The end of another year in the Milgis

A CHRISTMAS LETTER

A YEAR IN THE MILGIS

To all the Milgis Trust’s supporters we say ashe oleng, thank you so much for being there through a difficult year in northern Kenya.  It has without doubt been a year of hardship and suffering for both the tribes and the wildlife of the Milgis Ecosystem; 2009 has indeed been the harbinger of one of the worst droughts seen for many a year.   But with the negatives come the positives and the Milgis Trust, despite the drought, despite the fall in tourism and despite all hurdles, has pulled through with strength and courage and is witnessing the effects of its continual hard work; ~ The Milgis ecosystem is regaining its balance~ Key wildlife species, endangered and rare are rebuilding in numbers ~ The Elephant population is expanding and thriving~ Clean drinking water is changing the lives of communities~ Education is growing and schools are flourishing   ~ Conservation awareness is succeeding ~ Medical support is expanding   

~ And in 2010 the Milgis Trust will unveil its new drought preparation Water Reservoir Unit; serving the entire Milgis Ecosystem with natural rain water harvesting reservoirs – with immense gratitude to our ‘friends of the Samburu’ in Portugal.

THE GIFT OF CLEAN WATER

The Milgis Trust has been incredibly lucky to have the support of the Voss Foundation (www.thevossfoundation.org) for two wonderful projects so far in the remote Samburu villages of Latakwen and Swari.  These water projects improve health, hygiene and living standards for all the community especially women and children.  With such support the Milgis Trust can install access to clean drinking water at schools, medical clinics and water kiosks within remote communities that are desperately in need of help.  And in support of our Swari Women Helping Women project we are thrilled to be welcoming 11of the women who helped fund the project, out on a safari in January 2010, celebrating the official opening of the village’s new water.  We are also thrilled to report that the Voss Foundation has now decided to fund another clean drinking water project to be implemented in 2010.

“When darkness joins the tropic moon To flood the landscape o’erWe know we may be hearing soonThe lion’s massive roar.Oh give me, give me, all these things…” By Sandy Field

SCHOOLS AND SMILES

Education is the route to understanding…and the Milgis Trust feels that the way forward for the future of this fragile land is through the children of the Milgis ecosystem.  By securing desperately needed support for new schools, classrooms, teachers and educational materials, these children will be in the position to improve their own futures and that of their families and become ‘ambassadors’ for conservation in their communities.    So far the Milgis Trust has built and outfitted two successful schools in the last 3 years.  The first, the Milgis School, is a wonderful hive of learning and is now considered one of the most influential schools in this vast area.  Four wonderful classrooms have been erected, a kitchen as well as shower and toilet facilities, with another classroom on the way in 2010 with thanks to our private funders.   We are also proud to say with your support the Milgis School is the only school in the area that has its very own clean drinking water supplied by a solar-power pump. The second school, Latakwen Nursery, is a beautiful school and enrolls an ever-increasing number of children who are thriving in an educational environment that they wouldn’t have otherwise had. 

In 2010 we will also be thrilled to announce the creation of Suruan Primary with thanks to the Toto Trust (who have also supported both other schools) and friends.  Suruan is an incredibly remote community nestled high within the Ndoto Mountains, which has never had access to education, making this project truly life changing.

THE BBC COMES TO THE MILGIS

The Samburu & the Elephant

As part of the BBC’s new series ‘Human Planet’ the Milgis Trust hosted a film crew within the Milgis ecosystem for 3 weeks.  The story is about the natural relationship between the Samburu people and the elephants and how they need each other to survive.

Despite the effects of the long-lasting drought last September, the scenes that unraveled throughout the day and through the night were absolutely fantastic.  The wildlife performed beautifully; elephants of all shapes and sizes calmly acted in front of the cameras and the Samburu people enjoyed the filming just as much as our guests.  This period was one of testimony to the work the Milgis Trust Scouts have been doing and proof that the wildlife is indeed returning to the Milgis and remaining safe and protected. 

BBC’s HUMAN PLANET BROADCAST CHRISTMAS 2010

‘We saw more elephants

 in a single evening than

we have seen in a decade of visiting the area.  It wasn’t just elephants though, it was kudu, desert warthog, jackals, hyena and a host of smaller game…

It is clear evidence that in approach and operation,

the Milgis Trust is

obviously doing

it right.’ 

