Fianarantsoa-Manakara, Madagascar

On board the Malagasy TGV


in maneuvers
Employees of an FCE train station on the old train carriage.
waiting for departure
Passengers mingle in an FCE First Class carriage, even before their late departure from Fianarantsoa.
Malagasy air conditioning
Several passengers follow the carriage windows to cool off and enjoy the tropical landscape of the route.
Marcia & Co
Marcia and friends at the entrance of the carriage exclusive to the Vazahas, non-Magascan tourist passengers from other parts of the world.
rail market
Lineside vendors supply food to passengers on the Fianarantsoa - Côte Est train
Balance transshipment
Worker is in charge of moving heavy sacks from one wagon to another.
Crime and Punishment
Pickpockets captured by the users of a station are still handcuffed and watched by the military who protect the carriage normally occupied by foreigners.
more fruit
Persimmons: a colorful and invigorating suggestion that, at the right time, is repeated along the way.
Of a comfort that arrives
The interior of one of the 1st Class carriages that are luxurious and only have the suggestion of the name.
bananas in the sun
One of the countless sellers who take the opportunity to increase the family's income each time FCE passes through their villages.
Watching Madagascar go by
Employee rides on the FCE locomotive, in a lush area of ​​the route.
more bananas
Young saleswoman balances bananas as she walks through the not-too-long train set.
one more stop
Train stops in a steep part of the route.
The Granary of Madagascar
One of the many rice fields that fill the Merina ethnic zone of Madagascar, like those of other ethnic groups.
chicken outside
Passengers disembark a chicken via the easiest exit on the Malagasy TGV: the window.
night snack
Salespeople share an impromptu supper with what's left of the day's sales.
Rail Detachment
One of the soldiers assigned to the "foreigners' carriage" enjoys the view of rice fields typical of Madagascar's highest lands.
Price List
The amounts to be paid for each route and class between sub-routes of the Fianarantsoa - Manakara line.
night sale
Come nightfall, sellers resort to candles, oil lamps and lanterns. Sales continue.
We depart Fianarantsoa at 7a.m. It wasn't until 3am the following morning that we completed the 170km to Manakara. The natives call this almost secular train Train Great Vibrations. During the long journey, we felt, very strongly, those of the heart of Madagascar.

More as a matter of conscience than any other reason, we got up before six in the morning. We left the Cotsoyannis hotel pointed towards the yellow and red station of Fianarantsoa.

Once we arrive, suspicions are quickly reinforced that we would never leave on time.

More and more vehicles leave travelers intrigued by what awaits them. It's a quarter to seven when Lalah Randrianary, a born and raised guide in town, escorts us to the crowded box office.

We said goodbye to him only until the end of the day. We pass the reviewers and the tourniquet to the first platform of the station, which is, in part, limited by a small urban sugarcane plantation.

The train, made up of green passenger carriages with yellow stripes and semi-rustic freight cars, is already waiting there. The most important thing is missing, the locomotive.

The Dispute of the Old Seats of the Malagasy TGV

Malagasy passengers vie for entry on board as if fleeing a tidal wave.

Once installed, they pass their luggage through the windows and, when the storm is over, they seek harmony in the muffled metallic cobblestone that fell on them, or they indulge in farewells, some more moving than others.

We see the red locomotive in the distance, in unintelligible maneuvers. Since it takes a while to get closer, we go into investigation mode. We traversed the platform from one end to the other with sporadic incursions in the following ones.

A time-worn sign marks the start of 1st class carriages.

In these, no matter how tight they may be, Malagasy people have a seat. Others, of second nature and comfort to match, are so disregarded that they do not deserve a sign that identifies them.

are supposed to tricks (foreigners) like us riding in a supreme, exclusive, immaculate and cosmopolitan carriage. Before joining them, we stuck our noses in one or another 1st Class, which intrigues Malagasy passengers.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, Malagasy TGV, passengers

Passengers mingle in an FCE First Class carriage, even before their late departure from Fianarantsoa.

“Does it come here? Or what the hell do you want from here?" they think to the buttons of their Sunday best robes as they survey us from top to bottom.

A whistle signals the locomotive's approach.

