Lavabe's Madagascar 2009 Lemur Thread

[Lavabe]

"You said you felt like you were on a constant adrenlin rush over there...we can tell. The energy comes through in your writing -each of us should be so lucky as to find something about which we are as passionate!"

I'll try to get to this tomorrow, but there's one aspect that I've noticed as it relates to my teaching. I've noticed that in my Conservation Seminar over here, I am talking more about my feelings than I would ever do in the U.S. I'll talk more about what I sense, both in my heart and mind. I think part of that is that when I talk with local people in the bush, they will often talk the same way. When I went up to Joffreville last week and talked with my two closest friends there, they could immediately read me, know what I am thinking, and know what I felt inside... and vice versa. They ARE like brothers. It's truly like close family, but they always stressed trusting local people at that level, and I've never forgotten it. The other aspect is, as I've just discovered today, that I am suddenly realizing that I carry a lot of peoples' stories and history, and few will pass on that history. My students expressed to me today just how little they know about local Malagasy culture. And I am still wrestling with that bombshell today.

The good news is that in my 0730 class of about 18 students, most are showing signs of writing well, including a few who explained their own local conservation threats, tied in with what they recall about their hometowns. And well, good writing from students will always give me an adrenaline rush.

Well... yogurt and grading await me.

More tomorrow,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

Just received a PM from Lavabe. He's still having laptop/ISP issues. Heading out to the bush today. More to follow when access improves.

[Lavabe]

Just received a PM from Lavabe. He's still having laptop/ISP issues. Heading out to the bush today. More to follow when access improves.

Well, technically, I did say that I would be heading out on Saturday, meaning June 27th. I still have papers to grade.

Now I also have some redtape problems, as the clerk at the office at Madagascar National Parks has misunderstood how much time I was going to spend in Mt. d'Ambre. Sometimes the communication between different offices breaks down, so I will wait patiently on this, and let the folks talk with each other. The worst case scenario is that I don't get to visit Mt. d'Ambre. That will add a little work for us to survey west of it, but we could still do it. Hopefully, something will work out.

My computer/laptop/IP address issues will simply not be resolved here. The internet provider is blaming it on my antivirus software. They simply won't do anything about it until I somehow update my antivirus software (which is actually turning into a story by itself). UGH!!

On Monday, I just got over a second bout with running to the bathroom. That's two times since being here. Not a great start, but I at least can say that my main guide now has it as well, so something is going around town. I just hired my guide for a high price, but I am figuring that next year, I will not have to survey much, and can settle back down to the business of recording behavioral data. While the surveying and hiking go on, I need him.

I'll check my weight later today. I don't think I lost too much this week, as I wanted to stabilize a little before the surveys start on Saturday. Once they start, it's going to be a LOT of physical work.

Tomorrow, I meet the mayor of Cap d'Ambre. This should work fine. I don't expect any problems from him. The good news is that some of the people local to where I plan to go west of Mt. d'Ambre report populations of both lemur species in the Cap St. Sebastien, where I was planning on surveying. Hopefully, this is where we can record behavior over a longer term.

I'll post more later on... assuming no other city crises occur.
Cheers,
Lavabe

[ArkieDukie]

"You said you felt like you were on a constant adrenlin rush over there...we can tell. The energy comes through in your writing -each of us should be so lucky as to find something about which we are as passionate!"

I'll try to get to this tomorrow, but there's one aspect that I've noticed as it relates to my teaching. I've noticed that in my Conservation Seminar over here, I am talking more about my feelings than I would ever do in the U.S. I'll talk more about what I sense, both in my heart and mind. I think part of that is that when I talk with local people in the bush, they will often talk the same way. When I went up to Joffreville last week and talked with my two closest friends there, they could immediately read me, know what I am thinking, and know what I felt inside... and vice versa. They ARE like brothers. It's truly like close family, but they always stressed trusting local people at that level, and I've never forgotten it. The other aspect is, as I've just discovered today, that I am suddenly realizing that I carry a lot of peoples' stories and history, and few will pass on that history. My students expressed to me today just how little they know about local Malagasy culture. And I am still wrestling with that bombshell today.

