Madagascar

[MxTH9]

I am planning a month stay on the island. People have mentioned it would get boring. I am not much for socializing, just enjoying the environment, relaxing and having an evening guest or 2. In your expert opinion is a month too long? Would it be better to split it with another part of the country?

Up this question.

[Tinte]

Soatrans, Cotisse, Cassy car VIP etc. To me that's not Taxy Brousse, they play in a different league. First of all you pay more, but its well worth it for various reasons. Modern nice cars, buses. Best choice for in and out of Tana just because of the starting points, often separat locations. Fixed timetable, fixed choice of seat. Stopes at nice restaurants. Aircon etc. You name it. No pets. You will meet Vahazas for a nice talk but you will not hook up with girls nor will any of them massage your dick for 20 K or show you private videos on the mobile. Ok for long distance.

Note, if you book Tana. Tamatave and drop off in Moramanga you pay the hole distance. No big deal anyway.

Taxi Brousse is the public standard, starts at Taxi Brousse stations. You like it or not. You will get what you were asking for. Can bee great fun ore a pain in the ass. It is a must, once for long distance too. Best for short distance, like max 2 hours.

[Tinte]

There are classes of various taxi brousse. The more quality ones like Cotisse, using a Merc Sprinter. You can book some long distance connections on a reserved seat. But then, going nowadays from Tana to Fianaroatsoa or Tana to Tamatave in about 14 hours due to the poor road conditions is even in that vehicle no fun at all.

But the majority of taxi brousse are small Mitsubishi vans from the time of the G-day landing in Okinawa. All short distance connection you must use those cattle carriers with 12 or 14 folks sitting on 9 seats -- and yes, there you find the chicken on your lap and the kids eating, drinking and whooops. Spitting over you out of the window. Great fun for a masochist. Casse toi une jambe.

Not to mention the camion brousse. A truck with a bench, no windows. Go figure. I did it Ambilobe-Vohemar years ago when the road was a mud path, booked the 2 seats in the drivers cabin for 2 days. An adventure but not doing it again.

If you want to avoid the silly prices for domestic flights, there are more and more small operators coming up, offering fixed trips form Tana to Diego, Mahjunga, Ft Dauphin. In a big SUV not carrying more then 5 pax. The fare is still cheaper then a flight but driving in a reasonable comfort at least. You can find them on Facebook.

If you give infos then please do it with correct facts. Not boasting like a Birkenstock tourist considering it fun to visit the shacks of the very poorest farm workers and then reporting how great he did.

Calm down! I just reported my actual fun facts and conclusions out of some negative points. Read properly!

[Geo Explorer]

Did you ever go by taxi brousse from Tana to Tulear or to Diego? I assume not --otherwise you would not make this silly and painful suggestion. Cramped in between sweating folks, vomiting kids, baskets with chicken alive, roads bumpy like a test track for Abram tanks and that for more than 24 hours.

Even cheap charlies I not wish that masochistic treatment.

I traveled from Tana to Morondava and back with some stops on the way. The trip was uncomfortable, but it was also one of the best adventures that I've ever had and I met many friendly Malagasy people including one very attractive lady. The roads were in much better shape than I expected, but the taxi brousse were falling apart.

[Amadeuss]

Why so negative? First of all, in all my long distance travel by Taxi Brousse there were never any animals in the bus among people, except me, LOL. Pets are in general stored on the roof in baskets. Again and again I was astonished by the personal hygiene even by old people no smell at all. Asides, the flexibility of these old people too left me often astonished.

Travel plans by Taxi Brousse in progress, I never would consider a inland flight. Hey folks, what do you want to experience again?

There are classes of various taxi brousse. The more quality ones like Cotisse, using a Merc Sprinter. You can book some long distance connections on a reserved seat. But then, going nowadays from Tana to Fianaroatsoa or Tana to Tamatave in about 14 hours due to the poor road conditions is even in that vehicle no fun at all.

But the majority of taxi brousse are small Mitsubishi vans from the time of the G-day landing in Okinawa. All short distance connection you must use those cattle carriers with 12 or 14 folks sitting on 9 seats -- and yes, there you find the chicken on your lap and the kids eating, drinking and whooops. Spitting over you out of the window. Great fun for a masochist. Casse toi une jambe.

Not to mention the camion brousse. A truck with a bench, no windows. Go figure. I did it Ambilobe-Vohemar years ago when the road was a mud path, booked the 2 seats in the drivers cabin for 2 days. An adventure but not doing it again.

