We have been in Antananarivo, Madagascar for 5 days now and we have officially passed our halfway mark for this trip... 15 days! woo hoo!
Since out last blog a few days ago, we have seen many different places and sights in and around Antananarivo (Tana). Some of it interesting, some not and more than often it has been reminders of our home country, South Africa. Madagscar has two extremes, rich or poor... no in between and sadly the latter rules.
Below is some of what we have seen or experienced in the last few days, in between meetings and scrumptious meals...
- a typical roadside vista: rice paddies in the foreground, most people grow their own rice or enough to sell to neighbours and friends
- a visit to a local plant nursery that specialises in indigenous plants and works with some of our nurseries back home also (the girls...as colourful as always!)
- an interesting project: a homeopathic pharmaceutical company, all the products are made from local plants and their dispensary is busy busy busy! they even do massages, manicures, etc. and have a few franchises in the city for easy access for people in the maze that is Tana...!
- we've even managed to squeeze in another game of petanque, shortly before a Rotary presentation. the guy in the right of the pic has been the national Madagascar petanque champ for the last few years now, it was an honour to play with him... he's flippin good! (check an earlier blog for more info on the game of petanque)
- A lunchtime meeting with a Rotary Club in Tana, the city has 9 clubs. A makeshift screen for our powerpoint presentation as demonstrated by Tania!
- One of the clubs treated us to an evening of traditional Malagasy dance and song, wow! The group that performed are well known in Madagascar and the event was a fundraiser for Rotary
- a visit to a historical park outside of the City, called Gasikara... short for Madagascar... You can only get their by boat. In the park they display the isand of Madagascar with all its cultures and customs. This is a private venture as their is not much government initiatives to conserve the history and culture of the island. Remind us to tell you the stories of the Queen of Madasgascar's antics when we see you again...
- us on the boat to the park... you gotta love orange lifevests/jackets/pfd's...whateva you wanna call them!
- a sample of a traditonal totem pole that used to be erected on women's graves, signifying her life's journey and marking the important events
- staple food: chicken, most people raise their own, and harvested rice being dried...
- a boy in one of the villages that we walked through. there are lots and lots of kids around, most of them not in school. many of them malnourished also.
- and in the midst of it all... a springbok rugby supporter... what do you know...
The days are long and sometimes we fall into bed tired. For all of us this trip challenges our perceptions of the world we live in and strectches us way beyond our comfort zones. Something is shifting within us...
Maybe reading this blog prods you to journey into your own perceptions...
Until later, be good and dont forget to be awesome!
love and light!
The Team
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