MADAGASCAR 2 16 AUG 2011

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1 MADAGASCAR 2 16 AUG 2011 Li Pui Sze DAY August HONG KONG ANTANANARIVO Our Madagascar trip has finally begun! Being outside Hong Kong is always the chance to learn being patient. Our first practical started right after arrival. We had been waiting for so long in the airport to pass the immigration gate and get back all our baggage!! Le Saint Laurent Hotel was our first destination in Madagascar. Though it was already 11pm, those could not wait till tomorrow started to search for gecko inside the hotel! We all were excited and looking forward to meeting any wildlife in the following 14 days. DAY August PARK TSARASOTRA LAKE We saw lemurs! The desire to see some morning birds woke me up at 5am. I opened the door and got down to the common grass area. I tried to endure the freezing weather and search the birds by their calls. Madagascar White eye, you were the first bird I photograpghed in Madagascar! After breakfast at 7:30am, we got on our coach to the Lemurs Park. Lemurs here were all captive which were seized from illegal pet trade. That s the reason why we could see the critically endangered species such as the Black and white Ruffed Lemur. We also saw our first mouse lemur in cage. I doubt whether we could see them in the wild since they were so small and seemed to be hiding all the time. Of course, I really hope so! Tsarasotra Lake, one of the Ramsar Sites, was our next stop silent and natural, a paradise for birds. We saw ducks and herons. It is what an interesting fact that Hong Kong and Madagascar 1

2 share some waterfowl species; while another interesting fact is some bird species endemic to Madagascar looked exactly the same as their relatives in Hong Kong. It is always a dream for me to live with this beautiful and endemic biodiversity, and so I had been curious how Malagasy people adored their place. 'Do Malagasy people know they have such biodiversity, or if they care?' I asked. The answer was not extremely surprising. 'People spend most of their time and energy to struggle for a living and it seems there is no reason to show their awareness on wildlife and nature, particularly in this politically unstable society.' our tour guide said, 'Fortunately, through education works, more and more people have realized the interdependence of human and nature; more and more people care about their forest.' It's so true. Sustaining the lives of both human and wildlife is the exact importance of forests. DAY August ARBORETUM OF ANTSOKAY ISALO Having breakfast at 5:30am, getting on coach at 6am, arriving at the airport at 6:30am, we were flying to Isalo today! The Tana Airport was crowded in the morning. Again, this was the time to wait, wait and wait. On the plane, we finally witnessed how degraded Madagascar was. 90% we all remember this percentage of primary forest sacrificed for massive development since human settlement in Madagascar. The land is so barren that I can hardly imagine that it used to be covered in forest. Four hours after landing on Tulear Airport, we have arrived at Isalo National Park. We walked along the trail with our own buggage to the camping site. It was quite a long trail particularly when you had nearly 20 kg extra weigh. After we all had settled down in our tent, it was nearly dinner time. The weather was getting cooler and cooler while getting dark. Yet, we felt cool until we start our dinner with noodles in hot soup under thousands of stars in the sky. 2

3 DAY August Another freezing night but this was not going to kill my enthusiasm on meeting wildlife today. In the morning, we hiked along the valley. The trail was a bit challenging for some of us, giving a chance to show our spirit! (haha=p) The end point of the trail was a waterfall. Unluckily, there was not much wildlife to be seen except a few but star bird species such as the rock thrush. Heading back to the camping site, a couple of lemur species were waiting for us Ring tailed Lemur and Red fronted lemur. They were the first wild lemurs we saw in the trip! Later in the morning, we set off again and hiked up and up to the peak. The trip was a little bit harsh just because of the hot weather in the midday. I was really impressed by the magnificent view at the peak. We enjoyed taking pictures and it made lots of fun! Not seeing much wildlife in the daytime, we had the final opportunity to search for herps and owls in Isalo after dinner. Luckily, we saw a Madagascar Scops Owl very close to us! It is the star of today! DAY August RANOMAFANA We went from Isalo to Ranomafana today. On the way to Ranomafana National Park, we saw several crowds of cattle also going on their way. We were quite shocked when we realized the cattle were going to Tana, the capital of Madagascar, on their foot as it was a long way. We were then even more shocked when we were told it took 7 weeks for them to get there. With more trees at both sides of the road, we knew we were closer and closer to Ranomafana National Park. It was a 3

