Pirates, Bats, And Dragons: A Science Adventure

Fact: The Arab island of Socotra, often called the "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean," is a mysterious remnant of lost worlds -- Marco Polo called it the "most enchanted land on earth." Indeed, its ancient people, the Badw, who live in high mountains forested with dragon's blood trees, frankincense, and myrrh, are renowned for their magic powers. Anthropologists believe that the witches of Socotra are the survivors of an original matriarchal culture. Naturalists, meanwhile, are fascinated by the island's unique ecology (including vast unexplored limestone caverns), although no one knows what has happened to the "giant lizards" described in the oldest accounts of travelers to the area. Its famed pirates, however, are still there: modern navigation guides warn ships to avoid the waters off Socotra "at all cost."