The Happiest Place on Earth????

 

I often have pondered the question:  How much do you need in your life to be happy?

I got my answer on this trip which made me look at life a totally different way.  As  I am known for having vast collections of toys, hard drives etc.

However as I saw people in this huge island that were very content with very little, I got my answer, and that is “You do not need much to be happy.”

Madagascar is a place that has fascinated me as long as I can remember. I have always had some weird obsession with Lemurs which has always propelled me to go. I decided to make this dream come true during Dec/Jan 13-14.  On this trip I ruined my Ipad, my iphone, my shoes, and a portion of my blood (to leaches).  Normally I would say that this is a horrible trip, but the opposite is true.  I got so much out of understanding how people live on this trip~~~

My approximate route I took on this trip is seen in the map below(note this is the fourth biggest Island in the world):

Here are some videos I made of driving through the small towns and countryside of Madagascar:

I had so many different things on my Agenda for this trip

1.  See as may species of Lemurs as I could-(I saw 12 total)

2.  Get to know people on the road and in small towns

3.  Trek around the vast national parks

4.  Visit villages that are poverty stricken (but still happy to live life) and deliver needed supplies for kids and adults

5.  See how the average person lives/gets around (outside of major cities)