Online in Tana

I'm at the Conservation Intl conference, which just finished its first morning. There were persentations or video greetings from various dignitaries and a speech by the president of Madagascar. He's quite a young, modern, and charismatic figure with a passion for environmental issues.

As expected, the connectivity from the site here is a world away from that in East Asia. The speed on the conference network is tolerable -- slow, but still broadband -- but the satellite delay makes everything feel sluggish. Funny - the french keyboards in use here make it just about impossible for me to touch-type, so now I'm really glad to be back on my laptop, plugged into Conservation's conference network. Surprisingly, the hotel's (free!) wifi service seems faster (less burdened?) than the conference network. I'm not as confident about leaving my laptop unguarded in my room, though, so I'll have to set up and shut down whenever I get online. That'll make this a less fluid online/offline flow than the days up to now.

Antananarivo itself reminds me of Cameroon, perhaps a larger version of Bamenda or Foumban, with mountains and morning fog and a mix of ramshackle and modern in the buildings and vehicles. (There are man-powered rickshaws -- it's the first time I've seen them in Africa.) Cool weather this time of year -- 50F (11C) as the sun rose leaving the airport -- and a pleasant 70s at noon.