A Malagasy Delay and the Departure Almost in Slow Motion

There is still a long time before, at 8:30 am, an hour and a half late, the train driver of the Train FCE Fianarantsoa – Côte Est makes another definitive hiss sound.

The composition, finally motorized, breaks out in hiccups.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malagasy, composition

Several passengers follow the carriage windows to cool off and enjoy the tropical landscape of the route.

It starts by crawling at about 20 or 30 km/h through the uncharacteristic surroundings of Fianara.

It is favored by a series of level crossings in which dozens of passersby on their way to their jobs and tasks greet the train and passengers with enthusiasm.

Shortly thereafter, it prompts the passengers' first inclination to the left of the carriage, when a sixty-year-old Frenchman, the guide of several others, announces that we were passing by the Sahambavy tea plantation and farm, the only one in the country.

The Merina and the Malgache Lands Overflowing with the Rice Fields that Dominate

The population of Madagascar is divided into eighteen distinct ethnic groups. One of the predominant and influential is our guide Lalah's Merina. The Merina occupied much of the high and central lands of the nation.

However, as improbable as it may seem, it is believed that they arrived on the great African island in huge canoes, between 200 BC and 500 AD, coming from islands of the present day. Indonesia, probably from Sunda.

With them, they brought the habit of planting and consuming rice and, today, Madagascar is the largest rice field in Africa.

Its waterlogged terraces and the peasants who take care of them as they do their lives emerge just outside Fianara.

accompany the old railroad tracks FCE said to have come from Alsace, taken by the French from the Germans with the outcome of the First World War and assembled from 1926 to 1930 by Chinese workers.

The rice paddies paint almost the entire route in a much brighter and more diaphanous green than that of the rainforest.

But not only the rice fields that accompany us.

Also wearing green, although troops, two imposing black soldiers, armed with machine guns, continue to sit on the veranda in front of the carriage doors, with the mission of protecting the precious foreign passengers from whatever happens.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malagasy, military

One of the soldiers assigned to the “foreigners' carriage” enjoys the view of rice fields typical of Madagascar's highest lands.

His first intervention could not have been more disparate. One of the windows of the group of French-speaking elderly is the only one not to open.

The four indignant Gauls who share the bad luck, are tired of trying and resort to the help of the military that they think is a more brutal force. Without success, to the obvious embarrassment of the soldiers from whom everyone, including themselves, expected better performance.

It is through the doors and windows that the inhabitants of towns and villages, as we pass, make up the composition and interact with it. In the case of the Malagasy TGV, you can expect almost anything.

Malagasy Rail Vendors of Everything a Little

In Mahatsinjony, Tolongoina, Manampatrana, Sahasinaka, Ambila and others with equally long but less important names, the train is already slowing down an army of vendors of all ages racing to offer their specialties.

"Mrs., ma'am! Regardeza, des kakis!“ calls for a girl who displays a round tray full of ripe persimmons.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malagasy, persimmons

Persimmons: a colorful and invigorating suggestion that, at the right time, is repeated along the way.

"Missy, missy j'ai des bonnes samoussas!”. “Monsieur, monsieur pouvez-vous me passer les Eau Vive vides?” asks a young man who collects empty water bottles to sell later.

In order to avoid fairs that are too chaotic and detrimental to the comfort of passengers, train officials and the military have long banned vendors from entering carriages, even more so in the carriages. tricks.

Sellers thus stay as long as they can to encourage them to buy under the windows and in their surroundings.

more bananas

Young saleswoman balances bananas as she walks through the not-too-long train set.

Others, usually children and daring young people, climb the access steps to our carriage and stay at the entrance to the centered door, in a restless but kind commercial relationship with each other and with the foreigners they manage to captivate.

Patusca Márcia and her companions opted for other lines of business.

The girl settles down, with her big eyes that, even under a straw hat, radiate sympathy and curiosity as they scan the carriage for opportunities. "stylo madam…Eau Vive.

Missy, des cadeaux...” and insists until he disperses while friends and begging colleagues enter and leave the scene over and over again.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malagasy, Márcia & cia

Marcia and friends at the entrance of the carriage exclusive to the Vazahas, non-Magascan tourist passengers from other parts of the world.

