Antsirabe, A Great Place to Break the Journey - Madagascar
Posted: July 14 2023 | Tagged: Madagascar
Truth be told, Antsirabe doesn't have much going for it. If Fianarantsoa didn't have much in the way of places of interest, Antsirabe has even less. But it makes a great place to break the journey because Madagascar is one tough mother fucker and you're gonna need it.
Antsirabe is about 5 hours south of Antananarivo, 8 hours north of Fianarantsoa, 20 hours +/- north of Toliara and 12 hours east of Morondava which is where I was going next to visit the Avenue des Baobabs.
Madagascar is a tough country to travel in. And I want to paint an accurate picture. Travelling for me is not only about the best places to see, the nice parts, it is also about the travelling between places. And it's not all like you see on National Geographic! #JustSaying. The roads are bad and the food is crap. They sell so much veg in the markets yet all they sell at the street stalls is pasta and bread. Typhoid is an issue here! The poverty can be dire and heart-breaking. The dirt and pollution in mental.
This isn't meant to talk badly of the country. It's a reality check. I will not glorify a place yet I don't want my opinions to be taken as a criticism. This is how it is. So much so that Miss CDMX doesn't understand my motives. Even for me, doing this crazy shit for more than 30 years, I am sometimes like, Trevor FFS give it a break.
Sometimes my comments are taken out of context. It may seem I am moaning, complaining. Madagascar is adventurous but at street level, it's exhausting.
Those points aside, it's a great place for budget travellers. You can get great rooms for less than 10€. The people are very very trusting, never felt like I was being ripped off just because I am white and therefore rich.
Getting some work done:
Madagascar is a tough country to travel in. And I want to paint an accurate picture. Travelling for me is not only about the best places to see, the nice parts, it is also about the travelling between places. And it's not all like you see on National Geographic! #JustSaying. The roads are bad and the food is crap. They sell so much veg in the markets yet all they sell at the street stalls is pasta and bread. Typhoid is an issue here! The poverty can be dire and heart-breaking. The dirt and pollution in mental.
This isn't meant to talk badly of the country. It's a reality check. I will not glorify a place yet I don't want my opinions to be taken as a criticism. This is how it is. So much so that Miss CDMX doesn't understand my motives. Even for me, doing this crazy shit for more than 30 years, I am sometimes like, Trevor FFS give it a break.
Sometimes my comments are taken out of context. It may seem I am moaning, complaining. Madagascar is adventurous but at street level, it's exhausting.
Those points aside, it's a great place for budget travellers. You can get great rooms for less than 10€. The people are very very trusting, never felt like I was being ripped off just because I am white and therefore rich.
Getting some work done:
And for the traveller who makes a break here in Antsirabe, what it lacks in places of interest, it makes up for in facilities.
The Blue Sky Hotel behind the railway station is a good backpacker option. Clean rooms, friendly staff, and quiet though the WiFi is a bit crap.
If you need supplies, there is a Carrefour supermarket, and a Shoprite/Super U Supermarket, both of which accept card payment. There is Shop Liantsoa Antsirabe and Super Maxi which have lower prices. If Carrefour is like Waitrose, these last 2 are like Poundland.
The best place for a coffee and croissant is the "La Gourmandise" boulangerie/pâtisserie
It serves, and I will stick my neck out here, the best coffee in Madagascar. And did I mention the croissants? Possibly only 2nd to the croissants you get from the little boulangerie outside the Gambetta Metro station in Lille, Nord-pas-de-Calais.
The Blue Sky Hotel behind the railway station is a good backpacker option. Clean rooms, friendly staff, and quiet though the WiFi is a bit crap.
If you need supplies, there is a Carrefour supermarket, and a Shoprite/Super U Supermarket, both of which accept card payment. There is Shop Liantsoa Antsirabe and Super Maxi which have lower prices. If Carrefour is like Waitrose, these last 2 are like Poundland.
The best place for a coffee and croissant is the "La Gourmandise" boulangerie/pâtisserie
It serves, and I will stick my neck out here, the best coffee in Madagascar. And did I mention the croissants? Possibly only 2nd to the croissants you get from the little boulangerie outside the Gambetta Metro station in Lille, Nord-pas-de-Calais.
Best coffee in Madagascar at the La Gourmandise in Antsirabe
A good breakfast place is the Mirana Salon de Thé. Just avoid the coffee. It's as weak as fuck. The WiFi is good, crappy service though.
If you require a good meal then you won't go far wrong with Entre 2 Mers.
I ate a massive pizza here and a Zebu steak. Imagine, a steak and a large beer for 6€. Yeah. I eat meat if I have to. And with my diet suffering somewhat in Madagascar.
It is run by a French guy and his Malagasy wife. They know how to provide good service!
I ate a massive pizza here and a Zebu steak. Imagine, a steak and a large beer for 6€. Yeah. I eat meat if I have to. And with my diet suffering somewhat in Madagascar.
It is run by a French guy and his Malagasy wife. They know how to provide good service!
And a good local place for a beer, what means good? Cheap and cold. Chez Lilie!
Many places don't have cold beer but somehow have ice, these places are targeted at locals whose stomachs can handle untreated water.
Avoid the ice. Just go find a place that has a fridge (fairly easy) with power (not so easy).
When I was taking that cargo boat down the Canal des Pangalanes, there was a woman with her 8 kids. They were drinking river water. The mother spat it out in disgust. Yet she let her kids drink it.
Avoid the ice. Just go find a place that has a fridge (fairly easy) with power (not so easy).
When I was taking that cargo boat down the Canal des Pangalanes, there was a woman with her 8 kids. They were drinking river water. The mother spat it out in disgust. Yet she let her kids drink it.
I just wanna add something here. I am a budget traveller, a backpacker. I travel by Taxis-Brousse as the locals do.
And that if you are lucky enough to be in a position to be able to hire your own driver, with a 4WD, then you see the country from a different perspective.
When I visited the Lemurs' Park on the outskirts of Antananarivo, I took local transport. Even though it was a very short journey, you stop every 5 minutes, you are crammed in with the locals. But coming back I cadged a ride with an Italian diplomat based in Pretoria. I sat back and enjoyed the comfort, the chaos beyond the confines of the vehicles interior seemed a million miles away.
And that if you are lucky enough to be in a position to be able to hire your own driver, with a 4WD, then you see the country from a different perspective.
When I visited the Lemurs' Park on the outskirts of Antananarivo, I took local transport. Even though it was a very short journey, you stop every 5 minutes, you are crammed in with the locals. But coming back I cadged a ride with an Italian diplomat based in Pretoria. I sat back and enjoyed the comfort, the chaos beyond the confines of the vehicles interior seemed a million miles away.