There are two versions to every city: The daytime version and the nighttime version. Sometimes a city may seem 50 shades of creepy in broad daylight, then suddenly develop an extreme vibrance and fresh nighttime fun once the sun goes down… Or maybe that’s just the mystic effects of alcohol…

Ambatoloaka is a creepy place. As one of the Madagascar’s ‘sex tourism capitals’ it is crowded with creepy old men and young Malagasy women on their arms… As the night goes on you can only expect the crowds increase and the creepiness levels to rise but we were determined to ignore the age gaps between the couples surrounding us and have a night out in Ambatoloaka.

My friends gin and tonic were a good distraction…

We started our night with a perfect Italian dinner at Chez Teresa where our senses were momentarily transported to Tuscany. We ate, we drank and we suddenly became oblivious to the demographics.

Before I knew it we were at Le Taxi Be, one of the popular local bars where no one is having as much fun as the band… They were awesome (and definitely under the influence of more than my good friends gin and tonic). We must have spent hours there… Originally I refused to embarrass myself by doing this thing I sometimes refer to as ‘dancing’ (AKA awkwardly moving around with no idea what I am doing) but soon enough I decided I should practice my audition piece for ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’. Before I knew it Joost had made the mistake of leaving me alone while he went to powder his chin in the powder room…

I don’t know how it happened and I don’t know why it happened but suddenly I was on stage shacking my behind with the singers. (AKA Malagasy ‘dancing’).

I blame the fact that I was the only young foreign girl in the room and my friends (gin and tonic) had made me an easy target…

I eventually found myself safely off stage witnessing Joost shaking his behind Malagasy-style. I would do anything to go back in time with a video camera…

As the night went on we decided to be responsible irresponsible adults and scooter home. But as we walked towards our ride we caught the scent of fun at the ‘Beach Bar’.

We had visited the popular touristy ‘Beach Bar’ by sunset and experienced the bad pizza and cringeworthy cocktails so I was shocked to find that by night the bar was the coolest place in town for the young and fun Malagasy’s.

We danced some more, we shook our behinds and I somehow lost my bra…

It was a good night. But a good night is generally succeeded by a sore head.but a sore head can be cured by a breakfast in bed from a beautiful boy…

Le Taxi Be

Beach Bar

B.P. 252 | Ambatoloaka, Nosy Be 207, Madagascar