Jozani

We went yesterday to the jozani forest to see the red corabus monkeys (SP?).  We were all alone with the guide, the full tour went to a spice farm in the morning, so had opted to rest or shop in the afternoon. 

The spice farm was a blend of magical exotic things and that's in my backyard moments.  I got to see a nutmeg nut, and a guy demonstrated the lipstick tree, and another guy climbed a palm singing (they call the palm climbers butterflies) and I made a palm bracelet. 

In the afternoon we took off to jozani.  It rained the whole way there and cleared as soon as we got there.  We walked around looking at mahogany trees and heard a hornbill.  Then we headed to the monkeys. They do not like sweet foods so were eating young guava and other fruits. 

There was a whole big family grouping, maybe 20 monkeys who were eating. They got within a few metres of me, eating, sitting in the branches right above our heads.  Then another big grouping came up so they started to move on. 

We moved on as well to the road where yet another family group crossed the road right in front of us.  They loped across, adults looked both ways before crossing the street, some of the babies freaked out, and yet  more mothers loaded their small babies on their bellies and then took off across.  

Then we hung out on this board walk that reminds me of the Brisbane river walk.  Checking out mangroves and crabs. 

But on the way there we saw the sign for tthis turtle reserve.  It was new and a little dodgy but also pretty cool.  They had a semi commercial fish farm so started by showing us the fish.  Then sea turtles, rescues they rerelease when they are ready to breed but keep until maturity. 

You could hand feed them which was really cool and he let us hold one which was also really cool but maybe I shouldn't have.  Then some land turtles and a constrictor which we also got to hold and was also maybe bad.  And then giant land turtles who you got to scritch their heads and they really seemed to like it, they lifted their heads and all up to it. So cool, but I wish they'd had a disinfectant station for before.  And after.  It was a cool place tho and they're just starting. 

Ok then back through the rain and tapas for dinner and wine and running back splashing with the guide in the rain and bed in my magical hotel bed and a real shower. 

Today all day bus and games of charades with the girls.  It was hard to transition back to rainy and none too clean campsites after 3 days in hotels.  But the tents are up and we're all surviving.