I've arrived in Madagascar after a 27 hour commute. The capital is dusty and supremely African. I guess I figured it would be more Island-esque like Jamaicans and Indonesians bred together in a volcanic mass surrounded by water. Instead it is dry and crowded, like all African capitals, but has a distinctly poor-European suburb feel to it, like walking in any direction out of Paris. It's hot as a squirrel sandwich, but I have made it to my makeshift hotel room (It's got a TV with Cartoon Network and National Madagascar Channel, the ONLY channels). I treated myself to dinner with some weird german girl I met on the plane over, who doesn't speak any French or English, but we are communicating in my basic Portuguese and giggling.
Tomorrow, I begin work heading out to the US Embassy and then on to interview two new mercenary pals who have promised me grand adventures across Madagascar. They are stand outs from the famous Bob Denard's conquest of Islands of Africa (Wikipedia it). Then I head down to the rainforest to question some people who haven't the dimmest sense what a lightbulb is about how they would use electricity every day and truly begin my adventure into the external arteries of darkness.
I have to sign off as my internet that I'm stealing from the four-star hotel down the block has become spotty and I'm passing out. I'll check in as soon as I can,
Yours in Sweatinesss,
Foxy
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