MZANZI ISSUE 16
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iStock<br />
iStock-ronemmons<br />
I<br />
fell in love with the smell of vanilla, with the island, with<br />
its people…and with the paradoxes of its beauty and its<br />
destruction, its tranquillity and its tensions, its pastel<br />
hazes and its boisterous colours. Since then this love<br />
affair has taken me back to Madagascar half a dozen<br />
times. And I will go back tomorrow if I can. Since my first visit<br />
much of the tensions have been tamed and the destruction –<br />
the deforestation that turned rivers into muddy orange water<br />
channels – has ended. And yet, even all of that remains part<br />
of its charm in some or other strange way.<br />
Explorer’s paradise<br />
If you are more the package-tour type or are looking to relax<br />
and be pampered in luxury in a tropical setting, you should<br />
perhaps stick to the north-western part of Madagascar on<br />
and around the island of Nosy Be with its upscale hotels and<br />
resorts. You won’t be disappointed, and there’s plenty to do<br />
when you grow tired of sipping cocktails by the pool.<br />
But if you are more of an intrepid kind of traveller - inquisitive,<br />
energetic, looking for new experiences, or seeking to explore the<br />
soul of the place – the rest of Madagascar will be your forever<br />
paradise. And when I say “rest of Madagascar”, don’t think<br />
small island, think very big and very varied. In fact, Madagascar<br />
122 |<strong>ISSUE</strong> <strong>16</strong>|www.mzanzitravel.co.za | <strong>MZANZI</strong>TRAVEL
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