I have a lot less to say about Reunion Island than I do about Madagascar (see previous post). But here goes - My top 5 thoughts on Reunion Island
#5 Rain
It rained most of the time we were there, It it pretty much forced us to stay in doors. And yet I still managed to get a sunburn.
#4 French People
Reunion Island is technically part of France, so it is full of French People. Being a diplomat, I will leave you to draw your own conclusions.
#3 Women with Bare Arms and Legs
All the women, including Carole, are able to wear shorts and sleeveless shirts, That's freedom, baby!
#2 Alcohol
Tropical fruit juces with rum. 'nuff said.
#1 BACON!!!!
and it was goooood!!!!!
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Friday, January 8, 2016
My top 5 things in Madagascar
Carole and I went to Madagascar and Reunion Island over Christmas/New Year's. I'll post another time about Reunion, but for today, here are my top 5 thoughts on Madagascar:
#5 Beaches!
Carole and I don't really take "beach" Vacations, so I might not be the best judge of thse things, but Madagascar has some world class beaches, We stayed one night in a resort on the west side of the island, and it was great. The sand was soft and white. The air was warm and fresh. It made us rethink whether or not we should add beaches to our list of travel destinations.
#4 Roads.
There was a lot of driving on this trip. Way more than we usually do. The roads in Madagascar are...HORRIBLE!. Seriously, they were the worst we have ever been on. Huge pot holes. Thank god we had a driver.
#3 Rice Paddies.
I really was not expecting rice paddies to dominate the landscape like they did. It turns out that Madagascar has one of the world's highest per capita rates of rice production and consumption, The country side was dominated by terraced paddies that I would have expected if I were in Asia. THey were very picturesque.
#2 Wildlife.
Everyone expects great wild life in Madagascar, and we were not disappointed,
The big thing everyone comes for is the Lemurs. We saw 7 different species. Some were loud, some not. They ranged in size from about the size of a chipmunk to about the size of a dog. For the most part, they did not really care about people - We were down on the ground, and they were up in the trees, so they did not seem very threatened.
There was also carnelians. Some of them were so perfect, they almost looked fake. They had bright colors, and would roll their tales into a tight, perfect spiral.
We also saw several species of frogs. The bright yellow ones were mating, making a lot of noice and jumping all over each other. #FrogPorn
We also encountered another animal, and this is not for the squeamish: Leaches. When you hike in the rain forest, sometimes the leaches will get under your clothes. They bite, suck your blood and leave. You never even feel them. I did not even get a decent picture of one. But they do leave behind a minor, bleeding wound.
#1 Trees
Yeah, I know. It sounds crazy that my number one item is trees, but these are not just any trees. Baobads are quite unique. They are big - They can be 30 feet in diameter at the has and reach 80 feet tall. They are old - we were told the ones we saw were around 400 years old, and some on the island get to 1,000. And they look cool. Like something you would see on an alien planet in a science fiction movie.
My overall impression - I loved Madagascar. We got to see everything we wanted, and it was worth it.
#5 Beaches!
Carole and I don't really take "beach" Vacations, so I might not be the best judge of thse things, but Madagascar has some world class beaches, We stayed one night in a resort on the west side of the island, and it was great. The sand was soft and white. The air was warm and fresh. It made us rethink whether or not we should add beaches to our list of travel destinations.
#4 Roads.
There was a lot of driving on this trip. Way more than we usually do. The roads in Madagascar are...HORRIBLE!. Seriously, they were the worst we have ever been on. Huge pot holes. Thank god we had a driver.
#3 Rice Paddies.
I really was not expecting rice paddies to dominate the landscape like they did. It turns out that Madagascar has one of the world's highest per capita rates of rice production and consumption, The country side was dominated by terraced paddies that I would have expected if I were in Asia. THey were very picturesque.
#2 Wildlife.
Everyone expects great wild life in Madagascar, and we were not disappointed,
The big thing everyone comes for is the Lemurs. We saw 7 different species. Some were loud, some not. They ranged in size from about the size of a chipmunk to about the size of a dog. For the most part, they did not really care about people - We were down on the ground, and they were up in the trees, so they did not seem very threatened.
There was also carnelians. Some of them were so perfect, they almost looked fake. They had bright colors, and would roll their tales into a tight, perfect spiral.
We also saw several species of frogs. The bright yellow ones were mating, making a lot of noice and jumping all over each other. #FrogPorn
We also encountered another animal, and this is not for the squeamish: Leaches. When you hike in the rain forest, sometimes the leaches will get under your clothes. They bite, suck your blood and leave. You never even feel them. I did not even get a decent picture of one. But they do leave behind a minor, bleeding wound.
My blood soaked pants
The wound
Truthfully, I am not really sure this was an actual leach. They looked like this before they got bloated on blood. Bon apatite my friend.
#1 Trees
Yeah, I know. It sounds crazy that my number one item is trees, but these are not just any trees. Baobads are quite unique. They are big - They can be 30 feet in diameter at the has and reach 80 feet tall. They are old - we were told the ones we saw were around 400 years old, and some on the island get to 1,000. And they look cool. Like something you would see on an alien planet in a science fiction movie.
Note that Carole is in this picture for scale.
My overall impression - I loved Madagascar. We got to see everything we wanted, and it was worth it.
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