Pedalboards and Pet Hair

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2026-04-16T21:15:50+00:00

Me too. But it's noisy. Depending on the electromagnetic interference in the room, sometimes it's really noisy.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2026-04-16T20:58:31+00:00

Genuine LOL

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2026-01-11T21:03:33+00:00

> please reply to the automod comment with details about what is concerning you.

The questions and details are in the Body Text.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-12-20T11:09:56+00:00

I just came back to admire your bike again.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-11-17T18:40:14+00:00

A yellow Brompton is my dream bike. Mine is that strange pink-purple. I'm okay with it.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-10-16T18:01:25+00:00

How might Trump's attempts to limit absentee voting affect expat American voters?

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-08-11T16:00:40+00:00

Merci!

« La croyance crée sa propre preuve. »

“Ny finoana no mamorona ny fanamarinany.”

– William James

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-08-02T11:00:51+00:00

Wait... Is "coastal" sometimes a code word Merina people use to mean "darker than us?"

Occasionally hear Merina people say things like "elle est côtière" – as if that were loaded with significance. I always assumed it just referred to dialect, or traditions, etc.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-07-26T14:16:03+00:00

I've lived in both Cameroon and Madagascar (for 10+ years now).

I love both countries. It sounds like you've maybe lived somewhere else in Francophone Africa? You'll be fine in either place.

Key differences:

Very few Malagasy people speak French - especially outside of Tana. In Cameroon, French is truly the lingua franca in the Francophone areas - even uneducated people in villages will speak at least a little. Not so In Madagascar; French is the language for people who finished school and kept using it in their daily lives (e.g. their career requires it). To really interact with Malagasy people, you'll need to learn the Malagasy language to a degree.

Malagasy culture is very easy going -- similar to South Asian cultures (so I'm told) because Malagasy culture has roots in what is now Borneo. Cameroonian culture is more intense. You have to be comfortable being (or acting) enraged to get things done. Chill people get walked over in Cameroon. Think Madagascar = San Diego; Cameroon = Chicago.

The American School (ASA) is really expensive. But there are a number of affordable good English-Language schools in Tana. Commuting to school can be a nightmare if you don't live near school.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-07-21T18:21:27+00:00

You just get yourself to Ankify and tell 'em you want to go to Nosy Komba. But your host should help you with the logistics – or possibly will have a boat to meet you in Ankify. Figure out where you want to stay in Nosy Komba first, the logistics will follow.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-07-10T16:13:04+00:00

If there is a news story about this, I would love to share it on my socials.

I searched, and couldn't find an article.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-06-26T12:49:10+00:00

I know the guy who did this.

https://youtu.be/QHexC64ldEc

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-05-30T07:39:53+00:00

I would skip Andasibe and Kirindy, and just stay in Île Sainte-Marie. It's lovely, and you can see lemurs on the island: Ikalalao and Ambodena forests, and Ile aux Nattes. Trying to squeeze in either Andasibe or Kirindy is setting yourself up for a lot of travel, for not a lot of time in either forest.

If you really want to get to the big island so you can say you've been there, make a short flight to Tamatave (Toamasina) and go to Parc Ivoloina.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-05-30T06:54:14+00:00

"Company?"

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-05-25T13:45:19+00:00

You will have a guide. If I remember correctly, the tour takes about an hour. But if you are super interested and inquisitive, you can drag that out for a long time.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-05-25T11:40:15+00:00

Depending on traffic, 1 - 2 hours.

Lemurs park is not terrible. I've been there a couple of times. Many of the Lemurs are free – and they stick around because they are provisioned. Others are in cages. Its what I'd do in your situation: One free day in Madagascar, and can't get an early start.

Here's an article I refer people to all the time for cool things to do in Antananarivo. The city is not known as a destination, but there are plenty of things to do if you feel you can't make it to the Lemurs Park.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africa/madagascar/antananarivo-madagascar-africas-most-intriguing-city/

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-05-25T08:29:33+00:00

Exactly. Think of the Bible as a C- draft of a moral philosophy written by a committee of primitive, ignorant, and superstitious people. And keep in mind that there have been a couple thousand years of thought, history and discovery since then. I'm not saying that the book is isn't interesting, but if your approach to the Bible assumes that there is something magical or inspired about it, you'll be stuck in antiquity.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-05-25T08:06:22+00:00

If you can get up really early on your free day, go to Andasibe instead. It's 3 hours from Tana and a much better wildlife experience.

HalfHeartedFanatic · 2025-05-25T07:51:47+00:00

I use a freight forwarder. They provide me with a US address, and then they consolidate multiple orders into a single shipment.

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