Preparing for Ranomafana

Gorgeous little Schizophyllum commune found near CAS

Salam everyone,

Danny, Rocky and I are moving things along nicely here in Madagascar. Tomorrow we will head to Ranomafana National Park for a five day expedition. At this point, we couldn't be more ready. We have everything we need to have a fruitful trip, the last piece of the puzzle are the Marasmius. Come out and play little mushrooms! Needless to say, I am very anxious to get started.

Yesterday, January 17th, was warmer than any other day so far. The patches of heavy rain would come and go every once in a while, but the sun was heavy with heat above the puffy clouds. Emile, the local mycologist, spent a nice chunk of the day with us going over some pictures of local fungi and chatting about our upcoming trip. We were all geeking out about the cool mushrooms we might spot, but my mind was focused on my genus of Marasmius. To find Marasmius, one must get down to their level. When I get into the small fungi mind-set, it's a different kind of mushroom hunt. Most mushroom hunters walk around looking for those big treasures sticking up through the earth, but me, I like the little guys. The best way for me to find them is to sit still for a while, and look in the dark, wet, places they may be lurking. I try to put myself in their shoes. If I was a super tiny mushroom decomposing leaf litter and dead trees, where would I be? It's a slow, steady process, but when I find them it's a unique sort of high. I am looking forward to that feeling. Soon...very soon my little ones.

Oops, I went off on a little tangent...let's get back on track.

Natural Science Research Center, Tana

Emile was kind enough to show us his own lab. He works in a microbiology lab near the base station. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of equipment they had there, it seems like they are doing some great work. There are even some staff who are working on mycorrhizae!!!

Mycological research is very new in the country, but people seem excited about it and willing to put in the hard work to make advancements toward understanding the world of fungi in Madagascar. It makes me happy knowing this is something people want to learn. It never ceases to amaze me how awareness of fungi, in general, inspires people. That is because they are so fascinating!!!

After touring the labs, Danny, Rocky and I went out for lunch. We went to the same little hotely (small restaurant) Rocky and I went to two days before. This time I gorged on pork and beans. All of the meat is cooked for a long time to make it as clean and safe to eat as possible. This makes the texture of the fat of the meat like butter. The pork melted in my mouth with the rice and beans, and I left the hotely with another happy tummy. Thank you Mada for your incredible food!

Mobile chanterelle shop

After lunch, we drove around the city absorbing the hustle and bustle of the recent elections before heading to the airport for the third time to collect our last piece of luggage. Finally we have all the pieces we need to make this trip a success. Woo!

On the way to airport we saw many people selling goods along the road. Rocky jokingly calls them "mobile stores" which I find pretty funny. Locals sell food, electronic gadgets, towels (a lot of towels...), umbrellas, and anything really by walking alongside cars in the traffic jam of the city. There is a marketplace everywhere you go this way. Most of the time I would say "Tsi-mis voola!" which means 'I have no money' or 'there is no money' to which the locals respond "where did it go?"...hilarious. Half way to the airport, we stumbled upon a local who was selling some chanterelles! After Rocky did some serious drive-by-bargaining we bought one basket for about $5! Pretty nice deal! Later that night Danny whipped up a delicious dinner with our tasty find, onions, some Malagasy white wine, and a cream sauce. The kitchen at the station smelled so good all night long and our tummies, yet again, were beaming with joy. 

Dinner prep and some change (50 Ariary with Baobabs on the coin!)

Last night we had a much needed good night's sleep. Today, January 18th, I woke up at 6:00am feeling the best I've felt since arriving in country. The locals configure their daily schedule to the sun, so most people wake up at 5:00am and are at work by 8:00am and in bed by 9:00pm. Night is not your friend here in Madagascar, but I am loving the mornings! Each morning feels so fresh and new, most likely because the nighttime rains have washed the previous day away, so it really feels like a new day.

This will be my last post for a few days. When I return to the station next week, I will have endless stories and some great photos from the trek to the southeast rainforests. Wish us luck, keep us in your prayers, and may the spores be with all of us during this exciting time. In lieu of my future absence I have left you with these super cute lemurs to keep you company in the cyber world. Enjoy, and we will connect again next week!

Peace, love and coconuts. 

The infamous ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) hanging around in the neighboring zoo, adorable. These little guys are not in a cage. They are on a little island in a man-made lake in the middle of zoo, very cool.