Madagascar Overland - Paradise for whom? Part one

      

As I ended my travels to Madagascar, reflecting on my anticipation versus the realities I experienced, I was left with mixed emotions. There was so much to see yet so little time, especially when visiting one of the largest islands in the world. Thanks to Ethiopian Airlines' new route, I had an adventurous birthday trip, touring the breathtaking scenery of Mada. Since the tourist infrastructure is not easily accessible or safe, as a solo woman traveler who spoke a little French, I had to hire a rental car to travel within the cities and most parts of Eastern, Western, and Northern Mada.

Some highlights of my travels included hiking through tropical rainforests, discovering endemic plants and animals like various lemurs in their natural habitat; island hopping in all modes of transportation, confirming my love for the Indian Ocean; walking through villages with locals, getting face paint, and being mesmerized by a magnificent waterfall; enjoying the scenery of a volcanic region while dining at a 4-star restaurant in front of a crater lake; rum tasting, cacao, essential oil, and spice production while staying at a cacao plantation resort; and visiting a remote and impoverished fishing village next to a 4-star hotel on a small island, which presented a stark contrast.

One disturbing aspect was witnessing elderly white men exploiting young black women (some teenagers) in Nosy Be. The audacity of the Airbnb owner's father, a French grandfather in his 70s, thinking it was his right to make several passes at me, was particularly disheartening.

I was grateful for the connections I made with travelers from around the world, especially celebrating my birthday with strangers from all walks of life, exchanging gifts, and experiencing camaraderie. My ability to navigate new places, meet new people, and assimilate into the energy of any destination always surprises me. However, Mada is one of the poorest and most challenging countries for solo black women travelers. Many people are not used to seeing solo black women in Africa unless they are accompanied by an elderly white man financing them. This meant I had to be extra vigilant, alert, aware, and sharp when dealing with tour operators, accommodations, and various places I visited.

I celebrated my birthday for a month, touring around Nosy Be with an Algerian, French thrill-seekers, an American traveler, and Malagasy locals who were enamored with Madagascar and had decided to make it their home. I interacted with a Malagasy bajaj/taxi driver who didn't speak English, but my limited French was sufficient for communication. I met couples from Mayotte, Réunion, the US, Angola, and Ethiopia, as well as people from Cameroon and young Malagasy citizens. We discussed world issues, our respective countries, the state of Mada, nature, sustainability, impact-driven initiatives, and politics. I also met a strong plantation owner from Cameroon married to a French man, who brought the joy of Madagascar's amazing cacao to the world. We had rum tasting and dinner in an estate mansion with a swimming pool, went on a spice tour, and island-hopped. Mada is naturally beautiful, and I often felt like I was in a movie, but the energy is heavy, and the people are extremely poor.

Unfortunately, while exploring Mada, I had more than $100 stolen from my bag by drivers, cleaners, and tour guides. I was also scammed out of another $100 or more by hotel owners, restaurant owners, and tour operators. It was disheartening to see no one caring enough to be outraged, handling these incidents with a passive-aggressive approach as if lying and cheating were a part of Mada. At times, I didn't feel safe as a solo African woman traveler, even with Airbnbs, tour guides, airline staff, drivers, cleaning staff, and others. My empathy was taken for granted at every instance, and I didn't feel connected to the people, even as a fellow African. The constant manipulation, lying, cheating, and dishonesty by service providers within the tourism industry left me disheartened and unsafe at times.

TThis was my most adventurous travel, but traveling in Mada left me exhausted at times, even for a seasoned traveler like me. It wasn't because of what Mada had to offer, but due to the lack of genuine social interaction with locals and foreign tour operators. This is the 12th African country I have visited, so I am well aware that Africa is a diverse and emerging continent, not just a single destination. It wasn't just the scams that shocked me in Mada, but also the lifestyle choices of many educated young black Malagasy women married to aged white men to support themselves and their existence as second-class citizens in their own country.

Hiring and chatting with a frustrated young professional Malagasy man from Antananarivo (Tana), who hustled tourists among his four other odd jobs, was another eye-opener. Despite being my guide, he tried to scam me several times, took my kindness for granted, and ended up being verbally abusive, making me feel unsafe. Additionally, the manager of my Airbnb, whom I had taken pity on and tipped generously, ended up stealing from me. I could have put my guard up, made a fuss, or become distrusting as I had the social media tools to make a dent, but I chose to look beyond and see the bigger picture as a conscious traveler.

Choosing to be kind rather than right, I gave myself time to relax, unwind, try to tune in and feel the country's spirit, and read up on its history and colonial past. As an Ethiopian American and a wise black woman, it's always challenging when traveling to countries that are economically and socially still controlled by their colonial past. Maybe I wasn't the disconnected, exotic thrill-seeking tourist that the Mada people had in mind, or maybe Mada wasn't the welcoming African country I was expecting. Or perhaps its colonial past still lingers in a way that I could feel. Thus, it's been a mixed emotion traveling in Mada, but I am grateful and wouldn't change the experience and learning moments for anything.

I will elaborate more in part two of my blog, as well as give tips for women traveling solo that I have picked up over the years, having traveled solo to over 25 countries since I was 12 years old, with just my smile and my intuition.

“Take only pictures, leave only footprints, kill nothing but time” ☆Conscious Traveler

Melkam Guzo (Happy Travels)

By Dutchess @Deldeyoch