Madagascar!

I flew today to Antananarivo, the largest city in Madagascar.  Our 17-person Habitat for Humanity team is meeting here, and tomorrow we'll travel nine hours south by road to Ranomafana, to help build four clay-brick houses within a national park.

I've only just arrived, but there's so much that's intriguing about this island off the east coast of Africa.  We saw rice paddies on our drive from the airport, and I'm told that Madagascar's per capita rice consumption tops many countries in Asia.  In size, it's the fourth largest island in the world, after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo.  Japan's largest island, Honshu, ranks #7, and Great Britain is #8.  So it's big!  And 90 percent of the flora and fauna here are unique to Madagascar; they're not found anywhere else on earth.  The most famous of these is the lemur, a primate that comes in 50+ varieties.  We're assured to see some of them.

So Madagascar is not just the place where the Disney characters got shipwrecked after escaping the Central Park Zoo.   And there are other lemurs beyond the one in the movie voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen.  I did go to see Madagascar 3 before this trip, just because.

Sadly, Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world.  But that makes it a perfect spot for Habitat!  I suspect there may not be much in the way of internet access in Ranomafana.  If I can find a way I'll be posting, but it's possible you won't hear from me for a week or or more.  One thing I'm sure of is that, sooner or later, I'll have plenty to share  .  .  .