The Load that Overwhelms the Malagasy TGV Composition

The train failed to complete the route on a daily basis, as it used to. It does so now only on Tuesdays and Saturdays. For this reason, the company that operates it seeks to profit as much as possible from the transport of cargo on each trip.

Every time it stops at a new station or stop, the old FCE does it indefinitely, while workers with dry bodies of fat and sweat carry large bags in balance,

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malagasy, porters

Worker is in charge of moving heavy sacks from one wagon to another.

They try to tame long iron rods, they ship crates with everything imaginable and, of course, huge bunches of bananas and domestic animals, immobilized on a sudden.

When we take off again, we and dozens of other outdoor enthusiasts return to the curious game we had played with before. More than contemplating each other and the green scenery, we had fun avoiding the bush.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malagasy, jungle

Employee rides on the FCE locomotive, in a lush area of ​​the route.

On both sides of the line, tropical vegetation grows almost faster than the train. It becomes invasive and aggressive.

It forces us to retreat inside the carriage, as happens at the entrance to the forty-eight tunnels that are repeated like black interludes in that fascinating Malagasy parade of color and life.

Attractions Arising from Both Sides of the Line

One of the employees aboard the train goes through the tourist section and announces that we are about to catch a glimpse of the Mandriampotsy waterfalls. This time, all passengers flock to the right side which comes in handy. On the opposite side, the railway looks over a huge cliff.

Soon, we stop at Andrambovato. A stop that contemplates another series of strange maneuvers of the locomotive and extends beyond any delay.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, Malagasy TGV, locomotive

Employees of an FCE train station on the old train carriage.

We have time to enter the tunnel that followed and examine the colorful clothes drying between two pairs of rails at its entrance.

The Invitation to go up to Engineer Rakoto Germain's Locomotive

We get into a conversation with the machinist who invites us to climb aboard the machine and introduces himself with undisguised pride: “I'll write you my name and address here. Please see if you can send me one of the photos.

I am the machinist-instructor Rakoto Germain and he scribbles everything as if he were perfecting his handwriting, on the back of an invoice we gave him.

Life around this railway line continues to prove prolific.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malaga, Market on Rails

Lineside vendors provide food to passengers on the Fianarantsoa – Côte Est train

Just from the return of the locomotive to the carriage in which we were following, we witness two other remarkable events: near the entrance to the station, a newly married couple are photographed in a bold railway production, illuminated by large spots that, it seems, had become fashionable.

At the same time, ten or eleven men from the crowd hand over a newly captured pickpocket to the soldiers who followed with us.

These, in turn, handcuff him to the railing of the carriage's balcony.

They interrogate him in a way that seems pedagogical to us, taking into account the popular humiliation to which he is subjected until he is disembarked in the next town with a prison, several hours after the crime.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malaga, pickpocket imprisoned

Pickpockets captured by the users of a station are still handcuffed and watched by the military who protect the carriage normally occupied by foreigners.

At some point, it becomes obvious that the driver is following the rails but has completely lost his preoccupation with the schedule.

We enter Mananpatrana, another key town on the route, recognizable by the stilt houses perched on both sides of the line.

It's six in the afternoon, the time we were supposed to arrive at the final destination Final. Night falls shortly and we are still a long way from Manakara, but the return to the march takes even longer than in Andrambovato.

Finally, we started the last journey towards the coast, soon interrupted by a power failure that leaves us in the dark for more than half an hour.

Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, TGV Malaga, 2nd class

The interior of one of the 1st Class carriages that are luxurious and only have the suggestion of the name.

It is not that we had witnessed it, but in the last third of the journey, the railway leaves the primary forest. A sequence of hills filled by the traveler's trees is made.

It passes through the small village of Mahabako and then through the quasi town of Fenomby.

Like us, most passengers have already surrendered to the heat and fatigue and lean their heads against the windows or their partners next door if they have that confidence.

Outside, vendors share impromptu dinners with what's left of the day's sales.

Others remain awake, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes fascinated by the invasion of insects and small reptiles that the light of the carriage and the piercing branches of vegetation invite on board.

A small chameleon in particular lands on us right ahead. When we spot it, we have all the passengers in our carriage awake and leaning over us, determined to admire and photograph the poor creature.

