Tulear, Madagascar

Our first introduction to Africa was definitely an “eye opener”. Tulear, situated on the southwest coast of Madagascar, is home to some 100,000 people. As a port town, it is said to be hub for commodities such as soap, hemp, cotton, rice and peanuts (according to the guidebook). When we arrived, we certainly didn't feel it was a hub for any organized industry at all. Very few, if any, cruise ships ever come to this part of the island. After our long dusty hot ride into town, we entered an open street market. Young women were carrying live chickens for sale and stalls with nothing but sticks for sale of all sizes lined the streets. The mode of transportation was the rickshaw pulled by young men, and bicycles. Very few cars, if any, were on the roads. The roads were lined with many walkers carrying their firewood sticks to market. We drove out to the countryside for about 35 miles. Along the way we passed tiny villages of nothing but grass huts and red earth, with young children playing unattended in spots of shade. The terrain was dry and barren, with little areas of agriculture or brick factories along the way. Other than vans filled to the brim with passengers, and luggage piled high on top, we never passed a single private vehicle at all. We stopped at a small quiet village, but within a few minutes were surrounded by about 25 children and adults. Of course they wanted “un cadeaux” (a gift). They were looking for sweets, pens, lipstick, a T-shirt, or anything we could offer. Stephen let them take pictures of each other with his camera, and they were excited to be able to view the photos right away. Their homes were extremely primitive- made of straw and mud, and it looked like their main “industry” was selling charcoal. The average wage, we were told, was $1.25 per day, but we weren't sure if that was even possible there. The taxi we were in kept stalling, and we had to get out and push a few times. These vehicles were driven many hours from the capital so they could accommodate our ship. Needless to say, we were worried we might not make it back to the ship on time! At one point we thought the car kept squeaking, and then realized our taxi driver had bought a basket of chicks and they had escaped and were wandering around the taxi! We stopped to visit a grotto by the sea, and a baobab tree grove. The trees have fat trunks that store hundreds of gallons of water. A terrific day, once again, and very different from anything we've seen yet!