Mark Deeble & Victoria Stone

 WILDLIFE & SCOUTS

With Protection comes Abundance; With Awareness comes Harmony

With the continued support from SHIKAR Safari Club International Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our private funders the Milgis Trust was able to sustain its vital core operations; supporting 24 scouts all equipped with GPS units and radios, patrolling within the Trust’s massive 6,000sq kms coverage area.  Moving our 24-hour radio base, which was an enormous task involving the construction of the new station on the peak of a huge mountain overlooking the Milgis, Seiya and Barsaloi luggas, has also been a great success, improving communications considerably.   

This increase in coverage area and subsequently extended awareness creation has helped improve not only wildlife numbers and security but also human-wildlife relations.    For the first time in many years the Ostrich has returned to the Milgis Lugga, Elephants have moved to areas they have not gone to for more than 30 years and there is more than a visible increase in Greater Kudu, Lesser Kudu, Gerenuks, African Wild Dog and many more species.  Our umbrella species, the African Elephant has thrived under the expanded surveillance; such a presence has this year also meant three successful elephant rescues; two of which, Nchan and Kudup, are now safely homed at DSWT in Nairobi.  In order for this equilibrium to be sustained the Milgis Trust Scouts must continue their patrols throughout this fragile land.

 LATAKWEN’S NEW MEDICAL CLINIC

·            Remote communities can now access the medical support they so desperately need

·            Mobile clinics can now work effectively and regularly within this isolated land

With the wonderful support of MEAK (Medical and Educational Aid to Kenya; www.meak.org) and their friends from the U.S the Milgis Trust has been able to restore and refurbish an old building in the Samburu village of Latakwen and transform it into a life-changing medical clinic.  Through this sustainable support the Milgis Trust has now also been able to employ a fully qualified full-time nurse and cleaner to ensure the clinics ongoing success. On top of this we are overjoyed to announce that the Latakwen Medical Clinic will now be supported by a desperately needed ambulance and driver, offering emergency transport and treatment to the many remote areas within this vast land.

As with all our funded projects we implore our sponsors to come on safari and see for themselves what truly amazing things are being created with their support; and we look forward to welcoming the MEAK supporters in 2010.

Asante Sana . . . Ashe Oleng. . .Thank You. . . for your Support

MERRY

CHRISTMAS!

The Milgis Trust

PO BOX 93, Naro Moru
Kenya, 10105

Please keep in touch!

Helen@milgistrustkenya.com Stella@milgistrustkenya.com

These disturbing primative drawings keep us on our toes…

As I was wondering down a dry river bed, (a lugga) the other day, I came across these interesting pictures, drawn on a rock… They are probably drawn by warriors, who would have used the the shade of the rocks, for a midday resting place, and traditionally they rub their finger into the red ochre in there hair, and say ‘ thank you ‘ to the rock for the shade, before they move on… Usually they would draw a warrior, or a cow, but these ones caught my eye.. The top picture shows two elephants being shot… Although they are abit washed, so slightly difficult to work out, but the top drawing theres actually bullets coming out of the gun!shooting an Elephant.jpg The bottom one looks like his friend is holding the Elephants tail, while the other one shoots… Hope he shot his friend NOT the Elephant!

The Picture below is a warrior shooting an Antelope.. Hes out hunting with his dog!! The only strange thing is the warrior seems to be wearing a peaked cap!! I wonder who its supposed to be!?? Oh well, these are to’ keep us all on our toes ‘

shooting an Antelope.jpg

I am going to be on safari with the camels for the next couple of months, with friends from all corners of the world, so you will not see a blog written by me during this time…( hopefully Stella, will keep you up to date) We will be crisscrossing the area that the Milgis Trust covers, so I should have lots of news in February! I will not be “sleeping”, in fact I am on the ‘ground’, will actually be very busy, making sure that the Milgis Trust conservation work is making a difference… Not only what I see, but also what I hear… I will be looking with my eyes, and listening to what the people we meet have to say… I want to know that they understand why we are doing all this hard work… ‘Basically to safeguard the Samburu peoples future’…

I want to say a huge thank you to all of who have donated money, or taken time to read our blogs.. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT.. From, myself, pete, Stella, Moses Lesoloyia, the manager, and all the scouts… Hope you have a merry festive season, and start the new year in style… Sorry OUR last picture this year is a sad one, but it is the reality out here, and we must NOT LET OUR GUARD DOWN… EVER!!..

There Aren’t Many Paradises Left, Lets Not Loose This One!

