A Night in Itampolo

Wednesday, October 18, 2000

8pm. I just went those 20m down to the sea to take a look at the stars. Having lived in places with electric light everywhere all my life, I’m used to seeing only the five brightest stars in the sky (given that there are no clouds which, in Vancouver, is never the case). I am amazed by how much you can actually see when there is no city or anything close by - and in Madagascar, the cities themselves are not lit anyway. Absolutely amazing! It’s much more inspiring and beautful than what I can describe here so you try to imagine what it’s like to lie down in the fine sand, close to the waves, watching the milky way and those millions of bright stars…

4am. It is now some time in the middle of the night and I just went outside for one of those basic human needs. The moon is now up in the sky and I don’t need a flashlight to find my way to the beach. The stars around the moon seem even brighter now and as I walk along the calm waves of the sea, I’m saying to myself: “What a beautiful country this is!”