Two PC friends were visiting and they managed to go to Nosy Mangabe and Masoala. Rachel said their trip was “four of my most incredible days yet”. Just phenomenal! Had to keep pinching herself to see if it was real. They had great weather; took a boat to Nosy Mangabe - 2 nights. Sitting on the beach, they saw a mother and baby whale breech. There have apparently been fewer whales sighted this year, so they were really lucky to see them. Rachel also said that white-fronted brown lemurs stole tomatoes from their packs.

On a hike on the island, they found a Berkize (?) chameleon, so small it can sit on your thumbnail. Also frogs the size of a pea. Went on a nocturnal hike. Saw leaftail geckos - can change colors like a chameleon; can lick eyeballs since no eyelids. If a bird catches it, it releases its tail.

On the boat ride to Masaola, they came very close to two pods of humpback whales. A pair turned on sides and showed fins. Also a pair of dolphins.

Saw a pair of red-ruffed lemurs. The orchids are blooming. Saw a rare one that Darwin wrote about - predicted existence of a moth that wasn’t discovered until 14 years later.

Rachel returned to her village after the friends left. She took the taxi-brousse and was able to talk to a girl her age on the way back. Rachel found that her fence had been knocked down again by someone trying to avoid the pothole that is still there, but otherwise all was well. Some of “her” kids saw that she was in the taxi-brousse and so all the kids came running. They immediately wanted to get back to “business as usual”, i.e., playing with her fish cards, looking at “boky” and playing with Trader Joe’s balloons.