Madagascar Nov-Dec

Hi,
Myself and a group of 13 High School students are heading to Madagascar for a month from the 21st of November till the 20th of December. First of all, are there any foods or drinks that we should avoid eating? I have heard that Salads that have been washed are not recommended for consumption, likewise neither is ice that hasn't used filtered water.
Secondly, myself and my group only speak English, we will most likely be carrying a phrasebook, however I was wondering whether the language barriers would cause any issues.
Thirdly, have there been any recent events that would be any cause for concern, such as criminal activity, or natural disasters? I recently heard of an attack on French Tourists and their guide.
Fourthly, I will be taking part in a community project in a medical facility so I was wondering what the best way to help them out would be, ie. Funding a building or equipment.

Cheers!

Hello,
Firstly for foods and drinks you souldn't eat just water from the tap hasn't boilled and then the foods sale on the street but you can eat the fruit if you have washed , allmost restaurant will take care ,
Secondly , for the language most be better have some tour guide with you if you like i would to recommand you as freelance guide who can organise your tour but please check your private message for his adress, contact him for more info .
Thirdly sometimes the criminal activity and natural disaster happened but if you have local people with you more be safe( like guide).
Your fourth questions you can ask the local people or go directly to Health departement office.
Have good luck!
Ken

His adress:fihlusko07@hotmail.com
Ken

Thanks,
We already have guides organised for the entire trip, but its sort of a challenge programme and i'm not sure if the guide is allowed to interpret for us.
If I were to go to restaurants, or market stalls are there any foods that shouldn't be eaten?
thanks again.

Hi Seraphique,

Let’s take safety issues first: Madagascar is a very safe country for visitors, and you would spoil your visit immensely if you were constantly worrying about threats from the Malagasy people. It’s simply not necessary to do that. However, there are one or two things that you need to be aware of:

Firstly, it’s unwise to walk around in Antananarivo at night unless you know the area you’re walking in. Taxis are cheap and numerous. By day, walking around is generally unproblematic, but you and your group should take standard common sense precautions, especially in the central areas and markets, against pickpockets and people who slash open bags – keep valuables concealed in belts under your clothes and don’t display large amounts of cash when buying things.

There is quite a lot of criminality emanating from the sapphire-mining centre of Ilakaka on the road to Toliara in the South-West. Some of this is impinging on Isalo National Park, and if you visit Isalo, you should pay close attention to the advice of your park guide. The attack on French tourists that you mention took place close to Toliara and was very unpleasant. The attackers may have come from Ilakaka, but this has not, to my knowledge been proved. The attack would not discourage me from going to Toliara, but it would make me more careful about accepting offers of assistance there from people I didn’t already know.

Elsewhere there have been reports of muggings on some of the beaches north of Tolagnaro (Fort Dauphin), but that’s about it. I’ve travelled extensively in Madagascar with my (high-school age) kids and have no problems with allowing them to go off independently, even in towns at night.

The biggest dangers to your personal safety are not the people, but road traffic accidents (this, though is a general problem in developing countries and is not specific to Madagascar, where it may even be less than elsewhere) and accidents during sea trips. There have been a number of fatalities this year, and the authorities are actually placing restrictions on the carriage of passengers by sea on the north-east coast and between the mainland and Nosy Be as a result.

As far as natural disasters are concerned, the main problem is cyclones, but you’re unlikely to experience these in November and December. The season is from January to March or early April, and they affect mainly the north-eastern and north-western coastal areas, although last season some did move inland and one passed close to Antananarivo. Although cyclones can be and frequently are devastating to local communities, the risk they pose to travellers tends to be exaggerated. The main thing is to keep yourself informed of the situation, and you can do this by accessing the following website from internet cafés: [http://severe.worldweather.wmo.int/tc/swi/index.html ]. This is the monitoring station on La Réunion, and it publicises tropical storms as soon as they form and indicates their probable trajectory. This will enable most people to get out of the path of a cyclone or avoid getting into it.

On eating: There is very little you should specifically avoid. Some guidebooks advise against eating from roadside stands, but I strongly disagree – most of the food there is freshly prepared and delicious, and you’d be depriving yourself if you avoid sampling it. I would not, on the other hand, buy drinks from roadside stands and itinerant vendors unless I could be sure (difficult!) that the water used for making them, for washing the glasses, or for any ice that had been put in them had been boiled. Bottled water (Eau Vive, Olympiko) is safe, as is the rice water (called ranovola or ranompanga, depending on the area) routinely served with meals in small cafés and restaurants, although not everyone can acquire the taste for this.

