After a tough initial flight the second leg was a breeze. Antananarivo, or Tana as it is called by the locals, is the capital of Madagascar. It is a sprawling city in the central highland of the country. Though this is the cyclone season, the approach today was only slightly cloudy. As soon as I exited the plane, I knew I had left winter in the USA behind. The airport is small, and in a few steps we started being processed. Two smiling ladies with skin temperature thermometers checked to make sure anyone trying to enter the country didn’t bring a fever with them. I was carrying everything I needed for a journey around the globe. That is the plan. I usually try not to travel alone, but here for the first few days at least, I will have to figure things out; without someone to watch my things. I navigated the airport better than expected, and made my way to the money-changing kiosk. There I was met by a young man who was happy to help and, in English far better than I hoped, greeted me, and before I knew it, my $600 made me a multi-millionaire in Madagascar Ariary. I was advised that amount should cover expenses (not paid in advance), while we look for frogs, chameleons, and lemurs. We will see. I had a smiling driver waiting with my name and the name of the hotel I was staying at on a placard as soon as I left the building. I was a tired old man a bit too excited to do what I need to do next—Sleep.
a gentle imperative with a simple goal