4 chameleon night. The local guide had a pair of really good eyes who could find chameleons under dim light. We were so passionated to search chameleons by ourselves. Haha... eventually I got two! Moreover, we saw a couple of wild Grey Mouse Lemurs! I was so surprised by this finding! It s so excited to be here! I am looking forward to seeing the sunrise at the balcony in our double storey house! DAY August We entered the forest very early in the morning. Wow, that is what a rainforest is the floor is muddy and slippery, with a nearly closed canopy. We had to pay extra attentions, otherwise would fall down and stand up again with muddy face. Following the local guide, we saw several lemur species including Golden Bamboo Lemur, Greater Bamboo Lemur, Red bellied Lemur, Red fronted Brown Lemur and Milne Edward's Sifaka. We had lunch at a picnic pavilion. More than French bread, tomato, boiled egg, cheese and banana, we had Peacock Day Gecko, Ring tailed Mongoose and vangas as desserts. =) Though we heard many birds calling, we could not see them since they were hiding up in the canopy. Eventually, we saw an Velvet Asity! It was another chameleon time in the evening and I had found another two individuals! I love searching lives in the dark like this since you would never know what comes next! DAY August MIANDRIVAZO A day to travel In the evening, we came close to a river. Wow, there are someone do camping there! I was so excited when I discovered a camping site on the other side of the river, but I had never thought it was us to do the camping there that evening! Those narrow and long boats were the only transportation to get across the river. Two to four of us got onto a single boat and a local boatman was ready to take us cross the river. 4

5 On the other side of the river, there were lots of local kids waiting for us. Photo! Photo! they called out the very few English words they knew, asking for photographs. At the beginning, we were willing to take pictures for them; and it was delightful to see them smiling and hear them laughing when they saw their own faces on the camera screen. Nevertheless, concerning no secure battery recharging service tonight or even the following two nights, we had to reject their request. Actually, just playing with them without camera could make lots of fun. I might be thinking too much, but it is us, the tourists, who tell them they do not have camera; it is us who let them know what camera is; it is us who is actually taking away their simplicity, and possibly happiness By the way, dinner tonight was really out of expectation. I had never thought I would be having soup, rice, meat, potato and being served like dining in a restaurant but having the sea view from the beach. What impressed me the most was actually not the food but how they served us. We sat around the fire after dinner; looked at the sky, listened to the songs we were familiar with, enjoyed being a part of nature I wished the night could last longer. DAY August BAOBAB ALLEY KIRINDY It was a new day! I opened my eyes and needed a few seconds to remember where I was haha=p. After breakfast, we got across the river again by the boat and it was time to leave this wonderland and go to another site Kirindy. On the way to Kirindy National Park, we had another landmark which was the Baobab Alley. The endemic tree is famous for its unique growth form. More interestingly, they grow rather slowly which take thousands of years for them to reach this considerable height and circumference as we saw. We arrived at Kirindy in the late afternoon and would stay here for two nights. Two of us shared a bungalow in which there were no more than two beds, a chair, a roll of tissue paper and a candle. Fortunately, there was electricity supply but only in limited hours. For water, not surprisingly, there was no piped water supply; instead, barrels of drinking water were 5

