With the start of week 2 comes the challenges. Our first challenge was that of speed PIT’s. Me and my dive buddy Nick (later to be known to ourselves as the ‘Dream Team’) were first up. We’d managed to pass our out- and in-water tests and completed our individual training PIT’s. As we were the first 2 that had reached this point, we were paired together to do speed PIT’s. Little did we know how daunting this challenge would be. A speed PIT involves doing 3 single PIT’s in a 45 minute dive. As easy as it may sound, it becomes a real challenge when you spend 15 minutes searching for a dive site that you were certain was in ‘that direction’, swimming behind a small motorboat underwater and gulping down half a tank of air (Nick, not me – I don’t breath underwater), then finally searching for the mythical stakes. Our first one was a complete mess and me (and Nick) being the perfectionists we are – got angry because we didn’t manage it as we assumed we would. The next day we did our second speed PIT and just didn’t make it. We were given Carte Blanche the next diving day so we could gather our thoughts for our last and final attempt and finally on the third day of attempting our speed PIT’s, we nailed it. At the end of the expedition we could do 6 single PITs and a fish belt each between the two of us. As we had now completed the first step of science training – we were told to start learning and identifying 150 species of fish.
During this week I had brought myself a hammock from the Women’s Association. It truly was the most magnificent gift I could give myself in Andavadoaka. It was expertly strung up on the porch but Georgie’s capable hands. This is where I would observe the inhabitants of Hut 1 (Georgie, Sally, Hannah) with their Instructor (Kim) do their afternoon exercise routine while Lauren barked orders and selected music appropriate to such routines. This is where my dives were logged and a large amount of thinking took place while staring over half moon beach. I made some important realisations in that hammock. I realised that this was to be my life – that diving, whether it be for conservation or teaching reasons, was going to be a major component. I also realised that I was bitten by the travel bug, and that this was only the first stop. I knew then that the man I would marry would be met on my journeys and would have the same passions as I do. I also realised that in my lifetime, I would make Madagascar my home.We started official Malagasy lessons this week and although I will not go into depth with regard to these – I will say that I would love to speak Malagasy fluently. It is such a beautifully confused language.This is a challenge I have set myself for when I go to live in that country. What a strange, emotive language and also so simply structured.
Right, so this week we were to go to Lamboura (a little village down south) for Spider Tortoise monitoring. It was a 2 hour pirogue ride down there. This was not a highlight of my expedition because as a scholar in field surveying, I did not see much worth in it. We arrived in Lamboura and were welcomed by experiences that would need several adjustments. We stayed in the president’s compound. There were 2 double beds and a piece of concrete. Sally, Georgie, Hannah and I eventually opted to all share one of them (with Sal using a chair as an extension – darn giant), while Trev slept snugly in his own and Sean and Goff and our pirogue sailors slept outside on the sails. Having arrived there early in the morning we spent the day trying to organise our sleeping configurations and escaping the heat. It was unbearably hot compared to home (as we lovingly referred to Andavadoaka) so we remained motionless until it was time to go and survey. In this time, we were told that the toilets were a 15 minute walk away, which was exactly the same distance away as the boundary of the Spiny Forest. Putting 2 and 2 together, we opted for forcing our bowels to hold out for 2 days until we got home. There was a traditional Malagasy toilet in the corner of our yard. Let me describe a traditional Malagasy toilet – a piece of concrete, with a teeny tiny drainage hole... note to self, beware the splash back!!! After getting over this small shock we were told it was time to go and monitor. The survey took us into the Spiny Forest. We walked for approximately an hour before reaching our GPS points. The survey consisted of walking in a straight line for 100m searching for spider tortoises in your transect. We only surveyed 6 areas which to me seemed like a rather small sample size and not really a proper indication of a population BUT I humoured them anyway...while cursing under my breath. 36 degrees Celcius at 4 pm – it was hot. We were also being eaten alive by mosquitos despite, what we thought, our very carefully planned repellent application. We completed 2 sites out that side and made our way back to the compound at dark. Because it is against Malagasy culture on the smaller villages to prance around in your bikinis, we waited until it was dark and went and lay in the shallow water to have a bit of a rinse. This was in the mouth of the bay, so images of bull sharks were racing through my mind – this I mentioned to the girls and I am certain it was around that time we decided to exit the water. The next day was the same story – although it involved a trip across the bay to the other side of Lamboura. We found a fair amount of tortoises here and spirits were lifted. I won’t be going into too much detail as it’s not something I remember clearly. I do however, recall that we found something like 42 tortoises which was higher than the previous count. Success!!!! We stayed again for another night and as the sun rose, we were on the pirogues and heading back for breakfast. Upon arrival at Half Moon Beach, we all thanked our higher powers, hugged the sand and were extremely grateful to be home. Breakfast was waiting and as they say hunger is the best chef...ever!
A crazy week culminated in what would be a party night that went down in the history books. Our cross dressing party night! We each selected a name from a hat, of a volunteer of the opposite sex, and these were to be our alter egos. Not only were we to dress like them, but to act like them too. Naturally the men did not need to be forced to put on dresses, as we are all well aware that they secretly enjoy this small pleasure. I cannot even begin to describe the debauchery that ensued. I will however award and Oscar to Lauren for the most brilliant impersonation of Nick, to Hannah for the best impersonation of Sean and to Sean, for the worst South African accent I have ever heard! Congratulations and may you continue to prosper! Until next week...
