What an amazing, but exhausting day! It was raining when I got up, which was a bummer. The first day of rain for a trek, but the trek wasn't supposed to be very big. Our local guide is the same guy we had last night, and he said it was an easy walk for a few minutes, then sit patiently to wait for the lemurs. Easy peasy, right? Not so fast, my friend! We started a nice, easy walk. Had my poncho on to protect my camera (and keep me dry). We stopped and looked at the jewel beetle and some other small bugs that didn't photograph well.
I liked this fungus on the tree.
Then, we headed uphill. Not too steep and not too far before getting a little downhill. I'm keeping up pretty good. Joushia is only having to help me over the really big or slippery spots. After trekking a good portion of the park, we finally found the Indri lemurs, the largest lemur. They don't have tails. Lovely creatures. There was a crowd of people, and every time I found a spot where my camera would focus through the leaves onto the lemur (instead of focusing on the leaves and blurring the lemur), somebody would bump into me or stand right in front to block my shot. Our guide said the lemurs don't tend to come down when the ground is wet and muddy, and he didn't like all the crowd, so he suggested we leave to go find the dancing lemurs and come back for the Indri later. Probably a good idea, as this was the best I could get, and you can barely tell there's an animal at all in there!
Getting up to the dancing lemurs was some seriously steep climbing! I needed Joushia's help a lot! But it was worth it when we found them, and we were the only ones in the area, so we had them all to ourselves! They were awesome! I wish I could have caught all of the movement on camera, but these guys are fast!
After a bit, we headed back to the Indri. Doing that was definitely a good call! When we found them, there was only another couple and their guide there, and we were all pretty respectful of each other. With the rain slowing and so few people, the Indri lemurs came lower in the trees and we got some awesome looks at them. I got some really good shots, but the sun was behind us. I cleaned them up as best as I could, but some spots were so washed out they were unrecoverable. Before we finished up, though, I was thoroughly dehydrated. I had to take a seat on a rotten tree stump for a while. Luckily, it was right in front of one of the Indri and I could sit and shoot as if there wasn't a problem in the world!
When we decided we had enough, Joushia asked if we wanted to just go straight to lunch and then to the lemur island. I had to go back to the room and get a hydration tablet. I just couldn't finish the day as dehydrated as I was. I was getting dizzy and really relied on Joushia to get back to the car! So, I ran into the room and got the tablets and took them to the restaurant with me. I learned to carry the hydration tablets with me every day instead of just the days I was expecting heavy exertion or extreme heat!
The soup of the day was like a ramen in chicken broth with egg strips, carrots, onion, and ginger. It was delicious, and for 12,000 Airy, it was about $4 US. Huge bowl. I got some water to dissolve the hydration tablet and downed it and started feeling better. The soup was just what I needed to go with it.
After lunch we went straight to the lemur island. This is a private park with a mote around it so the lemurs can't get off the island. These animals are very well taken care of and free ranging, though they're captive. They can't grow enough food to feed the animals on the island, so they supplement. The white-ruffed lemurs need some protected areas for mating and raising young, so they provide it since the island doesn't have the type of camouflage Mama needs. Since COVID, they have stopped encouraging the lemurs to interact with people, but the lemurs are not afraid of you at all. One was almost in my head while I was taking pix of another one, and they come right up to you. The new rules, though, are that you may not pet the lemurs.
Okay, these guys aren't lemurs! That's Joushia and Niko waiting for their canoe to cross the small canal circling the lemur island.
White-ruffed lemur
Dancing or Sifaka lemur
Common brown lemur
Bamboo lemur
This is a brown lemur mommy with a baby still clinging to her waist. You can see its adorable little face if you blow up the picture. The guide said they will start venturing off Mama and start exerting their independence and eating other food at about 8 months.
Peek-a-boo with a white-ruffed lemur
Does anybody remember the kids' show Zoboomafoo from the 1990s/2000s? Chrissy used to absolutely ADORE that show! The lemur on that show was a safika lemur. "Leaping lemurs! Leap! Leap!"
We also saw a red-ruffed lemur, but he was so far off that I couldn't get a decent shot with only a 400 mm lens, and the bigger lens is too heavy to carry on hikes. The park is amazing! It's a must-do in Madagascar!
After that, we saw the crocodile reserve. They were pretty cool. Those fresh water crocs are big and some of them got up and went into the water while we were there. Not really a must do, but if you're there...
Rather than going back out for dinner, we decided to eat at the hotel early and get cleaned up, rest, and ready to check out and move tomorrow. So, I've showered now and will brush my hair, start gathering some things, and probably hit the sack early. I'm beat!
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