Tana

I've slept quite a lot and am feeling much more adjusted. Tana in 10hrs in the future of SD, but getting used to the time difference is remarkably easy when you are tired enough. Meghan arrived, and Denise (LG's student from UVic) is also here in Tana. Its great to have peeps! Last night we shared one of my coveted bottles of duty-free South African wine. It was supposed to be a treat for the field, but meh, When in Rome...

Tana is mostly the same- huge and congested and has terrible pollution, which makes the inside of your nose all black and makes your mouth taste like gasoline. There is a new American Embassy which might actually be the largest building in Madagascar. Its humongous and looks rather silly. I have no idea why a super-sized Embassy is needed, but in case you were wondering, its here. Also, there is a small lake in Tana (Lake Anosy) that you have to drive past quite often. In the center of the lake is the "Black Angel" which is a large angel statue that is painted black. It was a gift to Madagascar from the French and is a war memorial to the French soldiers that died in WWI. Anyhow, the Black Angel is now a Gold Angel! My driver said the the "president" (former DJ, turned coup leader, and self-appointed president) had it painted 'yellow' as a sign of freedom from the french and future prosperity.

We are going to walk up to the Queen's Palace today. It was actually destroyed by arson in 1995 and has yet to be rebuilt, but is neat to see and offers fantastic views of the city. I desperately want to take my camera, but know that it is a bad idea to have anything valuable out-and-about in Tana. Its is Sunday however and even thieves are more relaxed here on Sunday.

Happy Sunday all!