The High-Five Adventurers in Marjojey, Madagascar
I was on full alert,my eyes scanning the tree tops while my hands searched for the branch that had snagged my pants. Once free, I pressed on through the dense brush of the mountainous rainforest of Marojejy. We had veered off the well-maintained trail after our guide Jean-Louis had spotted something moving through the canopy. Ducking under trees and winding our way through the undergrowth became more difficult as we approached a small cliff's edge. The roots along the improvised path became both foot-holds and tripping hazards -- we were definitely off the “beaten path” now.
Catching up to Jean-Louis, we saw his gaze trained across the gulch. The bright green of the leaves was filtered through many dark layers of branches. Erin was best able to navigate this maze of brambles and find the source of our detour: a bamboo lemur who had stopped its hurried journey through the forest and now sat perched some 20 meters away. Our first lemur sighting!
Two months into a year-long trip around the world, we had only just arrived in Madagascar a few days prior. We set out on this journey to explore the world and to understand that which seemed strange and unknown to us. Madagascar fit squarely into the unknown category. We had quickly made our way to the remote North-East, where roads are few and the recent political turmoil has made tourists even more rare. This had been evident when we approached the park office and had clearly interrupted a lively game of dominoes between the guides and porters. The registry had shown we were the first people to enter the park in the past three days.
Our partially obscured view faded as the lemur ventured further into the trees to feed on the young leaves. Retracing our steps to minimize the damage of our off-trail adventure, Erin made another wildlife discovery. A leech had attached itself to her stomach. Her lightning fast reflexes acted before we could remember the proper way to detach a leech, and it was ripped away, a small trail of blood the only evidence of the encounter.
The hike continued up, rains having made every surface a danger. In Madagascar 70-80% of all animal and plant life is endemic so to hike here is to enter another world; every turn held a new plant whose odd shape was foreign to us, or an insect that seemed better suited to a science fiction film. The animals were mesmerizing as well: chameleons in all shapes and
sizes, lemurs up close and far overhead jumping impossibly through trees, shooting us curious glances, and large colourful birds noisily flapping through the vines.
In a slight drizzle, we arrived at camp: a few rustic cabins on stilts and an impressive view of the imposing massif. We huddled together, sipping tea and watching the mist wind its way around the peaks, and felt proud of our accomplishment and excited for the days, weeks, and months ahead.
Follow our adventures as our wanderings take us to the far corners of the world, to all the places we read about growing up, and to those that we never planned on visiting. We'll share our tips (that we learned the hard way) to make your travel easier.