We had good views flying in to Tana, still very much in the grips of the dry season.
We stayed at a hotel near the airport then headed out due south towards Antsirabe. Our trip does a loop covering all the highlights shown on the Lonely Planet map, plus more.
Antananarivo (or simply Tana), the capital, is somewhat strange. It has a population of 4 million, with the people living on the hills and the lowlands dedicated to rice and vegetable production. This exits virtually to the centre of the town.
There was also an extensive brick production area.
Once we left the city we found ourselves in very different surrounds to the north. We were on a high plateau at about 1500m, with rich soil and a more affluent population (although that is in a relative sense only). In stark contrast to the north, most of the houses were mud brick.
Each town we went through seemed to have its own particular roadside product. Strawberries, or aluminium pots, or musical instruments, or carrots, or toy cars and trucks like this.
One interesting aspect of the drive was that we crossed the railway several times. This was privatised and they started running passenger trains. This upset the taxi brousse drivers no end, so they sabotaged the line, derailing a train. Ever since the line has been closed, but some interesting old bridges remain.
Our car was having some suspension/stabiliser problems, so Dyna arranged to have it looked at in Antsirabe while we had a walk around the centre of town and had lunch. This is the main road with the now disused railway station in the background.
Antsirabe is big on pousse-pousse (rickshaws) for public transport and there were several waiting in front of the Independence Square monument.
The city also had thermal springs and we went to the magnificent old Hotel des Thermes for lunch. The hotel was built in 1898 and this is the main entrance...
..and this the outdoor eating area by the pool at the back.
One order for lunch was the Royal Banquet, an assortment of Malagasy dishes.
We went down to Zandina restaurant for drinks and to wait for Dyna. It seems every tour group in the area eats here. We sat out front...
..and were constantly entertained by the hawkers...
...including this man who wanted to sell us a baobab tree....
Anyway, at 3:30 Dyna came to tell us the car couldn't be fixed and we would have to stay the night here (we originally were to drive on to Miandrivaso to start our river trip early tomorrow - a new car is being brought down overnight). We were quite fortunate to be sitting across the road from the Trianon Hotel, Lonely Planets top pick for Antsirabe. It is a nicely restored French colonial building - and they had rooms! Not quite as glam inside but very pleasant.
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