Completely relaxed

It was really good to wake up slowly this morning knowing that I had absolutely nothing that had to be done. I started off with a long session in the gym and followed this up with a good breakfast. I decided that I would go and find the Shoprite supermarket just to see what they had on the shelves and to see how much commercialization of Easter was around.

To get to the supermarket I had to walk down to the market where my necklace was stolen. This time there was nothing to worry about being lifted off me without my permission except my little camera but its strap was firmly wrapped around my wrist and held tight in my hand. It was crazy trying to get past all the vendors because they setup their stalls across the entire pavement. There is almost nowhere to walk and the place was so crowded too. It is amazing what is on sale. You can get anything and everything and there is no order to what is sold where. I saw ladies' underwear placed right next to some very ferocious looking flick knives.

After picking my way through the stalls and through all the crowds, I found the Shoprite. It was pretty much like the ones at home - very narrow aisles packed very high. Enough to make me feel claustrophobic! My first search was for Easter fare. There were no hot cross buns only French pastries and the chocolate eggs were way out of my price range. The bunnies and eggs were only from three chocolate producers: Lindt, Kinder and Ferrero Rocher. The cheapest of which was 20000 Ariary (R74 or $9.50). I only had 7000 Ariary in my pocket so these were way over my budget. Thankfully I have some eggs for tomorrow from my parents so I didn't need to buy any.

The rest of the majority of things for sale were pretty much the same as what is available at home with some locally produced goods too. I found some Malagasy chocolate and of course I had to buy some - when in Rome and all that. I also found some NikNaks chips which I was thrilled about. It is so good to have something from home.

I managed to find a less congested way back to my hotel thank goodness. Along the way I came across an old busker playing his equally old violin. There were not so many people around him so I felt is was safe enough to take out my camera and take his photo. Despite the violin's condition it still sounded wonderful.
It is a pity that the cracks in the violin are not visible in this photo!

All that now remains is to pack my suitcase. Tomorrow I travel to Mauritius. I am looking forward to moving on. Finally I will be able to drink the tap water and go for a walk along the beach after work - small things that make these places so much easier to be in. Laptop, palm tree and a cocktail might just become a reality!

Take care everyone!

Location: Lalana Rainandriamampandry, Antananarivo, Madagascar

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