Looking for Lemurs or Komba Cruising

When we looked at the itinerary for this cruise, we found places we had never heard of and thought this was a positive sign offering new insights and adventures. Mayotte, French Comoros, qualified as an unknown destination. Part of a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte is a French protectorate while its neighboring islands are independent. Tourism is the main industry of the island, second is the export of essences used in fine perfumes.

We cast anchor surrounded by lovely green islands. We took the tender to town to wander the market filled with clothing, household goods and wonderful produce and spices. We were impressed with how clean the market and streets are. The country is primarily Moslem but most of the women wear colorful dresses and scarves. Only a few are fully covered.

We then took a van tour of the small botanical garden; a perfume still (yes, just like the stills used to make illegal whiskey) formerly owned by Guerlain and a resort whose resident lemurs captured our attention. We learned that the still takes about 50 kilograms of flowers and distills them down to about a pint of oil that is the basis of perfume. We were told that the pint sells for about 200 euros. After meeting and photographing a number of lemurs, we returned to the ship for travel to our next destination.

The next morning, our view of the early anchorage off Nosy (Island) Be (Big), Madagascar was filled with handmade fishing boats, dugout canoes and catamarans floating on the beautiful quiet blue sea. We boarded our tender to Nosy Be where we descended rotting iron steps to get on a boat with a motor desperately in need of an overhaul then onto a small craft towed to the beach of Nosy Kombo (Island of Lemurs).

The village consists of rock, root and dirt trails from the beach that meander up hill to lush vegetation. Lining the trail were shops selling embroidered linen, baskets, vanilla and wooden masks. Children and young women wearing colorful clothing and white makeup sang and clapped.

At the end of the village, lemurs filled a tree grove. The brown ones are female and the darker ones are male. Anna Lee touched the tail of one lemur and reported that it was very soft. This group is accustomed to humans and expect fruit offerings. The lemurs are wide spread throughout the island and many farmers consider them pests who eat the crops.

We also saw vivid green chamaeleons, large turtles and boa constrictors. Our quest for animals was satisfying and our visit this village quite an experience.

We are posting this report half-way around the world from our home, as far as we travel on this voyage and we still have the other half to do.