The Lost World

Daylight, and it could be another world, a world time forgot. A street named after Indira Gandhi, beautiful landmarks redolent with memories of Malaysia, Indonesia, Arabia, Europe8212;Madagascar was a French colony for more than 70 years8212;street life reminiscent of 1930s Europe, complete with bawdy cabarets, the Zoma, the world8217;s largest open-air market, and the oxymoronic sight of a black man in a western suit sipping theacute; over a French newspaper 8230; could any other country yank together such opposites?

Madagascar is desperately poor8212;one US dollar is worth 6,575 Malagasy francs8212;but more than poverty, it is violence that is triggering an implosion in the country. A few months before I landed up, Tana mayor Marc Ravolomanana, a self-made millionaire, had had a violent showdown with Didier Ratsiraka, president for 20 years. Refusing to step down, Ratsiraka set up a parallel capital to Tana and claims the loyalty of half the army.

None of this concerns me, however, as I prepare for my excursion to beautiful Ambohimanga, the ancient tribal capital, 16 km from Tana. The 8216;palace8217; is like nothing you8217;ll ever encounter on the tourist trail. A 20-ft-high structure, its most striking feature is the four huge wooden breasts on the ceiling8212;a symbol of polygamy, I am told!

The floor of the house is stained with fresh blood, a sign that sacrifice survives. 8216;8216;A zebu bull was sacrificed here this morning for our ancestors,8217;8217; someone informs me helpfully.

Meanwhile, my money supplies are running low8212;alarmingly enough, foreigners are charged 35 times the local price8212;and since plastic doesn8217;t work here, I am forced to abandon plans of visiting a wildlife reserve. Adventure, I decide, will have to come from other sources. And so, after my kind landlady does some smart-talking, I board a huge 10-wheeled Mercedes container truck being driven to the coastal resort to Morondava, 500 km across the country.

It may have been novel for me, but the two drivers are obviously used to the idea. The room-sized truck is rigged out with two hammock beds. One is occupied by a laughing Indonesian woman8212;the girlfriend of the drivers, it later appears8212;who invites me to join her. Sex tourism is widespread here, never mind the huge billboards urging, 8216;Evitez la tourisme sexual prevent sex tourism8217;.

As the truck rolls, my new friend8212;the tougher and more muscular of the two drivers8212;makes me cross my heart. But nothing could have saved me the shock of experiencing Africa first-hand. In a few hours, we traverse across mountains, plains, plateaus, deserts, fields and lakes. We stop for lunch at a roadside village, and I taste a herbal brew, similar to black tea, that is poured over rice and dry fish and acts as a coolant. We stop, also, for police roadblocks8212;martial law was imposed months ago8212;and to see a beautiful, large-eyed black woman sway to Soweto-style music amid a group of villagers.

As night falls,and with the roadblocks still a scary memory8212;there was every chance I would be hauled away8212;I realise I am in the safest place, high in the cabin of a huge truck with powerful headlights, driving through a beautiful, wild country. In added assurance, my driver-friend nods towards the Zulu spear that never leaves his side.

Travelling through the night8212;after a short break at a dhaba-type joint8212; we near the Mozambique channel and Morondava as dawn breaks. My trucker friends refuse any payment, asking only for a T-shirt. One tee less, I am two friends richer.

Near Morondava, I spot the giant baobab trees and an occasional ostrich farm, alongside the mini-Renault taxis wheezing their way past totem poles and bullock carts. On the coast itself, it8217;s impossible to miss the ancient stoneworks, the dhows bobbing in the Indian Ocean8212;and Japanese tourists!

But again, I am waylaid by my own concerns8212;for I have a flight to catch the next morning, and less than 24 hours to make the 600 km journey back! A kind van driver agrees to take me back for half-fare, and soon, I am speeding through the awesome rural landscape8212;dotted with fortified mud hutments, proud tribesmen, disappearing forests, turtle-hunts8212;again.

For all the rush, though, I miss my flight to Mauritius. I spend the night at Ivato airport, black commandos watching over me. My money has run out almost completely, but I can8217;t resist spending my last few francs on some African musical instruments and 8230; err, a bar of Malagasy chocolate!

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, but it8217;s also one of the most unspoilt. It8217;s not an easy place to travel to, but the rewards, I promise, will last much longer than a chocolate bar.

BETTER SAFE
TRAVELLING on a shoestring budget comes with a built-in adrenaline rush: danger. But that doesn8217;t mean you should abandon plans of checking out Indonesia8212;or even Kashmir. Keep these tips in mind8212;and remember, you8217;ve been warned8230;
8226; Always blend with the crowd in your attire and attitude.
8226; Don8217;t draw attention to yourself, do not provoke, fight or react to provocation.
8226; Don8217;t flash cash or expensive belongings.
8226; Network. Carry addresses of people who can help you8212;or, at least, of the Indian Embassy. Brief someone about your plans; make sure an alarm will be raised if you don8217;t return by a given date.
8226; Smile. Be friendly but cautious about trusting strangers.
Carry a mobile phone, leave a paper trail credit card payments, for example.
8226; Don8217;t alienate government authorities.
8226; Steer clear of suspect drinks. Remember hot food is always safe.
8226; Inoculate yourself against listed diseases.
8226; Avoid sex with strangers.
8226; Carry a weapon if you can. Know how to defend yourself.

Madagascar Minutes
8226; Madagascar has no embassy in or air service from India. The only flights are from Mauritius, Reunion Islands, France and Africa
8226; Visas are available on arrival, and cost US 30
8226; Tourists are normally charged 35 times the local price
8226; Principal languages are French and Malagasy
8226; It is famed for its unique wildlife and vegetation, including 1,000 varieties of orchid