Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GOODS FOR PRESENTS, SALE OR TRADE
This is a difficult area. In the past tour-
ists have handed out presents to children and created the tiresome little beggars you will
encounter in the popular areas (if you don't now know the French for 'pen' or 'sweets',
you soon will). They have also handed T-shirts to adults with similar consequences. For
more on this subject see
Chapter 6
. There are, however, plenty of occasions when a gift is
appropriate. Giving money in return for services is entirely acceptable so in rural areas it's
best to pay cash and refrain from introducing a new consumer awareness.
In urban areas or with the more sophisticated Malagasy people, presents are a very good
way of showing your appreciation for kindness or extra good service. If you want to con-
tribute something a little more intellectually satisfying, here is a suggestion from Dr Philip
Jones of Money for Madagascar: 'I was asked several times for an English Grammar, so
anysuchbookswouldbevaluedgifts.IfvisitorstakeaFrench-Englishdictionary,whynot
leave it in Madagascar?'
The most deserving of your gifts are the hard-pressed charities who work with the very
poor. So check
www.stuffyourrucksack.com
to see if there are any urgently needed goods
you can take to the organisations they support.
MONEY
It is easy to find places to exchange
foreign cash
(euros or US dollars). The ideal denom-
inationisaround€50/US$50,becausehigh-valuenotesaresometimesnotaccepted(owing
to the large number of counterfeits in circulation) but there is sometimes a worse exchange
rate for low-value notes.
It is more difficult to find somewhere to cash
travellers' cheques
than to exchange for-
eign currency, but it is the safest option. Bring only euro or US dollar travellers' cheques,
as it can be quite a challenge to find a bank that will change sterling ones.
Mostofthelargehotelsnowaccept
creditcards,
butonlyVisaisinwidespreaduse.The
rateofexchange/chargescanbeexorbitant,however.Creditanddebitcardsmaybeusedto
draw cash at most banks. Branches of BFV bank only accept Visa, BOA only MasterCard,
and BNI now takes both. American Express is rarely accepted anywhere. Almost all banks
in Antananarivo and the major towns now have
ATMs
. BNI machines dispense a maxim-
um of 385,000Ar per withdrawal; for BFV the limit is 300,000Ar.
If you need cash in a hurry there are
Western Union
offices at most banks and post
offices across Madagascar. Money can be transferred from home in a few hours, or in
minutes if your nearest and dearest are willing to go to a Western Union office with cash
