On my list of things to do today –  SF Passport office and rescue my new passport. Considering that I turned in the paperwork on Monday, I thought it was a pretty good deal, even with the $60 expedited fee.

After clearing security, taking the elevator upstair, checking in at one desk, being directed to another, followed by heading to “Window #1” I discovered that they had not printed the correct passport book. You see, the books come in two sizes: regular and large. The regular size is exactly that which most people get. It was the size to which I wound up adding 80 pages to in 2013. This time, since the price was exactly the same, I had checked the box for the larger size since the US Department of State has decided that they will no longer add pages to passports.

Correct, they no longer are willing to take books apart, sew in 40/80 new pages. The result is that if you run out of pages, you have to get a new passport. Travel frequently and a 10 year passport will no longer last 10 years. This includes taking into account that the US rarely, if almost never stamps its own passports entering the US.

The gentleman at the window checks the envelope; it contains a regular passport. He goes and checks the order form. It specifies large. I have a choice, I can take the passport. Or I can come back at the end of the day/tomorrow and have the correct size (page numbers) provided. It doesn’t cost more (other than a second BART  fare) to get the correct one and it will save me money in a few years. Since I have to come into the city on Monday (exam time again), I will head back.

Not that I have anything else to do….

I am sure that I have mentioned that I travel BART four days a week into San Francisco to UCHastings. It is pretty much a different route than the one to the Oakland Coliseum. Short of the distance, it is the start of the route to the San Francisco Airport and Civc Center is a stop past the one where I exit at Powell to take the shuttle to the SFVA.

I meet the most interesting people on BART. This morning there were two:

The first was a gentleman older than me who was on his way to his office near the 12th Street Oakland BART station. He was already on the train when I boarded at North Berkeley. Kindly, he said he would offer me a seat, but that he really couldn’t stand well for the duration of his voyage. Sitting there, smiling and quite stooped in his suit and hat, I had him pegged as a lawyer even before he confirmed my opinion. He is now doing briefs and depositions one-two days a week. He had cut back his practice several years ago during his late wife’s loosing battle with cancer and chemo. We had a short discussion about curls vs straight hair and return growth that wasn’t all that amenable to cosmetic coloring. He acknowledged that he had long hair during his youth but cut it at the point where it became a bit easier to conform.

We said good bye at the 12th street station and I wished him the best on his upcoming 90th birthday.

I quietly sat in his vacated seat from 12th Street through to my stop at Civic Center. The train conductor had been making cheerful comment on the area around each BART station. Montgomery as “Wall Street West;” Powell as the start of the Trolley Car Line. I made the off hand remark to the guy next to me when Civic Center was referred to as “the heart of the Tenderloin” that they had missed the point because the lawyers probably outnumbered the homeless. He laughed and said that he and his wife worked for one of the local homeless organizations. She worked on housing families, his background in engineering and repair meant that he was doing a lot of maintenance in order to have facilities at least marginally acceptable and safe. We talked about the weather and the attraction of San Francisco for the homeless (compared to New England – where he was from, or Minnesota for me). The services here make a difference, but then, with the cost of living compared to the minimum wage, there have to be support services.

The rest of my day should be interesting – morning class in Constitutional Law (working on individual privacies related to the 1st Amendment) followed by a discussion of class conflicts in time for next semester, followed by a lunch seminar on how to survive finals (bribe – food was provided). I have yet to get through my afternoon Health Law Class and then the final class on Legal Writing. Oral Presentation due.

I am planning on George being responsible for dinner.

and I am trying to remember why I am doing this to myself….

It sort of vanished. The 29th of Sept that is. Eaten up by flights and time zone changes. After all, when you board a plane in the evening, stay on it for 13 hours plus adding on the fact that traveling east adds on the hours – well, there you are? 13 hours on a plane + 10 hours in time zone changes and a day just vanishes. Totally and completely gone.

flying in

Unlike on our way to Madagascar, I knew exactly what we were getting into with two 13+ hour flights (not counting the hours in the Istanbul Lounge between flights). It was going to be two extremely long flights punctuated by meals, beverages and attempts to sleep. Business Class on Turkish Airlines includes the Wifi Access, but really – who can’t do without internet connection for a few hours?

There are two lounges in Tana – one for Air France and one for all the other airlines. It wasn’t much of a lounge, just a few seating areas, a bar and a vertical cooler with a variety of drinks. It did provide me with an opportunity to insure that my electronics were charged, just in case there were outlet problems on the flight. I did no shopping; we used our last bit of cash to buy one more candy bar. Should have purchased outside the airport, of course where things were much, much cheaper.

tBoarding consisted of hiking along the barriers, across the tarmac and up the steps onto the flight.

Oh, wait! I forgot the fun of the other couple leaving the same time as us! Ann and Phillip were booked through Ethiopian Air. Arriving at the airport, they were informed that their flights were Sunday. Excuse me? Our printed reservation says today. And around and around they went. The manager said they could make the change for the small upgrade fee of $1000. It was at this point that they went and got Alain – our in-country group leader. Suddenly, the reservation seemed to be today without an extra charge. But there was this small issue of luggage. Can’t check luggage through when the connecting flight is tomorrow. Hello? They have two hours between flights in Addis Ababa. No reason why they can’t check the luggage through. But the second flight is on a different date…. and around they went till someone in management took over (not the same person who attempted the shakedown) and their luggage was checked.

Made our hours in the Turkish Airlines Lounge seem simple by comparison. Plenty of food, olives, beverages and places to plug in electronics if you looked closely enough. Boarding the connecting flight included a bit of confusion since we wound up leaving almost an hour late. Again, plenty of food, a bit of beverage plus my realization that I still had my Adia cloth but had left the pouch with threads, needles and the like on the first flight. Ah, well, sleep and solitaire on the iPad were good enough.

