The Highlands South of Tana - Madagascar - page 294

MERINATOMBS About15minutesbeyondAmbatolampyaresomefinepaintedMerina
tombs. These are on both sides of the road, but the most accessible are on the right.
ANTSIRABE (PK 169)
Antsirabe lies 1,500m above sea level. It was founded in 1872 by Norwegian missionaries
attracted by the cool climate and the healing properties of the thermal springs. The name
means 'place of much salt'.
For Madagascar, this is an elegant city. A broad avenue links the handsome railway sta-
tion with Hôtel des Thermes, an amazing building in both size and architectural style, but
sadly recently closed down. At the station end is a monolith depicting Madagascar's 18
main ethnic groups.
Antsirabe is the agricultural and industrial centre of Madagascar. It is also the centre for
beer: you can smell the Star Brewery as you enter the town. The cool climate allows it to
produce apples, pears, plums and other temperate fruit. Indeed it can get so cold that you
will need a sweater in the evening if you are travelling between May and September.
GETTING THERE AND AWAY Antsirabe is about three hours from Tana and 5½
hours from Fianarantsoa. Onward travel by taxi-brousse costs 7,000Ar to Ambositra and
15,000ArtoFianar.Headingwestcosts15,000ArasfarasMiandrivazoor35,000Arallthe
way to Morondava.
There is currently no regular passenger service by rail from Tana to Antsirabe, but the
Trans-Lemurie Express and Micheline trains run some weekends and are now available on
this route on a private-hire basis for groups (see Click Here ).
GETTING AROUND This is the pousse-pousse capital of Madagascar. There are hun-
dreds,perhapsthousandsofthem.Thedriversareinsistentthatyouavailyourselfofaride,
and why not? But be very firm about the price and be cautious if they want to take you
to a different hotel from the one you request: at least one disreputable hotel in town pays
pousse-pousse drivers a commission for bringing new customers, so they can be quite per-
sistent.
WHERE TO STAY A special feature of Antsirabe is the private guesthouses.
These offer a friendly and economical alternative to hotels. Particularly recommended is
Résidence Madalief, where all profits go to support orphans and homeless women.