It's Raining, It's Pouring!

The rainy season has at last arrived which has made the frogs, mosquitoes and farmers very pleased. Mere mortals like me are happy when it interrupts the ridiculously high humidity but not so happy when wadding through brown smelly stuff trying to buy my weekly allowance of carrots from the market. Just as well my skin is waterproof. The rain managed to hold off for our party which we threw in honour of Jane returning home and it just happened to coincide with my birthday. We pushed the boat out and asked some of the local ladies to do the cooking for us. I never knew it took so much time to create a massive bowl of brown stuff and rice but the preparation started the day before on my kitchen floor and continued for about five hours the following day. Come feeding time we were all ravenous. It was a little reminiscent of the five loaves and two fishes or was it two loaves and five fishes. Anyway, everybody’s relative climbed out of the woodwork and the food stretched, yet another miracle. A good afternoon was had by all and the brown with rice was extremely tasty.

Preparing brown

Cooking brown

Event number two was a group tree planting effort. Friends invited us to help plant their meringo tree seedlings. I hear you ask, what is meringo? Well just remember where you heard it first because it is going to be the next super food. The leaves are dried which you then sprinkle onto your food and then apparently you turn into Superman or Wonder woman. Look out for it in your local Holland and Barrett. Mind you it might take a while to get to the UK if it travels anything like the local postal service. For our back breaking efforts we were rewarded with our very welcome supper which was peppered with a few meringo leaves. Maybe that explains why the guys suddenly had their underpants over their trousers. On the other hand it could have been an overdose of sun and the local brew.

Planting trees African style

Also right on our doorstep is a wildlife hideaway, why didn’t we find out about it before now I wonder. Lots of trees, which we were told the names of but as my brain now resembles scrambled egg I have now forgotten. We were taken down the river through the mangroves in dugout canoe and met some of the resident baboons who got a little bit too close for comfort at times. My friend shouted to scare them off which only seemed to antagonise them and as I was the closest I ended up in a face off with a young male flexing his muscles. Having been told not to run I tried to make myself look like an Amazon woman (should’ve eaten more meringo leaves), it wasn’t working. After a few feeble shouts we were eventually rescued by a man with a very big stick. All I thought was at least I’ve had my rabies, I didn’t go through all that discomfort for nothing.

Don't point that at me!

Also been doing a spot of painting. A couple of our weekends have been spent decorating college classrooms. A joint effort between VSO, Peace Corps and students. Michelangelo eat your heart out, our rooms will be on the next tourist trail.

June’s weekly tip – Don’t venture near baboons without a big stick.