Tana 28/01/16 – Last day

A bitter-sweet day. The end of an absolutely fantastic experience, a goodbye to wonderful new friends (human and animal) and a farewell to the enduring spirit of Africa. But, we get to see loved ones again, our dog and cats and good friends.

We went to see the younger dogs at Animal S.O.S. one last time and they were all there except Kaya who had been adopted (yay!). All of the dogs were looking bigger and healthier, little Gemma had almost doubled in size and tiny Storm was a lot less tiny with a smoother coat. Foxie ( the most neglected and injured) was looking great and the big wound on her side was all but gone.. She was yapping the most as usual although Eben had grown more confident and was in close 2nd. Steph the ball-crazy Dachshund was back in daycare…still ball-besotted and Nosey was sporting a new bandage following de-sexing.

Carlena had laid it all on for lunch and the food was scrumptious, the company completely entertaining as always (-:

On our way back to the hotel this afternoon, we stopped by at the offices of Madablue – the company that organised our 2 week tour following our volunteer work with Carlina. We felt we had to personally thank this group of dedicated individuals who had prepared such an exciting, varied and safe experience for us. From the first day Mamy (our driver/ guide) arrived spot on time and helped us through the language barrier encountered while settling our pre-tour hotel bill and he was always on time every time we arranged to meet up. He also facilitated every time we entered a national park or historical area, making sure that we understood all terms of entry and that we were charged the correct fees. Madablue provided us with a loan, pre-loaded mobile phone programmed with all their numbers and always responded quickly and efficiently to any phone and text queries we had along the route. Our itinerary and all hotel and tour vouchers were presented to us in a neat folder, again with all important contact details should we have any queries or emergencies. The company also made sure that all hosts were made aware of our dietary requirements – many of whom took pleasure in creating special, delicious menus just for us.

We got to see many of the iconic Madagascan treasures – various species of lemurs, tortoises, snakes and chameleons, the beautiful baobabs, the rainforest, the beaches and the skilled and resourceful farmers and craftspeople. The ever-changing terrain, The ginormous wind and water carved massifs and the looming granite boulders.

Madablue, thank you for taking such good care of us, for your personal warmth and exceptional attention to detail and for showing us your beautiful country in the finest way possible. As far as we are concerned, you are the biggest gem here and should my daughters have their honeymoons here, we will call on you again (-: until next time….Au revoir