If you want to avoid the silly prices for domestic flights, there are more and more small operators coming up, offering fixed trips form Tana to Diego, Mahjunga, Ft Dauphin. In a big SUV not carrying more then 5 pax. The fare is still cheaper then a flight but driving in a reasonable comfort at least. You can find them on Facebook.

If you give infos then please do it with correct facts. Not boasting like a Birkenstock tourist considering it fun to visit the shacks of the very poorest farm workers and then reporting how great he did.

[Haokool]

Pimps have always existed. What drives the prices are the customers.

Over paying because they are on a power trip boosted by their corporate budget, I mean $1000 for a HJ, and then tipping on the top of it.

In Thailand, meany bars are owned by few Westerners, using another westerner to run the bar. The true owner shows up at the end of the month and collect.

Look at Thailand now. Thailand is full of Aussie, Pommie or US pimps charging you bar fines for farm fresh. Lmfao. Some blokes go there to wife the hookers.

I mean when you pay the bar fine, you should fuck the pimp too. Pimps are the main reasons sex prices in South East Asia getting inflated now. All you need is some sh*t see*nt thinking there is a business opportunity to exploit. As sexually deprived men, we are taking sh*t from everyone. We take shit from governments, we take shit from women empowerment, we take shit from UN giving a minimum age for sex and cockblocking us. That's not all. Making lab viruses and asking men to wear rubber and we feel nothing. Making the rubber mandatory (Germany for example). Now, these blood sucking ticks who call themselves bar owners (pimps) inflating the prices of affordable sex, media discouraging men upon buying commercial sex.

Straight men are getting cucked. As every animal, we should have sex. It's a basic need. As much as it sounds funny, it is the truth. We don't have a pride month. LOL. There should be a unified front against these forces.

[Tinte]

Did you ever go by taxi brousse from Tana to Tulear or to Diego? I assume not --otherwise you would not make this silly and painful suggestion. Cramped in between sweating folks, vomiting kids, baskets with chicken alive, roads bumpy like a test track for Abram tanks and that for more than 24 hours.

Even cheap charlies I not wish that masochistic treatment.

Why so negative? First of all, in all my long distance travel by Taxi Brousse there were never any animals in the bus among people, except me, LOL. Pets are in general stored on the roof in baskets. Again and again I was astonished by the personal hygiene even by old people no smell at all. Asides, the flexibility of these old people too left me often astonished.

Travel plans by Taxi Brousse in progress, I never would consider a inland flight. Hey folks, what do you want to experience again?

[Tinte]

The day bevor departure I would again by the ticket, always at the official shop and avoid the touts. I never had any issue with the luggage. Several times I made contact to girls in the taxi Brousse. Great fun.

[Tinte]

So far I have done Fianarantsoa. Tulear, there and back and Tamatave. Tana once and Manakara. Antsirabe.

No pain no gain! Haha, so I could do it again.

The real pain in the ass, the killer was the night travel for various reasons, especial in and out of Tana to bee avoided by all costs. Day travel, I would bee fine again for long distance too but I can not see the point in it anymore. Therefore on my next travel I would split it up to max of 4 hours drive per day in the morning.

Do the deed as authentic as possible in various unknown places.

[Amadeuss]

Or you can fly to Tana, go to the bus station, and catch a taxi brousse. It's very doable, but you have to travel light.

Did you ever go by taxi brousse from Tana to Tulear or to Diego? I assume not --otherwise you would not make this silly and painful suggestion. Cramped in between sweating folks, vomiting kids, baskets with chicken alive, roads bumpy like a test track for Abram tanks and that for more than 24 hours.

Even cheap charlies I not wish that masochistic treatment.

[SouthEaster]

Which is pretty much just what he said in the paragraph directly above the one you quoted.

[Neddy69]

With the parliamentary elections in Madagascar on 29 May, is it a bad idea to visit around this time or it should not affect us visitors going about our business?

Elections are NEVER a good time to visit. Avoid Tana and major towns. In the provinces you should be ok. Avoid government buildings. Follows local news. Be prepared to stay indoors. Stock up on drinking water and food. Have enough credit in your phones. If there's unrest everything and I mean everything will be closed.

La Buse.

[Geo Explorer]

Yes, you can also hire a 4 x4 with driver to roam along the 2000 km roads of the island But the total price for the slow ride on the bumpy roads is at the end equal to the high flight prices.

Or you can fly to Tana, go to the bus station, and catch a taxi brousse. It's very doable, but you have to travel light.

[Best Mate]

With the parliamentary elections in Madagascar on 29 May, is it a bad idea to visit around this time or it should not affect us visitors going about our business?

[Best Mate]

With the parliamentary elections in Madagascar on 29 May, is it a bad idea to visit around this time or it should not affect us visitors going about our business?