Photo - Madagascar

Photo Samples, Madagascar

90 mio. years ago, Madagascar split away from the rest of Gondwanaland, and ever since, things have been different here from the rest of the world. The vegetation, the wildlife, the people. Everyting. For the photographer, Madagascar is a dream. The cities and towns are as ramshackle as anywhere, and despite a seemingly uncontrollable population growth, the lemurs are still great to watch. Sadly, only in the reserves, so Madagascar is a destination to be visited now rather than later.

As always, all photos (and much more) are © Claus Qvist Jessen.

Keyboard playing begger - enjoy the car battery; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Street kids playing; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Street beggar; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Every day, lots of goods are transported by carts from A to B in downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Local shop; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Having a haircut; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Most of downtown Antananarivo seems to be one big street-market where people are selling anything from oranges to hand-made stamps; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

.... and home-made sausages; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Beautiful cars made of scrap metal; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Indian-style samosas for sale; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Hand-driven carrousel; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

A Malagasy bus is never full! Bus station, downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Baguettes for sale; bus station, downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Even sausages are for sale at the bus station, downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Ice cream parlour; bus station, downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Rastaman luggage handler; bus station, downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Classic squat toilet; downtown Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Loading the cart; western Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Making mud bricks; western Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Black-white ruffed lemur (vari); Lemurs Park west of Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. The Lemurs Park is like a zoo, however, all the animals are roaming around freely with no cages at all. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Lazy Corckrell's sifaka; Lemurs Park west of Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Highland landscape south of Antananarivo; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Local shop in between Antananarivo and Toamasina, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Thumbs up from a fruit vendor; between Antananarivo and Toamasina, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Loading the taxi-brousse. A sofa trio is put on top of a normal van - very typically Malagasy; Toamasina, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

In many Malagasy towns, the rickshaw is the main way of transportation; Toamasina, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

And so are push-carts; Toamasina, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Very local gas station; Toamasina, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Female crowned lemur, caught on a babmoo ladder, Ivoloina Reserve; Eastern Madagascar. The males are light brown. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Red-bellied lemurs; Ivoloina Reserve, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Floating the bamboo; Ivoloina Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

As elsewhere in Madagascar, everything is transported by push-wagons; Ivoloina Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Local shop; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Madagascar black parrot on a broomstick; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Pushing the pig is a national sport in Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. Or, it's just objecting to getting dragged to the slaughterhouse. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Biking the bridge; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Hungry kid - scared by the big white guy; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Shy girl; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Girl playing kitchen and cutting the vegetables with a lid from a tuna can; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Woman with her pet "dog"; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Sssssshhh! Trying to keep quiet; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Obviously, it gets a bit cold in the highlands; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

"Messi? Give me a break!"; Andisibe Village, Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Brown lemur; Parque National d'Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The rare diadem sifaka, one of the largest and most beautiful lemurs - unfortunately spending most of its time 20 meters above the ground; Parque National d'Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Nocturnal flock of wooly lemurs - unfortunately high above in the trees; Parque National d'Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. The day-active lemurs generally eat fruits and vegetables whereas the nocturnal ones are mainly insect eaters. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Bufos frog; Parque National d'Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. The frog is no more than 2-3 cm big but didn't move when I got close with the macro - at night. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Parsons chameleon; Parque National d'Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Small, just 10 cm long chameleon (full-grown); Parque National d'Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Cheeky bird; Parque National d'Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The rare indri, the largest of all living lemurs and the only one with no tail. In addition, it's the most noisy lemur species, with it's high-pitched wailing. Mitsinjo Parc; Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

A rare shot of a young indri close to the ground; Mitsinjo Parc; Andisibe; Eastern Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Pousse-pousse = rickshaw without a bike; Antsirabé; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Honey and lemons for sale at the road-side; north of Fianarantsoa; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Loading the taxi-brousse; Fianarantsoa Bus Station; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The local shoe shop; Fianarantsoa Bus Station; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Street kids; Fianarantsoa Bus Station; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Carrying the ducks to the market; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Ox cart - the most common type of local transport in the highlands; Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Playful girl on the way to the river with the laundry; Central-Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Loading the water onto the cart; Central-Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Cattle herder; Central-Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Colourful village woman; Central-Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Rice fields, banana plants and a few distant baobabs; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The pousse-pousse school bus; Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Landing the fish; Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Traditional outrigger fishing boats; Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Yje local Michelin centre; Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Cooking samosas; Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Unloading a freight boat; Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Tending the nets; Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The famous Baobab Avenue close to Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

More Baobabs; Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Twisted by nature, "Les Baobabs Amoreux" are one of the strangest attractions around Morondava; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

1½ meter long boa - not a python like the rest of Africa; Andriamena Reserve; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Doing the hair; Andriamena Village; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Big smile; Andriamena Village; Western Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The main street; Ambalavao; South Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The water wagon; Ambalavao; South Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Football the African way - bare-foot and with a ball made of rubber bands and plastic bags; Ambalavao; South Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Madagascar must hold the world record for the number of silly police stops. Especially at the outskirts of Tana, cars are stopped for every five minutes and checked. Stupid - here the police check post outside Ambalavao; South Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Farmer on the way to work; Ambalavao, South Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Ring-tailed lemur ("catta maki") on the edge of a cliff; Anja Reserve, South Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

"Hello!" Playful and sympathetic as always; Anja Reserve, South Central Madagascar. These lemurs are the favourite among zoos all over the world - for good reason. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Ring-tailed lemur keeping a watchful eye on the world; Anja Reserve, South Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen

More ring-tails; Anja Reserve, South Central Madagascar. © Claus Qvist Jessen