Antananarivo, December 17, 2006

I would like to be able to say that I published this blog from Antananarivo, but I am back in Port Elizabeth now. I did notice internet cafes here and there so I could have done it. I was travelling with my family though; and this was quite dificult. We got sick, the weather was hot and the language barrier was hard to overcome.

We only spent a morning in Antananarivo on our wat to Ifaty, near Toliar on the south west coast of Madagascar. "Tana" as it is known, could be a beautiful place. It is crippled with poverty and really needs a coat of paint. The city centre is surrounded by hills, the buildings are seldom more that 4 stories high and has a strange medieaval quality. Strangely absent (or out of sight) are any signs of corparate power or individual wealth. (like in Johanessburg or Soa Paulo where there is great poverty, but in the shadow of great wealth and power.)

I will return, but not soon.