Madagascar

Hey,

What about security in Madagascar for tourists?

I don't know French and will I face major problem in finding girls.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

[QUOTE=Coolbuddy]Hey,

What about security in Madagascar for tourists?

I don't know French and will I face major problem in finding girls.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,[/QUOTE]
Security isn't too much of a problem if you keep your wits about you.
Always travel with your passport and visa, and keep a photocopy handy on nights out around the town, especially in the capitol of Antananarivo. Be careful in Tana not to get too drunk and wander into dark streets alone late at night -- you will be mugged and robbed, just like anywhere else in the world with a large urban center full of thugs and desperately poor folks. Be prepared to pay small bribes (~$10) if you are hassled by the police or drunk soldiers. Smile and be polite, and explain that you do not speak French or Malagasy.

You will need to find a "friend" to help you navigate Madagascar if you don't speak any French or Malagasy. Outside of the cities, almost no one will speak English and even in the larger cities, few people can converse in English.

Don't worry, the girls will find you -- in bars, discos, on the beach and on the streets. Smile and be kind. "Presents" are expected for sexual favors, even from nonpros.

currently i'm in thailand where every western culinary and shopping whim is well-catered for. but what items are essential to bring from home when travelling to madagascar, i.e. that are not available there, hard-to-find, or expensive? do provincial hotels always supply towels, for instance? would a battery lantern be useful in case of power cuts? a voltage stabiliser perhaps to protect your electronics?

also, does madagascar have a functional internet service via the mobile (cellular) phone network? i'm thinking 2.5 g speeds: at least 150 kbps. this would free the traveller from needing to stay at top hotels with wi-fi. where is the best place in tana to get the data sim card and top-up for such a service? and best company to use? thanks.

[quote=trevor2522]currently i'm in thailand where every western culinary and shopping whim is well-catered for. but what items are essential to bring from home when travelling to madagascar, i.e. that are not available there, hard-to-find, or expensive? do provincial hotels always supply towels, for instance? would a battery lantern be useful in case of power cuts? a voltage stabiliser perhaps to protect your electronics?

also, does madagascar have a functional internet service via the mobile (cellular) phone network? i'm thinking 2.5 g speeds: at least 150 kbps. this would free the traveller from needing to stay at top hotels with wi-fi. where is the best place in tana to get the data sim card and top-up for such a service? and best company to use? thanks.[/quote]

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.

i always have a battery lantern and headlamp to back up the candles when electricity cuts occur. and they will occur in most places. voltage stabilizers can be purchased in electronic shops on rue de independence and in tsaralalana, but bring one if you're worried.

towels are cheap. i wouldn't bother packing one -- just pick them up in mad.

safe travels,
vb

[QUOTE=Vahaza Be]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[/QUOTE]

Sorry to hear that the wireless '2G' Internet is so slow ... enough for international VOIP telephone calls perhaps (needs at least 100 kbps)? Otherwise, how much would I need to spend daily at a provincial hotel to be sure of having reasonable in-house WiFi Internet? I fear it is a sad reality of Mada that Western facilities are going to cost significantly by comparison with SE Asia. Thanks for your up-to-date info.

[QUOTE=Trevor2522]Sorry to hear that the wireless '2G' Internet is so slow ... enough for international VOIP telephone calls perhaps (needs at least 100 kbps)? Otherwise, how much would I need to spend daily at a provincial hotel to be sure of having reasonable in-house WiFi Internet? I fear it is a sad reality of Mada that Western facilities are going to cost significantly by comparison with SE Asia. Thanks for your up-to-date info.[/QUOTE]
Even the best hotels may still have slow dial-up/modem internet connections. They won't cost much, and they aren't worth much either ;)
The best connections are OK for email and down/uploads that don't exceed 1MB. Big images?? Forget about it!
cheers,
vb

Vazaha Be, do you know the location of the bar where 'Rasta President' picks up Christiane in this clip? It's called '_____ House'. Are such bars common as they never seem to be mentioned alongside Glacier, Buddha Club or Le Buffet du Jardin?

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gumr8QtOG0U[/url]

The scenes are from all over Mad in that video. The Glacier is a bar/hotel in Tana, and the steps are also in Tana. One of the outdoor bars looked like the one across the street from the "Old Baobab Hotel" in Mahajanga (NW). The dancing scene looks a lot like a bar (whose name I forget) in Toliary (SW) frequented by all the ex-pat vazahas.

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.

[QUOTE=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.[/QUOTE]
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

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?

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!).

[QUOTE=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?[/QUOTE]I have seen this Web site, but have had no contact with them yet.

[url]http://iceclub-mada.com/[/url]

ice = I'm crazy about English

[QUOTE=Vahaza Be]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.[/QUOTE]

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

[QUOTE=Vahaza Be]Diego Suarez in the north has lots of ex-pats of all stripes.[/QUOTE]

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.

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

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.