In search of spices, opium and rubies. Cindy, Love the way you have connected your trip to Madagascar to the trip to Tahiti. Nice job. Each location is different but the same. Both people learned how to make the same products from the same plants. The universe is connected. Love the stories of the Silk Road continuing the trade route and linking up. Navigation by the stars and the waters were our highways. Beautiful.
Thank you :) More a clear my writers block on travelblog 2am "I have to write NOW" moment I've been waiting for but thankyou for reading - I'm waiting until I've finished all the Tazhakstan Rebels blogs before I comment - trust me, I have so much to ask you all...what a wonderfully epic trip x
bring me that horizon, let me swoon n a field of ylang ylang, sea and stars, your sublime... Being transported back to a time of indulgent ape from angry ape was pure delight. A beautiful time weaving tale of when the best of man was driven by eloquent trade. Thank you.
Hi Cindy, just wanted to thank you for a riot of a read, this is such a lovely, hilarious blog and really paints a picture of Madagascar that I can believe! My partner and I are looking into heading there and like you mentioned, it seems a real challenge to plan anything for it, so we'll no doubt take a leaf out of your book if/when we go. Cheers for this window into your travelling world! Best wishes, Mark and Nate (the Escape Artists) @escapeartists1111 on Instagram, if you're interested :-)
Thank you from the Pantaloon Theif :) Thank you - glad you had a laugh, we certainly did. Being peed on, trying to buy a mans wife, stealing a mans pantaloons and chameleon attacks.....we were acting our ages. It is worth all the hassles - there is something truly liberating about zipping down to the preachermans shop for Zebu milk in your undies...at 50 ;)
It's an amazing place - if you need any hints PM me here or on my Insta account I'd be more than happy to help :) As long as you're fine with random shenanigans :
Thank you from the Pantaloon Theif :) Thank you - glad you had a laugh, we certainly did. Being peed on, trying to buy a mans wife, stealing a mans pantaloons and chameleon attacks.....we were acting our ages. It is worth all the hassles - there is something truly liberating about zipping down to the preachermans shop for Zebu milk in your undies...at 50 ;)
It's an amazing place - if you need any hints PM me here or on my Insta account I'd be more than happy to help :) As long as you're fine with random shenanigans :
Never give up on the good times Manila was beautiful during the Spanish and American period. That was before the city was totally destroyed by both Japanese and Americans during the so-called "liberation" of Manila. When Filipinos got their independence, nothing was done in order to improve or recover what had been lost. As a result of this neglect, Manila is nowadays as ugly as hell.
OH how I wish I lived some where I could grow my own vanilla! Oh and mangos, pineapple and avocados. And all the spices. Maybe with global warming, Canada will go tropical? Great blog btw!
Get out there and do this now! Life in technicolor. Words of wisdom. I applaud them coming by cruise ship and attempting it because I imagine it might be one of their life dreams and at least they are trying instead of sitting back home on the couch watching National Geographic. I wish they had done it younger and who can say why they didn't. Life is short and we must seize the opportunity. Good for you for achieving this dream before 50. No millipedes for you! :) Which son would have gotten the girl?
Id have let them fight it out over the girl ;) Perhaps some millipede got in my bag, i just reread that and realised I was swimming while sleeping off a migraine..quick edit required. Eddies beautiful wife would have had them sorted out in a heartbeat had she taken me up on my offer lol, the malagasy girls are no shrinking violets. Its interesting that many of the working girls have a boy toy who acts as basically a house husband/child carer while they are with their clients. The arrangement seems to work somehow. Women's liberation has done a 180 with the magache people - some of the women are downright scary. I did ask one girl if I could take her photo and she answered my question with her Machete..message received loud and clear!. I saw the same age related issue in Tahiti and particularly Rangiroa. Its a shame that the cruise ship directors don't assess each passengers health and point them in the direction of the Ylang Ylang distillery where they could see Lemurs of various species that have been housed there for a captive breeding program, whilst still hot its at least flat and they do offer the most welcome rum aranghe cocktails - or in our case mocktails - midway through the tour in the shopping area......yes.....i went shopping again........i think Marna was surprised at seeing me in a shopping frenzy. I hate shopping so much but the ylang ylang oils and creams were so tempting and had my olfactory senses in a jitter I did more shopping in three minutes than i have in five years.
