River Dancing Lemurs Part 2

PART 2

Dustin and I finally had a weekend off together and I longed to show him part of Africa outside the port city. The port city is still poverty stricken, without a doubt, but I wanted to get into the countryside that is more of a reflection of “real life” in Africa. I wanted to be out and about where our patients live. We boarded a wooden motor boat with 12 other Mercy Ship’s crew members. We knew some of them, others we did not, but it didn’t matter. We were told the trip would take around 4 hours and I just prayed I would not get seasickness. Our final destination was the famous Palmarium Reserve, the home for lemurs in the wild in Madagascar, but I was more excited about the boat trip! 

We started out down the Pangalanes Canal, a canal system in Madagascar that contains a series of interconnected lakes and runs parallel to the Indian Ocean. Our guide shared the history of the canal, being a man-made canal, but honestly, I was too distracted by all the activity along the canal to remember the details he shared. Thanks Wikipedia for filling in the details”… the canal is 410 miles long, the canal was started in 1896, work continued all the way to after World War II with some renovation even into the 1980s…”

It was beautiful, the hustle and bustle along the jungle green shoreline. Kids enjoying a swim or bath time together. They looked so content and happy. I tried not to think about the diseases in the water.  Beautiful caramel colored mamas doing laundry in the murky water. Men checking their fishing nets along the waterway. Huts scattered along the countryside. Adorable babies! Zebu in the brush and getting a drink out of the water. Another thing I tried not to think about, the animals going to the bathroom in the water, and then people drinking the water. Men in dug-out canoes filled to the brim with sand. The men would dive down under the water and then pop back up again with a jerry can full of sand. Apparently, the sand in the bottom of the canal was best for building houses. I heard giggling around a tree line and saw two kids “sledding” down the sandy dirt hill laughing with such pure laughter my heart was SO full. There were men chopping bamboo in the shallows and building rafts. Barges stuffed with produce, coal, sugar, and supplies floated past us. We waved with enthusiasm to the workers and local people strewn atop the supplies having a rest. We saw a large group of people gathered on the shore and I asked our guide what was happening. It was too calm for a joyous situation, there wasn’t dancing and whooping.  I quickly assessed the situation and told my friends, “It’s a funeral, it’s a funeral, put your cameras DOWN!” I saw two bodies lying at the shoreline wrapped in leaves and sheets. I said a silent prayer for the village. I am always torn between really wanting photos of life happening near us, and not wanting to be seen as a tourist just taking pictures. But, I knew those taking pictures must put the camera down the moment I sensed the solemn event. We continued along the canal with others waving and smiling. 

We were told we had the opportunity to stop at a village along the way and get out to stretch. I was SO excited! I had seen things like this before, but Dustin never had. We were greeted with enthusiasm as the local village women surrounded us with necklaces and bracelets they had made and were hoping to sell. Some were made with fruit seeds. The guide told us if we needed to use the bathroom, we could use “nature.” Dustin informed me his stomach was upset and he NEEDED a toilet. I quietly asked the tour guide where he suggested someone go “caca.” I chose that word as that’s what the interpreters on the ship say when they translate to ask my patient’s if they’ve gone “number 2.” The guide looked at me and said, “Do you need to go caca?” I said, well, yes, we NEED a toilet. Dustin’s stomach had been causing ruckus over the past few weeks. I told the translator, we would pay. The tour guide led my friends through the huts in the village and we saw the beautiful view of the ocean. What a blessing this village had of the canal access and ocean access. I forgot the Indian Ocean was just beyond the jungle green. We crossed some train tracks and the guide noted the train actually comes through bringing supplies at times. Although we were mighty remote, there was still some import and access. Dustin was not as near fascinated with the scenery as he NEEDED the toilet and informed me it may be too late. I assured him, I asked and would support him in any manner I could. My friends got fresh coconuts and adorable children followed along. I wanted to sit in the village forever and embrace the simplicity of life there. The guide told us to follow him and we wandered down the sandy paths weaving through little huts with thatched roofs. There was a make shift store that apparently had a generator as they had a little freezer. We arrived at a house with a woven fence and the guide said they had a toilet. We walked down a narrow fenced area toward an outhouse. Dustin’s eyes looked HUGE like he had a medical condition or thyroid problem and his eyes were going to pop out of his head. I just assured him I would help me. I held his hand. We went under a giant tree and I thought I was stepping over part of the stump, and then realized my mistake, it was 2 giant turtles. This place was SO cool. Dustin was not sharing my sentiments at all. I prayed quietly prayed for his strength and stomach. We were left in private by the toilet, which we were honored to be able to use. It was a humble raised outhouse made from sticks and woven materials. The fence surrounding it was not a privacy proof fence and I saw the locals staring at me. I asked Dustin if he wanted me to go in the outhouse with him, he said for sure. I shamelessly went in it with him and took a picture of him with it. I asked him if he wanted me to go first. He said, “Oh, you need to go, too?” I said, “Well, we are here, so why not.” I am not near as skilled in the squat and hit a hole as I used to be and if you don’t control your bladder flow; your shoes are wet by the end of the process. Just random information for those that may find themselves in this situation in the future.  He looked at me with disbelief that I still intended him to use this hole in the ground for his stomach emergency. We did not have any other option and I told him how blessed we were to have someone give us access to their private toilet and it was likely the nicest in the village of 300 people. I told him, not ideal, but he could just plop his bum down in the hole and we’d figure it out from there. I told him I would help use the bucket to rinse the toilet when he was done. I gave him my stash of Kleenex and napkins for toilet paper and also told him, when you need to, sometimes, you just have to stick a pile of the paper in your crack and clean it up later. Not some of my fonder memories of Africa, but you do what you have to do. I stepped outside and hoped to find the two turtles to take a picture. They were very fast turtles, but I found one for a photo. 

