Day 28
Madagascar
Today, there were three main goals: See some baobab trees, see a lemur or two, have some beach time.
Spoiler alert: SCORE!
We had to anchor offshore today and tender because there’s no dock at Nosy Be (an island just off the coast of Madagascar).
Those tender boats look cute and comfy on the outside, but here’s how they look on the inside…
A short 15 minutes later, we were on shore and greeted by some local dancers, one of which balanced a wine bottle full of flowers on her head while she danced. Very impressive!
Unlike previous tours where we were led to a bus, this time we were led to a boat. We donned our life jackets and set off for another island. The trip took about 45 minutes. Our guide Zeze let us know what to expect.
When we arrived at the island, there was no dock here, either, so we just walked off the back of the boat and onto the beach.
The main lodge was just a floor and a thatched roof. No need for walls here, really.
We put our bags down (towels, etc) and got a walkabout tour of the lodge area. We saw two kinds of baobab trees. Baobabs come in eight varieties, six of which are only found in Madagascar.
Then we headed toward the edge of the lodge property and into the thicker tree growth area to look for lemurs, which are endemic only to Madagascar. There are over 100 varieties. We lucked out in that we saw several black lemurs, which are apparently rare.
The black lemur’s orange eyes are quite striking. How could you not love a face like this?
Interestingly, the female black lemurs are red. They’re even prettier.
They were quite active, leaping from tree to tree, barely catching the next branch. Fun to watch, but nearly impossible to get a decent photo!
Also saw a gecko, but if the guide hadn’t pointed it out, I’d have never noticed it was there.
I should mention that Eden Lodge, where we were, is the only resort that’s 100% powered by solar. Good for them!
Anyway, we had choices of three items for each of three courses for lunch. Rob and I both opted for the chicken cooked in coconut milk and the chocolate tart, but for the appy I got the traditional tabbouleh, which is one of the best things I’ve had on the cruise so far. Absolutely delicious!
After lunch, I went for a swim. The Indian Ocean waters were clear and warm, but there was a bizarre optical illusion. The beach slanted upward from the water line. I swam out quite a ways, and when I turned around, my brain ‘saw’ the beach as level and flat and the water slanted downward toward the beach. It was freaky and surreal and I hoped I could get it on camera. I went back to the lodge and waded out with my camera, but alas I couldn’t go far enough offshore whilst holding the (non-waterproof) camera to get the effect.
Rob and I decided to take a walk along the beach, then parked ourselves on a couple a chaise lounges under a thatched umbrella. It was really quiet here and we laid there for awhile, gazing at the water, listening to the water lap the shore, and just enjoying the peacefulness of It all.
Occasionally, locals would pass by. Most of them were children heading off to school.
The excursion offered us four hours of time at the lodge, which was just enough. We gathered up our things, said goodbye to the lemurs, then got back into our little boat for the trip back. The wind had picked up by now, making the water choppy and the trip back slower than the trip out. Also, we ran out of gas. Zeze flagged down one of the other boats full of Vikings and they managed to hand over a big jerrycan with some fuel in it.
On the trip back, we saw lots of interesting local watercraft.
Back on board, the A/C and a shower felt really good! Dinner was semolina cakes, beef skewers, and banana fritters, but the best part was the sunset seen from our cabin’s verandah.
Almost as soon as the sun had set, we sailed into a nice thunderstorm. The seas weren’t rough, but we got treated to nature’s light show. Let it rain. We’ve got three sea days coming up, so no matter.