The Emerald Sea, Madagascar

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A pirogue in the Emerald Sea

To save 3 days in a taxi brousse, we bucked up and bought a flight to the North - specifically Diego Suarez.  There are more parks we wanted to visit there, and our flight was out of Nosy Be - an island in the North.  It was worth the money, to get a few extra days enjoying.
We quickly found out that we would have difficulty getting to the parks without the aid (and $$$$) of a 4x4, so we decided to chill out for a couple of days at the beach in Ramena. 
Our accommodation was a little shoddy, but right on the beach in the sleepy little town.  The locals very friendly, except for one shop owner that tried to overcharge us for a beer, even though it was clearly marked.  When we questioned it, she got all defensive and ended up smashing the bottle on the ground, much to the chagrin of her staff, and people on the street!  Weird!!
We brushed off that little experience easily, as we immediately found our favourite little restaurant, right on the beach, serving up delicious calamari for cheap, cheap, cheap!!  MMmmmmmm, delicious - we did return.

Martin with the Friendly Kids on Ramena

We met some really cute kids earlier in the day, ones that just wanted to be picked up and swung around.  Turned out, one of the little guys was named Kidico, and he was the restaurant owner's son.  He hung out with us for dinners, and we had some fun babysitting him.
It was nice to chill for a little bit, and a nice beach at that.  The second day in town, we booked on a boat trip to the Emerald Sea.  After some confusion in the morning, and the "Africa Time" (1.5 hrs late), we hopped on the pirogue, and set sail with a couple of French guys out for some kiteboarding.  We thought it was a snorkel trip, but these guys were getting dropped off on a little beach and kiting over to meet the pirogue for lunch on this beautiful island in the middle of the emerald coloured water.  I was quite envious, but maybe I will return with my kite next time!!
The sailing was enjoyable though, as the scenery was spectacular.  We did manage to snorkel a little, but only whilst the captain was out snorkeling with a spear gun to catch us lunch!  And what delicious lunch it was - crab and fresh fish, with salads, chips and fruit.  Wow....   only a couple of cold beers topped that meal off just right! 

Lunch on the Island paradise

The guys managed another kiting session, whilst Michelle and I relaxed while watching crabs dig their holes in the beach in the powder white sand.  Then it was some sailing back home along the coast, into the bay.  We both had a good sunburn to remember the day!   *Stub