Let me take you back into the Matthews Range in the Northern Frontier District of Kenya… We are on a ’safari’, that means we are on a journey, walking with camels carrying our camping equipment, and food…. We are crossing the Matthews, and on the way the plan was to conquer Matthews peak, the impressive cone shaped summit jutting out on the east side of this extraordinary mountain Range, but it wasn’t to be…I’m afraid

It started raining!! Rain!!.jpg Camels just have to smell mud, or wet grass and they are already slipping and sliding..Their feet made for the flat desert can not cope.. It became a disaster.. They couldn’t go forwards or backwards, their long lanky legs doing the splits in all directions… They are truly the ’ships of the Sandy desert’!! We had to stop, find a place to camp … Camp.jpg Make a big fire, and have a cup of tea!, and hope tomorrow is going to be better… And by the way it was!, and we managed to get all 29 camels off the very steep mountain safely… Coaxing camels off the mountain.jpg

Its a nightmare I’ve had in my sleep before, but never lived it!!…

In the mean time just a few pictures of the beautiful things in the mountains.. This little ‘ perfect ‘ Aloe is only about 6 inches in width.. A little Aloe.jpg Growing out of this rock..

butterflies every where.jpg The Matthews are famous for their Butterflies, they were every where.. This was the only one that would sit still!… Look at the blue wash around the white patches… can anyone identify this one??

Cycads and Aloes everywhere.jpg This Cycad, endemic to the Matthews, and Ndoto ranges… Not only do they live for a long time now, but they also lived at the same time as the Dinosaurs.. Beautiful plants, and this little scene, with the Aloes, the cedars, and the rocks beats any home made garden!

Inside the forest.jpg Inside the forest..

leopard tortoise.jpg Is this a Speke’s Hinged Tortoise?? He was up high in the mountains! We did not see alot of game, but saw plenty of signs, and heard Elephant, below is a place they come to dig for salt, you can see their tusk marks in the holes, and wallow in the mud.. plenty of Buffalo, bushbuck, many tracks of small cats, mongooses and Hyenas.. place where the Elephants dig for salt.jpg

The Milgis Trust is working hard to keep the area that we cover, nearly 6000 square kms, from The Matthews Range, Ndotos and up to Mt Nyiru and all the areas surrounding these mountains, safe from destruction, and to keep the wildlife safe, and we employ 25 local scouts from the the Samburu tribe, they all have radios and GPS and record and report to base, any people destroying, or burning the forests, or trees or poaching of wildlife… We do not arrest and march the people off we call meetings, and we talk, we call it gentle conservation… We have gained great respect, through out this vast area, and I can see myself that we are winning as we have been doing Camel/walking safaris for 25 years, through this entire area, and I see a very big difference…

Please everyone can we ask you to support our ‘gentle conservation’ in the Northern Frontier of Kenya, to keep this VERY SPECIAL part of the world from being destroyed…

This is one of the Scouts meticulously [ he never went to school ] writing out his findings after a days walking through these special mountains one of the scouts writing his log.jpg His name is Lesongo, [Buffalo.. his identification] he worked for KWS for many years, and joined us when he was retired.. The community chose him as their scout for the area, he is highly respected, by every one, and is very serious about his work…

A safari through magical Matthews Range, then came the rain!!

The Matthews Range… Or as the Samburu call it ‘ Ol Donyo Lenkiyio ‘ … ‘ the dewlap of a cow’, another of the Samburus Sacred mountain ranges, in fact they say if they lose them, then its the end of the Samburu tribe, is another of those beautiful Islands in the Desert in the Northern Frontier district… Each Island is so different from the other… They are not as steep and sheer as the Ndotos, but they go up in layers, layer of ridges.jpgeach ridge, abit higher than the last, until you reach the top, averaging around 7500/8000 feet… The Forest is largely unspoilt, and vast, clinging onto the slopes, massive gnarled old trees, 100’s of years old, who could tell a story or two about the old days, and even now… Very very few people know these mountains well, in fact just a few hunter gatherers,who have lived off the forest all their lives, but they keep things secret… Wildlife is thriving up there, Elephants, Buffalo, leopard, and De-Brazza Monkeys, and a multitude of other forest animals and birds that quietly get on with their lives, tucked away from the world… Birds have no fear of humans as they hardly know what they are!, they come close up to check you out!!… When you are up in the Forest, its difficult to believe that there is another world out there… Where you all are!…Its a special place…

Samburu warriors feeling greeen grass!.jpg

Our good Friends from Austria, who have done several camel safaris with us, and avid Milgis Trust supporters, wanted this time to discover the Matthews abit more!…they wanted to stand on ‘Kimanic’, Matthews Peak!!… But I mentioned, November may not be the right time but lets try!!!

