Tous les chemins mènent à Ambilobe

I am not a landscape photographer. That's simply not what my work is about. This image therefore occupies a rather special place in the Gasy Stories series. It is not really a street photograph, yet not quite a landscape either. Maybe it's a street landscape...

Like many other photographs in the series, I captured this image in Ambilobe, a town for which I have a particular affection. I explain in the blog why its strategic location at the crossroads of several major roads brought me back there several times during my road trip. I neither have the means nor the desire to stay in luxury hotels. But travelling the world on a small motorcycle is exhausting. When it's finally time to get some sleep, a little comfort is always welcome. In Ambilobe, the Kozobe Hotel offers remarkable comfort at a very reasonable price: a true oasis in the middle of Madagascar's Wild West. It was therefore only natural that I stayed there every time I passed through the town.

I had noticed that Room 210, located at the very end of the building, offered a superb view over the RN6 towards Diego-Suarez. There was just one problem: it was almost always occupied! Knowing that I would soon be passing through Ambilobe again, I booked that specific room well in advance—and no other. That's how I ended up taking this photograph, which is a little different from the rest of the series, both in the way it was taken and in its overall style.

It is 6:30 in the morning. The sun is already high in the sky and the RN6 is already full of life. Farmers, traders, livestock breeders and workers are all heading towards Ambilobe to sell their goods or begin their working day. If you take the time to look closely at the image, you will discover countless little scenes unfolding all along the road. To preserve the balance between the vast blue sky and the orange tones of the earth, I chose to present this photograph in the unusual 5:7 format.

Whether you come from Tanambao Marivorahona or Betsiaka, all roads lead to Ambilobe.