Dustin came out of the toilet shortly after and I assured him I would help him wash his clothing or whatever was needed when we made it to our next destination. I gave him a handful of hand sanitizer, we thanked the homeowners, and then we searched for the rest of the group. We found our friends near the ocean. I was in heaven. I asked Dustin if he was feeling like he was in Hades. He was definitely not in heaven. The cute little kids in the village came up to Dustin and my friend, Sheli and grabbed their hands. They wanted to hold hands and swing. Dustin was not really into this either. But I captured a few pictures. The kids were happy. We passed a weary hut and then saw a USAID sign on the hut. This village was blessed enough to have a local clinic. The clinic was closed, but our tour guide said he knew who held the key in the village. The tour guide left us for a few moments and then returned with someone to open the clinic. I reveled at the clinic’s humbleness, much like things I had seen in West Africa. I saw the malaria prevention, abuse prevention, and vaccination public health notices. It was a humble start, but making a difference. 

We trekked along in the village and got to see the one room school house. We were coming out of the school house and I turned around, my friend was holding a beautiful baby! A proper little baby! I melted. Forget the lemurs; this is what I came for! I used charades and received the mom’s approval to hold the baby! I was in pure heaven! Dustin smiled for the photo with me, but declined holding the child. It’s okay, I didn’t want to share the baby with anyone else anyway. Our guide told us we needed to get back in the boat to head onto the lemur reserve. I told him to leave me there and come back for me the next day. They told me I had to come with them. Bummer.

We continued to make our way up the canal and it opened into a large lake. It was lovely. There was shade on the boat and a gentle breeze to keep us cool. Thankfully, I was not seasick at all. Only baby sick. I have never had an ache for my own children, as many women do, but I sure love other people’s children and especially those that have dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or mocha colored skin. I wanted to go back to the village with the kids and baby! After another hour, we arrived to our location. I joked that it looked like a location for the TV show Survivor. It really did. We were warmly welcomed to the reserve and given a glass of “Welcome Juice.” It was non-alcoholic and tasted lovely and was a warm gesture of hospitality, but I couldn’t help but chuckle as in my head, the term “Welcome Juice” sort of came out in a voice that was a little creepy like in Hansel and Gretel or something. There was a canopy of trees all around us and then we saw them, jumping through the trees. The lemurs! My friend was SO happy she squealed and had tears of joy running down her face. She just wanted to hug and touch all the lemurs. She really wanted one to touch her and sit on her shoulder, although we were warned not to let them sit on us as they are wild animals and carry rabies. She shrieked with glee and yelled, “I love you guys and Jesus loves you so much he made you!” To the lemurs! It was hilarious. I am not an animal person by any means, but it was fantastic to witness her excitement. We made our way to our bungalow and saw some giant turtles. One turtle was rather aggressive and corning another turtle. I thought it was being such a bully and should back off. Then in front of my eyes, I saw the other turtle jump on top of the other one it was chasing and heard turtle shells clanking together. We turned off our camera and stepped away from the private moment. It was a very distinctive sound though and I still hear it echoing in my head. God sure made all the creatures in this world unique. 

We sat on our porch for a minute chatting with some of my new dear friends. I so wanted to go into the pristine water to cool off, but had already been warned of the parasite Schistosomiasis being present in the fresh water, so chose not to expose myself to the parasite infection. Normally, you are told to avoid slow moving water, murky water, or such, but in Africa, the fast moving water can get you, the slow moving water has its own burden of disease, and pristine lake water with snails carries Schistosomiasis. Darned if you do, darned if you don’t! It can cause terrible symptoms from fevers, itching, diarrhea, to eventually seizures, bladder cancer, and confusion if the parasite eggs reach the brain. NO thank you! On that note, just say a prayer for the health for Dustin and me. I sure was far more naïve to these risks in my 20’s and then I obtained my diploma in tropical nursing and YIKES! We take all preventative measures possible to sustain our health, but life here is not without risk. 

Back to relaxing on the porch. My friend sat in a hammock and Dustin fell asleep in the chair. Next thing I knew, a lemur jumped up on the railing behind Dustin and started scurrying up the rafters. I thought it may poop on me, so I moved aside. Then I saw it disappear. No way, I said, that lemur just snuck into our bungalow! It sure appeared the bungalow was critter proof, but apparently not. I sure prayed that we would NOT get a night time visit from one of those critters. I was okay seeing them from a distance, but didn’t want to see one in my room at night. Dustin opened the door to our bungalow and caught the little lemur hanging upside down on the mosquito net holder. Dustin joked, those aren’t mosquito nets, those are lemur nets! We chased the lemur out of our bungalow and met up with the rest of our friends. They were jealous that the lemurs had been so close to us and in our bungalow. I assured them, I did not want them that close to me and they all wished they had a lemur visit. 

We embarked on another little boat and took a 20 minute sail in the dark to a private island where the nocturnal lemurs, the aye aye, live. Creepy little long fingered creatures with thin spiky hair, big eyes, and rodent like teeth. They have especially long middle fingers to catch grubs and larve out of tree trunks or dig out the coconut cream in a coconut. They even eat upside down. We watched the little creatures for over 20 minutes and it was fascinating. We then walked back to the boat and I hoped we would stumble upon snakes, spiders, or other creeping creatures out there in the dark. I glanced up at the sky and it was the purest glimpse of the stars and Milky Way Galaxy I had seen in years. No light pollution, fantastic creation! If I had not been so tired, I would have just stared at the stars forever.

It had been a long day and I was thankful for a cool shower and settled into bed. I tucked a light sheet around me and prayed for no night time visits from the lemurs! But you already know how that turned out! Stay tuned for PART 3 of the River Dancing Lemurs Adventure.