Madagascar Shopping Tips by ATLC

Butcher: You don't want to buy your meat here!

Meat is kept and sold simply in the open air. Given the temperatures, around 30 degrees Celsius, I would not advice westerners to buy!

What to buy: Eh, nothing!

Theme: Food and Drink

Butcher: And no meat from here either

A veritable health hazard for the European.
Nothing is cooled, the temperature is nearly 30 degr. Celsius.

Theme: Food and Drink

More local stalls and market

Not only in Antananarivo but also deep south in Toliara (Tuléar)

Theme: Other

Buy water

Buying bottled water is OK as long as the cap is sealed.

Theme: Food and Drink

Don't buy, but be fascinated: Local stalls

Along the roads you'll see thousands of these stalls where the locals buy their groceries.
Better not try it yourself (maybe the fruit is ok) or you'll be sick. But it is fascinating nonetheless.

Theme: Food and Drink

rum, rum & rum: Punch

Rum with fruit, rum with coconut milk... delicious!

Theme: Food and Drink

Tin cars

Lots of toys, especially cars, made of tins and cans. All sorts of Deux Chevaux, other Citroën cars, Peugeout, Renault and taxi brousse in all sizes and colours.

Theme: Toys and Games

Vanilla

Madagascar grows the best vanilla in the world. The hugely fragrant pods smell right through the packet!
I paid 25.000 MGF (about 4 Euro) per packet of 5 pods. But then you'll have the freshest, biggest, most succulent, most fragrant vanilla pods ever.

Theme: Food and Drink

(Semi) precious stones

This was a gift from our hosts in Madagascar. There is an amazing variety of (semi)precious gemstones here inclulding a rare dark blue aquamarine, but also all sorts of quartz, garnets, moonstone, amazonite etc. The largest crystal ever found came from Madagascar and weighed more than 380 tons.

You'll find 100s of varieties of these ashtrays and eggs in all sizes, colours and perfection.

Theme: Jewelry

Antamoiro notebook

Theme: Stationery