That’s it with hiking this year, it’s time to head north to Antsirabe, a big town that serves as a transport hub. From there it’s all downhill to the west coast. But since some sections of the road are really rough that would be a 20-hour drive so I stayed in the Colour Café in Antsirabe.
Literally – I stayed in a huge luxury suite that was once the café. My driver discovered that one.
On the way we stopped several times so I could watch village life in local markets. These are incredibly crowded open, and sometimes covered, markets selling everything for dayly use, from vegetables to brightly colored flip-flops on huge piles. The ground is muddy from the rains. Everyone is curiously staring at me as if I didn’t belong, which of course I really don’t. People here do not speak French. And I am much taller than they are, so I have to duck a lot. People go to markets frequently because nobody has a refrigerator, and most don’t have electricity except a small solar panel to recharge phones.
