I leave Ambilobe early, mountains rising on both sides and fading into the distance. Shaded stretches of road promise coolness but often hide sudden potholes; I grip the handlebars and push on.

Morning life unfolds: women washing clothes in the river, young men driving zebus from their night pens, children heading to school, barefoot villagers walking to market.

At a bridge smashed by the recent cyclone, the diversion is simple — I cross upstream at a shallow ford. After six months away, it feels good to be back on the bike, wind against my face, though the visor must stay down.

Ambanja lies ahead. I dislike the town, but the surroundings are wonderful. The narrow main street is clogged all day with bicycles, tuk‑tuks, rickshaws, cars, and lorries. Pedestrians spill into the road, squeezed by vendors along the edges. Noise, dust, and fumes fill the air.

Before reaching town I turn toward Ankify, the port for boats to Nosy Be. I hope to see Das, a handyman I’ve fished with, and ride through vast cacao plantations.

On the roadside, families break stones: men tackle the largest, children and elders chip away at the smallest. It saddens me. Many of those children will not attend school. Poverty here is stark — the World Bank estimates 80% of the population lives in extreme poverty.

The road continues through fertile land: cacao, vanilla, ylang‑ylang, pepper, pineapples. I leave a note and some Ariary for Das, then return to Ambanja.

After checking into a small hotel and taking a cold shower, I sit with a beer. Nearby, two elderly Frenchmen talk. Many foreigners here live on modest pensions, drawn by low costs and companionship. The men watch girls pass by, speaking of them as commodities. One explains that with few tourists, prices are low.

Girls in Madagascar often face hard choices. They may not be prostitutes, but poverty pushes them toward older men — to buy food, a dress, or support a child. The younger of two girls invited to join the men looks timid, barely speaking French, like a bird wanting to escape.

I have lived in sub‑Saharan Africa for years. Attitudes toward sex differ from Western norms. Many girls begin relationships at puberty, often have a child by their early twenties, and place family above marriage. These traditions predate missionaries and tourists. Sex is seen less as taboo, more as a part of life.

The ride continues.