The good news is that in my 0730 class of about 18 students, most are showing signs of writing well, including a few who explained their own local conservation threats, tied in with what they recall about their hometowns. And well, good writing from students will always give me an adrenaline rush.

Well... yogurt and grading await me.

More tomorrow,
Lavabe

Many vibes to you, Lavabe. Here's to good health, resolution of computer problems, and for cutting up of the red tape! BTW, enjoyed the pics you have up on your Facebook page.

[Lavabe]

Update #1: Holy crow... I just posted to Knights' birthday thread... from my laptop using my normal wireless connection from Orange.

IT WORKS!! I can PW again!! Well, for maybe a few days...

WHEW... I feel liberated.

Update#2: My weight is at 230 lbs. That's a 4 pound weight loss this last week, so things are stabilizing the way I want them too just before surveying. Technically, that's about 25 lbs here in Madagascar before getting to the serious physical activity. Iprobably would have lost more weight this week had I not had so much yogurt this week. And well, maybe the meatballs in coconut sauce over rice I had last night helped a little bit.

Update#3: The folks in Antananarivo will talk with the appropriate people in Antsiranana to clear up the red tape issue.

Update#4: The survey of Cap d'Ambre starts the day after Malagasy independence day, and ends on our independence day. I'll take some photos of some of the events in town. If I am not mistaken, they should have a bicycle race this year.
More later,
Lavabe

[cl15876]

Update #1: ... I can PW again!! ...

Update#2: ...That's a 4 pound weight loss .... And well, maybe the meatballs in coconut sauce over rice I had last night helped a little bit.
....
More later,
Lavabe

Update 1 - Yay! Looking forward to reading more about your adventures and experiences!
Update 2 - Congratulations! BTW - your last night meal sounded interesting... was it HOMEMADE coconut??? :-D

[Lavabe]

Update #1: ... I can PW again!! ...

Update#2: ...That's a 4 pound weight loss .... And well, maybe the meatballs in coconut sauce over rice I had last night helped a little bit.
....
More later,
Lavabe

Update 1 - Yay! Looking forward to reading more about your adventures and experiences!
Update 2 - Congratulations! BTW - your last night meal sounded interesting... was it HOMEMADE coconut??? :-D

There's a lot of coconut available in this province of Madagascar. Coconut is featured in many foods in the area. ILJ loves the "haricots au coco" (beans and coconut). The coconut sauce had a sort of Thai/Pakistani feel to it, including some basil. Very yummy.

We talked with someone who lives in the northernmost town of the Cap d'Ambre (the northernmost point in Madagascar), and he will help us a few days while up there. He thinks that we can get water in most every town we pass by. He also knows of Sanford's lemurs and crowned lemurs in a good forest east of where they should be. If we find the two species there, it may be a good field site in the future, and reasonably close (a few hours' walk) to the surfing resort.

As for the red tape, it won't get much better for the next day or so. UGH!!
More later,
Lavabe

[CameronBornAndBred]

There's a lot of coconut available in this province of Madagascar. Coconut is featured in many foods in the area.

Be warned, coconut is a natural laxative. I found that out after a coconut binge in the bahamas when I was a kid. (No warning labels on all those free coconuts)

[ILoveJimmy]

Update from Lavabe
I heard from Lavabe in the middle of the night last night. He was very excited. He was trooping around in the forests of Cap d'Ambre in a pair of hiking sandals that he loves (and because his hiking boots are giving him blisters), happy that his cell phone worked from there. But his real excitement came from the find he had been hoping for. He found a previously unmapped (perhaps mapped back in 1964), unsurveyed forest at the tip of the island. He refers to it as the Sacred Island and heard about it from the locals. (You know Rachael Ray always says "Ask the locals" in her travel show ) He says that this patch of forest does not even show up in regular maps or Google Earth. There are Sanford's lemurs on the west side and crowned lemurs everywhere. He was practically bursting at the seams to tell me about it. He gave me coordinates which I haven't translated yet and put into Google Earth. Here they are:

South 12 degrees, 4.6 minutes
East 49 degrees, 17.7 minutes

I hope that this means he will be able to write a paper on this and receive a little recognition from his peers and in his field of science. I'm sure he will survey more and have some count of the lemurs. Also, he will have another site where students can go and future work can be done.

