Traveling with Mom

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My mom came to visit me in Madagascar the last week in September. This was quite the feat for her since she has never really been this far from home. She spent a couple of Christmas seasons wrapping presents for other people to save up for it! I planned a packed itinerary for us. There is so much to see and do here to try to fit into her 10 day stay. Since I still have not been able to make it into the field for more updates on research (I write this 20 October), here are some highlights and pictures from my mom’s visit. Our itinerary: 1 night in Tana, 1 night in Andasibe, 1 night in Ambositra, 2 nights in Ranomafana, 1 night in Tana, 1 night near Fort Dauphin, 2 nights at Berenty, 2 nights in Tana. Whew. Whirlwind tour. Our first stop was Andasibe to see the Indri and visit my favorite place, Lemur Island, at the fancy Vakona Forest Lodge. We actually stayed at the Vakona because the more reasonably-priced place was booked. Mom really liked it there and thought all of our hotels would be as nice as Vakona…I had to break it to her gently that indeed that probably was not the case! We went to the Mitsinjo Association reserve, a locally-run alternative to the ANGAP-run reserve in Andasibe. You see Indri and fewer people. Plus, more of the profits go towards the community. Bottlebrush just like Grandma’s front yard (in California) at the Vakona Forest Lodge, Andasibe.

We also hung out at Lemur Island. I have more photos of lemurs on my head and shoulders. Mom enjoyed having the lemurs jump on her shoulders, too.

Mitsinjo Association, Andasibe Mom has two new little friends.

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From Andasibe we drove to Ambositra in one day. Our driver kept telling this to the other drivers one sees on the tourist circuit and they were all shocked. It was about 9 hours on the road. We went to Ambositra because there are a number of wood-working shops there. And mom likes to make things out of wood. We stayed at Motel Violette. You can’t miss it when entering Ambositra. They provide a “Welcome to Ambositra” and “Bonne Route” signs on the road.

Motel Violette wishes you happy travels.

A woodworker in Ambositra.

From Ambositra we went to Ranomafana National Park. I found Roland still working as a guide there. He was the guide I worked with everyday for 5 months about 5 years ago. Roland and I would go into a forest fragment and follow two Propithecus diadema edwardsi all day. Roland would nap in the forest when the props napped, but I had to stay awake to write down every 5 minutes the fact that they were sleeping. Roland guided us on two walks in Ranomafana. We saw all three bamboo lemur species, Eulemur rubiventer and Eulemur rufus, but we did not see the props. I also got some good snaps of two giraffe-necked beetles mating. And then there was the nocturnal “hike.” Man, that was strange. All the tourists are taken to one location in the park where there is a picnic table in a little clearing. You are told to wait, the mongoose and mouse lemur will join us soon. Then, suddenly from the bushes appears the mongoose and he is blinded by camera flashes. He tamely nibbles on crumbs left at the picnic table earlier in the day. My mom joked that there was someone in the bushes who coerced the mongoose out of his cage and into the picnic clearing. There was one guide there who surreptitiously rubbed banana on this very convenient (for photos) branch. I was not supposed to see him rub the banana on the branch. Then, suddenly, this cute mouse lemur comes out and poses on this lovely, bare branch for the cameras. The poor guy was also blinded by flashes, but much less so because people were still trying to get pictures of the mongoose. I was guilty of using this red-eye reduction flash on the mouse lemur. I tried to turn it off, but my camera insisted on using it. Mouse lemur did not like this and it caused him to retreat back into the bushes. Mom reprimanded me, “Take a picture with your eyes.” After the tourists were satisfied ooh-ing and aww-ing the nocturnal creatures, everyone was led back out of the park along the same trail. Some people didn’t think to bring flashlights. I made Roland walk back slowly because I wanted to look for the wooly lemur, Avahi lanigier. Alas, we were the last ones out of the park and did not see Avahi but we gave Roland a nice tip

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for being a good sport. My mom told him he couldn’t use it to buy toko gasy. Roland quite likes his toko gasy…

The dazed mouse lemur on the viewing branch retreats from the camera flash.

