29 August 2006

Even More Pictures

Who wants more pictures? Hey, I better hear somebody saying they do. Come on.
Okay. There are more pictures here, and there are actual cheetah pictures here.

Let's start with the sunken pirate ship. Well, okay, it's not really a pirate ship, but piracy is quite popular in the Horn of Africa. You can see this one from the observation deck at the cheetah refuge.

Speaking of observation decks, look at this one. It's pretty cool, huh? You can sit up there, look out over the cheetahs, and enjoy the (not at all) cool breezes that blow in off the (extremely humid) ocean. Sarcasm aside it's a very nifty building, and if you had time it would be perfect for sitting up there at dusk and sipping a daiquiri or something. How they built this on three-dollar donations I have no idea.

This picture is also from the observation deck, looking south...um...east? I think. Mostly south. I get all turned around here, believe me. Anyway, that's a tiny little village in the distance, and you can see the minaret of the local mosque.

Unfortunately, when you get close this is what the tiny little villages look like. Actually, this is not at all the worst picture I took. If you want some pictures of terrible grinding poverty, believe me I have them. I also feel guilty taking them.

Here's a nifty Acacia tree of a species I don't know (okay, I spent some time looking for it; it's either raddiana or tortilis; it looks like abyssinica, but that species has not been reported in this country). What with the gazelles and all I just think this picture looks very "Africa;" certainly it's nicer than the previous one.


Finally, here is a picture of the "main street" on our camp. Actually, nobody calls it main street, nor do I, but it's as close to a "main street" as this place has. On the right is the exchange, barbershop, and other stuff; on the left is the gym. Up the hill keen-eyed observers may be able to detect the flag of the country I'm in right now... but I'm not betting on it.

No comments: