Above is a baby crowned Lemur holding on to its mother’s back while she was eating figs.
We stayed at Chez Laurent. It had all we needed and to top it off, my room came complete with a lavender colored Mosquito net! It seemed a little out of place, but since the wooden hut had gaps big enough for insects to freely enter, I was happy to have the protection. If you are not a fan of insects, then Chez Laurent is not your place. There were giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches that came out at night and some of the biggest and noisiest cicadas that I have ever seen. And of course, there were the giant wasps that prey on them and carry them off to burry them somewhere to provide food for their developing larvae. Having said that, the food at Chez Laurent’s little restaurant was good and it was directly across the street from one of the entrances to the park.
On the first day hike we made our way to a giant cave where the parrots (that I couldn’t see) were outside the entrance and squawking like crazy. I recorded them and Jacques confirmed that parrots where responsible and they probably like the location because of the echoing from the rocks. I didn’t go into the cave, because the path was a little too slippery that day for my liking and I didn’t bring a lamp. I am told it is full of bats and said to be the largest in Madagascar. At the right time of the year, you can even see crocodiles inside the cave. I think I made a wise choice not attempting that part of the trek. It would have put a damper on everyone’s day had I fallen. Sometimes it isn’t smart to try to see it all.
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