Antananarivo (Tana) & Andasibe

So I've been in Tana, the capital and largest city of Madagascar for three days in total (not including the visit to Anasibe). It's really big in relation to anywhere else that I have been so far: flushing toilets, semi running water, tall buildings, restaurants of many kindsm clothing shops, ice cream, 'bookstores,'etc. It's a little bizarre. The city is definitely more western, and therefore to a certain extent doesn't feel as Malagasy. But I'm enjoying the time with wide-eyes and walking slowly.

Before our visit to Andasibe we met up with SIT students on the Culture & Society program to see a Malagasy music performance. I went into the evening really craving some alone and journaling time, but ended up having a really great time. We heard music and saw dance from different regions in Madagascar. Performance dancing quickly became participatory dancing, and man was there a lot of dancing. I loved it: the performers dances, familiar Tandroy dances, our crews Faux Cap dances, played follow the leader with the pros, and generally had a grand ole time. Really fun!!!

The next day we left for Andasibe. Along the way we stopped at Madagscar Exotique where chameleons, frogs, snakes, butterflies, geckos, and other various creatures are raised/bred for education, tourism, and research purposes. It was the bomb!!! I saw the coolest chameleons and frogs that I will ever see in my entire life. There are too many to recount: beautiful colors, amazing facial structures, protruding eyes, hands with five toes seperated in two sections, distinct walks, long curled tails, amazingly long tongues to catch insects at long distances. I really wish I could post some pictures...BIG, small, all colors, all shapes....

AND i got to hold the smallest reptile in the world-- the Brookesia minima. It was about an inch long as an adult. Feet so tiny with so many moveable parts all working together. At this point in the trip I didn't think that I was going to get to see one. Although it was in a zoo-type environment, it still made me REALLY happy. YEA! We also got to play with leaf geckos (and seriously I could go on and on about these as well), boas, brightly-colored and winged stick buugs, a large tomatoe frog, two species of tiny and brilliant frogs, more chameleons, butterflies, a HUGE beautiful moth, more chameleons, a baby boa, and more chameleons. It was overwhelmingly wonderful. After arrival at the hotel we went on a night walk to see more wildlife that I don't have the time to talk about. It was a beautiful night that felt a lot like a Tennesse summer. I felt like either running or dancing and ended up doing some of both.

In the morning we went on a walk in the parc-- a rainforest full of weird plants and epiphytes that I have never seen in my life. We also saw, or rather tried to see, the leaf-tailed gecko. CRAZY camoflauge! We also saw the Indri indri, another species of lemur. THey are the largest, maybe the size of a short human being...4ft or so. They are colored kind of like a panda with small furry ears and no tail. Moreover, they have an extremely loud and eerie wail that can be heard up to three km away. On a solitary bathroom stop I was surrounded (from high in the trees) and simply could not believe the force of their..wailing. It was surreal and awe-some.

I have more to say that isn't just facts, but I've locked my hotel-mate out of the room and need to get back. Hope everyone is doing well! We're hoping to get mail from FD tomorrow!! love, em