Domestic bliss in Tana

I love having my own personal bodyguard – especially when it is Roger.

Over the weekend we shopped for clothes for one of the guys whose luggage was lost, got haircuts, discovered a fabulous French pastry shop, and had a picnic in our room. Roger even found a pot that was big enough to put me in!

We also came across another interesting market today - but what a surreal experience it was walking around it and hearing Dire Straits playing over the loud speakers! The market had everything from bread, art, chickens, clothes and food – except socks that were large enough for Roger! There aren’t a lot of Malagasy men with size 13 feet and they roared with laughter when he held up his foot to show how big his feet were. The vendors were persistent though, and kept following us with different options – we finally bought a pair and considered it a donation. If you look closely at the first picture, you’ll see several roosters, chickens and ducks all roped together.

The staff at Hotel du Louvre have been wonderful during my stay. Most tourists are here for a couple of days and move on. Since arriving in Tana in July I’ve been here almost 3 weeks! I’m sure they’ll put a plaque over my bed saying “Miss Heffer stayed here for 3 weeks – except for one night when we asked her to leave”. For those who didn’t hear about that crazy night – I’ll regale you with the story over a glass of wine!

We leave on a 12 day trip touring around South Africa on August 27th, and we are really looking forward to it. Three nights will be spent at the Tuningi Safari Lodge http://www.tuningi.com/ in the Madikwe Game Reserve and we will hopefully see the “Big 5”. We also spend a few nights in Cape Town, and plan on visiting: Robbens Island where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years as a prisoner, Table Top Mountain, the famous V & A Waterfront, and a tour of the wine country. Keep checking the blog and we’ll post as soon as we are able.

Until then, take care and please keep in touch!

Markets: Flower, fruit, and black.....

I wanted to take more photos of Tana, so arranged to have the driver, Vlama, that I had last week take me around. At my request, the hotel told him to stay with me with me wherever we went, and at various stops he paid people to watch the car and to help us merge into traffic. I felt very comfortable throughout the morning’s tour, and even my butt cheeks were not in a perpetual state of being clenched as we drove through the overcrowded streets -- I must be getting used to the city!

Our first stop was Lac Anosy which I had seen from various vantage points throughout Tana (and you can see in the photo near the stadium). The Monument aux Morts (Monument to the Dead) is in the centre of the lake and is a WWI memorial erected by the French.

From afar, the area looks quite beautiful and tranquil. In reality, it is a veritable garbage dump despite having about 30 workers cleaning up the area the day I visited. It is a very polluted lake and everyone advises not to buy fish that have been caught there – o.k., you don’t have to tell me twice...let's hope the restaurants got the same message.

The monument is also in poor shape, but it turned out to be a wonderful visit as I came across several boys who loved to have their pictures taken, and willingly posed for me. Some of the children were picking up garbage, and it was sad to know their lives would probably remain the same as they grew older.

We also visited the flower and fruit markets – an amazing oasis of beauty amidst the slums. The colors, fragrance and beauty of these markets were a site to behold. I bought some flowers for Vlama to give to his wife, so later in the morning we dropped by her work at a beauty shop to give them to her (I encouraged him to take credit for buying them - but he fessed up that I bought them - she was very appreciative). Their 6 month old baby was also there, and as you can see, she is a beautiful little girl.

Below: The Hotel du Louvre is in Haute-Ville (Upper Town) and a very steep set of stairs leads to Basse-Ville (Lower Town). The staircase just teems with tourists (although not a lot of tourists hang out in Tana for very long), locals, beggars and vendors. I walked up the stairs on Sunday and was put to shame for my lack of stamina as a woman carrying a large child on her back kept up to me step for step. I love the old buildings, and the train station (below middle photo) reminds me of those seen in Europe.

Vlama also took me to down Avenue d’Independence (above photo with flags) where there is an abundance of stores but it is more notoriously known for black market trading in currency, cell phones, and who knows what else. Before you get excited, these guys didn't bother us at all - just a real brief whistle to get our attention, we shook our heads no, and that was that.