Here and there, the train continues to stop. From our seat, we follow the movements of the vendors and children, now in the diffuse traces of their animated voices and their candles, lanterns and oil lamps.

We have no idea where we were, but around eleven-thirty, we went back to exhaustion.

We even missed the eccentric stretch where the convoy crosses the runway at Manakara airport, on the Malagasy coast opposite that of Morondava and Avenida dos Baobás that we had already explored.

We woke up at three in the morning, already with the FCE fuss entering the terminal station.

An army of Malagasy undead and tricks he rushes to the exit desperate for rest and comfort.

Lalah welcomes us again: “This time they were unlucky. It's normal for the train to take a while, but nine hours late is really bad. Well, there are two very hot soups in the room. Tomorrow at eight, the Panglanes Channel awaits you.

It will be, at least, the whole morning in the canoe!”

Morondava, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar

The Malagasy Way to Dazzle

Out of nowhere, a colony of baobab trees 30 meters high and 800 years old flanks a section of the clayey and ocher road parallel to the Mozambique Channel and the fishing coast of Morondava. The natives consider these colossal trees the mothers of their forest. Travelers venerate them as a kind of initiatory corridor.
Bazaruto, Mozambique

The Inverted Mirage of Mozambique

Just 30km off the East African coast, an unlikely but imposing erg rises out of the translucent sea. Bazaruto it houses landscapes and people who have lived apart for a long time. Whoever lands on this lush, sandy island soon finds himself in a storm of awe.
Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

The Malagasy City of Good Education

Fianarantsoa was founded in 1831 by Ranavalona Iª, a queen of the then predominant Merina ethnic group. Ranavalona Iª was seen by European contemporaries as isolationist, tyrant and cruel. The monarch's reputation aside, when we enter it, its old southern capital remains as the academic, intellectual and religious center of Madagascar.
Siliguri a Darjeeling, India

The Himalayan Toy Train Still Running

Neither the steep slope of some stretches nor the modernity stop it. From Siliguri, in the tropical foothills of the great Asian mountain range, the Darjeeling, with its peaks in sight, the most famous of the Indian Toy Trains has ensured for 117 years, day after day, an arduous dream journey. Traveling through the area, we climb aboard and let ourselves be enchanted.
On Rails

Train Travel: The World Best on Rails

No way to travel is as repetitive and enriching as going on rails. Climb aboard these disparate carriages and trains and enjoy the best scenery in the world on Rails.
Yala NPElla-Candia, Sri Lanka

Journey Through Sri Lanka's Tea Core

We leave the seafront of PN Yala towards Ella. On the way to Nanu Oya, we wind on rails through the jungle, among plantations in the famous Ceylon. Three hours later, again by car, we enter Kandy, the Buddhist capital that the Portuguese never managed to dominate.
Nesbyen to Flam, Norway

Flam Railway: Sublime Norway from the First to the Last Station

By road and aboard the Flam Railway, on one of the steepest railway routes in the world, we reach Flam and the entrance to the Sognefjord, the largest, deepest and most revered of the Scandinavian fjords. From the starting point to the last station, this monumental Norway that we have unveiled is confirmed.
Ushuaia, Argentina

Last Station: End of the World

Until 1947, the Tren del Fin del Mundo made countless trips for the inmates of the Ushuaia prison to cut firewood. Today, passengers are different, but no other train goes further south.
Flam a Balestrand, Norway

Where the Mountains Give In to the Fjords

The final station of the Flam Railway marks the end of the dizzying railway descent from the highlands of Hallingskarvet to the plains of Flam. In this town too small for its fame, we leave the train and sail down the Aurland fjord towards the prodigious Balestrand.
Cairns-Kuranda, Australia

Train to the Middle of the Jungle

Built out of Cairns to save miners isolated in the rainforest from starvation by flooding, the Kuranda Railway eventually became the livelihood of hundreds of alternative Aussies.
Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo's Hypno-Passengers

Japan is served by millions of executives slaughtered with infernal work rates and sparse vacations. Every minute of respite on the way to work or home serves them for their inemuri, napping in public.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Amboseli National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Normatior Hill
safari
Amboseli National Park, Kenya

