Streets squares and districts to visit Madagascar

It is a circular road that bypasses the capital and follows the Ikopa River. It is an opportunity to get away from the noise and urban pollution. The rice fields which encircle the capital penetrate in the popular districts and the suburbs. On the banks of the Ikopa, long boats glide on the water with their load of wood or bricks. On the banks, the peasants have built their numerous workshops to manufacture, with the earth which borders the Ikopa and the rice fields, the red bricks used for the construction of the houses of the Highlands.

Every Wednesday, in Analaiva (25 kilometers from Morondava), the largest zebu market in the region is held. It is spectacular. To get there, you have to go by sea, then follow the seasonal coastal track on land in the direction of Manja (only in the dry season). This market is an opportunity to find yourself in the midst of zebu breeders and their animals, a whole other world, which allows you to realize the importance of these animals for the population, even if in recent years this culture has been heckled by the theft of zebus practiced en masse.

Starting from the railway station of Soarano, we go up the Avenue de l'Indépendance towards the Avenue du 26 Juin. The Zoma (large market) no longer exists, it was closed due to health and safety problems, but there are still kiosks where it is possible to do some shopping.

This main axis, traced in 1912 to join the market to the station of Soarano, is the obligatory place of passage of the traveler. On weekends in the evening, many Malagasy come to park there, showing off their bottles (like so much booty) on their hoods, evoking a popular open-air bar.

Under the arcades, craftsmen and sellers offer souvenirs of all kinds: traditional games, jewelry, solitaires, stones, statuettes, copies of funeral sculptures, embroidery and spices, including vanilla.

Along the sidewalks, the 4L, 404, Renault 14, 2 CV blue, yellow, green, red, and often of a very advanced age, testify to the prodigious mechanical ability of Malagasy drivers, who are among the most qualified on the planet, due to unemployment. In some vehicles, the cell phone unlockers operate with astonishing dexterity.

Going up the Avenue du 26 Juin, the big post office (take a look at the colonial map of the world painted on the wall, it dates from the 1930s; small bulbs indicated the progress of the mail by sea or by plane), one will discover, on the right, a series of stairs going up to the Independence Square. To the right of the stairs, the Lido building is worth the detour: on the first floor, a large choice of postcards at unbeatable prices. Upstairs, the snack bar of the Cercle germano-malagasy (formerly Goethe Institute) is an ideal place to have a drink with some Malagasy artists. Its terrace on the top floor (access for a fee), with a view over the old Zoma (this large bazaar now commonly called the Pavilions) and the whole neighborhood of Analakely, is the best place for your overall photographs.

Along the stairs, sunglasses and stamps vendors are crowded. If you wish to have a stamp with your address and an original logo, it will be done in thirty minutes, by hand, for a derisory price.

At the top of the stairs, you arrive at the Independence Square. There, on stalls spread out in the sun the marvels of a craft born of recuperation: Coca cans transformed into Air Madagascar planes, bush cabs, Harley Davidson and multicolored rickshaws...

The Anosy district can be identified by its lake surrounded by jacarandas and by the imposing Carlton hotel. It can be reached through an unbreathable tunnel located at the top of the avenue of June 26. The tour of the lake is a pleasant walk, but the banks are littered with trash. In the center of the lake, the islet was used as an arsenal by Radama ^I. The central monument is dedicated to the combatants of the First World War. Near the lake stands a set of ministries. Nearby, one can enjoy the daily market of plants and flowers. This area is not the safest in the evening.

An amazing district where old English-style cottages, catholic temples, small gardens and narrow cobbled streets are intertwined. You will discover the Ambohijatovo Aravatra college, where many romantic poets were trained, the Faravohitra temple built in 1870, the Jules Ferry high school (large brick building)... To reach Faravohitra, take the district from Analakely: it goes up but you will appreciate the colorful stalls: one of the most picturesque sites of the center of Tana.

The Chinese are an influential community in local commerce. They have settled in all the major cities and ports of the east coast for two centuries. In Tana, the main Chinese district starts behind the town hall of the^1st district, in Ambodifilaho, up to Behoririka (real local Chinatown). Here, photo stores, restaurants, grocery stores are held by the Chinese community. It is also a popular place for pickpockets... be careful!

The center of the Antaninarenina district is constituted by the presidential palace (which was the former residence of the highest colonial authorities with an interesting architecture) and the set of ministries that surround it. We can spend a moment towards the tomb of the Prime Ministers (located in front of the Mojo Bar), not at all maintained, which reveals a large stone structure of 25 meters long: Jean Laborde had erected it in 1852 for the Prime Minister Rainiharo. After that, one can return to the Independence Square, where the bust of the first President Tsiranana is enthroned.

Going up Ratsimilaho Street on the left, from the Independence Square, beyond the post office, one will stroll among a set of useful and attractive stores: a bookstore, photo laboratories as well as a large choice of jewelry stores offering jewels unique to Madagascar: gold and silver bracelets, reproductions of queens' necklaces, maps of Madagasikara in pendants..

