After the past few days of travelling, hiking and wildlife spotting, today was a chance to take things a little easier. The day started with a lengthy breakfast, a bit of reading time, followed by a leisurely walk along the beach, before meeting up with the rest of the group in the afternoon.

Our afternoon excursion began with a ride into town on a pousse-pousse – Madagascar’s version of a rickshaw, a common means of transport in many towns. It was a convenient way of getting around, while also providing a good opportunity to observe the local street life. The destination was Morondava’s market. We started at the fish market, before moving on through the colourful fruit and vegetable section – eventually reaching the meat section and the various other wares on offer.

Some of the impressions were perhaps a little too vivid. The fish market, for example, made me reconsider my decision to go for raw fish (in the form of ceviche) on one of the previous evenings. Dishes based on minced meat also became rather unpopular after we witnessed its production – complete with a generous helping of insect protein. Sometimes ignorance indeed is bliss.

After the market tour, it was back to the beach, just in time for another picture-perfect sunset. And then came the culinary highlight: one of the best meals of the entire trip:  squid in a vanilla-based sauce. Madagascar is famous for its vanilla, but using it in a savoury seafood dish was a particularly pleasant surprise – just the perfect way to round off a relaxed day in Morondava.