Tuesday: Monkeys & Lemurs

At night, the sun goes down slowly, and as it does, the lions start roaring back and forth to each other. And so far, it lasts fairly long into the early evening, so last night, as I lay in bed, I listened to the roaring like it was a lullaby. And in the morning, the chorus begins again. I get up early and for many of the lions, I am the first person they see so many talk to me. It is exciting and I love it.

Today, Tuesday, as I write this, I am sitting on my patio (with diet coke!) and it is raining, there is thunder and lighting, it is windy and I am toasty warm and dry under my thatched patio roof. I love these storms after a hot, hot dry day. It is happy hour time and I couldn’t be happier.

Yesterday set a daily attendance record here at Ukutula. It was the first official holiday of summer and so it was busy, but we hardly noticed. Today, there is no one so I am eating alone on my patio table which has been nicely set.

At ten this morning, I went to the monkey reserve about a 40 minute drive from here with Jim and Lisa and their four very young, (17 – 23) very heterosexual males (talking cars, buying knives, craving junk food), plus a driver the same age and inclination. It was an experience to be part of a group of vocal Americans. They are all from Long Island and very, very kind to me.

The best parts of the monkey reserve were a smart little capuchin that was on and off everyone and reaching into everyone’s pockets looking for things to steal and the lemurs. I had really wanted to go to Madagascar on this trip but it is the rainy season, like here, and there are dangers, so I thought I might never see any living “free” (in a sanctuary).

They have red/orange eyes, these ones, and are very noisy eaters. All the animals in the Bush Baby Sanctuary are rescue animals. Do not ask about their stories; I plugged my ears.

We also went to a market, which was not a great idea although I did pick up some little knickknacks, as I am wont to do. But the negotiating and the pestering drove me out quickly.

The massive and thin lightning rods are swaying in the wind gusts. Rain is teeming down, and stunning clear blue sky in 10 minutes away.

My fabulous new camera let me take a picture of one of the red dragon flies that live around the crocodile pond here. I figured out how to use the 40X feature. Mmmmmm!

Cedric (my name for him) the capuchin who was our indigenous host. 

Cedric grabbing my camera. 

Lemure above and below. 

I love this photo. 

My 65th was Dec. 4th. He feels my pain. 

 Cedric, relaxing, at the end of our trip. I have always had a real passion for animals and this trip was about touching them and not looking at them from trucks as I did last year. They know they can trust me. They can feel the love. My love of animals has been the primary passion of my life, I think.