He says he is headed back to Diego tomorrow. I'm sure he will post as soon as he can. Until then, he asked me to do so.

Your loyal scribe,
ILJ

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Thanks for the update!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Thanks ILJ. I respect the sandals, but never had luck with them in forests.

[cl15876]

This is a very cool find! Great update! I could feel his excitement in your writing!

[CathyCA]

This is indeed exciting news! YAY for Lavabe and the lemurs!

Thanks for the report, ILJ.

[Lavabe]

Update from Lavabe
I heard from Lavabe in the middle of the night last night. He was very excited. He was trooping around in the forests of Cap d'Ambre in a pair of hiking sandals that he loves (and because his hiking boots are giving him blisters), happy that his cell phone worked from there. But his real excitement came from the find he had been hoping for. He found a previously unmapped (perhaps mapped back in 1964), unsurveyed forest at the tip of the island. He refers to it as the Sacred Island and heard about it from the locals. (You know Rachael Ray always says "Ask the locals" in her travel show ) He says that this patch of forest does not even show up in regular maps or Google Earth. There are Sanford's lemurs on the west side and crowned lemurs everywhere. He was practically bursting at the seams to tell me about it. He gave me coordinates which I haven't translated yet and put into Google Earth. Here they are:

South 12 degrees, 4.6 minutes
East 49 degrees, 17.7 minutes

I hope that this means he will be able to write a paper on this and receive a little recognition from his peers and in his field of science. I'm sure he will survey more and have some count of the lemurs. Also, he will have another site where students can go and future work can be done.

He says he is headed back to Diego tomorrow. I'm sure he will post as soon as he can. Until then, he asked me to do so.

Your loyal scribe,
ILJ

Hmm, well, there are a few differences between what I said and what got scribed here, but I think most of that is because of the phone connection quality, with secondary trouble from the wind tunnel I was calling from, as well as the hour at which the phone call was received. Let's see if I can summarize:
1) The site I saw in 2004 in the northern 10 km of the island: I received confirmation of its status from others, and my field assistant just today confirmed my information that I reported from 2004. It is indeed a sacred forest where the lemurs are well protected by local traditions, as the lemurs reside in a forest that surrounds a mountaintop cemetery. The traditions in the region are held by the local Sakalava ethnic group, and there are VERY few other ethnic groups in the region (meaning, the traditions are holding strong). The forest also extends north in a much larger patch that is unmarked on any map. This forest is the northernmost limit of one of the two study species of lemurs.
2) I found another forest unmarked on a map, this time dominated by one of the two lemur species I work with.
3) I found the northern limit of both species, and in both cases, local traditions protect the species. FWIW, the crowned lemurs are found no more than a km or so from the northern tip of the island. I was asked not to go in the sacred part of the forest, which I agreed to. The local people did show the forest that connects to it. Unfortunately, a LOT of foreigners pay no attention to the tradition, and go in it, claiming that the tradition does not apply to them. Sad.
4) On the way up north, we saw a terrible brush fire. These occur in grasslands, producing HUGE amounts of smoke and charcoal. Usually they are timed just before a rain. They also regenerate nutrients into the soil for new grass, which grazing animals love to eat. IIRC, brush fires in the US are sometimes set to prevent the spread of larger fires that would enter forest if the brush had been left to grow. It later rained the same day. Two days later, we climbed up the very same mountain. AMAZING! That's where I was calling from.
5) ALthough most stuff went well, I soon found out that a British conservation and education group had already surveyed much of the same region within the last year or two, but no one had said anything to me about it. They were doing forest biodiversity counts in some of the very same forests that I had planned to research. This sort of stuff sometimes happens, and it is very frustrating. Had I known about this, I would have concentrated my time elsewhere, but it now looks as though the other area I planned to survey has also been looked at by the same group. So at this stage, now I have to figure out what I can do, where I can do it, and if I can set up a long-term field site. I am sure something will work out, and the prospects of future collaborations are enormous, but a little better communication has to be made. Hey CBaB... how difficult is it to maintain a bulletin board like CrazieTalk? This would seem to be the obvious solution.
6) I cut my stay up north short due in part to point #5, but also because I was running into some health and equipment issues. Healthwise, I was starting to get a bad case of jock itch; when hiking 60km in about 48 hours, it isn't pleasant when you start getting this. Given that I felt that I wasn't going to establish a field site up in the Cap d'Ambre, and that I had a solid idea of what was going on, I decided to get healthy, and prep for the next surveys.
7) Oops... forgot about the equipment issues. Tent: failed in high winds on the first day after heavy winds and rain. I know ... hold on a second. The Cap d'Ambre is known to be amongst the driest parts of Madagascar. It IS, however, buffeted by incredibly strong winds, called the Varatraza, which usually range 30-60 mph constantly, with gusts up to 80 mph. My old tent (10 years old, but used in only 3-4 months of actual time) couldn't handle it. Will check to see what Eureka says is its maximum wind resistance. After surveying in the morning, we came back to camp to find one of my shock cords snapped like a twig. No damage to any items in the tent.
8) More equipment issues: my hiking boots started giving me blister issues, so I switched to the hiking sandals. Best investment, EVER!
9) More equipment issues: I failed to pack any spare underwear. WHOOPS!!
10) More equipment issues: I forgot to put my GPS units on BATTERY SAVER mode, which meant I had to cannibalize the batteries in my flash.
11) More equipment issues: Oh yeah, the tent... more bad news... Somehow, the fly didn't cover the tent properly in the rain, so the tent leaked water inside the tent during each rain. And it rained EVERY DAY. MORE about that in a fun post.
12) More equipment issues: OKAY, next time, ILJ, MUST BRING SLIMJIMS!! Oh yeah, and Gatorade packets.
13) Even MORE equipment issues: Could NOT find my sunblock, so got sunburned INCREDIBLY.

