When arriving in Antananarivo, I really had to ask myself if I was still in Africa. Most people were small and had an Asian look. Except for the baguettes, the food was also 90%, usually with a unidentifiable peace of meat. Most places that was all that was served, so Madagascar has not been my favorite destination for food.
The sights and just the feeling of being here though is quite incredible. This is the place where two continents meet and a place where a lot, like the Citroen taxis and the old colonial buildings have been left unchanged since colonial times.
It has also been one of the cheapest places I have been. At the Analakely Market I was able to get original looking converse shoes for less than two dollars! Most places I found hotel rooms around 5-6 dollars and a 16 hour bus ride was about 5 dollars! Considering the accessible sea port with cargo arriving from the east and locals making about 1 dollar a day, most things were really cheap.
The Analakely Market where you will find anything you need
Fresh fruit juices here are just 15cents!
I spend four nights in the capital with my Cameroonian couchsurfing host who introduced me to the student life in Ankatso. Although there are lots of sights in the city, like the UNESCO heritage site of Royal Hill I just spent the time here chilling with my host as traveling around in Madagascar was quite exhausting. Still, it has been one of the most unique places I have visited and I know I will be back again soon.
The Ankatso student district is full of rooftops where people sit and drink beer
The view from my CS host in Ankatso