Uh Oh!!… This was the day before we left.. Rainbow, clutching on to Nantodo.jpg interesting sign, but actually the Samburu say that a rainbow holds the rain back!!… Behind the rainbow is the ‘dewlap of the cow’ The northern end of the Range..

Eerie Milgis.jpg Eerie Milgis, the morning we were setting off,,, Most extraordinary for the hot windy Milgis Lugga… Was it telling us something!!

But Up, Up, Up we went, past all the layers, to the ridge, above the Famous Ilgwe pass, where the Samburu won a big battle against the Laikipiak… Ilgwe pass.jpg The Samburu, apparently!, chipped away at the sides of these rocks with their spears, so that they could steal cattle and run, across the pass… which was impossible before! And they did, and now in memory of this very ‘famous’ or important piece of history of the Samburu when you pass, you pick a branch and put it on the pile, on either side of the pass…

Forest above Ilgwe.jpg Ilgwe pass is below..

Northern Matthews.. in the distance is Ngurnit, east side of the Ndotos

North Matthews Forest.jpg Matthews peak.. Matthews peak.jpg we didn’t make it there!!.. I started raining ,pouring… The Samburu sang with joy even if they were getting soaked…

To be continued!…

The advantages of having Elephants around!!!

Anna, thanks for your comment, on my last blog, and while we are on the subject, of ‘ the good things that Elephants bring to our world!!’… I could rant and rave for hours on these fascinating animals!!…. They entertain visitors who come to watch wildlife for hows, theres never a dull moment.. Imagine the amount of money they bring to Africa, just from tourism!!.. Apart from being the most incredible, extraordinary, ‘ being ‘, such an amazing animal that it would take a whole page of words to describe these gentle giants, which one is frightened of only because of their sheer size! Obviously, agitated bulls, and females with calves are to be highly respected, again because of their size, humans probably look like ants to them!, but if ivory was not valuable, they probably would be even more placid than they already are.. If I was always the target of ‘the gun’ I would be VERY DANGEROUS as well!!!! This point has come up many times, talked about by Samburu people in our meetings, where in the past, they had only thought that ‘Elephants are dangerous’, what has been indicated, several times, is, the elephants now having found relative peace, are calm, and easy to live with…

Of course, as Anna points out, one of the major advantages is the way they spread seeds, and fertilise! especially the seeds of the Acacia tortilis.. along all the paths where Elephants walk you can always see a line of trees…As this picture shows .. Elephants spreading Acaia Tortilis seeds.jpg I do hope this picture comes out, but if you can’t work it out it is an Elephant dung full of Acacia Tortilis seeds… Also, they shake the ‘ sagiram’ , the nutritious curly Acacia tortilis pods seeds out of the trees, and all herbivores, wildlife and livestock all love!..Harmony..jpg I call this picture, painted by ‘Nderit2′… HARMONY, under the acacia tree!.. It is painted on the wall of one of the classrooms at the Milgis School!!

Doum palm... Matabauwa Lugga.jpg Other Trees like the Doum Palm will not germinate unless it has been through the stomach of an Elephant!!..

pan dams made by elephants.jpg These pan dams are kept ‘alive’ by the Elephants when they bathe in them, they make them deeper each time and they carry the mud off on their skin.. When the rains come they fill up with water, and the cycle continues.

One of the most important advantages of having Elephants around is the fact that they open up the very very thick bush, along the edges of the Luggas, and thick mountain slopes, which other than burning, which is absolutely not an option because there is no control and is too destructive, is a huge benefit to the people looking for grazing.. This has been a very interesting issue with the Rendille people, this year as they came to the Milgis area from the desert, and started their usual burning, but once we had managed to point out that its NOT necessary any more as the Ely’s are doing the job for them… By the time they were ready to go home, once the rains arrived, they were talking and thinking like us!!

More advantages!… elephants drinking hole.JPG Elephant drinking hole in the sand.. Baboons drinking out of hole dug by Ely.JPG Baboons drinking out of hole dug by Elys

Above is a hole carefully dug with his trunk, and water syphoned out by an elephant, now every animal can get to the water!!… All wildlife, but also including donkeys although they are a vital animal for the people, to carry water, and to carry their manyattas when in search for greener pastures, for some unknown reason, are often left to fend for them selves..

In fact ‘ The Elephant ‘ is a VITAL part of life out there… Long may peace for them prevail, and they be appreciated!…

positive twist for the Elephants survival!!

