From Madagascar: Searching for the whales of St. Marie

The whales weren't there to give us a show.

Through July and August they migrate north to the warm waters in this unnamed strait between Madagascar and Ille St. Marie. They'd float up around our boat, maybe checking out the noisy craft intruding on their winter home, then exhale and drift back under the turquoise ocean.

That's how whale watching goes sometimes, even in the farthest place from anywhere.

The humpbacks come here to do more important things, like give birth and spend the southern hemisphere's cold months away from their usual home around Antarctica.

Our guide was a talkative local named Albert. He owns the beach-side bungalow where we stayed and the 12-person boat that took us out.

He used to ferry people across from the mainland in the same vessel, a harrowing prospect as choppy waters bounced us up and down, even close to the coast.

The Balmito is small enough to ride the current; it feels like surfing over short distances, which is fun until someone throws up.

The rainstorm that was hanging over the island caught up with us as we headed back to shore. We were soaked by the time we returned to our place.

But the whales we worth it, and we were thrilled.

Production notes: I originally narrated the above into my slide show (click the image) but decided against it at the last minute. This is the second time I've used Soundslides, and the first time using gathered sound, so any feedback puts you on my good side. These things take forever to upload on uber-slow, pay-by-the-minute Malagasy internet, so I think the rest of the multimedia will have to wait until I'm back in the PRC. That's August 25, if you're curious. Posts in old fashioned text and non-moving pictures are still forth-coming.

Before: Stumbling into Madagascar | After: Midnight train to Dalian