But hey... the camera worked beautifully. And I didn't lose my NASCAR sunglasses. And most importantly, I brought over a brand new tent. Will use it for the next survey. And you know, I loved every step up the way (well, maybe NOT climbing up that burned out mountain).

The three short stories I have to write up are entitled: "The Rainmaker," "Two Meters," and "The Pirogue."

ILJ: Not only did I climb hills that make the vicious hills seem like mole hills, but one of the hills had a path that was COMPLETELY the consistency of beach sand. AWFUL!!

More later,
Lavabe

[Lavabe]

A pirogue is a small, maybe 25-foot long Malagasy boat that sort of resembles an East African dhow. They are used for shuttling goods and people across relatively short distances, and for all intents and purposes, are not unlike the bush-taxis, just less crowded.

So as we neared the end of hiking 60 km in 48 hours, we set our goals to arrive at the southern end of Cap d'Ambre, to grab a pirogue that would take us across the bay to Diego (Antsiranana). The alternative would be to hike another 28km to catch a bush taxi, that might get us into Diego in a matter of some 9-10 hours. So, we had to leave Morafenobe early in the morning. This involved tearing down tent at 615AM, prepping our bags, and leaving by 7AM to catch the pirogue to Diego by 8 or so. This is not a long hike. It would be no more than about 4 or 5 km. Anyway, I downed my morning nausea-inducing antimalarial pill (a.k.a. doxycycline), filled up my water bottle, and we all said good-byes to the gracious people of Morafenobe. Then came a new pleasure in hiking. 7AM, temps in the upper 80s, high humidity from the downpour the night before, and, a sandy path that had turned to the perfect consistency of hiking trouble. Every two steps taken added about three pounds of mud to the sandals. The tackiness was almost too perfect to believe. I soon learned the kick-step technique of mud removal while on a fast pace.

About two-thirds of the route was in forest, so we came across at least four crowned lemur groups, based on their long calls. It didn't matter. We had to get the pirogue. The route was quite fast, and we arrived in time, but the pirogue was not there. At the bottom of the hill was a little hut, and a woman who was preparing the wood to smoke-cure some fish. She ran the little snack bar there, and soon got me a nice warm rehydration drink (a.k.a. Coca-Cola). Warm Coca-Cola is a GREAT drink after a fast hike.