Cow lips are still being elusive, but maybe when Roger comes on Friday we’ll hit a couple more markets. We go on our actual holiday next week - in the process of booking a safari for 3 days and then we will visit Cape Town. I think the holiday will make the last month seem like childbirth --- painful, but the end result is worth it!

Lemurs, shopping, a palace, and a dead rooster....

Could that really be a dead rooster strapped to the rack of that man’s bike??
Of course it is – I’m in Tana!

This was just one of the sights from an outing I took this week that by the time I realized what I was seeing, I wasn’t able to get my camera out in time to capture the moment……

Figuring I should seize the opportunity to explore this fascinating and bizarre city, I asked the hotel if they could get me an English speaking guide to take me around Tana. The person they usually use was away, so they had their taxi driver take me, assuring me his English was “pretty good”. Well, after a rocky start in English, we ended up speaking French which shows you in some miraculous way that my French was better than his English! My brain felt like mush when I got back to the hotel from having to concentrate so much, but it really was fun trying to communicate with him.

We started off at the Lemur Park about 22 kms from Tana which is a barrier-free park. The lemurs stay because they are well fed, and because one side of the park is bordered by a river (lemurs are afraid of water), so they stay away from it. The lemurs were amazing - 9 species (most endangered) are in the park, and all quite different in characteristics, breeding patterns etc. The white ones you see in the pictures were my favorite as they "walk" upright. If you look closely, you'll see one cradling a 3 week old baby. We had an English speaking guide and would you believe the other tourist with me was a young chap from Toronto who is teaching in Japan!

There were many other amazing sights along the way. I've attached a picture of what seems to essentially be "brick" farms. The Malagasy make these bricks on huge tracks of land and then carts pulled by oxen or men, and sometimes trucks, take the bricks to construction sites. In most areas, the earth is red clay which is why the brick buildings are also red – making for a colourful landscape.

I was also fascinated to see how laundry was dried by being laid out all over the hills and on the side of the roads. Makes me wonder if next week when I get my laundry sent out if my "old lady underwear" will be soaking up the sun for all to see! Many areas we came across resembled colorful patchwork quilts, but it is sad to think that the rainy season must add challenges to even the simplest of tasks for these poor people.

We then went to the artisan market (probably 50-60 stalls) where I did some bartering, which isn’t something I enjoy or am very good at. It was fairly overwhelming when we arrived as vendors swarmed the taxi so I asked the driver if he would come with me. Poor guy...being dragged from stall to stall but he was a good sport, willingly carried my bags, and probably helped me get better deals because I wasn’t on my own. I wish I had more room in my luggage because some of the woodwork and handicrafts were absolutely amazing!

Our last stop was to the Rova – a palace built in the 1800's. Much of it was destroyed in a fire in 1995 but they are working to restore it. Another building adjacent to it still houses artifacts rescued from the fire, and shows the power struggle between England and French in trying to claim Madagascar (the French eventually won until Madagascar received their independence more than 40 years ago) with each country bestowing royalty with elaborate gifts. I had an English speaking guide all to myself for over an hour and it was really informative.

The palace is located on the highest part of Tana and so the views were spectacular. The church you see in the foreground is where one of the Queens had thousands of slaves and Christians killed during her reign by having them thrown off the cliff – her painting in the museum depicts one very ugly and evil woman.

The guide showed me some beautiful carvings leading up to the palace depicting several scenes from Malagasy life. One of the more unique traditions is “Famadihana” which means “Turning of the Bones”. This is when families exhume their loved ones every few years, wrap them in new shrouds, then parade them around amidst feasts and drinking. Brings a whole new meaning to “digging up the past”, huh?

You can also see the picture of the stadium where Madagascar is currently hosting the Indian Ocean Games (with Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Mayotte, Comoros, Madagascar participating). While I was taking the picture, Madagascar and Mayotte were playing soccer, and Madagascar scored. We heard the crowd roar with excitement, and then they started singing. It was incredible to hear the music and joy echo up the mountain.

