A City Walking Tour

The old part of the city seen from another hill.

Selling charcoal door to door.

The first church built in 1859.

The locked water tap and the line of containers. 

Dressed in their Sunday best.

The market, which is....

too much for some.

Selling anything.

City streets.

Sunday, November 12^th

Part 1

Today was a National Geographic type day. We had a city tour of Fianarantsoa, and a farming village tour of Vatosola where we had lunch in a typical farming family's home. Fianarantsoa is Patrick's hometown so he was able to spend both nights that we were here at his home with his wife and three year old daughter.

In order to put up lots of photos I've posted both trips separately.

Like Antananarivo this city is built on a couple of hills and like Tana there used to be a palace on the top of the highest hill which was reserved for royalty and nobles. The palace was destroyed by the French. The ordinary people lived in the middle areas and the poor and slaves at the bottom. Today there is a public elementary school on the top of the hill, which sadly was locked because it was Sunday. We were driven close to the top and then walked back down. There really was nothing specific to see, just some old buildings and some of the colonial architecture, including the first Catholic church that the queen allowed to be built here in 1859; but it was interesting to watch the local people going about their business. It was Sunday and people were dressed for church while others worked in the markets or walked door to door trying to sell charcoal. I love watching the people and managed to get a few face photos.

We also learned a bit about the lives of the people including the fact that most of them do not have water in their homes and have to buy and carry it from community taps to their house. We saw a tap that was locked and not yet open for business with dozens of yellow containers lined up to be filled. People looked at us, but did not bother us. Most people smiled or waved, especially if we did too. Intrepid discourages giving anything but smiles to the people as it creates an expectation and a culture of begging.

After the tour we loaded up in the van again and set off for part 2.