They say that in Madagascar trees eat people, giant birds carry off elephants and crocodiles wear jewelry. I start to think these fables might be true as the Air Madagascar jet—affectionately known as Air Mad—makes its steep descent in the pitch black early morning. The capital city, Antananarivo, lies phantom-like below.
Since Marco Polo, travelers' tales have fueled fantasies about prehistoric beasts and wild men inhabiting this “most noble and beautiful island” off the coast of Africa. European traders thought they had discovered in Madagascar an earthly paradise “better than…America,” where the natives were “the happiest people in the world.”
