2013 - OCEANIA - MADAGASCAR

We then leave the booming Mozambique, cross over the Mozambique Channel to Madagascar island

or more exactly, Nosey Bey island. Where I get on a little boat to go to yet another island - Isle of Lemurs.
One guy quite seriously said "this is where those little animals commit suicide". Didn't have the heart to disillusion him.

I had my own little boat waiting for me...

but I would like to have gone on this one instead...

Got ashore & started walking up into the hills, passing a lady putting out her laundry...on the roof!

and some houses

& we did actually see a Lemur, or three. It's hard to tell.

People who took other trips got to see far more without even leaving Nosy Bey.

Sandy would have preferred that cos she hated this trip with a passion. She was really steamed. Her bench on the little boat collapsed & sent her & 2 other ladies to the bottom of the boat. She refused point blank to use it for the return journey & just plonked herself on another boat & refused to get off.

On my return trip the old guy next to me kept saying his back was broken from the bumpy ride. I don't think he was kidding. Me - I quite enjoyed it. It was really fast.

Up, up, up into the hills we went & everywhere we looked there was someone else selling something...

Cos of course, we are their sole source of income.

Don't think this was for sale though. Chamaeleon on a stick anyone?

Nice looking gear though..

Heading back down to the beach now..........

Then we hit the beach for 'an idyllic time under the tamarind trees' . Idyllic is in the tour description. Idyllic it might be when there aren't 5 hundred tourists in 5 hundred square yards.

Snacks & beer was part of the buffet on the beach. How people on cruises get so hungry is beyond me.
And meanwhile, the locals looked on..

the lady in the middle is knitting or sewing something which was part of the tour that I did not know about til the next day or I would have gone over for a chat.
& See how nice & clean the girls clothes are? How do they do it?

Then, back to our ship where the locals had followed, still trying to make a buck. Got to admire the persistence.

& the end of another day.

I really enjoyed this excursion. Nicely paced, with a variety of sights. Local people were obviously wanting to sell us things but not in the least bit aggressively. I heard a lot of grumbles around me though.
Would be a fabulous place to visit when the tourist hoards have gone for the day.

It's around here that a story came out about some goings on in the gym. Apparently an Asian lady was hogging the walking machine & an American lady decide to turn the machine off. Bad news - the asian lady went backwards & fell off. Next day the American was on the machine with an Asian lady either side. Words were exchanged, then blows, then the security guy came to restore order, & he got slapped for his trouble.
Every time I told the story, I exaggerated it a little bit.