Village Fête

On our last night in Madagascar, we were invited to a local fisherman's home. Captain Florent, as he is known in Ramena, has a successful business and a wide-spread reputation as the best sailor in town. I traveled with him on stormy seas to an island in the Emerald Sea and can attest to the fact that we did not capsize. This is saying a lot considering that massive waves were thundering into the boat from the beginning---Ma! We quite nearly sank!

Florent, his boat, and the (now calm) Emerald Sea

To celebrate still being alive and the long friendship that has existed between Florent and my hosts, Gilles and Anouk, everyone in the village came together for the meal. Anouk and I, after having outfitted ourselves several days earlier with traditional African dress, decided not to deny the fans, and came in full regalia.

The evening consisted of appetizers, which turned into the main course of crab stew, which turned into the second main course of brochettie (zebu kababs), which turned into the third main course of grilled fish. By the time the coconut rice, rum, and (more) zebu kababs were being passed around, we put our hands up in surrender and fell to the ground. It was the party of the year with children, grandparents, "vazahas" all dressed up, and fisherman dancing all around.

Tsingy Rouge

Northern Madagascar is home to some very fascinating Tsingy. What are "Tsingy," you might ask? Well, I'm not really sure. But they are something like a downside up stalagmite. Primarily a sandy geological structure, they shoot from the red earth, defying nature.

Anouk and I decided to hitch a 4x4 truck to a region about two hours inland from where we were staying in Ramena. From there, we traveled over sometimes fine, sometimes very car-sick inducing potholes to arrive at this beautiful sight. We hiked down into the canyon to get a closer look.

Hop, Skip, Jump: Madagascar

Early May brought me to La Reunion's large island neighbor, Madagascar. I spent a fast but colorful week in the country's north, exploring the small fishing village of Ramena and her surroundings. I was the guest of a midwife friend from Reunion, and her father, who spends a large portion of every year visiting Ramena as its village doctor. Our arrival signified that "The Doctor was In" and between Anouk and her father, Gilles, they greeted many patients over the course of our stay. This was of course, a privileged position, as we were given the royal treatment everywhere we went. We were invited into homes, confided in, and accompanied around town.

The following are some of my favorite pictures from the week: