Salama!
Today, we got up earlier than usual (just 1 hour earlier for
us girls) to watch the sunrise on the beach. We made it to the beach at 6:00
am. You’d think that most people would be in their beds at 6:00 am or getting
ready for work. Well, here in Manakara the roads were bustling with people and
the beach was filled with lots of activity. There were quite a few people
running and doing circuits. There were some tourists taking pictures. And
here’s the biggest surprise, there were hoards of children on the beach running
and playing…at 6:00 am.
As the sun crept out of the Indian Ocean, we watched from
the jetty as fishermen paddled their way out into the choppy waves in their
wooden canoes. This reminded me of a scene out of Life of Pi. The fishermen were
bathed in an orange glow from the larger than life sun. Absolutely
spectacular.
I didn’t think we could trump the sunrise this morning…BUT
let me tell you, us girls, we are fabulous chefs, I mean we have to be. We
prepare 3 meals a day from scratch. We headed straight to the market after the
beach and bought plantains, bananas, pineapple, eggs, and bread all for under
$5.00 US. The menu this morning: Scrambled eggs with onions, fried plantains, pineapple and banana salad, and sliced bread. It was a glorious feast; so glorious we just had to take a nap
afterwards.
Speaking of food, a good portion of our day is dedicated to
food. Going to the market is always an adventure between negotiating and
attempting to avoid vazaha (rich people) prices and communicating with our limited,
but growing Malagasy vocabulary. The produce at the market is glorious; it puts
Whole Foods to shame. Everything is so fresh and tastes so good. Right now, we’re
all going crazy over pineapple. It’s about $0.50 US for 1 pineapple! Coconut
and bananas are awesome right now too!
That is all for now!
~Laura
on the jetty
fisherman under the sun
misty morning
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