Ben Wilhelmi

Lake Natron, aerials

 

Being based in Dar es Salaam and in the Ruaha doesn’t give me many opportunities to fly to the north of Tanzania. I miss lake Natron and its salt colorful patterns, its endless artistic creativity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arusha, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People, South Sudan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arusha, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flying Medical Service, a little emergency story

Someone could write a book with the 30 years of bush flying, emergencies and other work Flying Medical Service has accomplished in Tanzania.

One example?

There was that Maasai warrior who had been attacked by a lion. The large paw had ripped off the man's throat, including the vocal cords, breaking the jaws....Pat, our director-manager-pilot, flew him to Nairobi where a US surgeon was training local doctors. A nice coincidence.

One nurse tried to reassure the patient that everything was to be fine, that the scars would be invisible. The man got agitated but couldn't speak.

While on recovery, the Maasai was spotted rubbing salt on his fresh scars!
Scars are indeed extremely important in Maasai culture. The more spectacular the better. That explained the agitated status and the salt rubbing. Scars are gold but with a subtlety: those scars have to result from some form of bravery. Lion scars in the back for instance don't count, that location means you were running away. No glory, go to bed.

Funny enough my scar due to a mountain bike accident while speeding down a steep hill brought respect. Go and figure to compare that to a lion scar...

South Sudan, people

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris, street photography

 

Charlie Chaplin will never go out of fashion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tanzania, aerials

 

Buffaloes in a dwindling pool,Selous.

 

Hippos in the mighty Rufiji river.

 

A pond shows an artistic nature, Selous reserve.

 

Elephants in the Ruaha. Notice the one-tusker.

 

Buffaloes crossing the Rufiji.

 

Mafia island.

 

Some suburb houses, Dar es Salaam.

Wildlife, Amboseli, park

 

This hyena got a  lunch and a bath later.

 

Mount Kilimanjaro lies in Tanzania, not in Kenya, but one gets a perfect view from Amboseli park.

 

 

 

A grey-crowned crane.

 

 

These elephants got so close to the car in perfect marching orders and didn’t touch it.

 

Aerials, Tanzania

 

Elephants crossing the Rufiji river, Selous.

 

Buffaloes running in the Katavi national park

 

Farming seems difficult near Singida.

 

 

Animal tracks, Ngorongoro area.

 

A lodge  near Zanzibar.

 

Sisal plantation near Mashado.

 

Abandoned Mi8, Dar es Salaam. A previous name (Aeroflot?) reappears over the years.

 

Rufiji delta.

 

Our lodge in the Selous

 

Dar es Salaam suburbs.

Zanzibar, street pictures