Dave's Madagascar Pae 1-1

Madagascar

Page 1-1

Sunday 1st- Continued
Andasibe – Akan in’ Ny Nofy

So we had to leave Andasibe by about 10:30am to get to the boat transfer by 2pm, and about a 3 hour car ride to get there.

"Later we drive to Manambato, where you will go on a boat transfer to Akanin' ny Nofy, which means "Nest of Dreams"."

Steam coming off the road in the rain.

We stop for lunch- I get the traditional Malagasy meal here (a large plate of rice) with some pork. $1.50.

For the last 40min or so we leave the paved road for this dirt one.

Quite a crowd to see and me and the boat out here.

Hour long boat ride- way out was good weather, scenic and relaxing.

Accommodation: Hotel Palmarium.

There was a VERY well traveled Swedish couple on the boat with me.

The local rum.

My place- room 9.

Went for a swim, in what amounts to a brackish lake I guess, before then sun went down. Some French tourists out there, adn it was like bath water.
Apart from this, nothing to do besides eat dinner and go to bed. : /

Monday 2nd
Akan in’ Ny Nofy

"In the morning we will visit the private Palmarium Park, also known as Akanin' ny Nofy, which is situated on 50 ha on the east coast of Madagascar, along the Ampitabe lake and the Indian Ocean, in the Pangalanes Channel. You will be able to discover the endemic flora and fauna of Madagascar, such as rare palm trees and plants like orchids and mahoganies, as well as reptiles and 10 different species of lemurs living in its trees."

We did also see cinnamon and vanilla- I didn't know Madagascar was the world's primary vanilla supplier- I thought it was Tahiti.

A pair of black & white ruffed lemurs that were in the trees right outside my room.

Sex or violence? I'm not familiar enough with snail anatomy to know exactly what's going on here.

A male hybrid- mix of black lemur and crowned lemur, found only here.

Brown lemurs.

My breakfast companion.

Black lemur.

Black lemur

Reminds me of Christmas.

Female hybrid I think.

Crowned lemur.

The Swedish wife gets peed on (by a lemur).

Orchid

Brown lemur follows us around.

Indri mom and child.

Indri

Our nature walk leads us out onto this beach.

Cool Costa Rica-esque frog.

Insect eating plants.

Odd- these turtles looked to be racing around this inside track- like old people at a mall getting their morning walk in.

For something to do in the afternoon I had a guy take me out on a pirogue to do some snorkeling- well, not much of anything to see, but I tried.

Dinner

Food here was decent- vegetable soup.

Zebu steak and frites.

Tasty dessert.

Tuesday 3rd
Akanin'ny Nofy - Manambato - Tana

"Transfer per boat to Manambato again." It was raining all night and it ended up raining on this ride back. The hotel guy had asked as a favor that I use this smaller boat instead of the big covered one- luckily my stuff didn't get drenched or I really would have been cursing that decision.

"Then drive back to Tana" (about five hours- a long day on the road).