Sahaza's Blog

 Picture this: You’re wandering through Madagascar’s breathtaking landscapes, awestruck by towering baobabs and the chirping chorus of lemurs. Then, as you casually point toward a distant tomb, your guide gasps, wide-eyed, and whispers, “Fady!” Welcome to the world of fady —Madagascar’s traditional taboos and prohibitions. Equal parts cultural compass and sacred code, fady are as diverse as the island itself, weaving through every facet of Malagasy life. For the curious traveler, understanding and respecting these quirks is not just polite—it’s an adventure of its own. What Are Fady ? Derived from ancestral beliefs, fady govern behaviors, actions, and interactions with the natural and spiritual world. These taboos are often tied to local customs, geography, or even family lineage, and their origins are steeped in Madagascar’s rich history. But here’s the twist: not all fady are universal. What’s forbidden in one region might be perfectly acceptable in another. One village may ve...

In the western reaches of Madagascar lies a place so extraordinary it seems plucked straight from the pages of a fantasy novel. The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990, is a landscape carved by time and nature into an obstacle course that challenges the daring while dazzling the curious. This jagged expanse of limestone pinnacles, known as “Tsingy,” is more than just a geological wonder—it’s a living tapestry of biodiversity and resilience. The Name Says It All The Malagasy word Tsingy translates to “where one cannot walk barefoot.” It's an apt name for a terrain defined by sharp, knife-like rock formations rising like a stone forest, with peaks reaching up to 70 meters (230 feet) high. These rugged spires were formed over millions of years as rainwater sculpted the limestone into deep gorges, narrow crevices, and dramatic plateaus. The result is a landscape as forbidding as it is breathtaking—a place where you’re as likely to find a lemur lea...

Madagascar, the island jewel of the Indian Ocean, is a place of unparalleled beauty and intrigue. Known as the “eighth continent” because of its ecological and cultural uniqueness, this tropical paradise is far more than a destination—it’s an experience. From its misty highlands to its vibrant wildlife, Madagascar will not only steal your heart but, quite possibly, leave you breathless as you traverse its hilly landscapes. Nature's Grand Performance: Madagascar’s Unique Biodiversity Picture this: a chameleon slowly shifts hues from green to orange while a troupe of lemurs performs acrobatics in the treetops. These aren’t scenes from a nature documentary; they’re just an average day in Madagascar. With over 90% of its wildlife found nowhere else on Earth, the island is a treasure trove for nature lovers. Take a stroll through Ranomafana National Park, where the misty rainforest is alive with the calls of endangered golden bamboo lemurs. Or venture to Tsingy de Bemaraha, a labyrinth ...

Today, as I watched a group of gekos darting around my windowsill with the audacity of uninvited but endlessly entertaining guests, a thought struck me: Madagascar is where nature decided to take a creative break. It’s as if evolution got a little giddy and said, “Let’s go wild with this one.” This island isn’t just a place where biodiversity thrives—it’s where it thrives on being delightfully eccentric. It’s not just the leaf-tailed geckos blending into bark like shapeshifting ninjas or the lemurs that look like they’ve stumbled out of a Dr. Seuss book. It’s the whole spirit of the island—a living museum of evolution where nothing follows the usual rules. Today, I’m writing to share why Madagascar is a biological wonderland, a place where natural selection seems to have thrown the rulebook into the ocean and said, “Let’s see what happens when we color outside the lines.” A Land That Time Forgot Separated from the supercontinent Gondwana over 88 million years ago, Madagascar has been d...

Picture this: a massive island adrift in the Indian Ocean, brimming with a mix of vibrancy, serenity, and life so unique, it feels as though the Earth’s creative spirit decided to put all its best experiments in one place. Welcome to Madagascar , the island that’s not just a geographical wonder but a pulsating symphony of culture, biodiversity, and history. This is my first article here on TeamGasy , and I couldn’t think of a better way to kick things off than by celebrating the extraordinary island I call home. Through this blog, I hope to share Madagascar’s wonders with you—its beauty, its stories, and its heart. At first glance, Madagascar might seem like a quirky cousin to Africa, dangling just off the southeastern coast. But let me tell you—this “quirky cousin” has a personality so rich, so fiercely its own, it demands a spotlight. An Island Born of Isolation Millions of years ago, Madagascar was a piece of a colossal jigsaw puzzle known as Gondwana. As the continents played a slo...