June 17 – 19

Well, I’m still in Tana, but I’m leaving on the 20^th…this time for real. I keep changing my route from the west coast, to the east coast, to the north, and now, today, as I was literally getting on my bike to head north, I changed. I’m going east. This means another day in Tana to recalibrate.

I have met numerous people simply by exploring this hilly and intriguing city. My first night in Tana, I stayed at the Madagascar Underground, local backpacker (hostel). This is where most westerners stay. It is a nice melting pot of travelers of varying ages but very like minded adventurers. Most recently I met Jenna, a Peace Corp volunteer who lives in a small village on the east coast named Tsarasambo. While touring the city on Sunday, we stumbled upon a rugby match against Senegal. $3 for a jersey and $9 for a VIP ticket, and I was a local…well, sorta. The line for the “locals” was literally around the corner so we splurged for the VIP. We were segregated on the opposite side of the stadium with police all around. There was maybe 150 of us and I felt like “one of them”. I was falling asleep. I wanted to feel the energy of the crowd. Jenna and I agreed to move. The guard who opened the gate to the other side looked at us like we were crazy and told us there were no “fazah” over there. We pressed on and plowed our way through a sea of 30,000 raucous people. With me sporting my jersey and Jenna waiving her flag (and being fluent in Malagasy), we heard a woman call to us and offer us 2 seats next to her, essentially at mid field. The energy of the “real” crowd was euphoric. Everyone we met was surprised to see us there, but nonetheless thanked us for supporting them. I can say with a high degree of confidence, we were the only “foreigners” on that side, and it felt good.  Tomorrow, I hit the road.

Sunday morning exercise

Jenna scoping out the line

We moved over there