Anjajavy to Antsiranana, Madagascar

13 - 15 April 08

Joffreville, Montagne d'Ambre and Diego-Suarez

15 April. Marie-José drove us to Antsiranana and told us about her interesting life in the Seychelles, Rhodesia, Zambia and France. Antsiranana is the new name for Diego Suarez, which everybody still calls Diego for short. Perhaps they’ve forgotten the fact that Diego and Suarez were a couple of cruel Portuguese admirals who arrived in 1506 and proceeded to murder and rape the inhabitants or sell them into slavery. We got installed in the very comfortable Grand Hotel in the centre where we could get internet access. Marie-José and her brother Raymond joined us for a coffee on the terrace.

We wandered through the streets past run-down colonial buildings to the port and lunched at Melville Restaurant with great views of Diego Bay. Back at the hotel, we saw several heavily made-up young ladies with very short skirts and very high heels step into the lift with male hotel clients. Later at night, while Flemming tried to work on the internet (very unreliable and slow connection) in the lobby, the bar of the hotel was full of very noisy and drunk young US navy soldiers accompanied by these young ladies.