[(Photo: I visit a friend who lives in this mud-brick 'house' every week to read the Bible. When you see clouds like this in the late afternoon you have two options; ride home quickly or spend the night. I rode home quickly (takes about 30 minutes), and beat the storm by a matter of seconds.]
If you appreciate a good storm, you’d love this time of year in West Africa.
We experience a downpour every second day which almost always knocks out our electricity for the duration of the storm (not that we mind since watching a storm in the dark is a great past-time).
Rolls of thunder last more than a minute at a time as lightning dances across the sky. The huge trees sway violently as the storm chooses its victims, such as one of our poor, paw paw trees which did its last jig a couple of rains ago.
Aside from the spectacle, the rainy season brings many positives including relief from drought and relief from the heat. Water is plentiful and the temperature drops from the uncomfortable 30s and 40s to the pleasant 20s during a downpour, before the mercury starts climbing again.
Unfortunately, there are some negatives; the mosquitoes come with the rains, which means most of the population experiences bouts of malaria, and the flimsy shelters of the beggars are usually no match for the fury of the storm.
Jon
1 comment:
hope you guys are well now and that you will be able to get some rest. Dominic and family have left on their three month holiday and are almost in QLD. Sorry I have not be able message/email you of late but thing have been a little crazy, with strikes etc. The image of the mud huts is great, you can almost smell the storm coming. love Pete and Vini
Post a Comment