So that was my fascinating day in Tana. I must say I enjoy the craziness of Tana over the serenity of Mauritius, and time is going much faster as I await Roger’s return next week.

I’m going to hire the driver again in a few days as there are a couple of other markets out there that I’ve read are interesting to see. After all, I am still in search of the elusive cow lips that I saw on the Amazing Race! Check back for updates!

Back to Tana

Never say never. I believe after a particularly wretched week at Brownie camp when I was 9 years old, I may have uttered the words, “I never want to go to camp again!” Those words have clearly come back to bite me as plans to get to camp have been thwarted once and for all.

Remember the plan that Roger was going to drive into Tana with a fellow that knew the way and then drive me back? Well, a mere 18 hours before they were to leave, and while I was already on my way from Mauritius, the poor chap, (Grant, a young 24 year old from South Africa) fell off the drill and had to be medevac’d to Tana with the camp doctor and Roger. The good news is Grant is fine….the bad news is there is no way for me to get to camp, so we’re on to what I believe must be Plan D…or is it E….??? I’ve lost track and no doubt you have as well!

The medevac experience was one for the books. Roger said the ambulance ride was pretty wild, and after seeing other ambulances careen through the streets – I can only imagine. It’s funny seeing other cars follow behind ambulances and ride the tide of having some cars pull over. Emphasis on “some” cars and Roger said their ambulance actually had to pull over for the presidential motorcade! Then at the hospital, the doctor recommended that the patient should go to a “better” hospital. Talk about instilling confidence, eh? Despite this suggestion, Grant seemed to be treated well, had X-rays taken, and the camp doctor conferred with the other doctors, and agreed nothing was broken and that Grant would be observed overnight.

Here are some pictures of the hospital but in this case, they don’t seem to really capture everything we saw. Look closely - that is laundry hanging from the patients’ windows!

Roger and I returned early in the morning to give Grant some food as feeding patients is not standard procedure (Roger had to pay $5 for the tea and cake they gave him for breakfast before we arrived). Grant was still in Emergency and there I had yet another culture shock. I took a couple of pictures when no one was looking, but I wasn’t able to take the real “interesting” shots. Grant was then discharged, so we took him to a hotel, and checked on him a couple of times to ensure he was alright. He flies home to S. Africa today (which he was going to do anyway) so hopefully in a few days he will be feeling better, and enjoy his time off.

So…what now? I must admit I was all set to hop on a plane to go home, but since Roger must leave the country on August 27th (his visa runs out then) we decided I would stay in Tana; he flew back to camp today, but will return on August 25th. Then, we will go over to the mainland and do a safari and some exploring. We figured I had come this far and it would be crazy to go home without seeing more of this part of the world.

The hotel is excellent (http://www.hotel-du-louvre.com/ ) with wireless internet in my room so I can surf the internet and email to my heart’s content. There is also a very nice restaurant on site, a supermarket 25 yards away, and helpful staff. I also have 2 drivers that can take me anywhere I want to go, and I may try and book a tour or two while I’m here.

Exploring the city with Roger was so much fun, but don’t worry, I will be cautious about venturing too far on my own. After the quietness of Flic en Flac, Tana has a culture and vibrancy like no other place I’ve been to so it will be an interesting place to hang out for 10 days. Here are some pictures that I took yesterday as we were being driven around the city, and from our hotel.

As I write this a band is playing outside my hotel window, vendors are on the street selling everything from cell phone cards to food, beggars and street children are everywhere, and there is a lineup of old Citroen taxis by the Place d’Independence. I still haven't seen any cow lips for sale - but will definitely take a picture if I do!

In the 4 weeks since I’ve left home, few things have gone according to plan and it’s taught me to be open to whatever comes along. I’ve run a gamut of emotions from exhilaration to loneliness, anxiety to joy, and everything in-between. But hey…no lives have been lost and I’ve seen things I never expected to along the way. So, I’ll keep you posted on what’s next…which at the rate things are going, can change from day to day!

Your emails have been fantastic and always a highlight of my day – thanks for keeping in touch!