Its a sad thing, but what I hear more and more often in my life, is if you can’t make money out of wildlife its ‘no good to anybody’… This is a sign of the times thats for sure in my opinion…. If the animal can not pay for itself, its doomed…. SHAME ON HUMANS.. You can’t ‘ JUST BE ‘ any more… We have been battling with the people over the return of the Elephants to the Ndotos, unfortunately they have got used to living with out them…… Just to remind you… They were almost completely wiped out of any where north of the Milgis Lugga, in the terrible poaching in the 70s and 80s.. But I am pleased to inform you that they are coming back in their droves, and the amazing thing is they are being appreciated by the people…

elephant damage matthews 09.jpg Acacia trees felled by Elephants, in the north west Ndotos…

Part of the Managers awareness safari, after the drought, was to visit, an area, in the north west side of the Ndotos, Ora, where a couple of years ago he had had a very difficult meeting with the people over the return of the Elephants… This time things have changed and now the ‘elephant’ is welcome!!… Due to widespread realisation, by the elders, that if every one just keeps cutting trees down to feed their livestock, what are they going to eat next year!, there are some hefty fines handed out to people who cut trees, but with the elephants just going about there daily meals, 5 tons of mass needs alot to eat, it needs trees!, so now the people just follow the Elephants..

Ora.. West side of Ndotos...jpg Ora, a beautiful area, on the west side of the magical Ndoto Mountains..Where Elephants had disappeared from for 30 years!!.. ,

This is our managers positive report…

The following day we left for Ora where we had a very good meeting before showing the film. We revisited areas where people had been complaining bitterly on the destruction of trees by elephants, when they first came back to the area. This time it was all praise for Elephants and this was what was said at the meeting!

Ø The Ely’s rescued hundreds of cows from starvation- They felled branches of Euphorbia, acacias and other plants which our livestock could then feed off.. We didn’t have to cut any trees down! One man who was very bitter on the arrival of Ely’s, said Ely’s were now his closest friend during the dry period.

Ø They have opened up paths into the mountains, and now many previously impassable slopes are passable..

Ø The Ely’s are able to smell out roots (njasi) which, they eat but they always leave some behind which the herders could eat as they looked after livestock

Ø They are very friendly

This was very pleasing to hear and they had already talked to the people who came from Lesirikan and keleswa areas about not disturbing the animals in the area. [ There has been a shortage of rain in the west, and northern areas so there is a massive influx of new people to Ora, with their livestock looking for grazing] To emphasise this and support them we chose on the film on the ‘Bloody Ivory’ which shows footage on human wildlife friendliness, though the title means something else.

Is this recent drought a turning point in the way people are thinking??

Hi every one, sorry to have disappeared! Just back from a beautiful camel safari through the green hills of the Northern Frontier District!!… Its beautiful up there, we’ve had to cross flooded luggas, and slip and slide through mud, and best of all just watch the grass grow, and watching all the animals gain strength, and even to run away…

crossing a flooded Lugga.jpg Crossing the Seiya Lugga.. Nov 09.. Camels know too well how dangerous it can be, as they can fall into pockets of air under the sand and sink in up to their heads, in water

green grass.jpg Green grass… You probably wonder why I took this picture but its an unusual site in the N.F.D… Its incredible!! I took too many pictures of green grass..I’ll only bore you with one!!

Desert warthog too weak to run away.jpg..Desert warthogs, taken early Oct. 09,with a very simple camera, surviving on the only grass available, which is like thorns, very dry and hard, too weak to bother to run away… now you won’t see them for dust… The wildlife has suffered very badly, but if it hadn’t.t been for the Milgis Trust scouts many more would have perished, through lack of water..

Compared to the rest of Kenya so far, we have been very lucky with rain, although it is very patchy… But in the last year hundreds and thousands of trees have been cut down, and uncountable livestock has died… We came across people that have lost almost every thing they own… Its hard, but they now need to think why…. Too many people trying to live off too little, brings disaster… Are the pastoral people going to change their principals!??? As you know one of the most important mission of the Milgis Trust is to ‘conserve the peoples way of life’ in this magical country… But one thing has to change and that is the amount of stock that can live off this semi desert land… Actually, as I say, Nature has done the job, this time but its caused a lot of suffering…

Cut down to feed livestock.jpg After the rains nov. 09.jpg

Just for fun… 1st Picture taken 9 th October 09 showing tree chopped down for a hungry goat …. 2nd Pic taken end October… Same area!!

