 These kids have no connection with the above text! by grets | Madagascar travel tips posted by real travelers and Madagascar locals. Map |
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Mosquitoes and flies are sometimes a problem. Insect repellent is necessary at these locations. Mosquitoes were not much of a problem in the field, but they are present in most of the hotels at night. Some of the hotels provided nets and we didn’t use our own at places were there weren’t any.
Terrestrial leeches, one of Madagascar's many interesting Asian affinities, can be a real pest. The best answer to this problem is to wear long trousers and leech-socks:> A self-made sock of tightly woven and stitched cotton or other fabric would do if the sock is long enough to get to just under your knees and held by a strap. Leeches will almost always try to find the shortest way to a place that is body-warm and therefore get trapped between your normal sock (or boot) and the leech-sock. If they are really a pest you can improve this by a ring of insect repellent around your leech-sock just above the place were they can enter in your boot. Leave a Comment
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 lemur by belgianchocolate
I feel a bit like the nasty aunt that spoils the fun writing this. But somebody has to do the job. There are tour operators , guides etc and independent travelers who feed wild animals in order to get them closer etc. And yes , I must admit , it is a fun idea and even I would buy 10 kilo of banana's and take them into the national parcs. BUT that has serious consequences and I like to tell you about them.
-a lot of lemurs don't have banana's on their natural diet. They are fond of it but they don't digest it too well. (it is like humans and chocolate - chocolate is fine - 2 bars a day can be handled - but from half a kilo a day our health is in serious danger - Believe me!)
-lemur groups who are on tour operators way on a regular bases and get feeded are much larger then natural groups , social disturbed behavior is one of the consequences.
(I know it is the easy way to find the animals , you stop for 30 minutes , put the tourists in the middle , make some noice , take the pictures and off you go again...and you'll earn some great tips)
-some species of lemur become infertile by feeding them fruit or other products that are not their natural diet.
All the guides at Mantadia will tell you not to touch ,neither feed the animals. And responisble guides like Jacques from 'king de la piste' take home the peels of the banana's too after eating them ourselves. THAT is responsible behaviour.
There is however no danger for you.... Leave a Comment
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There is a whole world of creatures and bacteria waiting for you....under the water level. They are just waiting for you to get in and it is the only thing why they are born. **sigh**
I know you can get some serious deceases by swimming in Stagnant water. Bacteria got all the time in the world to develope here , zebus are willing(?) victims to transport all kinds of nasty animals , worms etc.
But it was so hot , and we were so dirty , and we walked for so long...so I did swim in sort of stagnant water. up till now I feel fine , 5 weeks after. My surroundings still say I look good and is responding normal to me so I guess I didn't take too much risk. lol
OK serious now. There are some serious risks involved. There are deseases you don't want to get. So get advice from locals or if you got one , your guide. He'll know if it is safe or not. Don't swim in water that looks dirty , is visited by animals as drinking pool. In general , use your good sence.
If you are at sea , don't go swimming anywhere either. Always get advice if there is riks for sharks. Few accidents happen , but they do happen with the great white shark. Don't let it be you.
If the name of the cave is 'cave des crocodiles' , figure out yourself if it is safe to swim there , test it and let me know. ok. Leave a Comment
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A good reason to go to Madagascar is to see wild animals. You sometimes have to do some effort to find them. However , lucky you!! There is one species of animal that will do an effort to find you. An all time favorite of many who traveled the tropical rainforest : Leeches
After the rain , they are wainting for you to pass by and find a cozy spot on your skin where they can suck themselves full of blood. Your donation is highly appreciated since that is what they need for breeding. Here you can find some tips if you want some as pets.
Seriously - HERE you can find a way to remove them. Sorry I don't have a picture of one , since Frederik was always so fast removing them , I didn't had a chance. For some reason they liked him better then me. I had quit ordinary clothes on while he had expensive adventure gear....whatever. Leave a Comment
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 Ifaty we resting partly in the
shade by JustinJansenLeave a Comment
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 Salade du chef! by belgianchocolate
Most books will advise you not to eat salads. Why? Because a salad is washed with water and the bacteria in that water will cause travelers diarrhea. About 50 procent of all travelers in Madagascar are estimated to get travelers diarrhea during one stage of their journey in Madagascar. This inconvenient thing happens because of the change of food and/or bacteria whe are not used to get exposed at. Said that...it is more or less logical to be carefully.
I can't imagine myself not eating fresh veggies , since I love salads. And the starters on Madagascar , especially the salads did taste like I never had them before. It is hard to find out what you will be getting - Salade du chef - what's in the name. But it ware crispy baked zebu meat and salty shrimps with a fantastic dressing , good tasting tomatos and...
The point is , I did eat salads and fruit during our complete journey. And we did had some trouble at some points. BUT it was worth it. Take proper medication and use it when needed. We didn't had pain and it wasn't that inconvenient. And looking back on it , I didn't want to miss out on all that great food either. Leave a Comment
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 by gretsLeave a Comment
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 by grets
Allow plenty of time for this journey. Leave a Comment
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Walking down the street in Tana we were approached by an old and scruffy beggar holding out his hat for David to drop a few coins in. Having come across this scam before, we were ready for him when he covered David's bum bag with the hat and tried to undo the zipper with the other hand. Needless to say, he didn't get anything - other than a hard shove and some harsh words in French. Leave a Comment
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 Zébus, humped oxen, are
symbols of the island. by Norali
+++ Zébus, Lemurs, Ravinala
Yes, Zébus, Lemurs, Ravinala and not that much pictures of humans neither homes. In my previous hp, I said that pictures of humans are not that usual here since Malagasy are not used to that. Jennifer (craic) asked me why and here was the copy-paste of my answer:
Original Message from Norali
Received 2003-06-22 03:55:10.0
" Hello,
>
> How are you? You are entering winter, no? A response to your question on my pages. You want to know why Malagasy people are not used to display personal pictures?
>
> A traditional behaviour of reserve (not coldness but what is said to be "pudeur" in French. My Harraps dico says "modesty"). Though, oddly enough, when dropping a visit to Malagasy friends for the first time, they (we) use to show photo albums. If your hostess doesn't show, visitor would ask anyway. Way paradoxical!
>
In some regions of Mada, taking picture of humans is seeing as "stealing the person's soul" (?). Personnally, I don't fit to that though I just don't take picture of Malagasy people except friends. When visiting areas (esp. those that are of different customs ), I just limit myself in taking pictures of landscape, houses (by far) and animals and plants...
>
I hope this makes it clear... Culture! Always amazing! Thanks for dropping by!
Best regards,
N-L " +++
[Upd. May 2004: More explanation: if many Malagasy locals in urban areas & touristic places would agree, for FREE, to be taken in picture, it is not always the case in remote areas. The tip was written regarding this late part.] Leave a Comment
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