Madagascar

[GabrielSilva]

Hi Trevor,

I have tried 3 times to provide you with the info you needed and I am quite frustrated that something has gone wrong whike trying to post it or submit it. The hole thing seems very unstable! I shall wait until tomorrow to see if the info went through otherwise I shall write again but this is rather annoying!

Greetings,

Gab

[Trevor2522]

Hi everybody!

I came recently from Madagascar stayed around 32 days mostly in the northern part of the country as well as in the capital Antananarivo.

If any of you need fresh info about anything that I might know just go ahead, I'll be pleased to help!

Greetings, Gab

Oh boy, you asked for it now. But thanks!

1) Good base hotel in Tana for a few nights' transit / orientation?

2) Cost of flights to the North? Or duration / hardship of overland travel?

3) Girl-friendly hotel in Antsiranana (Diego Suarez)?

4) Where are the girls with best attitude & service?

5) Any police interference? Bribes paid? Threats from girls to call police in order to extort more money?

[GabrielSilva]

Hi everybody!

I came recently from Madagascar stayed around 32 days mostly in the northern part of the country as well as in the capital Antananarivo.

If any of you needs any fresh info about anything that I might know just go ahead, I ll be pleased to help!

Greetings,

Gab

[Vahaza Be]

I'm coming back after one year, now I'll be in Tana and Tamatave but with relatives so so way to have some fun unless I take a few hours to visit a massage shop in Tana.

But I'll be a few days in Antsirabe could you advice me on the right place to go? Is there a possibility to have fun in the big hotels with therm during massage? Or do you know some good and sexy massage in town? Any contact is appreciated?

Next stop will be longer and in Tulear-Ifaty-Anakao area here I know some place to go like zaza club, but if you have any good contact of a semy pro or a girl who need some money from time to time let me know here or in PM.

Thank you.

Latin

There is a club (Tahiti) next to the Hotel Diamant in Antsirabe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hKJyFHCpMc

Easy pick-ups most nights.

[Latin]

I'm coming back after one year, now I'll be in Tana and Tamatave but with relatives so so way to have some fun unless I take a few hours to visit a massage shop in Tana.

But I'll be a few days in Antsirabe could you advice me on the right place to go? Is there a possibility to have fun in the big hotels with therm during massage? Or do you know some good and sexy massage in town? Any contact is appreciated?

Next stop will be longer and in Tulear-Ifaty-Anakao area here I know some place to go like zaza club, but if you have any good contact of a semy pro or a girl who need some money from time to time let me know here or in PM.

Thank you.

Latin

[Vahaza Be]

@Trevor2522

18 km from Diego is a fine beach -- Ramena Beach
http://www.madacamp.com/Ramena_Beach

Haven't tried Telma yet. I have other, better options in Tana via the University, but the ad link looks pretty promising.

Age can be hard to judge sometimes in Mad, but stay away from anyone who looks too young, and your chances of being hassled will go way down. Always carry a xerox copy of your passport and little bribe money just in case -- as little as a 10,000 ariary note (~$5) can sometimes fix things.

[Mrayers]

P.S. The Ice Club was a dead link.

Sorry about that. It was working as recently as last month.

I think they have a Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/iceclub

But I don't use FB, so I can't check that either.

[Trevor2522]

i use orange for phone and laptop-based internet -- which is slloowww!! fiber optics and broadband are finally in mad, but only for business and govt so far as i can tell. sim shops are found all over tana. vb

http://www.telma.mg/particuliers/internet/3g.htm

telma claims to have some 3g internet coverage through their mobile phone network which drops to edge speeds elsewhere. unfortunately they didn't reply to my email in french asking for coverage maps and shops. have you tried telma? they seem more progressive than orange.

on the legal side, have there been any more reports of police hassling vazah with local girlfriends, as occurred in nosy be in december 2008 (for french tv)? i like the idea of picking up girls in nosy be along the beach (which diego doesn't have) but it's in the international spotlight and tourism has raised prices for everything in nb.

