Madagascar is a unique destination, one not without its challenges (roads: terrible, very terrible, ok), but looking back, the diversity of the country, with wildlife, plant life, and above all, wonderful people, resulted in those roads being fondly remembered in moments of levity. The baobab trees were one of the highlights; it is hard to imagine the powerful spirit that emanates from them, despite not being even close to huggable! The various lemur species caused breathless awe, and especially on "Lemur Island", they were within touching distance. I found myself eye to eye with chameleons rotating their own eyes independently, and they were fascinating. The island is a photographer's paradise. There was great beauty in the countryside and the warmth of welcome from the people was humbling, despite many living in very poor circumstances. Madagascar is a huge island, and considerable time was invested in getting from place to place. Our guide, Blaise, and our driver, Daniel, were outstanding. I tend to wander off to take photos; Blaise was my shadow and always alert to what was going on. Daniel did not let an idle moment pass; he took meticulous care of our vehicle. The three weeks spent on this island reminded me of its unusual history, and seeing the wildlife up close and personal clarified my understanding of how evolution in this particular place has given the world species unknown elsewhere. My traveling companion and I are women of a certain age, and in truth, this trip is not for the faint-hearted; some days we were bone-weary. But the trip was filled with moments of great joy and excitement, moments I will always cherish. Pioneer Expeditions is an excellent company, and I highly recommend working with them. From the first contact I made with the company and throughout the process of actually deciding to travel with them, with all of the questions that arise in the course of undertaking this kind of adventure, their responses and attentiveness were exemplary.