"Would you like some more beans? Yes? Here are some chips... to go with your rice."

Ah, the rice. I feel like I could just tell you stories about the rice. But nay, she shall restrain herself.
Instead, I will debut with my birthday story, which was epic and absurd as ever.

I get up and put on my disgustingly manky field clothes which only get washed once a week (oh it's beautiful, it really is) thinking, "ok, lemur time."
After my breakfast of ... rice... and a confused rendition of happy birthday from Christophe thanks to Megan's bullying, we head off to Sangasanga.
Having bought lunch (bread), we are then brought to the side by Shulu and told that, "uhhhhhh... I think... uhhhhhhhh.... you don't work in the forest today...mmmmmmmm"
Basically the head of the plantation where the lemurs like to hang below the forest was irked by the fact that apparently Megan and I didn't sufficiently acknowledge his greatness the other day when he walked by and he was having a (alcohol induced) hissy fit bout it. Ahhh, how I do love grown men tantrums.

Megan, in her brilliance, suggests that we head off to Manakara then instead of today. So we head back to camp, change out of our dirt sweat and blood covered clothes, and leave to Ubonto to get a "taxi brousse". Three hours of conversation with a 17 year old Malgash, we get offered a ride by a military man harbouring the biggest set of speakers in the back of his van ever. And no, that is no euphemism.

Noon - enter the seaside town of Manakara. Well African version of one. But oh, how it is refreshing to be outside of camp, to drink some beers, walk around, EAT PIZZA, and play cards in the dead of the night (way past 9, so cool!) in a room with disappearing cockroaches. This is why I travel.

Quick fact on lemurs: a. They sleep. A lot. I don't really like the whole sitting and waiting for mosquitoes to devour my hands 4 to 6 hours in a row.
b. We might have a preggers one... bring on the babies! She does a lot of sleeping.
c. They like going over to the dark side of the moon, or the cliff side of Sangasanga where no humans can venture... And they especially love doing it after making you scale the mountain when the day feels like a sauna. Strangely, I enjoy that more than a.
d. They squabble upside down... will get a picture up.
e. Purple is a poser.
f. Got a fleeting picture of a L. fulves with its baby on its back, and heard it being flung from tree to tree... doesn't sound like it really likes it frankly. Oh, lemurs throw their babies from tree to tree when they move around cuz the babies don't grip well. At least I'm told.
g. I have got some snazzy pictures...
h. Fulves sounds like a guinea pig. I love it.
i. Goslings kick ass. I love poultry.