Podcast
Madagascar Travel Podcast with Hery Rakoto
Episodes
The Spice Warehouse and the Sail EastHery explores Toamasina's spice warehouses and export trade, checks on the recovering Bazar Kely market, and prepares for his cargo-passenger boat to Sainte-Marie. Along the way, h…
- Ivoloina's Lemurs and the Forest Lesson
Hery takes a break from the port to visit Parc Zoologique Ivoloina, meeting lemurs and chameleons, and reflecting on the cost of a day out in Toamasina. He also checks on the city'…
- Canal-Side Life and the Balconies of Tamatave
Hery spends day four in Toamasina exploring the Canal des Pangalanes by pirogue, visiting the ruined Bazar Kely market, and enjoying a seafood dinner at Bounty Ocean Bistro. He ref…
- Pangalanes Pirogue and the Carpet of Cloves
Day three in Toamasina: Hery takes a morning pirogue ride down the Canal des Pangalanes, visits the spice warehouses near the port, and reflects on the cost of a coastal life as he…
- Tamatave's Working Wharf and a Market's Ashes
Day two in Toamasina: Hery walks the working port at dawn, watches vanilla and clove exports being loaded, and visits the site of the Bazar Kely fire. He eats a Creole lunch at Dar…
- Port Life and Pangalanes
Hery arrives in Toamasina after the long drive from Ambatondrazaka, walks the working harbour and the Canal des Pangalanes, tries the local seafood at Bounty Ocean Bistro, and chec…
- Rice Bowl Farewell and the Road to Andasibe
On his last full day in Ambatondrazaka, Hery walks the market, shares a final meal at Chez Tantine, checks the cost of living, and prepares for the ride east to Andasibe and the in…
- The Rice Granary's Final Morning and the Road East
On his last full day in Ambatondrazaka, Hery walks the lake shore at dawn, checks the bandro conservation efforts one more time, shares a final meal at Chez Tantine, and girds hims…
- The Rice Bowl's Last Light and a Goose Dinner
Day six in Ambatondrazaka. Hery walks the lake shore at dusk, checks the cost of a long-term stay, and shares a final meal of smoked eel and lake fish at a local hotely as the rice…
- The Pied Paddy and the Paper Trail
Day five in Ambatondrazaka. Hery walks the rice paddies at the edge of town, follows an egret through flooded fields, and then wrestles with the practical paperwork of long-term tr…
- Rice, Reeds, and Recovery in Ambatondrazaka
Hery explores the rice-bowl town of Ambatondrazaka on day four, visiting the market, the old railway, and the lakeshore, while reflecting on the region's recovery from Cyclone Geza…
- The Rice Bowl, the Bandro, and the Long Road East
Day three in Ambatondrazaka: Hery walks the lakeshore, visits the old freight railway, and checks the price of a life in the rice bowl, before planning the road east toward Andasib…
- Lake Alaotra: The Rice Bowl and the Bandro
On day two in Ambatondrazaka, I explore the Marché Municipal, eat tilapia at Chez Tantine, and take a pirogue at dawn to find the bandro, the only lemur that lives in marsh reeds.…
- Rice Bowl Arrival and the Bandro Dawn
Hery makes the long drive north from Moramanga into the Alaotra basin, settles into Ambatondrazaka on Assumption Day, and plans a dawn pirogue trip to find the bandro, the only lem…
- The Cliff, the Rain, and the Last Night in Antondabe
On his final evening in Antondabe, Hery takes one last walk up the cliff, reflects on the celestite trade and the T18 road, and hears the forest's night chorus before heading east.…
- Last Day in Antondabe: Cliff Views and Rain
Hery spends his final full day in Antondabe, revisiting the cliff, checking in with guide Tovo about the trek, and preparing for the road east. He reflects on the town's economy, t…
- The Cliff Economy and Celestite Dreams
On day five in Antondabe, Hery joins guide Tovo for a morning climb up the town's defining cliff, learns how the celestite trade actually works from a local miner, and turns it int…
- Tsingy, Valiha, and the Road to Vangaindrano
Hery spends his fourth day in Antondabe preparing for a trek into Midongy du Sud, learning about local celestite mining, and planning his journey to the coast. He talks money, mobi…
- Celestite Crystals and the Cliff Community
Hery spends his third day in Antondabe learning about the local celestite trade, visiting the community guide cooperative, and understanding how the remote town survives between th…
- The Cliff Town and Its Lemurs
Hery spends a full day in Antondabe, from a dawn walk with local guides to a night trek in Midongy du Sud. He hears the indri's call, learns about the celestite trade, and gets pra…
