A few impressions of the last three weeks (if possible, please go to the bottom and scroll up -- once again they are in reverse order!)

and before too long, the desert again

Outside Marsebit -- the volcanic crater by the same name

David and Graeme and I were in charge of dinner -- and this stall provided everything we needed for a delicious meal! (except the meat -- but that's another story!)

And simply because there was nowhere where we could put up our tents that was not in a puddle, we pirtched them in the backyard of Jeyjey's -- the local "InterContinental"...

But finally we reached Marsebit..... Yes -- the stronghold of El Jabaab in Northern Kenya (the Somalian wing of El Qaida). Again our guardian angels were with us -- as, the day after we left, a man was shot and killed by bandits right in this road.

But the road did not get better after. On the contrary...

then getting a reward from your lady love!

Nothing as satisfying as ... being covered in mud

So that everyone else could through as well

And once the stuck truck was released, we came after and filled the trenches

and then filled the holes with rocks. And more rocks

and they dug and dug and dug...

Another casualty of impatience -- and the poor passengers were stranded for days without food, water or shelter

Somehow the picture would not be complete without a few locals carrying guns! We don't even look twice -- and never for a moment felt unsafe. And yet -- only a few hours later, after we had left, a truck driver and his two passengers were killed by bandits right here. Perhaps by this self same man whose truck we helped pull out?

Quite a different experience -- the mezungus (white people) worked and the black people stood around and watched

Every trans traveller gets a couple of condoms in their first aid kit. One could make a list of all its possible uses, such as... protecting a cut toe when building roads ...

Orm is in his element! Give the man knee deep mud, a shovel and a smile and he is as happy as ... well, you know what I am talking about!

And it is obviously not going to be a stroll in the park

We decide we cannot stay here until, some day, the Kenyan Roadworks are going to send someone to come help. Mark discusses with the first truck in the line what has to be done to get him out of there

A very muddy camel

From time to time we had visitors... These camels we were very pleased to see as they had been on a truck, stuck in the mud, and the truck was precariously leaning over the last time we saw it and the camels had not looked comfortable. But here they are and looking muddy, but healthy and unhurt

Not a single one of the trucks we met on the road had a shovel! So our five shovels did overtime!

mmmm never trust a man who rubs his eye while playing cards...

Ignacio and Ben preparing a feast over the fire, in the rain

There is something very special about playing cards under the tarp while it rains ...

then the sun breaks through for a short while

Just when we think the road has dried out enough for us to try to find a way through, more clouds come racing from the distant horizon to come empty themselves out above our heads...

And the bush in Africa blossoms after the rain!

Thank goodness -- and Mark's foresight, we had enough provisions to cook excellent meals while we were stuck

and every hour brings more trucks

Our habitat for the duration of the road works...

...after the storm

Fortunately our tents (we stayed here for several nights) were on the other side of the road; this side became a raging river during the night when the rain poured down

Stuck in the mud, but life goes on as it should; a man washes his hands and feet, his face and his ears in a puddle of water next to the road so that he may kneel towards the east and say his prayers

...and then we get around the next bend... More than 60 trucks ended up here, and us amongst them. Some had been stuck for days already. The saddest part is that many of these trucks are transporting live animals.

Mark gets through the first stretch...

One of many many casualties of the deep muddy roads and impatience. Ironically, this truck was transporting water tanks to the drought areas

The advantage of not having a vehicle is that you don't get stuck in the mud. But -- how do they stay so beautiful and clean??

we walked and walked...

And it only got worse

And then we hit the mud...

The men here are as colourful as the women

Even though the green is fast coming through, the evidence of a very severe drought of five years is starkly visible

The people -- and in particular the women in Northern Kenya, ALL wear traditional dress and it is stunning! The bead 'collars' they wear as well as the beaded head gear they all have on their heads, are works of art that I have not seen anywhere else. But -- no pictures allowed (so much so that I have not seen this specific style photographically recorded anywhere!) so a few sneak pics from a fast moving truck were all I could manage!

The first signs that there has been rain ... lots and lots of rain

Toilet stops give opportunity to see the beautiful effects of the first rains in five years up close

and still looks good...

As we continue to head north, the road is no longer sealed, ---- but it still looks good...

Some of the last Masai huts we saw in Northern Kenya -- wood, mud, grass and plastic -- the building materials of Africa

One moment everything is green, the next it is desert --- that is African scenery for you...

Majestic mountains, more beautiful clouds

If you ever wondered where those trousers you donated to your favourite charity ended up...

So far the road looks good...

Incredibly blue skies and ever-changing beautiful cloud formations

After five years of drought, it doesn't take much to get the earth to show its appreciation of the first rains

Market day is always a colourful affair

Mount Kenya in the distance