangily with a pool that non-clients can swim in with the purchase of a drink.

Vezo children playing with miniature pirogues at low tide

Beach in Mangily, Vezo pirogues at sunset

 

It’s funny after spending time in a village, where on a good day you can find eggs, flour, phone credit, or a refrigerated drink after walking 3 km, there is no lack of epiceries or markets here.  Even the difficult-to-find luxuries of ice cream and wifi, which we searched for all over in the towns of Mananjary and Manakara on the east coast, are plentiful here.

Anosimparihy has been in my thoughts, missing the greenness, not to mention the mango and lychee trees that will be coming into season, coffee from the trees surrounding the village, not being heckled by pousse-pousses every time you leave the house (although it seems to be a real source of entertainment for the pousse-pousse pullers when I use my Malagasy to tell them I’m not going far, and it’s apparently not convincing enough, as they still insist on offering a ride, even though my destination is across the street to an epicerie.)

Not sure exactly when we’re going back to Anosimparihy, but until then…. Veloma!

A series of Culture shocks

I’m currently in Tananarive, the capital city recently arrived from going to Reunion Island for a few days in order to get a second 3-month visa for Madagascar.

Before we left Anosimparihy, the general English class was still going strong, and as a result I would be greeted by a series of “Hello, how are you?” when walking through the village to buy rice or oil at one of the village “epiceries.”

Also, as a result of our conversations in Anosimparihy, it sounds like Hope for Madagascar will be taking on Anosimparihy as another village for their projects, which will include putting in a couple of wells before the rainy season arrives.

Going from rural village in the Southeast to Antananarivo the largest urban center in the country, is needless to say, something of a change. Now instead of mango and lychee trees, banana plantations and rice fields, the landscape is full of buildings, cars, motorcycles, and people. The traditional lamba hoany worn by almost all women in the village are a rare occurrence found among a few street merchants. While I still get a fair number of greetings directed at me because I’m a vazaha, it’s a far cry different from the tradition of greeting every passer-by with the exchange, “akory aby!” “tsara be” that was exercised in the village.  And then the sheer size of Antananarivo is always astonishing to me. The trip to the airport takes a good half hour, and the paysage alternates between roundabouts, street side markets, tall buildings and stretches of rice fields.

Going to Reunion was another culture shock in of itself, altogether more drastically different from Madagascar than I would have guessed. In fact, having never visited Europe, I was reminded much more of the United States than the island that was a mere 2 hour flight away. Reunion’s population draws a strong base from Malagasy people, in addition to French, Chinese, Arabic backgrounds. I was told that the island takes only a few hours to drive around its circumference, and it’s possible to hike from one coast to the other in a full day randonee (although didn’t get a chance to attempt either of these trips during my stay). Saint-Denis, where I stayed, was full of high-rise apartment buildings, roundabouts, with a gravelly coastline. Going further inland on the island, takes you straight uphill, among expanses of fields of sugar-cane, and you can almost always see the ocean. 

Sugarcane fields of Reunion

After my brief sojourn, I was eager to get back to Madagascar, even if that means I’m taking cold bucket showers, drawing water from a well, and that the nearest ice cream is a good 15-20 minute walk. Being in the city is a good change from the village, having constant access to a fully charged battery and a strong cell phone signal in all locations. Not sure when exactly we’re heading back to the village, but enjoying the change of scenery and “civilization” while it lasts. 

Parc Zoologique in Tana