Andi's update from Madagascar

Below is the text from a message Andi sent us today reporting on here first experiences in Madasgascar.
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Salama!

Whew; Two weeks in the Jungle, I hardly know where to begin. I guess I should start by saying that overall I really enjoyed the experience. Everything was so different it made the tiniest thing an adventure, not to say that there weren’t plenty of huge adventures to be had. Upwards of 95% of the plant and animal species in Madagascar and endemic to the island, meaning they exist only here and nowhere else in the world. Even the species of bamboo are different than what I’m accustomed to.

We started the trip with a boat ride. We made one stop in a rural town so that our local guide could introduce us to the town “president” because Zach will be interacting with him later in the project.

The whole town smelled beautiful. Every house had huge mats of vanilla beans and cloves spread out in the sun to dry. Being as attune to smells as I am, I was in heaven there. Our next stop was an even more remote village in which we spent the night. Again we met with the village president and he helped us arrange for locals from his village to act as our porters. This seems to be a common practice for them seeing how virtually ever male showed up the next morning hoping to be hired. In the end it took twenty five of them to haul all of our equipment up to the research site.

The climb to the sight was unbelievably difficult. It was the most extreme vertical hike Zach or myself had ever experienced. There were quite a few places where you had to pull yourself up a muddy bank by tree roots. By the end my legs were killing me and I had had to stop a few times to catch my breath. When we got to the sight it had started to pour rain. The assistants we had brought with us were incredibly efficient in setting up camp. Tarps were hung, a “kitchen” was constructed, and a picnic table was fashioned in a matter of hours. It was quite a spectacle to observe. The Malagasy are incredibly resourceful people.

Every day we went out hiking through the jungle to set up camera sights. Sometimes we followed reasonably well maintained trails or more commonly we utilized game trails. However, there were plenty of hours spent hacking through the dense understory attempting to make new trails. We only got lost a few times, and it was never on my account. There were several very long days where we didn’t return to camp until after dark. The jungle becomes incredibly loud at night with the sounds of birds, insects, and frogs. It also has amazing smells. Every area you walk through has a unique sent based on the plant species.

For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we had beans and rice. I calculated I ate the same meal roughly 40 times in a row; however, I was always so hungry I would eat two whole bowls of it easily.

Last night was our first night back here at the house. Zach’s wife attempted to make us a carrot pizza. Zach and I devoured it like it was the finest feast ever made. She also made a banana cake; the entirety of which we consumed in under an hour.

I’m starting to look forward to the idea of going home, but I’m trying to enjoy every minute of this environment while I’m here. The Malagasy culture is great. The people have so little and yet are always happy and courteous. I am treated like a princess. I’m not allowed to carry my own bags and it’s expected that I get the front seat of any boat or car we travel in. In villages we traveled to they have only seen a handful of white people in their lives and perhaps never a woman. Everywhere I go I am blatantly stared at. I often times feel like a carnival exhibit. I almost immediately collect a swarm of small children that follow me around everywhere and try to get a close as possible to me. They think my hair is the coolest thing and some will get brave enough to try to touch it, but when I turn to look at them they run away giggling.

We are trying to make homemade peanut butter now. The last attempt didn’t work out too well, but it seems delicious compared to many of the other options. Oops, we just lost power. Apparently it has happened several times, but I’ve been in the forest. I guess I should go now. I’ll write more later.

Love you all,

Andi