6 transferred one by one by truck. Knowing this fact made me want to save water here as much as I could We saw mouse lemurs again tonight. Not willing to disturb them too much, I love looking at them through binoculars much more than camera lens! Afterwards, we sat together for dinner as usual in the canteen. Suddenly, someone shouted, Owl!!!! Ten seconds later, couple of chairs had fallen down but not anyone cared; only a few of us were left in the canteen without knowing what had happened. I did not aware of this interesting phenomenon unless I was told by Ada, one of our teammates from K11. I had just realized we could not think of anything except the owl at that moment. More interestingly, this did not happen just once in our journey. Surprises are happening anywhere at any time! DAY August Only the one waking up early could see those rare birds you were dreaming for. Today I was the one waking up early! Haha I saw the Blue Vanga! During the morning safari, we encountered Giant Coua! Coua is another group of birds endemic to Madagascar. Their eye shadow is so eye catching which makes them to be the target bird for most of us. We walked and walked and walked in this mysterious forest. We met quite a number of wildlife including the lovebirds, vangas and a Crested Coua right before heading back for lunch. We did have some free time in the afternoon. Someone used the time for a bath; some went back 6

7 to their bungalows for a nap. For me, I just stayed silently in the nature and note down my invaluable experiences and feelings on the postcards for my beloved friends. Even just sitting down and do nothing would be one of the best activities here and now. DAY August ANTSIRABE After nine hours on the highway, we got back to Antsirabe. We accommodated in a hotel opened by Chinese called Lai Wah Hotel. Tonight we could have a hot water shower and sleep on a comfortable bed=] DAY August Such a comfortable bed made me sleep until the last minute. Schedule of the day was basically for scenery. We came to a lake which is surrounded by local villages and farmland. Living by farming and some trading, life could be as simple as that. Back to the town, we had some time to hang around near the hotel. Antsirabe is the most densely populated city in Madagascar. There are many shops along the street selling different kinds of commodities souvenirs, chocolates, ice cream, electronic appliances, etc. We got back to hotel before dinner time. Tonight is the last night on this comfortable bed. DAY August ANDASIBE Another day to travel Reaching the last national park in the afternoon, a big bird wave was there to welcome us. I enjoyed so much sitting down on the stairs in front of our bungalow, looking at them one by one leisurely, and listening to the calls of the Indri, the largest living lemur species in Madagascar. After a small rest, we set off for night walk. We were a bit 7

8 disappointed by not seeing much species, but we still have a chance tomorrow! DAY August It is the last day here for wildlife! We came to the entrance of national park after breakfast. It might be the most developed country park in Madagascar we had ever been to. Visitors must pass through an education centre before entering the park and the routes are well developed and mapped. Beside Indri, the highlight of this park, we also saw Diadamed Sifaka which is one of my targets of this trip! For birds, we saw Blue Coua and two sleeping Collared Nightjars! We had our last night walk in the evening. I told myself I had to enjoy it no matter how much wildlife would be encountered. Chameleons, geckos and lemurs, thanks for giving us these wonderful night times. DAY August ANTANANARIVO HONG KONG It s time to leave On the flight from Tana to Bangkok, I am reloading every single moment in my mind From the very beginning when my name was first appeared on the list of participants; when I told my friends I was going to Madagascar and discovered no one knew about this island more than the cartoon; when I had my Madagascar visa on my passport; when I had my bird and mammal guides on my hands; when I left home alone with my baggage; when we had our first step on Madagascar; when we had our first French bread breakfast; when we first encountered a couple of sifakas bouncing on the ground; when I first spotted a chameleon in the dark Time flies. It s time to leave. I will be missing Madagascar. 8

9 DAY AUGUST KONG The experience in Madagascar was my dream came true. I have no idea when or whether I will be on this island again, but I will never forget how I was touched by the animals and plants here and how I was upset by those used to be here. I will never forget when I gazed at the horizon all the way from one national park to another, I was thinking of the 90% primary forest sacrificed for massive development since human settlement. Sustaining the lives of both human and wildlife is how important the function of a healthy forest is. I hope my other dream harmony between human and nature will also come true soon. Last but not least, thanks to the ones making the trip possible. Thanks, Billy. I always remember you make my dreams come true and how you give. Thanks, Tung. You do inspire me a lot. Thanks, my mates. I will remember our times and laughter in this two weeks. Thanks, my beloved family and friends. I love to share with you all my experiences on the other side of the earth and I promise I will bring back more and more beautiful creatures to you all! 9