I was through immigration, customs and had the luggage before George made it through the line. If you are a US passport holder/permanent resident and haven’t downloaded MobilePass – I strongly recommend you do so. Faster than Global Entry and doesn’t cost a thing.

BART to home. Time to sleep….

This morning, have breakfast while listening to the peculiar call of the endangered Indri, the largest living lemurs, reaching up to three feet tall! Andasibe is an ideal place to observe the Indri, as there are some Indri families there who have been habituated to humans. Considered a sacred animal in Madagascar, the Indri is the focus of several origin myths. In addition to the Indri, 13 lemur species can also be seen: woody lemur, grey bamboo lemur, diademed sifaka, brown lemur, red mouse lemur, red-bellied lemur, black-and-white ruffed lemur, and aye-aye. These forests are also home to 15 other mammal species, more than 100 types of birds, 50 species of reptiles, and 80 amphibian species. Overnight at Vakona Forest Lodge.

The forest lodge is cool, way cool..

But first you just have to hear this…

This morning, transfer to the airport for the flight to Antananarivo, then transfer to Andasibe. En route admire the large roadside Raphia farinifera palms. Arrive at the hotel late in the afternoon and take an evening walk in the Mitsinjo Analamazaotra Forest Station. Mitsinjo is an important site, and a great place to see the extremely endangered Ravenea louvelii palm in its natural habitat. Explore the flora of the trail system and then as darkness descends, continue walking in search of nocturnal wildlife. With luck, have a chance to observe the locally endemic Goodman’s Mouse Lemur. Common encounters also include the Greater Dwarf Lemur, leaf-tailed geckos, and an impressive sample of Andasibe’s amphibian diversity such as the tree frogs Boophis viridis and Boophis pyrrhus. Return to the hotel for dinner. Overnight at Vakona Forest Lodge.
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Um, well….
we left our hotel this morning and headed to the airport

departure airport

in plenty of time for our flight. Which happened to be changed to close to 1100. This is Air Madagascar. Prop plane with one engine suspended from each wing and six very wicked looking propellor blades on each. The good thing? Obviously neither the wings nor engines interfered with anyone’s view. The sad thing? The country appeared pretty desolate in our 90+ minute flight.

On arrival, we were met by new van and driver. Loaded up to drive to the hotel. It was only 87 miles but took from 1300 till after dark. We made one stop along the way –

at a place that had most excellent coffee which we all needed plus offered a variety of western tourist adventures (hiking, zip lining and white water rafting). We had the coffee and looked at the sheep.

It was dark when we arrived, this place is set deep into the forest if the 30 minute practically off road drive is any judge.

Today we venture to Zombitse National Park and witness the results of a widespread environmental problem in Madagascar: deforestation. After a long history of “slashand-burn agriculture” in the region, only a small area of protected forest remains. As a result, it is a particularly abundant with flora biodiversity; baobabs and several orchids are especially common. Time permitting, visit Antsokay Arboretum, created in 1980 by amateur Swiss biologist Hermann Petignat. The 100-acre site is dedicated to conservation of the country’s endemic fauna. Continue to the seaside town of Toliara, situated near the Tropic of Capricorn. Overnight at Le Paradisier.

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Actually, another day from Hell on the bus made much better by the stop at Zombitse Park

The Park

with the

no clue why he is awake

Sportif – normally a nocturnal

the massive baobab trees

and then there was the fun of these guys …..

before driving to the end of the world

We arrived at camp late afternoon –

the main area –

After breakfast, head to the Great South and Madagascar’s most visited park, Isalo National Park. The drive is along some of the best roads in the country and the scenery is breathtaking. Expect to spend most of the day driving. En route stop at Anja Community Reserve, managed by the local community and a vital example of sustainable tourism in Madagascar. The reserve boasts a diverse variety of endemic species, including several families of orchids and saxicolous plants. Explore the reserve then have lunch in a nearby restaurant. After a long day of driving, we check in to our hotel, have dinner, and relax in anticipation of Isalo National Park – over 200,000 acres of beautiful landscapes of sandstones, canyons, fauna and flora, natural swimming pools, and waterfalls. Overnight at Le Relais de la Reine.

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It was an extremely long day of driving.
First – sights along the way –

that is just a taste of what driving through a town or city will show you.

But the stars of today were ring-tailed lemurs. Trust me, they are funny, amazing and not at all concerned about humans in their habitat.

and more lemurs both in the trees where they have a tendency to move around like Rocky the Flying Squirrel

There are also Zebu

and more ring tails down at the water and otherwise having an interesting time…

if you click on the picture you will get a slightly larger version. I did limit the size…

After breakfast, transfer to the mountainous Ranomafana National Park, situated on the edge of Madagascar’s High Plateau with elevations ranging from 1,640 to 4,921 feet. Ranomafana contains a variety of forest and is part of the World Heritage Site, Rainforests of the Atsinanana. Ranomafana has served as a model for subsequent parks and reserves in Madagascar and abroad. This evening we have a special traditional Tanala dinner prepared and served in a special pot, family-style. Tanala literally means “people of the forest.” Only 4% of the population of Madagascar are Tanala, so tonight’s meal is a rare treat. Overnight at Setam Lodge

Did I mention driving forever?

Yes, thought I did. The National Park is about 30 years old, give or take. It is the home to about 13 species of lemurs, six or so of which are nocturnal. I am not, so doubt that I will see any of them.

And there are a few birds, we did not see many due to the time of the day.

magpie robin