"Checking out the markets" Wbond's photos around Antananarivo, Madagascar

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• published: 16 Feb 2011
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Preview of Wbond's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wbond/madagascar2004/1095100020/tpod.html This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Antananarivo, Madagascar Entry Title: "Checking out the markets" Entry: "The markets here are really something. First off I used a mini-bus to go into town, which everyone (especially Noro, our cook) thought was really funny. My dad couldn't understand why I wouldn't use the driver, or at the very least, a cab. I figure a cab is ten times more expensive than the bus, but at ten US cents versus a dollar, that's pretty much a moot point. The busses are crazy: I walked in and there were 20 people in a vehicle the size of a large US SUV. Thankfully, a sign said the maximum capacity was 20. So I was really surprised when they managed to fit 8 more people on board. Given that I about ten inches taller than anyone here, my body was ill suited for the ride: my knees were touching my neck. But it was still fun. On the way to the markets, I passed the Vanilla House , a building of typical Malagasy architecture. A Scottish architect designed the Queen's palace in the 18th century, and the style's been all the rage since then. Hence the houses here look like something torn from a European town. I also came across the old train station. Ever since Rastirac, the old surpreem ruler (who was in power for 25 years, until 1999) took office, the old French infrastructure has been left to waste away. It seems that although he promised a communist regime. a la North Korea, he found little interest in actually running the country. As a result, I find many old relics from the old times, in almost perfect working order, but unused. (True story: the only election before 1999 was held in the eighties, and the choice was between Rastirac and a General who seemed just as interested in good governance as the previous government; people chose a devil they knew, and offered as rational the fact that Rastirac had already plundered so much that he would less prone steal any more). Anywho, the markets are really great here, but a little scary. People are all around screaming at you (or perhaps it was because I was the only white guy). All the merchants are bunched up together, so you will have row after row of people selling cloth, then it will be food, then kitchen fixtures, etc. You can find anything! It's really cool. The people were really funny clothing: guys walk around wearing Green Bay Packers shirts, some that say Miami , and I even saw a girl wearing one that said Stanford . The reason for this is that when we donate clothing for the boy scouts in the States, the scouts will sell the clothes in a developing country, and then use the money for their cause. The end result is that everyone in Madagascar use our old clothing. Moreover, this exchange has virtually wiped out the tailoring trade in Africa, once very prevalent. Tomorrow, I head out to Ilse St. Marie, a island off the east coast of the country which was once used by pirates, and has a natural harbor. The journey will take two days." Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wbond/madagascar2004/1095100020/tpod.html Photos from this trip: 1. "A man and his chicken" 2. "Candy Cane Guy" 3. "Cloth" 4. "Little Red Peppers" 5. "Old Train Station" 6. "Spice Guy" 7. "Typical Street Seller" 8. "Vanilla House" 9. "Zipper Guy" See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00cb-f2de-37d0?ytv4=1