The nocturnal “hike.”

The world’s most photographed mongoose sniffs around for morsels left by messy tourists.

Giraffe-necked beetles, I did not respect their privacy.

Traveling with Mom

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Mom and I also went to the Ranomafana pool. Ranomafana means “hot water” and the town is named such because of its hot springs. Mom found this place humorous. We went the day before the pool was to be cleaned, and it needed it. However, both mom and I got in the water and enjoyed the dip.

You must take a shower before dipping in Ranomafana.

The obligatory shower.

Ranomafana, the pool, looks clean from this view.

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We stayed at Cent’rest (I think I spelled this wrong). It was nice, but not as nice as Vakona Forest Lodge. Anyhow, there was a hotel-kitty, and I always enjoy the hotels that have resident cats. Mom tried to get a picture of him but her slowness coupled with the delay of her camera produced only pictures of the back end of him. Mom thought the place setting was funny, too, so I provide the picture for your opinion:

I try to get kitty to come back for a picture.

Mom was convinced the stale bread she refused to eat at every meal kept following her.

From Ranomafana we drove back to Tana for a night. It wasn’t much because we had to leave at 6 am for the airport the next morning. We flew to Ft. Dauphin via Morondava and Tulear. Mom’s potty-humor led her to photograph the toilet at the Morondava airport. True, it is a style of toilet that takes some getting used to. But, yuck, a photo mom? I had promised mom a night on the beach, but the Ft. Dauphin hotel associated with Berenty was booked. We were put in this isolated hotel on a lake, but from the lake you could see the ocean off in the distance. It wasn’t quite what we expected. There literally was one other couple at this place and two employees, no one at reception, and all advertised activities (water skiing, kayaking, etc.) permanently closed.

Mom on the “beach.”

Mom reversed the stare-ing game and watched some fishermen pull in a net on the lake.

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From the “beach” we went to Berenty. It was a nice drive along the old road. We stopped to look at tomb stones, a market to buy fruit, the three-pointed palm, a small market selling wood products, and Andohahela Park headquarters to buy biscuits and use their facilities. Finally we arrived in Berenty and indeed lemurs were jumping around in the parking lot! We went on many hikes and I took way to many photos of the lemurs. Luckily mom was along to photograph other things besides the lemurs. In fact, most of the Antanosy tomb stones along the pictures in this update are thanks to mom. I was overjoyed road to Berenty. at Berenty because I got to meet one of my heroes, Dr. Alison Jolly. We were allowed to sit at the researcher’s table for meals, and I had fun chatting with everyone about lemurs and such.

Famous endemic triangle palm.

A market on the way to Berenty. We drank coconut water.

They had babies this time of year. Wiley little maki. One of these guys stole bread from us while we were having breakfast.

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Collage of sifaks running across the dirt road and then sunning in Berenty.

Lepilemur at Berenty.

Sifaka sniffing feet.

Mom helps at the sisal factory

Mom gets help descending the hill

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When I head that Jean Aimé de Bemaharivo was playing near Berenty the second day we were there, I told mom we had to go. Jean Aimé has this popular song out, at least it is very popular in Maroantsetra and once I was forced to dance to it at a little party I attended in Fampotobe. I convinced the driver of our car to take us there. Two guys from the restaurant (they could speak English) came and one of their friends jumped in the truck, too. The concert was a lot of fun. At first when we entered, the crowd stared at us more than the stage. But then they seemed to get used to the two vazaha in the crowd. We bought t-shirts for ourselves and the guys who accompanied us.

Crowd at Jean Aimé concert, Amboasary.

Cute baby at concert more interested in my hand than the music.

We had a little mishap at the airport that you can ask mom about if you are interested. Thus we had 2 nights in the end in Tana. I made mom run errands with me, but we stopped for ice cream so it wasn’t too bad. Mom liked it in Madagascar. I only wish she could visit longer and more often. Perhaps again next year, mom? We have many other parks to visit!

Jean Aimé and his dancers who changed outfits every song.