The walkers will continue their way during about twenty minutes by the streets Ranavalona III (old street of the tailors, it is there that the trade of the dressmakers and the tailors with the European mode beat its fullness at the beginning of the XXe century), Ratefinanahary, Venance Manifatra. This route leads to the Rova, the royal enclosure. It is a walking tour to be done by taking your time, by being attentive to the stalls as well as to the architecture of the houses, to the shadows and lights, to the smiles and glances.

This popular district of Tana is flooded every rainy season because the canals which cross it are blocked. Nevertheless, the route is worth to be done. Going along the railway station on the left, you arrive at the flea market. Further on, we reach the market of Isotry. Here, the tailors make you a tailor-made pants in the street, on their old Singer. Still further, on the bridge of Equality, gather every Friday the Mpihira Gasy, these artists of the peasant opera.

The life of the city is organized around several districts. Each of these centers is quite distant from each other. But the walk is pleasant: Fianar is green, with many trees; the streets are quite calm (except in the center) and wide.

We begin the walk by the "lower city", the surroundings of the railway station, before going up the street lined with counters and stores painted in pink ochre, blue ochre, red ochre. The station square is the meeting place of the gemstone merchants where the companies' buyers come to buy their supplies in the morning, at least when the train is running.

Going up, we will reach the "middle city": the surroundings of the market (zoma), the avenue that starts from the city hall and the surrounding streets where we will admire some beautiful examples of colonial architecture.

We will then go to the "upper city", which houses the oldest Christian church in the city. The upper town is magical at the end of the day (amber colors on the surroundings from the different viewpoints). Some routes are signposted in these alleys flanked by superb century-old buildings. You can also stay there (rehabilitated houses), but be careful, you have to climb a lot.

The climb, on foot or by car, to the belvedere (on the right of the square at the foot of the upper town), allows you to discover the panorama from the highest point of the town. The town, nestled between valleys and rice fields, stretches against a backdrop of mountains and wooded hills. Nice pictures in perspective!

Let's take a stroll through Morondava's neighborhoods. Let's start with Anstakoameloky, where we find the airport. The name comes from an amusing anecdote: a European manoeuvred his light aircraft badly on landing, and the wings caught on a tree (sakoa). The disgruntled tree (in the land of spirits, imagination is king) rebelled against the cursed aircraft: hence the name, which means "angry tree"! Further on, we enter the Tsimavao Be and Tsimavao Kely districts. They are located at the entrance to the town itself. Namahora Nord, the next suburb, is an important economic center, home to the town's second-largest market. Next, we reach Namahora Sud, Ankisirasira and Tanambao, right in the middle of the mangrove swamp (which turns into an island at high tide). From here, the trail heads south towards Belo-sur-Mer.

Here we are at the entrance to the town center. To the north is Labatoara (the slaughterhouse has been moved to Ambalanomby, west of the dike linking the town center to Grande Terre), and to the south is Andakabe. From here, we reach Sanfily. In the center, Bazary Be is the liveliest district: the main thoroughfare runs through it, where you'll find the main market and most of the shops. The market is well worth a visit: soubiques, hats, red and gold lambaony, fruit galore... You'll breathe in the atmosphere of Mada's big markets, with the diverse scents of spices, fruit and dried fish! Nearby, in front of the mosque, there's an atmosphere of expectation. Here you'll find the former Air Madagascar agency, the courthouse and the post office, all buildings whose architecture, peeling painted woods and faded ochres evoke the world of Conrad's Lord Jim.

To get to Nosy Kely, you have to continue further south. This is where tourism has made its home. By all appearances, the sea is eroding the coastline, retreating several hundred meters per decade! That's why breakwaters were built here, but have now fallen into disrepair. Alas, no restoration project is now planned to stem the inexorable rise in water levels. The dhow port is located in the Hellot canal, an arm of the sea through which the village of Betania can also be reached by taxi-pirogue. This little village on the other side of the mouth of the river makes a lovely stroll at dawn, when the colors and lights spread their softness over the landscape and the atmosphere of early morning.

The Indo-Pakistani communities (called Karana) are influential in trade throughout the Indian Ocean and Islam has been present in Madagascar since the 8th century. The majority of the Karana are Muslim. The main Indo-Pakistani and Comorian neighborhood is Tsaralalana. Grocery stores, hardware stores, bazaars, almost all the stores are run by Karana. Here many men wear beards; the women wrap themselves in loose clothing that evokes Lahore. Verses from the Koran and pictures of Mecca adorn the stores.

It is reported that, in the th century, the Prophetess Timasy Vavitiana lived in this place and made miracles. She was buried on this site, and her descendants perpétuèrent the tradition by gradually burying into what became a place of worship where people gathered together. This traditional religious practice déplaisant the missionaries, the colonial administration decided to exhume and expel sacred relics at the municipal cemetery. In order to prevent worship, a monument was built surrounded by chains.