Farewell, Madagascar

Despite having an early afternoon flight, as usual I tried to cram as much in on my final day as possible. After dropping by the office to say a last goodbye to my colleagues, I visited the nearby souvenir shops and grocery store to pick up enough spices and chocolate for family and friends. Once I was convinced I had done my part for the Malagasy economy, we returned to the hotel by way of 2 stops. The head of the Madagascar office, upon learning I was LDS, insisted the driver take me by the chapel near their office. I felt bad for inconveniencing them, but I have to admit it was pretty cool to see and it turned out to also be the mission home so elders were there.

LDS chapel and mission home

in front of the mission home

The final sightseeing stop was the Queen’s palace, atop one of the highest hills in the city. Queen Ranavalona the Terrible built it, and in her day Christian missionaries were martyred by being thrown off the nearby cliff, among other things. Thankfully we were safe, and only safely enjoyed the views from the top.

view from the hill with the Queen's palace--the arrow's pointing at the main LDS chapel

LDS chapel in Tana

Then it was back to the hotel for my bags, and off to the airport for the 17 hours of flights home--Tana to Johannesburg to JFK to DCA. The 9/11 anniversary meant an additional security check in Johannesburg because the plane was bound for the US, but otherwise a fairly uneventful series of flights home with some good movies.