Rough roads At times, most English people seem ridiculously concerned about the weather. In Madagascar, the natural topic for friendly conversation is more down to earth; the condition of the roads. Of the 35 000 km of roadway in the country, only 4000 is tarred - most of which is in bad repair. A mountain bikerīs paradise? Well... The road turns into a river During the rainy season, from December to May, the northen parts of the island can only be reached by air and most of the villages in the area are totally cut off. The so-called road, there is only one, then turns into a river of mud and sand. In the dry season the mudtracks make un unploughed field look like a pool table. All of this can be seen as just another exotic hazard adding to the adventure. It is, however, also a tragic metaphor for the sad reality of a country that is literally disappearing into the ocean.

Bare bones Man arrived in Madagascar some 1500 years ago. Shifting agriculture with slash-and-burn techniques, along with the recent population explosion, has led to a devastating loss of primary forests. In the early 1980s, 21 percent of the country was covered by rainforest. In 1990 the rainforest covered less than 10 percent. However necessary, a purely ecological solution is not easily acceptable by the hungry and impoverished. We soon became painfully aware of the very obvious and sad consequences of erosion. Most of Madagascar is now covered by savanna and dry grassland. Lush greenery disappear into soft hills that eventualy give way to a an arid, strangely beautiful landscape. Our delight was darkened by the clearly visible bare bones of Mother Nature. What will become of this nature wonderland and its inhabitants? Next page