The Manager, with the area scouts are at the moment out to do a massive awareness campaign, not so much to tell the people but to see if they have learnt something… In the managers words… ‘In general the response from all the people we talk to is indicating that the last drought has opened the eyes of many in terms of the numbers of livestock we keep and the destruction of the environment. Many report that they went all the way to Marti and eventually came back to the Milgis lugga, [where people do not cut trees any more!] which rescued their animals. LOTS TO DO!!…

YES, A Striped Hyena does make a noise like a camel in distress!!

When I first started bloging a year and a half ago, I asked this question….. does a striped hyena, make a noise like a camel in distress? but never got an answer!? Not much known about these beautiful/extraordinary animals? or maybe my blog is not reaching out to the right people?. Is what I have been asking my self!.. But Last night, we watched in absolute dismay as two male Striped hyena fought to the death, completely silent the fight was, all we saw to start with was dust, and two animals battling it out, the loser which was much bigger, kept on trying to run away, but the winner just kept coming, and he had one intention… To kill his rival, which he did savagely, with no distractions , in the end he had him on his back, and he was shaking him like a rag doll… We were utterly amazed at the silence of the fight, not a sound from both sides… The triumphant one left the other for dead, or almost, he lay there, but he wasn’t there in the morning… took off back in the direction that the fight had started, about a kilometre away..

Soon after this extraordinary noise, the same one that we have heard twice before, absolutely like a camel in trouble, rang across the country side… We rushed back to check it out unfortunately we had a weak torch, so could not see too much, and we thought that the fight was continuing, but we realised it was very different behaviour, and it seemed that the female, if it was indeed a female! was putting up quite a fight as well!… But all most like fisti-cuffs, not serious stuff… They then disappeared out of site and sound… We heard nothing more…

Capture the Milgis… we need your help.

With your support the Milgis Trust would love to own night camera traps to capture the nocturnal activities of the wildlife within the busy Milgis ecosystem. Each and every morning the Milgis team identifies countless tracks and spoors of highly timid creatures of the night such as the Lion, Aardvark, African Wild Cat, Porcupine, Civet, Ratel and Leopard as well as numerous other mammals, reptiles, insects and birds that dwell within this land. The Aardvark above all is an important animal for the Samburu – one sighting of this incredibly shy creature means you are blessed with luck for life.

But without the necessary equipment sightings are seldom recorded. To collect, record and share such physical information on these nocturnal animals would support the awareness and understanding of the Milgis Trust’s work whilst encouraging communities to continue in their conservation efforts and aid the Trust’s scouts in providing further security for the wildlife where it is needed most.

I n d o n a t i n g o n e n i g h t c a m e r a t r a p the Milgis Trust can implement an unobtrusive and sustainable surveillance unit, collecting much needed data to help substantiate the amazing successes the Trust is receiving in the increase in wildlife species and numbers to the area, not to mention the unidentified species we believe to exist within the Trust’s habitats.

1 Night Camera Trap Uk £ 199 only!

*As part of the donation the Milgis Trust would be proud to issue you with regular prints or digital copies of the very best photos that your donated camera has captured*

floods glorious floods!! From Dust to mud!!

Its an extraordinary phenomena.. the transition from drought to floods, soon after I wrote my last blog about the clouds disappearing into thin air!!, they were busy building up out there in the desert!, it poured again with rain in the Karisias, Matthews, and Ndoto Mountains, and every where between, and the massive kilometre wide Luggas, have been roaring with flooded waters, doing their jobs correctly, in draining the area… Its incredible to see the transition, when they are dry they are huge ‘roads’, all day every day there are people, cows, camels goats, elephants, baboons, guinea fowl, etc etc using the huge sandy river bed to walk on, now these huge sandy highways have turned into roaring, raging, dangerous flood water, we all know how dangerous that can be!!.. But every one here knows that one keeps well away from them… If you happen to be on the other side of one of these luggas visiting a friend, when the rain starts, well you’ll have to ‘over stay’ your welcome now as you have no other choice!.. You won’t have to worry about your family at home, as the neighbour will surely be checking out on them.. Thats how the Samburu are! The two pictures below were taken in the same spot, different angle … From highway to flooded river!

Lugga Highway! lugga highway.jpg

lugga flooded.JPG Lugga flooded!

I am not up at the Milgis at the moment, but on the radio this morning I asked how things were going!.. I was told … shhhhh don’t even talk… We are ALL so happy, we are all so relieved, We are all silent… SPEECHLESS, just sitting back watching the rain, the water, THE ‘LIFE’ COMING BACK TO THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY!!… What a lovely way to put it!…