spotlight madagascar

So I’ve gotten a ton of emails full of questions lately. I’m going to answer them one at a time. Here’s today’s question:

What’s the food like in Madagascar?

I don’t really have enough space (or time in the day) to talk about all the foods that I love (miss) from Madagascar. Here are my highlights.

DELICIOUS! Look at those chompers. That was one magnificent grilled fish (lunch at the Nautilus Hotel in Ifaty). See that rice? Malagasy people eat more rice per capita than people in China. Three times a day. You won’t be required to eat rice three times a day, but you certainly can!

Above, the meal I had at the Hotel Solidaire Mangily. Among the top 10 meals I’ve ever had in Madagascar. Filet of fish with some veggie cream sauce. When you’re on the coast, my number one piece of advice is this: EAT SEAFOOD. All the time, every day.

Fried deliciousness. Nems are like spring rolls, sambos are like samosas, mofo balls are sweetish fried dough, mofo ‘gasy are little discs made of rice flour (sort of sweet, very dense, filling for breakfast), katless are my FAVORITE – they’re little balls of mashed potatoes mixed with ground beef and spices that are then fried.

LOOK, more rice. With home-made sausage and sauteed greens. There are a million types of greens in Madagascar, all different types of ananas. Kale, spinach, watercress, types of leaves that I’ve seen before but don’t know what they’re called in English. A real traditional Malagasy meal is pounded cassava leaves (ravitoto) mixed with pork. When done correctly, this can be mouth-watering.

Of course, there are some Malagasy dishes that may not be quite as delicious as one would hope. Pig ear, cow mouth, chicken stomach and neck, animal innards in a lovely broth, all manner of feet … you can avoid these menu items easily, but adventurous eaters will certainly be able to sample some intriguing gastronomical creations.

I’ve been at home in the United States for about 3 and a half weeks. No, I have not been blogging. I have been enjoying the company of my family, friends, and pets. I have been gathering my thoughts and making plans for my next trip to Madagascar, which begins in a couple of hours via Boston and Paris. Thank you to everyone who has made this trip home magical, relaxing, delicious, and so comfortable.

I will not be updating this site while I’m gone; over the next two months I’m going off the grid, off the beaten path, and away from the internet times. I’m so thrilled to have this opportunity to see parts of Madagascar that I’ve never set my eyes on, and to be able to concentrate on traveling, learning, writing and photography. I will, however, post things on my tumblr blog whenever I am able. Photos, blurbs, stories, whatever seems interesting.

See you in March! Enjoy all of the holidays that happen between now and then!

I have ended up staying in Toliara way longer than I wanted to. It’s not so bad, the bed is comfortable, the hotel is safe, and there’s cheap internet downstairs and I’m not in a taxibrousse, but it’s squishing my plans a little. I’m heading to Andavadoaka Saturday, by Blue Ventures car rather than the 2-day camion (which I will have to take on the way back). Here are a couple of pictures of my journey so far:

Morning in Ambatofinandrahana

Chicken, alive and dead

ScoobyDoo, my former dog, all grown up!

A cute little gecko in Ranomafana National Park

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.

The 44 Places to Go in 2009 – Interactive Graphic – NYTimes.com

(Contrary to the way it’s portrayed in many travel articles I’ve seen lately, Madagascar is not just populated by lemurs and chameleons and geckos. There are indeed people there.)

January 4, 2009

a couple of weeks ago, i got an email from the travel editor of the charlotte observer. he was looking for americans who have lived abroad in exotic locations and wanted to interview me about madagascar. check it out here:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/554/story/443435.html

please disregard my use of the word “bajillion.” very unprofessional.