The snack bar had a great view of the bay, all the way to Diego. While waiting, we could see the pirogue slowly make its progress. It eventually got to our side, anchored down, and positioned itself for more passengers. It was now about 830AM.

My guide then made the fatal mistake of telling me: "Don't worry. It's safe."

I hadn't thought it wasn't safe... until he said that. US Lavabe kicked in gear in my head.

Oh, did I say there was no plank to walk on board? That's right... you walk into about three feet of water, then hoist yourself onto the boat, and find a spot to sit. By the way, the mud was still caked onto my hiking sandals. Inside of 15 minutes, the crew of four pushed us away, using poles to guide us out into deeper water, wherein they started the outboard motor. Great going! Very fast!

And then they cut the engine, and hoisted the sail ... IN A PLACE THAT HAD NO WIND. Even with the crew's paddling, we made about 10 yards progress in the first hour after the motor cut. And we were in the middle of Diego bay, with the sun rising, and NO MOTOR. And the crew was using paddles. For a pirogue carrying eight or nine passengers. And just when you thought it couldn't get worse...

Drip, drip, drip.

Yep. I started noticing that near my feet, there was water seeping through the bottom of the boat. Oh yeah. Stuck in Diego bay, on a frickin' pirogue, with the drip, drip, drip, and a beaming sun. And then when you thought it couldn't get worse...

My student who came along with me started a loud conversation with the woman across from me. No one else was talking. The looks I saw on everyone else on the boat were not unlike those I experienced on the MARTA bus and train during my Atlanta morning commute. The looks said: don't talk on public transport. You know the look. It's the look of anger. And I have to say, the Malagasy don't show that look. They pride themselves in their tolerance and patience. You roll with things. Moramora! I believe, however, we have found one of the few human behavioral universals.

At that point, however, US Lavabe and Madagascar Lavabe started having a conversation in my head. Madagascar Lavabe pleaded to keep patient. Fortunately, Madagascar Lavabe won out. And very soon, one of the crew started scooping out the water. Over the course of 20 minutes the water level in the boat lowered a little bit. As it would rise, they scooped out more water. Fortunately the drip didn't last much longer. It did come back later, but not for more than 20 minutes.

After 90 minutes of making about 20 yards of progress against the tide in NO wind, they started up the motor. It worked. We gained speed, and caught a breeze for about a mile. Once they caught the breeze, however, they cut the engine.

Umm, I think I heard they ran out of fuel.

And my student was still talking with the woman.

So now we bobbed and weaved in the bay for another 90 minutes, making maybe another 100 yards of progress, maximum. US Lavabe was starting to make some sense, but Madagascar Lavabe was still winning the argument in my head. And then the crew started paddling us in the direction of Diego. As they did, something horrible appeared up front, and it had a horrible noise.

It was, I guess, a Liberian ship that was steaming out of Diego, and headed directly at us as we bobbed and weaved.

Okay, that fear lasted about 15 minutes until our crew straightened us away from the tanker. The tanker passed about 150 meters away from us. We caught another breeze, and in the matter of about 30 minutes we were able to arrive in Diego. It was done after 3 hours 38 minutes.

Moral of the story: My guide was right. Oh yeah, and I believe we've found another fun way to travel in Madagascar. And NEVER talk on public transportation.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Great story Lavabe. Just curious, is the water warm and how much traffic is in the bay? Are there lots of big tankers?

[cl15876]

Lavabe- I too loved your adventure and was on the edge of my seat with every turn.... I especially felt your concern while in the boat while up to your ankles in water.... OMG, then a huge barge like figure coming at you, OMG.... HOOOOONNNNNKKKKKKKKKK...... glad your gondola drivers weren't deaf and blind, but imagine they turned in time to ride the wave..... into shore! That must have been outrageously fun, and then I can imagine you jumping out saying, "thank you lord.... as you kissed the ground", I am soo happy to be here.... while all the natives observed as you embraced each one... no wonder they love you.... you are soo happy to see them every time! Glad you made it and the positive talking head, prevailed! I'll remember not to speak loudly on public transportation, however, I do project well. It is kind of like the thing... "guys really shouldn't talk in the bathroom", the unspoken rule! I loved your universal observation! Too bad you couldn't play with your lemurs before catching that ride over the bay, but glad you are safe! Keep them coming, this was great!

