As cruising life goes, often the ebb and flow of connections is dictated by weather first…then possibly finances, but most definitely based on past connections. We have known Amy and David Alton on SV Starry Horizons and SV Mirniy Okean (Carlos and Linda) for over a year and half… aka…the Kid’s Table….and to all their demise (LOL)…we keep running into them..however…our last stint of cruising with SV Starry Horizons has been over 5 months (Maldives) as they weathered out conditions in the Seychelles while Trevor and I got our butts kicked in the southern Indian Ocean. And…We haven’t seen SV Mirniy Okena since February back in Thailand as they had to take time off to work in their repetitive fields but…currently in route to Madagascar in the near future. Our 3 boats have spent many wonderful memories since Australia back in 2018 and we all have kept in touch and have been anticipating a “homecoming” here in Madagascar….at least 2 out of 3 boats are here to do so currently ; )
We knew Amy and David were coming in to Hell-Ville to check in but we were headed to Nosy Komba to do this amazing hike we were told about. We of course asked if they wanted to join us…and they did!
But first…as we waited for SV Starry Horizons to arrive in Nosy Komba we had a few other fun experiences…. On our sail from Crater Bay to Nosy Komba….we were being followed….To our delight…it was Jamie and Princess on SV Jupiter 2 on their custom aluminium catamaran. They were going to be at Nosy Komba for their last night in the Nosy Be area and planned to clear out of the country the very next day…so it was decided that we all meet up on the beach for dinner, along with SV Sleipnir III (Michael and Ellen) who we had not yet had the pleasure to meet yet.
We literally just met SV Jupiter 2 a few nights ago aboard Slow Flight for Maria’s birthday party. We wished we had more time with these guys here…fingers crossed our paths will re-connect in South Africa! 
Captain Jaime and partner/First Mate Princess at the bow.
Unfortunately SV Jupiter’s last dinner here was a big disappointment…for all of us! We had lots of places to choose from so we just popped into a place who waved us in…usually a good sign. However…our dinners took 3 hours to prepare and arrived almost cold. We watched a table of 4 sit down after us but served before us….they had to of made arrangements with this establishment beforehand. The food and service was marginal at best…however if we were going to have a bad experience…we did it in the BEST of company!!!!
The next morning…Trevor and I decided to get in the water…there are a few small islands just a short dinghy ride away…it was hot, the weather is changing…you can feel it! So in we go to see if there is anything new to see underwater…WTF?! Is it a worm? Is it a sea cucumber?….it’s a……?!
Seriously?! 
It was about a meter long…. 
Wish Kristy Finstad was here to tell us all about this new creature!
The next night we had happy hour a board SV Sleiper III and got a tour of their custom made catamaran Michael and Ellen designed down to the bilges!!! Beautiful boat and incredibly thought out….We are always in awe of other people’s boats and especially how everyone manages their spaces differently. We enjoyed the sunset and beers, got to know more about them and we hope to hitch up with them down the road in South Africa.
After a bit of a hassle with clearance procedures… sure enough SV Starry Horizons drops their anchor just behind us….they are ready to explore!
The next morning David, Amy, Trevor and I get up early so we can start the 9 km hike when it’s not so bloody HOT! We find the park office and ask for a guide to the top of Nosy Komba. We agreed upon a price of 25,000 Ariary each person. And so we begin….
The hike starts with a stop to see the lemurs…it’s best to get there early so the lemurs will come down to feed on the “gifted” bananas otherwise they get to full with all the tourists feeding them.
mmmmm…. 
banana….. 
yummm…. 
“might I have some more….”
In a small tree we saw 3 or 4 chameleons… We think these are all Panther Chameleons.
The trail to the top is actually a “highway” for all the villages to come down to the beach for either supplies, transportation to other islands or the mainland, or maybe just to have some fun….
The trail is well marked…. lots of foot traffic so in case you get lost…asking for directions is no problem : ) 
Little communities throughout our hike. 
Saw this gigantic spider! 
Day Gecko…males have red spots on them… 
…females are all green. Photo courtesy of SV Starry Horizons 
Ummm… Gecko/ Lizard?…Should of been a biologist! 
John, our guide would stop and show or explain different plants and such… 
Thank goodness there was shade!!! 
Coffee beans 
Coco plant 
Bread fruit…no Jack fruit…gosh they look so similar I always get them confused! 
Fields of….cotton?! 
Another stop (there were many) but with a great view! 
I didn’t ask about the history of this huge cross we passed, however we assumed it was erected back when the French or English were here… 
OMG…made it to the top…this cute little shack serves tea, coffee, lemon water, and ….rum?! Oh yeah! 
One guy, we think who lives here or at least near by holds down the fort here. We asked if we could buy a bottle of water from him but he basically said no..it’s to make drinks…so note to self…bring plenty of water! 
Maybe they do snacks or food…or maybe the kitchen was for his personal use? 
Of course Trevor went straight for the “hard” stuff….well earned…he carried our backpack! 
Finally caught a photo of this bird we kept hearing….it has a little “mohawk” on it’s head
There is a little “cafe” at the top that serves tea, coffee, lemon juice..and rum?! 
We must toast to the efforts and the occasion…. “cheers” 
Trevor decided to celebrate extra special with rum in his lemon juice…drink up! ; )
After a rest at the top it was time to head back down the mountain…can’t speak for everyone but I was pretty tired…and hungry (LOL)!
On our way back down we stopped at a military cemetery for the French who fought here and who colonized the island during the mid-ninth and early twentieth century. 
Incredibly well kept…. 
The head stone 
We walked through a small village and a woman who Paul knew was harvesting coco. This is the “fruit” that has been cut in half to reveal the white squishy membrane the holds the coco bean. 
She would literally suck out the coco bean from the milky membrane and spit it into a large bowl…. 
Then the coco beans are left there to dry out…it’s hard to see the color here…. 
Some of the cillage houses were very nice in contrast to the village we visited in Russian bay…you can tell there is money here from all the tourism that occurs on the island. 
Solar power baby… 
A few ladies passed us and offered us some jack fruit….you just pull out a section on suck on it…it was very sweet…still don’t know to pick a ripe jack fruit…it’s an art! 
Down we go…. 
Some of the trail was this red, clay…I can’t imiagine going up or down if it rained…it would be like a “clay slide” (hahaha) 
Finally…lunch…we treated John to lunch and beer as part of his tip. This place was right on the beach and had a dive center next door. Lunch of chicken curry and rice…and of course THB beer!
Ahhh..it’s great to see old friends once again and explore this rugged environment in good company!
Photo courtesy of SV Starry Horizons…..The crew!!!! Thank you John for being such a fun guide and we had no idea you were famous! ; )
Up next: Sakatia Island, Madagascar: Amy’s birthday turtle…wait for it….