Madagascar
Nosy Be, Madagascar
March 24,
2025
A beautiful
sunrise to watch on our lanai early this morning as we sail into and anchor in the
harbor of Nosy Be.
Lo and
behold the local “entrepreneurs” arrived at our ship in their fishing boats
shouting “Money, Money, Money – Shoes, Shoes, Shoes – Bananas,
Bananas”!!!!! That was fun!!!!
Our tour
began in Andoany, formerly known as Hell-Ville, which is the small capital city
of Nosy Be, an island off Madagascar’s northwest coast. It wasn’t named for what you might be thinking.
Turns out that, when the French were colonizing Madagascar, the commandant of
Nosy Be was a Frenchman by the name of Hell. Hence, Hellville!
The island
is known for its crater lakes created by former volcanos, waterfalls and
rainforests which are home to an array of wildlife – lemurs, bats, reptiles,
and birds. Our passionate local guide, Tadji,
learned English from others who he played basketball with and explained how
funds received from exporting goods went straight to government officials
lining their pockets and not to help the very poor residents.
Nosy Be is
nicknamed the “Perfume Island” because of the scent of ylang-ylang trees with
its yellow blooms that grow in its tropical forests and plantations. We learned about the culture of the life of
the Sakalava people, one of Madagascar’s smallest ethnic groups who are
descended from settlers who arrived around the 8th century AD. We engaged with some of the locals in Dzamandzar
as we walked among the unique balloon-shaped houses, remnants of an old
railway, and market stalls offering spices, tropical fruits, and handmade
crafts and even fish, seafood, and meats displayed in the heat – no coolers –
with flies everywhere!!!!! Needless to say, no purchases were made!!!!!
We then had
a stop at a very nice beach front resort hotel for a cool drink before heading
back to the ship.
No, the bugs
were not on the menu!
As we sailed
out of Nosy Be in the evening, thunder storms blew in on our way to
Mozambique!!!!
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