[Lavabe]

I've had the name "Lavabe" (pronounced lava-BAY; meaning: really tall guy) for a LONG time. The taxi-brousse (bush taxi) drivers tried to give me the moniker "Vazahankomba" (foreigner/lemur), and some tried to stick me with "Deux Meter" (2 meters). No one has been able to stick me with "Vazaha," the traditional word for foreigner, which EVERY kid knows from early on. Kids point and yell "vazaha" all the time, but I very rarely get it now. Nope, Lavabe it is.

Well, there is the other tall American lemur researcher, another Duke grad, who is also 6'7", and he too is known as "Lavabe." I guess I'm the original Lavabe. I can go into a remote village, and the translation will proceed normally, but as soon as I hear "Lavabe," there's usually a pleasant change in tone of conversation.

Lately, however, a new name has been given to me. You see, in 2004 and 2009, I came here during the dry season, roughly May - August. During this time of year, one rarely gets any rain whatsoever. Mt. d'Ambre's east side may catch some rain, but not many other places will get wet. It gets dry. The savannah quickly turns from green to tan. Deciduous trees drop their leaves. Everything gets dry. It looks like the Arizona desert in some areas.

During 2004 and 2009, the rain has come with me. I went up to the Cap d'Ambre, the point furthest north in Madagascar. What happened? Rain at night, rain during the day, rain at night. We're not talking puny rain; we're talking high winds, driving rain, and just a thorough drenching, even while hiking. It makes you constantly moist, with no hope of drying out. It's a permanent cruddy feeling. You hope that no rain gets inside the bags containing sensitive electronics. You hope for no mud.

The rain is treasured by local farmers, whose lives depend on it. Upon arriving at the northernmost town of Zengitra, my guide told me that perhaps I should be called "The Rainmaker." It seems as though every time I come to Madagascar, it rains. The month of June is more like the month of January. The baobabs are still in bloom, well past their normal end of bloom in April or May.

Put it another way, when we stopped in another small town and talked with its mayor, he stated that I was welcome to come back ANY time I wanted to, as I brought rain to the farms in both years. Apparently, I also brought the rain that stopped a nasty bush fire.

So the next time you need to put out a drought, just call me... your little ol' rainmaker.

NAH... I still prefer "Lavabe."

[Lavabe]

I will be leaving for the west of Mt. d'Ambre on Wednesday, and will hopefully be incommunicado for a week. All red tape issues are cleared up. I just need to find a site where I can conduct good behavioral studies of primates over the next 20 years. Hopefully it will be drier than where I was in the Cap d'Ambre. Lots of rice, beef, fish, and greens in the diet. I had thought there was some overlap with a British conservation group over here, but it is not really that bad. The university and everyone wants me to do good research, so off I'll go. We'll take a bush taxi to one central town, and then we'll hike extensively as far west as the Mozambique Channel. I'll be using my new tent, my new sandals, and a few gadgets.

I've been posting pictures up on my facebook site.
Cheers,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

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Re: Post 6000.1

Sent: July 6th, 2009, 1:32 pm
From: Lavabe
To: CameronBornAndBred devildeac

CameronBornAndBred wrote:I wish I knew where it was coming from. I'm asuming it's from our webhost, and unfortunately I have no control over that. I've looked up and down our built in security controls and I see nothing. It's weird you can PM. Bright side, at least you can do that.


I really appreciate you doing that CBaB. I AM also glad I can PM (and hey... maybe some folks can pad their post counts by posting my notes by proxy). I was able to post this morning from Housseni.com, using my laptop, but the connection became REALLY slow (20 minutes to get past the login page).

Cheers,
Ben

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Lavabe
Full Time Student at PWing school
Full Time Student at PWing school

Posts: 532
Joined: April 8th, 2009, 7:02 pm
Location: Madagascar

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