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Ivondro

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    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      1
      Day 13

      Chameleons in Toamasina

      February 13, 2023 in Madagascar

      Some of the village kids in Madagascar make money by letting tourists like me pose with chameleons.

      Another group of kids had some cute little animals in a bucket with a hat nearby for tips. Do you know what type of animal they are? I wasn’t able to find out.

      Chickens wandered all over the village and I was surprised by how long their legs are.      Read more

    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      1
      Day 13

      Pangalanes Canal

      February 13, 2023 in Madagascar

      Today we docked in Madagascar’s main seaport, Toamasina, and explored the area nearby.

      “Toamasina” means “it’s salty” and there’s a funny story behind the name. Many years ago, a man who had grown up in the highlands of Madagascar visited.

      He was thirsty after his long voyage, so he took a big swig of seawater only to exclaim, “It’s salty!” Somehow the name stuck.

      Our guide for the day was a fellow named Lachaka, which means “destiny” in Malagasy.
      The first part of our tour in Toamasina was a tour down the Pangalanes Canal.

      While a man steered the boat from the stern, a third guy stood on the bow keeping an eye out for any debris that might get tangled in our outboard engine along the way. (Even so, the boat broke down a couple of times during our trip.)

      Lachaka explained that the section of the canal we were on was man made during the colonial period and that, “Many, many workers died while digging here. Conditions were very bad, like slavery.” (This is a familiar refrain for canals of the world, alas.)

      These days, locals rely on the canal for fishing and trade. For many, this waterway is their main avenue for travel.

      Lachaka taught us how to say “hello” in Malagasy. People were quick to wave and return our greetings as we floated by.

      By the way, even though people do laundry in the canal, the women holding the sheet in these photos are using it to fish.

      Other things that piqued my interest included boats with sails made from rice bags, as well as the voluptuous carving on the prow of a ship.

      And while we’d been warned to keep an eye out for crocs, I did not expect to see a pink one today!      Read more

    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      Day 13

      Blessings from the Chief

      February 13, 2023 in Madagascar

      The downpour continued as our boat pulled ashore so Lachaka suggested wearing life jackets in lieu or raincoats.

      A small crowd of locals met us as we disembarked. If they thought we looked silly in our life jackets, I couldn’t tell. Some were hawking goods, but most seemed to be there out of curiosity.

      Before we could interact, Lachaka directed us to a forested path that offered shelter from the rain. Between that and the life jacket, I was pretty cozy. It was so hot and humid that none of us felt chilled.

      After carefully wandering up a slick hill, we were ushered into a hut. (It reminded me a lot of our backyard tiki hut, actually.)

      Inside, two men sat at a table. Lachaka explained that the man in the hat was the village chief and part of his job was greeting all visitors.

      The chief spoke to us in Malagasy and I did not understand a word. According to Lachaka’s interpretation, however, not only did he welcome us to his village and extend blessings to us and our families back home, but he even offered blessings to our deceased ancestors, as well.

      After these words, the chief blessed us by dipping a tree branch in water and flicking water droplets on us.

      Lachaka told us that the hat on the table was there in case we wanted to leave a tip, and many of us did so.

      As I mentioned before, Madagascar has 18 different ethnic groups. Lachaka and the members of this village are part of the Betsimisaraka people.

      Betsimisaraka means “the many inseparables,” and mainly live on the eastern side of Madagascar.

      As coastal peoples, they have interacted with Europeans for a long time, and integrated many things into their own culture.

      As we wandered the village, we saw people pounding rice (to de hull it), and cooking meals over small charcoal fires.

      I don’t usually carry any money ashore, but a little voice told me to take a bunch of ones this morning. I’m glad I did, because so many people in the village had hats out for tips.

      I noticed a well for the village that was donated by Muslims and it reminded me of our other guide’s “Hakuna Matata” remark about how the people of Madagascar are comfortable cherry-picking from any religion that appeals to them.

      Our visit ended with a fruit buffet and live song and dance. Everything was delicious, but my favorites were the mango and the little bananas.      Read more

    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      Day 13

      Breadfuit

      February 13, 2023 in Madagascar

      You may not think you know what breadfruit looks like, but if you’ve ever seen a Hawaiian shirt, you probably recognize the leaf.

      Breadfruit leaves are a popular design motif throughout the tropics. But why?

      The tree is native to the tropics, and its fruit is more savory than sweet. So like potatoes and rice, it can provide a hearty staple.

      Not only did the native peoples of Oceania spread breadfruit across the region, but during colonial times, breadfruit was used to feed slaves.

      Locals often tell me how tasty it is, but I’ve yet to eat any. I saw breadfruit chips (like potato chips) for sale in the Seychelles, but I didn’t have any money on me at the time. One of these days!      Read more

    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      Day 13

      Flower Children

      February 13, 2023 in Madagascar

      Our guide on the west side of Madagascar mentioned that, “In your movies, the men give their women flowers for the day of love, but we would never do that here.”

      “Why not?” a Swiss woman asked. “Flowers are romantic.”

      “Maybe to you,” Philippe laughed, “but not to my people. Here, we only give flowers at funerals. If I bring flowers to my wife, she will think I wish her to die!”

      Meanwhile, on the east side of Madagascar, villagers displayed young children under woven bowers decorated with colorful blossoms. Each child had a hat nearby to collect tips.

      I tossed dollars in as many hats as possible as Lachaka whisked us through the village.      Read more

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