Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to say hey one more time before I head back to
Beza. I just got back to Tulear from visiting Morondava. The
place I stayed at was awesome. It's called Chez Maggie so if
you google it you can check out what it looks like. I stayed
in a 2-story chalet with a thatched roof that resembled a
large mushroom. It was super nice and less than $30 per night.
Very cool. There was a big storm the first night I was there
and rain leaked through the roof, so that was a little
nerve-racking as I spent most of the night moving my luggage
to dry areas. But things got better. It's very laid-back there
and I was right next to the beach so that was nice though the
beach itself had been pretty wrecked from cyclone damage. The
sunsets were amazing though. The last day I was there I headed
to check out another reserve, Kirindy, which has Verreaux's
sifaka like Beza, but also some really cool nocturnal mammals.
I also saw a huge boa that was chilling halfway across the
road and some cool iguanas.

Then, it was time for baobabs. We passed them on the way
to Kirindy and I knew I was excited to see them in general,
but when I actually saw the first one it was something akin to
a spiritual experience. They are really amazing and then the
"Avenue of Baobabs" is striking due to the sheer number of
them all. I was surprised to see so many baobabs near the
Avenue as well. After Kirindy we had a bit of car trouble,
moving about 2km and then stopping, hand pumping some thing
under the hood, and then moving 2 more km. Luckily the problem
fixed itself and we made it to the Avenue for sunset. Toto
(pronounced Tutu), my driver, suggested that I sit on top of
the Land Cruiser to take photos so the surrounding shrubs
didn't block the view. That was the best suggestion I've heard
since arriving to Madland. So imagine a white 4wd, me perched
on top shooting away, tremendous baobabs towering on all
sides, sunset in the distance, villagers walking by with
baskets full of vegetables or pretty much anything atop their
heads, children running alongside the car, and the driver
trying to pick up speed on the red dirt road in between me
shouting "Stop!...okay, go. wait, stop!....okay, go". Luckily,
we got along really well, and he enjoyed my obsessive photo
taking, which was a really good thing for me. All in all, that
sunset, that one hour or less, was easily my best time in
Madagascar.

I did notice that much of the last update focused on the
hardships we've faced. This was not meant to be pessimistic,
but rather to mention the more interesting experiences, which
just so happen to usually be problems we face. So I did want
to mention that though we have had quite a few challenging
situations, I really do enjoy it here. There is only one
reason I am here and that is to study the ringtailed lemurs.
And I must say that they are way beyond worth it. Some days
are more trying than others, but I've rarely had a "bad day"
that ended badly. Usually the lemurs do something awesome or
adorable or fascinating and everything that was bringing you
down just disappears. When the rains hit, it definitely sucked
having the tents drenched and damaged, but the worst was not
being able to go into the forest with the lemurs. At the end
of the day on the last day of hard rains, one of the lemur
groups came into camp and it really was calming and
rejuvenating to see them. A bit of the stress from the
previous days diminished instantly and I was reminded what
this whole deal was all about. As soon as it was possible to
go back into the forest, we went out. It was just so nice
being back with our groups. So that's the main reason I've
been able to manage the obstacles that have come our way. And
while this break has been nice, I am looking forward to
getting back with the gang.

Well, I will be back to technology either in April or late
May-still not sure yet. I hope that the next few months treat
you well and I look forward to catching up with you all when I
return to the states in June. Take care.
Sue