I tried putting myself in the shoes of the gentleman who almost made it - at 70 do they think like I do now i'm 50 that i'm still really only about 30? Shame to find out the hard way its too late.......so....yes, do it now. On the other hand they are at least out on a cruise ship instead of sitting day after day with a blanket on their lap watching the bold and the beautiful.........;)
Holding hands Must have been special. Hope it was as good as it sounds Cindy. Being jumped on and having your hands held by lemurs who have the softest most amazing little hands...brilliant.
They have human hands Dave Leila the Tuarag Princess would have approved of their manicured hands..presentation is spotless. Not only are they soft and their long fingers seem to mirror ours but they seem to be particular about keeping their hands clean. The lady lemur who wanted to use my head as a hat actually sat their and cleaned her hands finger lickin good style before she moved off. I must apologise for the lack of photos in these first blogs...they were taken with my phone and Ipad as my camera was set up for underwater photography......and the unthinkable happened when I got home. I soaked my Ipad in hot water and bleach in the washing machine by accident rendering it deader than dead to my utter horror.....Plus leapers are not that easy to take pics of so next blog I will have some close ups of their amazing hands off my good camera. Still kicking myself over washing the Ipad :(
Leaping lemurs! How fantastic to get to wear a lemur hat and have their soft little hands take bananas from you, though I must say, this little grounded lemur doesn't look quite as graceful as when up a tree! Handy that you connected with 2pac, so for a small fee, he was able to grease those Nosy wheels. And curious that lemurs have millipedes to get them high--maybe it's a sign that we were all meant to experience the world a bit differently at times. Hmmm.
I guess every family has one Tara This little guy is I think transitioning from boyhood to lemur manhood hence his scruffy appearance. None of the others got down on the ground but he approached from the rear at ground level to do a commando banana raid while the others screamed at him in Indignation. I think hes the lemur equivalent of the clumsy cousin who comes to visit and farts loudly and knocks your tableware over.
Smiling for Madagascar There is something special waking up in one of the long awaited locations. There is a calmness and happiness that cannot be described. I enjoyed laughing as I pictured you singing full volume Day O. Live life to the fullest ...and you are. The joys of travel must include Lemur pee! But I do want to know how you have knowledge about racehorses peeing to whistling. You are a wealth of information on so many topics. Don't think I want to tangle with a crocodile lizard. Fantastic....and leaping lemurs.
A whistling we will go LOL - when I owned racehorses after a win they have to do a urine sample to make sure there are no drugs in the horses system. All tracks employ a whistler, a guy whos job it is to stand there and whistle until the horse pees..dont ask me how it works but it does :)
Fulfilling childhood dreams! I just want to go on the record as saying that those of us in the U.S. know not to get near the bitty things...Marna must have had a minor lapse. You cracked me up with your island shopping spree. I'm sure Malagassy will be talking about the two white girls for weeks to come. That is how legends are born. Loved travel tip #376 but doubt you will stick to it. Eager for more my friend.
Hiya :) I'm a 50 year old free spirited lady from Australia who just updated her profile because I realised i am no longer 46 and am also not Peter Pan. I like to spend life doing ridiculous things and have no intention of ever stopping. I've taken a year off to explore the planet and reward myself for well, years of work.. Im very much a seat of your pants traveller and totally irresponsible. Most of my travels are spur of the moment run away from home episodes and my teenage sons are cool with this. Im at peace with knowing riotous times dont have to stop when your supposed to have grown up... full info
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
In search of spices, opium and rubies.
Cindy, Love the way you have connected your trip to Madagascar to the trip to Tahiti. Nice job. Each location is different but the same. Both people learned how to make the same products from the same plants. The universe is connected. Love the stories of the Silk Road continuing the trade route and linking up. Navigation by the stars and the waters were our highways. Beautiful.