[Vahaza Be]

Sure, try the Midi, Express or Tribune -- your ad could be in English.
Here's a media link, newspapers at the bottom:
http://www.abyznewslinks.com/madag.htm

You could also wait until you get there to take out the ad and have a mobile phone number for immediate contact. BTW, Tana girls will travel, and some come down from Diego to party and make $.

Diego and Nosy Be are close enough to bounce back and forth. Guaranteed good times at both. Take a nap

ATMs are available just about everywhere now, but most only w/d with Visa. Only BNI will do Mastercard too. Small towns = small amounts. You can withdraw 400,000 ariary (~200 $) at a time in the cities, and repeat it 2 or 3 times in a row for more cash.

[Trevor2522]

You could also post an ad at the University (ask the taxi to take you to Ankatso and the Universite) for a female English speaking guide.

How about placing an advert (en Francais) in a newspaper in advance? Which one might take foreign or PayPal payments?

Diego Suarez in the north has lots of ex-pats of all stripes.

I have to say the girl-pics I've seen from Antsiranana impressed me the most for height and looks. Given the difficulty and expense of moving around the island, one might be inclined to remain in a well-chosen provincial spot. Downsides are Diego is always hot and nightlife starts very late.

Are provincial ATMs reliable and fair-value? Hopefully they haven't copied the venal Thais in imposing $5 per foreign transaction? What is the maximum amount I can try for each time? Thanks again.

P.S. The Ice Club was a dead link.

[Mrayers]

Are there any English-language interest groups in Antananarivo who would be interested in meeting visiting native English speakers? It might be a way for newbies to make local friends and be introduced to the culture. Or even paid English-speaking tourist guides, preferably female?

I have seen this Web site, but have had no contact with them yet.

http://iceclub-mada.com/

ice = I'm crazy about English

[Vahaza Be]

There is an American Cultural Center in Tana not too far from the old train station. Worth a stop by to meet Malagasy who speak (or want to speak) English.

You could also post an ad at the University (ask the taxi to take you to Ankatso and the Universite) for a female English speaking guide.

English was proclaimed the 3rd official language by the ex-President now in exile a few years ago, but very few people speak fluent English. The Malagasy -- unlike the French -- are not snobs about their language. A few mixed words of Malagasy, French and/or English will sometimes be enough if you are polite.

Diego Suarez in the north has lots of ex-pats of all stripes. The tourist island of Nosy Be is nearby, and will have more than an average number of people with some minimal English skills.

Be careful with motorcycles in Mad, especially around bigger cities (bad roads and drunk drivers!).

[Trevor2522]

Are there any English-language interest groups in Antananarivo who would be interested in meeting visiting native English speakers? It might be a way for newbies to make local friends and be introduced to the culture. Or even paid English-speaking tourist guides, preferably female?

[MarioMarengo]

VB ... outside of the capital Tana which town would you say has the most-vibrant expat community? Being almost-exclusively French-speakers, how open are they to native English speakers who make a genuine effort to speak French? Presumably the younger ones would speak a fair bit of English too.

Roughly how much do provincial motorcycle rentals cost per week for a small machine? And is my UK / EU photocard licence enough or should I bring an international one too? Being the third world, I presume the foreigner is always deemed to be wrong in case of accident, but is there any insurance included? Presumably helmets are cheap locally but not of the greatest quality. Thanks again.

I think you are right,if something happens you are in troubles, once i had a problem in Saly SENEGAL, i had to pay if i dont want to go to prison the ***** and police station tell the truth me was the lier.Dont drive in third world

[Trevor2522]

VB ... outside of the capital Tana which town would you say has the most-vibrant expat community? Being almost-exclusively French-speakers, how open are they to native English speakers who make a genuine effort to speak French? Presumably the younger ones would speak a fair bit of English too.

Roughly how much do provincial motorcycle rentals cost per week for a small machine? And is my UK / EU photocard licence enough or should I bring an international one too? Being the third world, I presume the foreigner is always deemed to be wrong in case of accident, but is there any insurance included? Presumably helmets are cheap locally but not of the greatest quality. Thanks again.