MADAGASCAR
Madagascar is a place with a lot of
contrasting moods due to a colonial
history heavily mixed with traditional
influences, from the little streets of the
capital Antananarivo crowded with
French cars from the 1970s to the
multitude of markets selling everything
from souvenirs to clothes to food items.
What really surprised me was to see how
young the population was and how
children had to work hard from a very
young age in order to help their families.
In spite of the hard working conditions,
Malagasy children will always smile at you
despite the surrounding poverty where
people survive on less than two dollars a
day. This is really impressive when one
compares that to developed nations
where people will go on strike just for an
extra week of holiday or to be able to
retire earlier.
I also had the opportunity to drive to
Mahavelona, commonly known as
Foulpointe, on the east coast and
travelled through beautiful national parks
where one can see species like lemurs,
crocodiles or walk on beautiful white
sand beaches. I understood why this
island is one of the favourite destinations
for touri