Eating salads and unpeeled fruit and vegetables can be a problem in Madagascar as in any developing country. I have found, though, that salad served in restaurants, even small roadside ones, does not cause me any problems, and generally, as your system acclimatises, it should be able to handle a lot of the local bugs – but if you have any doubts, keep to the hot food.

On health generally, you and your group should have up-to-date immunisation against tetanus, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B and typhoid fever, and if you are going to be living and working under local conditions in a rural area, then meningitis and rabies are also advisable. Malaria prophylaxis is necessary (doxycycline or Malarone).

On language, if your community project is in a rural area, it could be a disadvantage not having someone who speaks French, simply to be able to communicate with staff and patients, almost all of whom will be unable to speak English. If you’re going to be visiting national parks, the accredited guides (hiring them at the park is compulsory) normally have English, although sometimes it can be rudimentary, and you should try and check before choosing them. Generally, good knowledge of English is not widespread outside (or even within) the capital, but with initiative and patience you should get by.

You can be sure that local school students will be absolutely delighted to see your group and will use every opportunity to try out their English on them. As this is often limited and therefore repetitive, and as the enthusiasm can appear pushy and irritating to foreigners, it might be an idea to prepare your group for this and encourage them to be patient even with people who persistently get on their nerves. This kind of contact can lead to invitations to visit Malagasy homes.

On how to help out your project: the best advice I can give you is to make every effort to find out in advance what they actually need. The worst possible thing is to turn up with stuff that the project either doesn’t need or has already got. Malagasy people never want to offend their guests and will politely accept what you offer – but you will notice the disappointment or even that you have caused offence. Funding is almost certain to be welcome, but you should make sure in advance or in situ that what you want to fund is what the project wants to have. Sadly, it is also necessary to be circumspect about handing over cash, so the mechanism for acquiring the materials and equipment you want to fund is an issue you would need to address.

Good luck with your project! Where is it, by the way? I’d be interested to know.

I'm actually not exactly sure what the community project will be until I get to Madagascar and go over the itnerary with the in-country agent.
I am traveling through an organisation called World Challenge who are based in the UK, basically it's an emotional, physical and mental challange aimed at High School students to boost their leadership skills, confidence, team building and independence.
The whole trip is funded through part-time jobs that every team member has (I myself am a crew trainer at a McDonald's restaurant), and we raise money for our community project, which unfortunately we know little about until we get to Tana. So far I think we have raised approximately $15,000 Australian dollars through fundraisers such as movie nights, bake sales, selling chocolates and merchandise, and a 12-hour Walk-a-thon (my feet still hurt).
My next question is if there is good, cheap internet access across Madagascar, or is it only in major cities, and if so, what are those major cities that are guaranteed to have internet access?

Thanks

Internet access is cheap and widespread in towns of any substantial size across Madagascar, with the exception of the North-East north of Toamasina/Tamatave, which is a blind spot. Connection speed is improving, but can still be slow, especially outside the capital.

On the health issue id like to add to the as always excellent advice of Marogisa: no matter how carefull you are, there are bound to be several people in our group who will get diarrhea. This happens to many travellers due to travel fatique, jetlag, addepting to new things, stress from being confronted by situations where you dont know how things work (culture shock) confrontation with extreme poverty and difference in climat and food. Furthermore the bacteria in Madagascar are different then at home and the high temperature enables them to multiply quickly. All these factors can attribute to upset stomachs.
Instead of reaching for immodium or diacure (which shuts your bowelsystem down) i would reccommend taking probiotics or something that you can by here under the name of Ercefuryl.
I always take multivatimins when im feeling a bit under the weather.
If the diarrhea is persistent and you feel nauseus and feverish, you could start a course of ciprofloxacine antibiotics (i never leave home without them, although i hardly ever need them, but as a tourleader, i sometimes distribute them to people in my groups)
Or flagyl, in case of parasitical infection (symptoms are often cramps, foul smelling egg burps, blood in faeces and foul smelling jelly like diarrhea) .

In cities, you can be confronted with beggars. I try to never give anything to them, but to give to structural causes instead.
Please never give anything but attention to children: you'll encourage them to beg.

I always carry a small purse with some old credit cards and other passes and enough money to keep possible robbers happy , and hide the rest in a belt or somewhere else. But Madagascar is safer than the US; its just that white folk stand out a bit....

Have a great trip and enjoy! and learn some malagasy like:
salamo tupko! (g'day sir/mam

eena vaovao? (whats new?)

tsee meesy (there isn't)

vaylooma (goodbye)

meesaotcha (thanks)

tsee meeschy feesaorana (not at all)

oh and you can eat at the local restaurants 'hotely's' where the taxibrousses stop. Especially if they have a lot of customers, the food will be ok.

