TOP 10 ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS

It's Top 10 time.

Since much of our trip revolved around looking for, swimming with, and hiding from beasts big and small, we kick things off with a list of our 10 favorite animal encounters. 

From the world's biggest fish in the Philippines to a lake full of jellyfish in Palau to an overly-friendly lemur in Madagascar, it was one wildlife-filled ride.

Hugging Lemur, Madagascar

On a visit to a wildlife refuge in central Madagascar, a lonely but loving lemur decided Kip needed a hug. Then he wrapped himself around Kip's leg and wouldn't let go.

Whale Sharks, Philippines

The reason we started our trip in the Philippines--swimming with the world's largest fish. Swam with them...check. Counted and cataloged them for an international conservation group working to protect them...check.  Dream about seeing them again someday soon...check.

 









Happy Pygmy elephants, Borneo

Prior to this trip, we weren't sure Pygmy Elephants existed. But after taking a boat up the Kinabatangan River in Borneo, we got to see for ourselves. The elephants' smiles made for some happy tourists, too.

Baby Orangutan, Borneo

We had the pleasure of meeting this swinging creature and his mamma up close, at the Semmengoh Orangutan Reserve, just outside of Kuching, Borneo.

Great White Sharks, South Africa  

Who couldn't love that face to the left? He was even kind enough to donate one of his teeth, after Liz did her most incredible, and surprisingly accurate seal impression.

Hungry Ocelot, Costa Rica 

This pretty lady gave us her best "Blue Steel," at least until we presented her with a plate of perfectly sliced beef hearts that we'd spent the morning cutting up.

 










 Millions of Jellyfish, Palau 
Swimming in a hidden mountain lake with millions of stingless jellyfish should be on everyone's list. And Palau is one of the only places to do it. 

Feeding Mother Leopard, Serengeti 
Watching this mother leopard drag a wild boar carcass across the road, up into a tree, and feed it to her two leopard cubs is as close to live National Geographic as we will ever get. And it was awesome. 

Sharks, Palau

The ocean in Palau is the purest we've ever seen. And with lots of fish, come lots of sharks. And we got to see lots of them up close and personal, including this curious grey-tipped reef shark.

Baby sloth,Costa Rica
When visiting Cahuita, Costa Rica, you're bound to see a sloth or two. After all, it is the sloth capital of the world. We caught this little guy napping just outside of our bedroom window.

BYE BYE MADAGASCAR

From its ancient baobabs to its adventurous sailing trips to its incredible (and oh-so-friendly) wildlife Madagascar's been good to us. But it's time to move on. South Africa, here we come.

Til then, below are a few parting shots from the land of the lemurs (and tortoises, and geckos, and ...).  

Nature at its most "natural"--these radiated tortoises live (and love) in one of the world's only programs set up to breed the highly-endangered reptiles. Seemed things were going well when we visited. 

That's one tiny gecko catching rays on the mirror of our rented motor bike.

A trip to Madagascar without a photo of a ring-tailed lemur? Not a chance.

Sadly, despite its reputation as a haven for rare and endangered wildlife, the island remains a frequent venue for slash-and-burn agriculture, as seen in the photo above.

Us at 20 feet under, diving near Ile Sainte-Marie off Madagascar's remote east coast.

PHOTO FRIDAY: A HUG FROM A LEMUR

Yes, that's a lemur hugging Kip's leg. 

Yes, this actually happened. Kip hasn't stopped talking about his new best friend ever since.