A fire partially illuminates the Alley of the Baobabs as the 2,800-year-old trees tower toward the night sky. Baobabs are sparse, the legacy of once dense tropical forests covering Madagascar. Fire on the island is often used to keep those forests from growing back, but this one burned to warm a local family, in much the same manner as their prehistoric ancestors would’ve done. Other than the clearing of the forests, not a lot has changed in Madagascar.
Some say the baobabs are sacred to the local people, thus surviving the axe of man. I’m not so sure. Aside from the fruit it produces, I’m guessing humans have not found much use for the baobab with its spongy wood full of water.
Whatever the reason they still exist, standing beneath one is a magical experience.