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Indenpendence Avenue
Photo: Brian
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Antananarivo or Tana, or also City of Thousands, is Madagascar's capital. It's a large city with lots to see and do. There exist many hills and valleys in this city. In general, old houses were built in the hills and the new ones were built in the valleys.
Life in Tana is very wonderful, yet there are many things you should know before going there. First of all, traffic jams. If you have an appointment with someone, you must leave your house one hour before the given time, because there are always traffic jams in Tana, and you'll be late if you don't do like that.
Next, like many big cities in the world, when you go to a market or to a "Mom and Pop" place, don't wear your gold necklace or earrings, and watch your billfold for fear that someone might grab them from you. The most popular place in Tana is Analakely. People enjoy wandering and dawdling along its streets, so you'll always see many people down there, especially on Saturdays.
Tana also has many stone steps that let you climb uphill from its valleys such as the ones from Analakely to Antaninarenina, and the ones from Analakely to Ambondrona. All those steps are linked to some special histories which I don't have a clue about.
Finally, don't forget to buy some Malagasy handicrafts when you leave Tana. It will be a nice rememberance for you.
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