Whatshot

2026
All
September
2025
All
November
All
2024
All
June
All
April
All
2023
All
March
All
2022
All
2021
All
2020
All
March
All
February
All
2019
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
2018
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
2017
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2016
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2015
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
DHS
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2014
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
KZN
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2013
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2012
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All

'Bless the rains down in Africa' (Toto) - Extreme East 4

'Bless the rains down in Africa' (Toto) - Extreme East 4

Author: Kingsley Holgate
Date: 2018-07-27

The dry and the dust continue as we zigzag across Tanzania and into Kenya. In Nairobi, Anna (Ross' wife and a keen adventurer) flies in to join us. She's accompanied by Shova Mike's good mates, Leith Stewart and Shane Barker, two surgeons from Cape Town who are avid mountain bikers and fired up for their cycling adventure ahead. Shova Mike's hired a Landy - a battered green Defender - as the cyclists' back-up vehicle from a Kenyan operator for the stretch through Kenya and onto Harar in Ethiopia. It comes with a driver and Stella, a charming Kikuyu safari operator.

Next day it's north, through the green highlands to Nanyuki, passing Mount Kenya swathed in mist, to set up a base camp in Samburuland. Here the drought has been horrific; thousands of goats, cattle, sheep and camels have died - it's been a main cause of the recent land invasions and political unrest in the area. With our great friend Dipa and his Il Moran (Samburu age-set warriors), we slaughter a goat. With us to sample expedition life and the humanitarian work we do, are Siv, Matt and Wim from the Man Cave TV programme. Siv, the presenter, and some of the expedition team are invited to drink blood from the sacrificial animal. Coincidentally the heavens open and soon we're all running for our tents.

Throughout the night, the rain drums down onto our flysheets, competing with the gurgling, grunting and spitting of camels in a nearby boma. In the morning, we wake to curtains of falling water cascading down the high cliff faces of the sacred Samburu mountain of Olelokwe, where the women come to pray for rain. The drought has broken! Now the challenge is red-brown mud and swollen rivers. As we continue through the Wamba area conducting Elephant Art education with school children and humanitarian work in Samburu villages, the torrential rains continue - flash floods, bridges are washed away and rocky mountain passes become slippery and dangerous. Will keep you posted.