Thoughts From Antsirabe

From a historical and political overview of a turbulent and fascinating island, to a frivolous and light-hearted account of my weekend away.

Antsirabe is a tourist town about three hours away from the capital toward the South West. It is most famous for its Saturday morning market and the two lakes and waterfalls just outside the city. Binh, our volunteer co-ordinator, is crazy about Antsirabe just because of its calmer atmosphere and clearer air. To be honest I was just excited about being out of Antananarivo for a few days and getting a good night’s sleep.

We had planned to leave on Friday just after lunch and get a taxi brousse (a little mini van bus) from the central station in Tana. We had already arranged with Binh’s friend Dina to pick us up on the other side and be our guide for the day on Saturday.  That was until we got a call from Dina saying that his friend Nico happened to also be traveling that day and that he would meet us at the bus station to help us with our tickets.

Our little van on the journey South

Three hours on the taxi brousse was nothing for me compared to the 32 hour journey from hell I took to get to Diego but the experience was certainly made more fun because I was with Jill and Emma and we were all anticipating a great girls weekend away. Nico helped Emma and I with some Malagasy pronunciations and we all had corn on the cob from a street vendor for our lunch. 

Girls weekend!

By the time we reached Antsirabe I was feeling happy and relaxed, a feeling reinforced by being met by Dina in his immaculate car for a hassle free ride to our hotel- Chez Billy. This first evening we took it easy, just going for a quiet dinner in town, which we reached by poussepousse (a kind of rickshaw pulled by a conductor costing about a pound per journey), of which there are 3000 in Antsirabe. After a pizza and a fruit juice we were happily trundled home before an early night in double beds with real mattresses! 

Happy and relaxed in Antsirabe

The next morning we had breakfast in Chez Billy and were promptly picked up by Dina and Nico who had arranged a day of sightseeing and souvenir shopping for us. We piled into the estate and headed off for the famous Saturday Market. Here we filed past endless stalls of bananas, piles of spices, mounds of fabrics and rows of souvenirs.

Our driver and tour guide ready with our carriage

All of us having different interests we spent a very interesting two hours inspecting every corner of the marker until I was stopped dead in my tracks; we had reached the live items section of the market. Live chickens and ducks are a typical sight in any Malagasy market, but Antsirabe boasts a more comprehensive list of offerings. Kittens tied by the necks with string waiting for a new owner to take them home sat aside large rabbits, chosen for their size they were skinned and gutted on request. Fighting cocks and hens fought for space in holding pens while wicker baskets full of Easter day chicks cheeped and wriggled like a yellow, furry mass. However it was one particular section which plucked at the heartstrings (probably because I did not allow myself to stare too long at the kittens)- a carry case full of time ducklings. At 2,000 ariary (roughly a pound) it was so tempting to gather a handful in my skirts and escape into the crowd but with stern words from Emma and warning stares from Jill I released my chosen hoard back into the chaos of the basket and quickly walked back to the car.

What could have been mine

Chilli stall at the market

 Following our trip to the market the next thing on our agenda was a tour around the local artisan centres to watch the local crafts being made. We started with a group of women who make paper from a local coastal plant and turn it into cards and scrapbooks. I bought one for my nanna because I want her to know how much I think of her. The next set of crafts demonstrations brought me an even better opportunity for this; we saw a silk weaving group tending to their worms and spinning silk and weaving it on their homemade loom. I was fascinated by the whole process and eventually had to be dragged away with a 100% Malagasy silk scarf, which I will send back to my nanna to keep her warm through this British cold snap.

Silk weaving and my scarf for nanna

 We followed this with several other craft demonstrations including zebu horn, sweet making and embroidery following which we headed to a small local restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was quiet when we went in and Dina, whose main vocation is music, graced us with several classical greats including a sonata by Chopin and the moonlight sonata (which always reminds me of my dad) on the piano in the corner, before turning his hand to some sing along favourites like Hit The Road Jack which led us into an impromptu karaoke session.

Embroidery

Paper making

Sufficiently refuelled and rested we headed out on the second part of our tour- the trip to the nearby lakes and waterfalls. Needless to say word with never be able to adequately describe the awesome power and breath-taking beauty of a waterfall but I have to say that on this particular day, with the mist creating a haze to the scene and the roar of the water framing the basin I felt like an artist had painted the scene especially for me. The lake was equally as beautiful and we wandered round the surrounding market stalls till 18:30 when we could watch the orange sun sink below the forest beyond the lake, the light creating shimmering silhouettes of the opposite bank on the water. 

First waterfall and local fishermen

It was a contented sleepy me who crawled beneath the sheets that evening and with earplugs and eye mask on to avoid being woken by Madagascar’s obscenely early risers I fell into a deep sleep which lasted over 10 hours. On our way back to Tana we were once again accompanied by Nico who organised our travel and Dina waved us off at the station with assurances that he would keep in touch and promises of many more adventures to come. I didn’t leave however with having a go at pulling Jill in a pousse pousse and posing for a photo or two- not as hard as it looks but certainly not something I would like to do all day!

New Career????

Although this might not sound to others like a particularly exciting or memorable it was exactly what I needed; a lungful of fresh air, a mind full of new sights and a good night’s sleep at my back. I am now ready to face the next week of work with renewed vigour and enthusiasm in order to put my affairs in order before next Saturday when at precisely 07:45 I will be boarding a plane for the dream island of Mauritius. So keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment everyone because my next update comes from paradise!