A Gift from the Kilimanjaro

The first European to venture into these Masai haunts was stunned by what he found. And even today, large herds of elephants and other herbivores roam the pastures irrigated by the snow of Africa's biggest mountain.
Aurora lights up the Pisang Valley, Nepal.
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 3rd- Upper Banana, Nepal

An Unexpected Snowy Aurora

At the first glimmers of light, the sight of the white mantle that had covered the village during the night dazzles us. With one of the toughest walks on the Annapurna Circuit ahead of us, we postponed the match as much as possible. Annoyed, we left Upper Pisang towards Escort when the last snow faded.
holy plain, Bagan, Myanmar
Architecture & Design
Bagan, Myanmar

The Plain of Pagodas, Temples and other Heavenly Redemptions

Burmese religiosity has always been based on a commitment to redemption. In Bagan, wealthy and fearful believers continue to erect pagodas in hopes of winning the benevolence of the gods.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Aventura
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Jumping forward, Pentecost Naghol, Bungee Jumping, Vanuatu
Ceremonies and Festivities
Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Pentecost Naghol: Bungee Jumping for Real Men

In 1995, the people of Pentecostes threatened to sue extreme sports companies for stealing the Naghol ritual. In terms of audacity, the elastic imitation falls far short of the original.
Kolmanskop, Namib Desert, Namibia
Cities
Kolmanskop, Namíbia

Generated by the Diamonds of Namibe, Abandoned to its Sands

It was the discovery of a bountiful diamond field in 1908 that gave rise to the foundation and surreal opulence of Kolmanskop. Less than 50 years later, gemstones have run out. The inhabitants left the village to the desert.
Tsukiji fish market, Tokyo, Japan
Lunch time
Tokyo, Japan

The Fish Market That Lost its Freshness

In a year, each Japanese eats more than their weight in fish and shellfish. Since 1935, a considerable part was processed and sold in the largest fish market in the world. Tsukiji was terminated in October 2018, and replaced by Toyosu's.
Obese resident of Tupola Tapaau, a small island in Western Samoa.
Culture
Tonga, Western Samoa, Polynesia

XXL Pacific

For centuries, the natives of the Polynesian islands subsisted on land and sea. Until the intrusion of colonial powers and the subsequent introduction of fatty pieces of meat, fast food and sugary drinks have spawned a plague of diabetes and obesity. Today, while much of Tonga's national GDP, Western Samoa and neighbors is wasted on these “western poisons”, fishermen barely manage to sell their fish.
4th of July Fireworks-Seward, Alaska, United States
Sport
Seward, Alaska

The Longest 4th of July

The independence of the United States is celebrated, in Seward, Alaska, in a modest way. Even so, the 4th of July and its celebration seem to have no end.
Jeep crosses Damaraland, Namibia
Traveling
Damaraland, Namíbia

Namibia On the Rocks

Hundreds of kilometers north of Swakopmund, many more of Swakopmund's iconic dunes Sossuvlei, Damaraland is home to deserts interspersed with hills of reddish rock, the highest mountain and ancient rock art of the young nation. the settlers South Africans they named this region after the Damara, one of the Namibian ethnic groups. Only these and other inhabitants prove that it remains on Earth.
Cocoa, Chocolate, Sao Tome Principe, Agua Izé farm
Ethnic
São Tomé and Principe

Cocoa Roças, Corallo and the Chocolate Factory

At the beginning of the century. In the XNUMXth century, São Tomé and Príncipe generated more cocoa than any other territory. Thanks to the dedication of some entrepreneurs, production survives and the two islands taste like the best chocolate.
View of Fa Island, Tonga, Last Polynesian Monarchy
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Exotic Signs of Life

Kronstadt Russia Autumn, owner of the Bouquet
History
Kronstadt, Russia

The Autumn of the Russian Island-City of All Crossroads

Founded by Peter the Great, it became the port and naval base protecting Saint Petersburg and northern Greater Russia. In March 1921, it rebelled against the Bolsheviks it had supported during the October Revolution. In this October we're going through, Kronstadt is once again covered by the same exuberant yellow of uncertainty.
Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Mme Moline popinée
Islands
LifouLoyalty Islands

