Day 12: Ifaty and Antananarivo

The accommodation for the night was individual straw roofed bungalows, which is the more common style here than a typical hotel. Luckily my place was right on the beach so I spent the morning watching the sunrise, running along the beach and paddling in the sea. The beach was deserted apart from a few fishermen that pushed their canoes out to sea, waving to me with warm smiles. The west coast of Madagascar is home to the Vezo fishermen, a tribe of semi-nomadic people who are often referred to as half man, half fish. They are naturals in the water, legend says that they can hold their breath under water for several minutes. They follow shoals of fish between the west coast of Madagascar and the coast of mainland Africa. Over generations, the Vezo people have developed an identity as nautical nomads with their mastery of the waves allowing then to create a living from fishing. Vezo translates to "people who fish" and they learn their trade from very young, as 80% of the families in this region directly rely on the ocean.

After a relaxing morning I met Hery and a couple of members of the group for lunch, we'd decided to try the local fish restaurant. The waitress handed us a folded piece of A4 paper, which was the menu - although it contained no names of dishes or prices. Rather than it a menu, it more closely resembled a marine biologist's species guide, just an array of different copied and pasted photos of fish. Some of the fish were alive and swimming, others were dead on the base of a boat or in the hands of a proud shirtless fisherman. There was no mention of side dishes, you were simply to point to the fish you wanted and it was unclear what should be guiding your decision. It made me laugh and is by far the most entertained I've been by a menu. Decisions were made based on the most interestingly shaped fish, the fish held by the most attractive fisherman or the fish with the best facial expression. Hery chuckled as we justified our decisions. The food took around an hour and half to arrive, which is pretty standard for rural Madagascar. We were all served a whole fish of whatever species we'd requested, accompanied by chips and vegetables. I'm still yet to know what fish I ate, but it was fresh and tasty.

After lunch we travelled to the local airport for our internal flight back to Antananarivo, where this adventure had begun almost 2 weeks ago. The flight was around 1.5 hours and we landed with time spare to explore the city. Tana offers exactly what you'd expect from a developing city; chaotic, loud and challenging to cross the roads. From my time in Kathmandu, I have learnt that it is best to just commit with confidence as you step out into the road and the driver's somehow avoid you. Hesitation makes the situation more challenging. The people are so friendly and if they see a tourist awkwardly hovering at the edge of the road, they encourage you to follow their lead across the road. Policeman even escort you across the road! There are stalls selling fruits and meat and locals play dominoes and solitaire on the roadside. Tana suffers from congestion and a cable car is being built so people can traverse the city with ease, without being stuck on the roads. It is clear that rapid urbanisation has been poorly managed as informal settlements are prominent throughout the city.

I was exhausted after exploring the city and collapsed on my bed in the hotel, drifting into a satisfying nap before dinner. Dinner was a "bean casserole" which was another version of rice and beans. I pushed the pile of beans around on my plate, feeling my stomach gurgle, having never fully recovered from my previous illness. I fell asleep easily despite taking a nap, a combination of the relentless schedule and under nourishment clearly catching up on my body.