Du Louvre Antananarivo

... br><br>The country is so big there are lots of options but with so little time I opted for 3 different points on the east of the island, each with its own appeal: the forests of Andasibe/ Mantadia, (lemurs, chameleons, orchids) then a journey up the Pangalane canals stopping at a remote lodge, then a week on the tiny east coast island of Ile Sainte Marie to watch humpback whales.<br><br>As it turned ...

... and Tulear (with beautiful beaches) with my boyfriend, Noe (you say it NO-WAY......yeah, it's funny). We had a great time seeing sites and just relaxing on the beach. Now, it's back to work....and writing/revising teacher training materials (like sample lessons) and continuing Teen Talk, the popular (at least here in M-car) English talk show. Both are full-time jobs that ...

... locked on to us and harassed us for money before we escaped into the hotel. The Karib Hotel was a dump (in our opinion) but I had no complaints about all the rest of the hotels where we stayed. The next morning, Babba was waiting for us along with the same beggar children who were out at 2:00am (don't they ever sleep) along with some souvenir sales people. Escaping the city we ...

... den Andasibe-Mantadia Nationalpark und finden tagaktive Lemurenarten wie den Diademed Sifaka und den Indri Indri, den groesten lebenden Lemuren. Leider wird aufgrund der wachsenden Bevoelkerungsdichte der Lebensraum dieser einmaligen Tiere immer mehr zerstoert. Die meisten Menschen sind sehr arm und leben in kleinen Huetten mit Palmblattdaechern. Sie waschen ihre Kleider im Fluss und haben meist nur Kerzen oder kleine Feuerstellen ...

... time and now you can see the direct result of our efforts in the pictures that were added to Amy's earlier entry. As I'm sure you'll be able to tell, we were able to change the lives of several young women, who were able to take part in a great week of fun, fellowship, learning and laughter. Some of my favorite pictures were of the "God's Eyes" that they ...

... Fort Dauphin. We returned flying to Tana to drive east and visit the ruby mining area near Vatomandry and Andilamena. Then we took again the plane to the north of the island to visit near Diego Suarez the Ambondromifehy sapphire deposit. You can enjoy our fieldtrip report, photos at the following link: Madagascar: Exploration of the new gem giant. All the best, Vincent Pardieu, www.fieldgemology.com

... of when it might be open, so we gave up on that. Wended our way back to Sakamanga, arriving as my feet were starting to really complain. Had a delicious meal in the restaurant in Sakamanga, and chose something with vanilla for every course to celebrate our holiday:) And so to bed, armed with tissues, earplugs and anti-histamines...

... and various other reasons. We all went dancing Friday and it was so much fun. I can go to the disco in my town, but since I don't blend in, people would notice if I went all the time and it's not the best reputation to have. But I'm just another vazaha in the big city here. I did dance a lot and drink a bit....but no more than I have in the past. When I woke up Saturday, though, my entire body was sore and I was running a fever. I assumed ...

... they have to translate it into Malagasy), so they could ask questions and get clarification on any issues that caught their attention. I asked them also to be ready to explain to me any difference between their beliefs and what we have in our fundamental beliefs, so that I would have a clear idea of where things stood. I got back to the hotel in mid-afternoon, and spent the rest of the day on the computer among other things preparing for upcoming visits.

... as you can actually hear exactly where they're walking! Mon 23rd Oct - We saw lemurs! Indri indri, to be precise. They're large and tailless, very graceful when the leapt. And their alarm cries sounded like a klaxon - amazingly loud. We went into the Domaine de Croix forest reserve for a four hour walk, getting hot, but seeing lots of amazing plants, not to mention the lemurs. Tonight it's pouring again, with mega thunder and lightning ...