After the Amarula and the late night, we didn’t fancy an early alarm, although we had been told that the cattle-dipping would take place today. Luckily we were up and more or less ready at 7.30 when one of the Masai came to fetch us. Not sure whether they had waited for us or whether it was lucky timing, but they started the first group of cattle as soon as we got there. They use a sort of spray bath rather than a dip. We watched for an hour as all of the cattle went through, including the bull with his weird hump, and the small calves last. We met Clement the farm manager, and we watched as he and eight cattle-men put the cows through in groups, having a good look at each one and sorting a number of heifers to stay with the bull. It was interesting to watch the Masai gently working the cattle. The Masai themselves are always interesting to see anyway, wrapped in their shukas, dagger at the waist, sandals or wellies, white-beaded anklets, and the inevitable mobile phone. Much as we don’t like to see the desertified, over-grazed areas near Arusha, it’s clear that the Masai know how to handle livestock. To (mis) quote James Herriot, “They get it through the titty, you see”.
We had quite a good chat with Nicky today. She told us that the reason B has seen two snakes is that the rains ended, the snakes all found their dry-season holes, and then the rains started again, so holes are getting flooded and the snakes have to find new ones. Nicky also told us about a bizarre village up near Mwanza, whose name translates as “drop money”. The village is so poor that every night they put the old people out beside the road to die. Sometimes hyenas come and take them. Truck drivers and others in the know drop food or money for them as they go by. It’s euthanasia really. Very odd.
Around 4pm we set off for a walk. Clouds were building so we put everything under cover first. B wanted to see how easy/difficult it was to operate the pump on the borehole. Answer: probably quite tiring if you need 150 litres, which we do. We also looked again at the feathery crop that we now know is artemisia, an ingredient in malaria medication. When crushed it has a strong herby smell, quite nose-clearing. The amur falcons were on the wing, eating the huge flying ants that were emerging. By the time we reached the next field with the maize crop, we noticed that some of the clouds were now very deep blue and dropping rain, while claps of thunder were also sounding nearer. We thought we would get wet and we were right! The big drops were really cold. Soon we were soaked through, squelching in our shoes, and trying to find the dry patches on the tracks, which were fast becoming rivers. At the gate to the campsite one of the Masai came with an umbrella but it was too late for us. We more or less waded back to the truck, stripped off in the doorway and put everything in the bucket.
Next B noticed that the battery-charger wasn’t working again, so we put everything away to enable him to take the battery box (domestic) apart and investigate. I made some hot chocolate.
Barney’s notes: After a couple of hours dismantling everything I found a bad connection, which I cleaned and tightened (it really needs a new connector). Everything was put back together but it still didn’t work. Suspecting a problem with the mains supply I went up to the restaurant, where David told me that it was on “half power”. Aha! … The next morning more of the same. Michael and Ines’s coffee-maker wasn’t working either. Later on I retried our charger. Suddenly all was OK. A few hours work for nothing again!
We had quite a good chat with Nicky today. She told us that the reason B has seen two snakes is that the rains ended, the snakes all found their dry-season holes, and then the rains started again, so holes are getting flooded and the snakes have to find new ones. Nicky also told us about a bizarre village up near Mwanza, whose name translates as “drop money”. The village is so poor that every night they put the old people out beside the road to die. Sometimes hyenas come and take them. Truck drivers and others in the know drop food or money for them as they go by. It’s euthanasia really. Very odd.
Around 4pm we set off for a walk. Clouds were building so we put everything under cover first. B wanted to see how easy/difficult it was to operate the pump on the borehole. Answer: probably quite tiring if you need 150 litres, which we do. We also looked again at the feathery crop that we now know is artemisia, an ingredient in malaria medication. When crushed it has a strong herby smell, quite nose-clearing. The amur falcons were on the wing, eating the huge flying ants that were emerging. By the time we reached the next field with the maize crop, we noticed that some of the clouds were now very deep blue and dropping rain, while claps of thunder were also sounding nearer. We thought we would get wet and we were right! The big drops were really cold. Soon we were soaked through, squelching in our shoes, and trying to find the dry patches on the tracks, which were fast becoming rivers. At the gate to the campsite one of the Masai came with an umbrella but it was too late for us. We more or less waded back to the truck, stripped off in the doorway and put everything in the bucket.
Next B noticed that the battery-charger wasn’t working again, so we put everything away to enable him to take the battery box (domestic) apart and investigate. I made some hot chocolate.
Barney’s notes: After a couple of hours dismantling everything I found a bad connection, which I cleaned and tightened (it really needs a new connector). Everything was put back together but it still didn’t work. Suspecting a problem with the mains supply I went up to the restaurant, where David told me that it was on “half power”. Aha! … The next morning more of the same. Michael and Ines’s coffee-maker wasn’t working either. Later on I retried our charger. Suddenly all was OK. A few hours work for nothing again!