First impressions of life in Antananarivo

THERE HE IS: The Air Mauritius Airbus that transported John from Melbourne to Mauritius via Perth. John sits at the window circled in red, waving his window shutter to attract the attention of his farewell party at Melbourne International Airport.

ANTANANARIVO, TUESDAY, April 5, 2003, 11:30pm -- John Cameron has reported back to Virgil's Diary from a hostel in Antananarivo, capital city of Madagascar, with his first impressions of life in the world's second poorest country.

Calling from a hostel just outside the city of Antananarivo, John reported that his trip from Melbourne to Madagascar via Perth and Mauritius had been successful and amazing.

What he has seen in Mauritius and Madagascar so far could not be adequately described in words, he said.

"Nothing can prepare you for these sights and experiences," said John, while looking through the hostel window onto the dusty street beyond.

"There are people -- so many people: kids, old people, sick people. They do everything along the streets. People are trying to sell anything they can, and trying to make a living any way they can."

FAREWELL: John and Yukima say goodbye to each other at Melbourne International Airport minutes before John departed on his three month adventure to Madagascar.

"It is impossible for you to imagine how different things are here from any where else in the world," said John. "You just have to see it to get an understanding."

In the short telephone conversation, John described the atmosphere and scenery of a trip into the city of Antananarivo - Tana, as the highland capital city is known by locals and travelers.

Catching a bus -- an overcrowded, rickety, ancient bus packed to the brim both inside and outside with people clinging onto anything they can hold for support, John traveled the short distance from his hostel to the City at a crawl of five kilometers per hour, on a journey that took over one hour to complete.

"Along the streets, people have street stalls where they sell anything. Little bits of rice, pieces of fruit, meat," said John. "Butcher stalls are everywhere, with huge chunks of uncooked meat hanging covered with files, looking as if they've been hanging there for days."

"People offer shower curtains in exchange for money -- they want to sell anything they can. There are stalls full of empty plastic bottles. People follow me around asking if I can give them my plastic water bottle when it is empty."

"People here are just so poor."

Staying in Antananarivo for several days, John has met up with other members of the Frontier expedition group who will shortly travel together to Toliara in the south west of Madagascar to begin their ten week stint of research fieldwork.

John reported that he has not had time to write a journal, despite having so much to say and so many experiences to remember. "There is just too much going on, and I've had no time," he said.

Questioned on whether he has been able to communicate with locals, John said that he hasn't been able to find a Malagasy phrase book yet. "But I did get a Malagasy dictionary which is helpful," he said.

"I just smile and point and nod and be friendly, and say a few words in French. We seem to eventually understand each other that way," he laughed.

The national language in Madagascar is Malagasy, a derivation of French. While John has little or no knowledge of Malagasy - or French - once stationed in the remote south western Spiney Forests of Madagascar, he will have little need to communicate much in the Malagasy except when interviewing and talking to locals .

These experiences have already fundamentally changed his outlook and understanding of life, John says.

We can only wonder what the next ten weeks will hold for him. We wish him well with the rest of his adventure.