spotlight madagascar

I don’t know how many hours I was in the air, and I’m not sure even what time it is right now, but I do know that I made it in one piece and it’s great to be back in Madagascar! The detritus from my packing has fit nicely into one backpack and one satchel, which should make my traveling a little easier (hopefully).

plastic bags are the best

I spent last night in Johannesburg. As I feared, the shuttle from my hotel didn’t show, even after a very nice person at the airport used her cellphone to call them. I ended up starting a conversation with a young woman who made me a reservation at a different hotel, cheaper, and closer to the airport, with a 24-hour free shuttle! Highly recommended for those who only need to spend on night in Joburg, the Ekurhuleni Lodge is a self-proclaimed ‘Place of Peace and Tranquility’. I don’t know about all that, since there were really weird bird sounds that I couldn’t identify, and I woke up at 3:30 in the morning thanks to my shocked Circadian rhythms. Otherwise, the people were really nice, the shuttle driver is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the breakfast lady was from Zimbabwe, which made for interesting conversation. The room was clean, the shower was really great (probably the best I’ve had in a long, long time, actually), and there was a TV. The only weird thing was the electrical outlets didn’t seem to be functioning, but who needs those anyway.

'Affordable Luxury' at the Lodge

So I’m here at the Sakamanga, one of my favorite hotels in Antananarivo, and they now have free wireless, which is incredible. I probably won’t encounter this again on my trip around the country, so I’m taking full advantage of it until I pass out. The view from my room leaves a little to be desired:

big pile of rocks, hmm

But that’s not why I came here, obviously. I know there are cuter rooms, but I’m leaving in the morning so I don’t really care. At least it has character. I asked, and the writing on the wall means ‘we need a change’. It’s true.

The food here is good, and not too expensive. I’m not looking forward to going to the taxibrousse station tomorrow. It’s my least favorite place on earth.