The first two days of directed research involved sliding down a few ravines, falling in some irrigation canals and learning how to use a GPS to map the Noolturesh River for purposes of measuring human encroachment and water use by the local people. Little did I know that I would be trekking through the African jungle with vegetation so dense I could barely see through it and thorns scratching me all over. There are these really annoying plants that stick to you and chafe your legs through your pants. You know it’s pretty bad when the local guide looks at you and says “You bush.” They’re called Forget Me Nots. I told the guides that the American version of Forget Me Nots are little blue flowery plants.
But the craziest part was the safari ants that literally climbed all the way up my legs beneath my pants, biting all the way up. I had to stop a few times to get them out of my underwear. This really happened.
Despite all that it’s still a really cool experience. The area is beautiful, with palm trees and Sykes monkeys scattered along the river, and the people are really friendly even though we’re trespassing on their property. There are no trespassing laws in Kenya though, so there’s nothing to worry about. I think they really appreciate seeing people who look like they might do something to improve their desperate water situation. We’ve tromped through numerous tomato patches, corn fields and banana plantations to map this river that ranges from a mere trickle to wide with a current.
Tomorrow we start interviews based on water usage, everything from how close their farm is to the stream to how often they get sick from the river water. I’m excited but a little nervous because you never know what might happen during an interview: a mother breastfeeding her 3 year old, one of the many flies at the bomas going up your nose or a donkey causing such a disturbance that you can’t even hear the response. Just another day doing research in Africa.
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