Thanks again.
I've been told that in malagasy a lot of the syllables are dropped when they speak, If I get a malagasy phrasebook, will people still understand me if I don't drop the syllables?

First of all, are there any foods or drinks that we should avoid eating?
Well, it depends upon the individual's stomache vulnerability. Most tourists catch at least one time the notoriously known travelers' diarrhea. It is probably due to the climate conditions and to new unknown food being digested for the first time.
I would recommend you to drink only bottled water. You can buy it everywhere though the taste is not the most palatable IMO ( it's a bit bitter).
There are many good restaurants in Madagascar. Personally I have eaten cooked fish, rice, vegetable salads, soups and everything was quite fine. Regarding street stalls, food is very cheap and quite tasty (esp. the sambosas and other fried dumplings) but I wouldn't recommend you vegetable salads mixed with mayonnaise. These dishes stand outside under the sun's heat , exposed to flies and as a result may be contaminated. Just avoid it.
It may occur that meat is served half-cooked. I have rarely eaten Zebu steak in Madagascar not only because I don't like beef so much but because it may contain some kind of a parasite worm.
Resuming, I think there are many good places which may cater for travelers' needs. Many good restaurants with a French flavor inherited by the Colonialism may comply with your needs.

Secondly, myself and my group only speak English, we will most likely be carrying a phrasebook, however I was wondering whether the language barriers would cause any issues
Some upmarket places have English speaking people who cater for tourists. However, most local people speak French. They may speak English but it is probably very poor. Basic French is spoken almost everywhere and by everyone except to really remote villages. Therefore, I would recommend you to learn some basic French. Just basic sentences in order to be communicative at the least level. A few words in French may go a long way to understanding your wishes. Personally, I had taken a self-course in French and learned it by a personal kit. This knowledge helped me a lot though I am far from being considered as a French speaker.

Thirdly, have there been any recent events that would be any cause for concern, such as criminal activity, or natural disasters? I recently heard of an attack on French Tourists and their guide.
Madagascar is a relatively safe country but you must not forget that it is also poor. Crime, prostitution and robbery are derived of the bad economic situation. That means that you shouldn't go out in the streets after darkness. The most infamous is Antananarivo which hosts many unemployed people who sometimes rob casual tourists. It also happened in Diego Suarez . A French tourist was robbed by knife threats at 9 o'clock in the evening.
Money should always be carried in a money belt and I would further suggest that the money belt should be under your pants. Always. Keep a reasonable small amount of money in an accessible place if robbed.
Some places should be visited by an accompanying local guide. That means you shouldn't go alone to deserted beaches or mountain climbs. Always arrange to go with a local, a taxi-driver having police certificate to take tourists and so on. Mount Louis near Fort Dauphin has also known some tourists attacks and also Lokaro Beach. Never go by yourself.
Resuming, I really felt safe in Madagascar. I have never taken risks and nothing happened to me. Very Simple !

Fourthly, I will be taking part in a community project in a medical facility so I was wondering what the best way to help them out would be, ie. Funding a building or equipment.
There are many ways in which you can help Malagasy people. Personally, I went to visit Cente Fihavanana in Antananarivo. This place is run by a group of nuns. It takes care of children who have been abandoned by their parents. Some parents cannot afford taking care of their children. They neglect them and continue to beg on the streets for their living. In the Fihavanana Center I met the head nun, Sister Jeanette who does a wonderful job for the children and their mothers. They always need money and if all of us come and donate a small amount of money , it may ease the problems of these poor people. You can also bring babies' clothes to the centre. They need them very much. There are other institues as well. The Bradt guide gives a lot of details.

On the subject of things to avoid eating, there’s another point that’s probably going to be of relevance to you, especially once you get to your project.

If Malagasy people offer you food, you can cause deep offence by refusing it. You can double the offence you cause if it seems that you’re refusing it because you have doubts about the hygiene either of the food itself or of the place it’s being prepared.

Under these circumstances, it’s definitely a better idea to conquer any doubts you might have and accept the food in the spirit in which it’s offered. Our digestive systems are generally a lot tougher than we often give them credit for, and while the medical warnings in guidebooks and informed websites are undeniably doing a necessary job in making us aware of potential problems, they can also engender a not very helpful feeling that there are dangerous health hazards lying in wait for us round every corner, which is not really the case. If you’re using doxycycline as your anti-malarial prophylactic, by the way, this is also an antibiotic, and it will give you some protection against bacterial infections.

Hi

In ifaty a lot of people get sick, even the ones who dont eat any seefood. Maybe it's the water.

If people offer you food and you have doubts about it, you could always say that you have a stomach problem: 'maraaree keeboo'