Week 10:
Jackfruit Feeding Frenzy

July 26, 2019

This week was more of the same with the Prelemur Simus team, one Follow each day. On Thursday the lemur we were following in the East 2 group joined with individuals from the North-West 1 group and some Varecia lemurs (Black and White Ruffed Lemurs) to eat at a Jackfruit tree! It is very unusual to see these two lemur species together, but the Jackfruits are ripening now and the lemurs go from tree to tree and eat the ripe ones. The Greater Bamboo Lemurs are smaller than the Black and White Ruffed Lemurs and waited for them to be finished at the Jackfruit tree before moving in to have their turn at the fruit.

Today Evan and I went to Mananjary. We got a ride with the same taxi brusse as last time, I think it goes to Mananjary every Saturday. We finally found the store that Pamela was talking about that has American snacks, (it helped that this time we had a hand-drawn map from Pamela)! I got a snickers bar, some peanut m&ms, a Twix bar, and some Nutella breakfast bar things. Evan saw some blow spouts off in the distance when we went to the beach, I did not see them, but Evan has slightly better eyesight than me. We got some Lambuanis, the traditional fabric worn by women as skirts and wraps.

We had lunch at two different places because the first place we went to did not have much, and I did not want to eat fish. So Evan had fish, and I had pizza. It is not like pizza in America, but it was good anyway.

Evan and I have been watching a tree near the dining hut at KAFS that has some odd-looking fruit growing on it. We asked what they are, but Dominique doesn’t know what it would be called in English. Walking through the market in Mananjary, though, we found one of the same fruit for sale! So Evan and I had to get it and see what it was. We cut it open after I finished my pizza, and it was an unusual experience. The fruit was sweet yet tart, like an apple, but the consistency was like mushy spaghetti squash. Evan and I ate way too much of the fruit, but it was delicious, and we could not stop ourselves.

Compared to what we had for lunch, dinner at KAFS was disappointing. The noodles got cooked a little too long, and they melted in your mouth.

The new volunteers have not arrived yet tonight. I remember we arrived around 8 pm, and they might get here around the same time. Olivia, Patrica, and I have made some room in our tent sight to accommodate one volunteer. I don’t know where the others will go. Fredo said at breakfast that it is 3 girls and 2 boys. There should be room for the 2 boys in the boy’s tent hut, but the other girl’s sight is full. I don’t know where the 2 girls will set up their tents until we leave.
Next week we are training again, it is not too bad, but it can get tedious after a bit. I don’t have unlimited patience for humans like I do with animals. I hope that Sam is a fast learner!

The volunteers just arrived. They are probably exhausted and do not want to socialize much tonight, so I will talk to them tomorrow. Fredo is taking them up to the tent sites so they can get their stuff put away before they eat. Tomorrow they will have a kind of orientation day where they will be shown around the camp more and told the rules and such. Emily, Carol, Laura-Bethia, and Jessica want to go into town for the market day tomorrow. However, since I went to Mananjary today, I don’t think I will go.