Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Niger is drying up

Today, we were back on the road again, going as far as north of Tanout town. I hope I don't spoil your wonderful (cold) winters showing all these pictures of beautiful sunshine and warm winds!

Unfortunately, it has hardly rained since Nettus and I arrived over a month ago, and as a consequence, Niger is drying up...

The seasonal rivers are a thing of the past, but the seasonal "tapki" lakes will be around for good couple of months. Under the scorching sun, I was really tempted to take a dip in the water, until I saw that the color was black - not transparent as I first thought...

5 comments:

Lapa said...

You are so pretty...

Beter, absolutely gourgeous!

Islander I confess myself...

CRISTÓVÃO DE AGUIAR

AZORES - PORTUGAL

photogchic said...

Good to hear you are doing well. When you are driving around Niger, do you ever encounter people that are not nice? Often when I think of Africa, I think of the movie "Blood Diamonds" or the "Constant Gardener." Movies that portrayed a lot of violence there. Just wondering if there are any safety concerns for you in Niger?

Esther Garvi said...

I saw Blood Diamonds on the plane going down, and I almost blogged about it because it was so raw and (seemed) genuine. It made me think about of why I can never call myself a White African, because all though I love the red soil just as much as any one else, I would never fight over it. But the brutal diamond bloodshed in the Western West Africa is a world apart from little Niger which is best described as The End of the World. People do not fight here, because there is nothing to fight over. When I arrived this year, the land was so beautiful with the rainy season in full bloom. It made me wish that it lasted forever. But at the same time, I am happy it doesn't - because if Niger had been so beautiful all year long, then the mahi manci people (the important people) would be here, fighting over it. So in a sense, Niger's difficult circumstances may in fact be the very thing that saves it from being ripped apart...

momma2kdz said...

So how is the Barb mare doing..? Has she exceppted the stallion and on her way to become a beautiful broodmare?..

Anonymous said...

@Carol, I think both our barb mares may be on their way to become broodmares as they have both had their share of male visitors, but since I am in Niger, there is no "certain" way of knowing except for bringing the mares back to the stallions (to see if they are on heat or not) and waiting for the belly to grow. Arwen has almost reached the time when her belly should start to show - if there is a foal there - but Sahara has a long way to go yet.