Had a 4 hour drive today to the Ranomafana Rainforest so left our hotel at 8 AM. Must admit I was dreading the Rainforest a bit based on our last experience on the East Coast which is the only place we have had rain but also where everything was really damp. So was crossing fingers that this was not going to be quite the same - simply because my wardrobe out here is not quite prepared for this type of weather - lesson learned try and read the itinerary before you go. Anyway we had nice weather leaving Ambositra and again a beautiful drive through more mountains. Did a break in a small village on the way where we for the first time visited a real shop. OK a bit of a funny shop, which were selling anything from toys to beauty product to alcohol but decided this was a good place to buy a few bottles of red wine - so we had something for the room if the weather was going to be miserable. Arrived in Ranomafana for lunch time and was struggling in the beginning to find our Hotel Thermal, which was not mentioned in my Lonely Planet book either. There were lots of hotel signs everywhere - but couldn't see anyone saying 'Hotel Thermal' - so our driver ended up asking quite a few people before we found the place - and what a place. Turned out that this hotel was brand new and absolutely beautiful. Again we got 2 separate rooms next to each other but whereas we stayed in the stables last night we this time got the penthouses - so just a fantastic treat and so unexpected. Very pleased now that we are here for 2 nights and also the weather seemed nice and pleasant so very different to the Rainforest at the East coast.

Started with lunch in our nice hotel where we also met our guide Diamond for the next couple of days and then we had time in the afternoon to visit the Thermal Bath, which this place is so well known for. Was a short but interesting walk from our hotel where we had to cross a very special wooden bridge, which did look like something a few kids had put together. Met some nice local people on the way and also watched the local kids playing football. The Thermal Bath is literally a big pool which is fed by some hot springs - so we found it a bit too warm to swim in - but gave it a go and did a few lengths. However you could see it was very popular with the locals - since for them the temperature is probably really nice. On the walk back from the Thermal Bath a cow had joined the football pitch - so was a real laugh to watch - but obviously it got bored after a while not getting the ball - so b*****ed off again. After a nice shower in our luxury rooms - we went for a little walk down the village. There were a lot of things going on in the street and we cannot help being amazed by the taxi-busses, which are so overloaded with stuff both inside the van and on the roof. This time we saw a live pig being strapped to the roof - did look a bit gruel to be honest - but very pleased we are not using this type of transport for our trip. Also passed a school where there were both several sports games going on and a lot of dancing and singing so stopped to watch this for a while.

At 5.30 PM we were meeting our driver and guide again to take us on a Night Walk along the road to see some of the nocturnal animals. He found us quite a few geckos, chameleons and frogs, which were interesting but no lemurs this time. Got back to the hotel in time for dinner and got the best bottle of white wine so far - since wine is really not a big thing out here and it is hard to find some decent bottles. Finished the night with a night cap from the bar in my room before Heather and Dan disappeared to their own room and I did some diary and photos sorting.

Walking in Ranomafana National Park

Left our hotel at 7.30 AM to drive to the entrance of Ranomafana National Park for a 4 hour morning walk. The park was created in 1991 largely to protect two rare species of lemur - the golden bamboo lemur and the greater bamboo lemur. In the beginning we only saw a few insects and didn't really see any sign of lemurs but suddenly the guide went running up hill into the forest and shouted after us to follow. We were literally scrambling up this hill over and under tree branches and were quite convinced that whatever we were looking for would be gone by the time we got there. Also the forest suddenly seemed to be full of other people since tourists were turning up from all directions - all following the same route up the hill. However for some reason the lemurs didn't get scared off by all these people and we saw both of the rare species basically enjoying their bamboo breakfast completely ignorant to all the attention they were given. Was worth the hike to see this but less enjoyable that we shared the experience with 20 other people - but guess we have just been a bit spoiled on the other walks we have done where we most of the time have had the animals to ourselves. Came across 2 other lemur species later in the day as well - so overall we were once more quite lucky.

Got back to the hotel in time for lunch and the rest of the day was free to enjoy - so took full benefit of our luxury hotel and spent some times in the room reading, doing diary and catching up on emails. Also Heather and Dan had to do some additional planning of their further travelling after Madagascar. Did break up the admin work with a bottle of red wine in the afternoon and Dan and I also went down to the village to shop for some additional wine and snacks for our next place where we are staying in a camp. Wine was more expensive here - so ended up going for a Madagascan red wine even if we had heard that it was not very good - but thought I had to try one of their local wines at least once. For once the dining room was nearly full when we had dinner, which was a very unusual experience for us but nice with a few more people - did create a bit more atmosphere.