The Greatest of the Loyalties

Lifou is the island in the middle of the three that make up the semi-francophone archipelago off New Caledonia. In time, the Kanak natives will decide if they want their paradise independent of the distant metropolis.
Horses under a snow, Iceland Never Ending Snow Island Fire
Winter White
Husavik a Myvatn, Iceland

Endless Snow on the Island of Fire

When, in mid-May, Iceland already enjoys some sun warmth but the cold and snow persist, the inhabitants give in to an intriguing summer anxiety.
Baie d'Oro, Île des Pins, New Caledonia
Literature
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
Guest, Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Nature
Michaelmas Cay, Australia

Miles from Christmas (Part XNUMX)

In Australia, we live the most uncharacteristic of the 24th of December. We set sail for the Coral Sea and disembark on an idyllic islet that we share with orange-billed terns and other birds.
Girl plays with leaves on the shore of the Great Lake at Catherine Palace
Autumn
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Golden Days Before the Storm

Aside from the political and military events precipitated by Russia, from mid-September onwards, autumn takes over the country. In previous years, when visiting Saint Petersburg, we witnessed how the cultural and northern capital was covered in a resplendent yellow-orange. A dazzling light that hardly matches the political and military gloom that had spread in the meantime.
Natural Parks
unmissable roads

Great Routes, Great Trips

With pompous names or mere road codes, certain roads run through really sublime scenarios. From Road 66 to the Great Ocean Road, they are all unmissable adventures behind the wheel.
St. Paul's Cathedral, Vigan, Asia Hispanica, Philippines
UNESCO World Heritage
Vigan, Philippines

Vigan: the Most Hispanic of Asias

The Spanish settlers left but their mansions are intact and the Kalesas circulate. When Oliver Stone was looking for Mexican sets for "Born on the 4th of July" he found them in this ciudad fernandina
now from above ladder, sorcerer of new zealand, Christchurch, new zealand
Characters
Christchurch, New Zealand

New Zealand's Cursed Wizard

Despite his notoriety in the antipodes, Ian Channell, the New Zealand sorcerer, failed to predict or prevent several earthquakes that struck Christchurch. At the age of 88, after 23 years of contract with the city, he made very controversial statements and ended up fired.
Beaches
Gizo, Solomon Islands

A Saeraghi Young Singers Gala

In Gizo, the damage caused by the tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands is still very visible. On the coast of Saeraghi, children's bathing happiness contrasts with their heritage of desolation.
Mauritius Island, Indian voyage, Chamarel waterfall
Religion
Mauritius

A Mini India in the Southwest of the Indian Ocean

In the XNUMXth century, the French and the British disputed an archipelago east of Madagascar previously discovered by the Portuguese. The British triumphed, re-colonized the islands with sugar cane cutters from the subcontinent, and both conceded previous Francophone language, law and ways. From this mix came the exotic Mauritius.
Serra do Mar train, Paraná, airy view
On Rails
Curitiba a Morretes, Paraná, Brazil

Down Paraná, on Board the Train Serra do Mar

For more than two centuries, only a winding and narrow road connected Curitiba to the coast. Until, in 1885, a French company opened a 110 km railway. We walked along it to Morretes, the final station for passengers today. 40km from the original coastal terminus of Paranaguá.
Tabatô, Guinea Bissau, tabanca Mandingo musicians. Baidi
Society
Tabato, Guinea Bissau

The Tabanca of Mandinga Poets Musicians

In 1870, a community of traveling Mandingo musicians settled next to the current city of Bafatá. From the Tabatô they founded, their culture and, in particular, their prodigious balaphonists, dazzle the world.
herd, foot-and-mouth disease, weak meat, colonia pellegrini, argentina
Daily life
Colónia Pellegrini, Argentina

When the Meat is Weak

The unmistakable flavor of Argentine beef is well known. But this wealth is more vulnerable than you think. The threat of foot-and-mouth disease, in particular, keeps authorities and growers afloat.
Serengeti, Great Savannah Migration, Tanzania, wildebeest on river
Wildlife
Serengeti NP, Tanzania

The Great Migration of the Endless Savanna

In these prairies that the Masai people say syringet (run forever), millions of wildebeests and other herbivores chase the rains. For predators, their arrival and that of the monsoon are the same salvation.
Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii Wrinkles
Scenic Flights
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.