Oh the Things I've Seen

The last couple weeks have been full of the most amazing wildlife adventures.  With 80% of the flora and fauna here only found in Madagascar (80%!), I've seen things I'd only been able to lust over while vegging out to the Discovery Channel (which I do more often than one might like to admit).  We've taken a three day boat trip down the Tsiribihina River, gone hiking in the Ranamofana Rainforest and trekked up and down Isalo National Park.  Every part of the trip has been unmercifully beautiful and incredibly unique.

The river trip was our first chance to use those outdoors skills we acquired way back in New Zealand.  Unfortunately that training did not prepare Kelly for deficating in the woods, but I think she adapted nicely in the end.  The "boat" that was to carry four people, our big back packs, two tents, three days of food (including a live chicken), camping stove and accoutrements was the traditional Malagasy perogue.  A perogue in actuality is nothing more than a hollowed out log.  Hollowed out by hand that is.  I had no idea those were even used outside of the Museum of Natural History.  Nevertheless, the vessel was sea worthy and we were game.  Sort of.  I was more than a little nervous for the three days of paddling that lie ahead, but I figured if I didn't talk about it, it wouldn't be so bad.  Nearing departure, I finally addressed my fears with Kelly and she said, "Oh shit, I didn't think we'd be rowing at all!".  Thank god it was her premonition that turned out to be true.  Instead a lone man named Suja paddled mine, Kelly's and our guide, Jose's, asses around in the blistering heat for three days down that river.  I should also mention that at the end of our journey Suja then had to paddle the boat back up river to get back home.  Which is another SEVEN days of paddling.  Alone.  Immediately after learning this information I stopped respecting Ironman athletes.

We saw birds in every shape, color and size.  The Grey Herring is a monstrocity of the version we have back home and looks exactly like a Teradactyl or at least what I assume a Teradactyl looks like based on the CGI version in Jurrasic Park II.  Other crazy creatures included: lemurs, chameleons, lizards, snakes, crocodiles and big fucking spiders.  I tried my best to not be a total pansy over the child-sized arachnids, but the flash backs of being bitten by a Hobo Spider won over and I usually resorted to squeeling like a little girl.  Our guide was always very assuring when we asked if people were ever hurt by the crocodiles.  Only sometimes.  Whew.

So the funny/not funny part about two white girls being on the water for three days in the African sun is that it takes a lot of effort to prevent serious burning.  It is even harder since you cannot buy sunscreen here.  Anywhere.  We looked.  We asked.  We begged.  And we were laughed at.  Of course they don't use sunscreen here, nobody is light enough to even consider burning.  Luckily we were armed with half a bottle of sunscreen leftover from Thailand.  The majority of protection, however, was achieved by swaddling our bodies head to toe in sarongs and bandanas topped with some ridiculous looking hats.  We were mocked constantly by the children who resided in the villages along the river.  Giggling and yelling "Vuzza!" at us, which literally translates to white foreigner.  Guilty as charged.  Vuzza sounds like it should be a sort dish soap or maybe some new slang you might hear in gangster rap  (we're working on the second verse now).  It also sounds alarming close to "Sluzza", the Kiwi's endearing word meaning slut.  Either way; whitey, dish soap or whore, it makes you feel good inside.

We continued our National Geographic escapade down south, hitting the Ramanofana National Rainforest and Isalo National Park.  Ramanofana is teeming with multiple species of lemurs.  In one morning hike we saw Brown Lemurs, Red Belly Lemurs, Golden Bamboo Lemurs, Greater Bamboo Lemurs and Sifaka Lemurs.  And I mean we SAW them.  Like reach-out-and-touch-somebody saw them.  It was mind boggling to see these creatures so close up without the advantage of being in a zoo or having to falsely lure them with peanuts.  Lemurs are only found in Madagascar and pre-date monkeys, so go wrap your mind around that.  Kelly has been itching to see lemurs since a report she did as a gangly nine year-old in elementary school; 20 years later and we have ourselves a dream achiver ladies and gentleman.

Isalo National Park was no dissapointer either.  Vastly different from the rainforest, Isalo looks more like Colorado when we first arrived.  We had a long day of hiking over sandstone hills and into the canyon.  The dry sandstone hills would randomly give way to palm tree lined sandy river beds or a waterfall or a natural fresh water pool (which we, of course, took advantage of everytime).  We then were lucky enough to finally see the infamous Ring-Tailed Lemur.  They were one of my favorites to watch and again so special to see them up close and personal (nevermind that one came awkwardly close to pooping on me).

While Madagascar has been more difficult that usual to adapt to, the trade off is that I get to live out my fantasy as Jack Hannah; seeing and interacting with the most unique wildlife on the planet (yuck, that's almost sappy enough to put on a magnet).  Off for some more exploring.  Next; the elusive and endangered species of SPF.

Yes, those are totally bathing suits