Antananarivo, Madagascar

Our first stop in Madagascar was in the capital city, Antananarivo, called Tana by the locals. Our guide explained that Madagascar names are very long and they typically shorten them for convenience.

Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world, has many old buildings and some have been renovated as tourist hotels maintaining much of their old-style charm. Our first night in Madagascar in Tana, we stayed in such a hotel. It has this amazing view of the city below:

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While staying in a hotel that is true to the time when it was built definitely has its charm, there are also some things to take into account. For example, beds made in the early 1900s were not as comfortable as more modern ones. They also had much dimmer light back then, and heating is spotty if at all. The room did have a television, but there were no English channels. Also, the tub, while very pretty, had very high sides that you had to step over to get in and out. If you have sore knees, arthritis, or any other physical problem that might make it hard to jump in and out of a tub with high sides, you might want to book a room in one of the more modern hotels. That is what we did when we returned to Tana for a night before our flight back to South Africa. It was a lot more comfortable; better heating, brighter light for reading, a walk-in shower, and some English channels on the TV.

Here are a few photos of the shops in Tana, Here is a vegetable seller:

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Here is a typical street shop:

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Here is a another street shop:

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© 2017 Jeffrey Pawlan