Ben Wilhelmi

B/W portraits, Tanzanian bush

 

Northern Tanzania, various tribes share a vast and remote territory around lake Natron.

Older women are not easy to approach for pictures.

Masai portraits, B/W photography

 

Tough mean looking mama. Even her Masai husband must think twice before coming home late and drunk…

 

 

photo shoot with a Masai model, B/W

 

Last week, I was flying for Flying Medical Service in northern Tanzania. This is mainly Masai territory near volcano Lengai. Here is Olpirikata, a tiny Masai hamlet, one of the numerous airstrips where we operate on a regular basis, that is a  2 week-rotation system.

This Masai girl, quite a stunning face, was initially shy, I had to insist a bit when tings got much easier when she was her friends enjoying the prints I had brought from a previous photo shoot. Curiosity and a bit of envy got her!

At first she didn’t quite know how to behave in front the lens but that didn’t last….

 

This one is my favorite of the lot. I often wish I could only shoot the same model for 5 or 10 minutes, instead of changing model with every click. But then there are sometimes 20 people waiting and I’m not sure how they would react to that.

 

This is really unusual for many people out there. Whereas mirrors exist, one cannot see one profile. So a profile picture always comes as a surprise initially, sometimes confirmation from friends is needed, but in the end, I get asked to shoot more.

 

In 2 weeks hopefully she’ll receive a few prints, although they’ll be in colors. B/W wouldn’t be fashionable and appreciated in Masai culture I bet….

Tanzania under the rains, aerials

 

while flying for Flying Medical Service, I get to see incredible places. Places which have changed a great time lately. Green colors showed up in no time, typical tropical feat after some heavy showers. Waterholes, non perennial lakes, rivers have filled up quickly too.

One of our Cessna C206’s on clinics.

this airstrip is normally the driest of all we use. Grass got the upper hand once more, though it won’t last much past December…

Flying Medical Service, people and medical outreach

 

while busy flying with Flying Medical Service, I have got some opportunities to take some pictures. Here are some of my early shots from 1999-2002.

B/W portraits in the bush, Tanzania

 

Pininyi village on the lake Natron western shoreline.

a proud Masai lady. Round scars on the face are not rare but scarification such as on the arm is rare.

 

this girl is Masai nevertheless her ears are not extended. Her father used to be the village leader, is educated and might have decided she would have an easier future outside Masai life with untouched ears. His 2nd wife is Sonjo, which could explain the more common ear rings and the typical haircut drawn by a razor blade.

 

this woman seems to have some mental problems. She was talking to me but women behind her back were talking mute and gesturing to explain she was living in her own world. Still she looked so pleased that I did ask her to pose for me. I could see she was hanging around but too shy to ask. I hope she’ll like the print I’ll give her on the next meeting there.

 

a really unusual thick mop of hair for this Sonjo girl. I can’t remember having seen one before, even in cities. Hair extensions are thus very common because African hair don’t grow so easily.

 

Masai male portraits, Tanzania, B/W

 

some men for a change. I realised I blogged a lot about women lately. They tend to attend our medical clinics in bigger numbers of course and also more prone to pose.

this guy was a bit drunk on a market day.

2 friends.

extended ears can be a nuisance when beating the bush. Imagine getting caught in acacia branches. So the extended lobes are often flipped over the ears, like on these 2 shots.

B/W photography, Tanzania

 

one of my favorite place for portraits (though I’d need to be there at other times than midday for better lighting), that is Pininyi on the western shore of lake Natron. Here there is a peaceful mix of Sonjo and Masai tribe, oops sorry people. I heard one photographer has been pressed to change his book project title. The word 'tribe' was indeed deemed offensive so 'people' it should be. I had no idea 'tribe' had joined 'negro' ranking. The politically correct tribe should be declared offensive to the human race if you ask me...if I were to burn a fuse everytime a Frenchie has fun on Belgians, everytime a woman mocks men because we are variously 'challenged'...in turn many humorists feel they have to walk on eggs in fear of losing jobs or face a law suit.

 

talking about challenge, I was clearly shown and explained that this woman was 'mentally challenged'. Well to all the PC's I might piss off, I don't have to apologize since I'm socially challenged and can't suffer morons. How about that?

people in Tanzania

 

while operating a Cessna 206 for Flying Medical Service in the bush, like here in Monik on lake Natron, an unusual ‘highway’ type bush strip, I’ve got time to walk around, meet people and get a few snapshots.

 

Another common way to carry a cumbersome burden is to place the strap on top of the head.

 

McMinus visiting the Tanzanian bush, here on lake Natron with volcano Lengai far back.

Flying Medical Service, some medical cases

 

quite a shock to discover that boy in a village on lake Natron shoreline. That swelling started 2 months ago. 2 months while the father tried a few dispensaries and small hospitals to no avail before finally coming to us. The scar on the cheek shows a drainage attempt. The doctor thought of Ludwig’s angina, to be confirmed and hopefully treated. This form of infection is potentially lethal. So we flew him to the hospital. Another serious case to fly out that day was a tuberculosis on the spine, quite a painful condition.

Impressive huh?

 

some very old random pictures…

that white spot is the bone. Notice the dirty bandage.

 

nasty infection on the nose but it got cured and she now shows a healthy normal nose.

 

a buffalo horn did that by ripped off some skin and flesh on a boy.

 

people and landscapes, Tanzania

 

I get to fly to some interesting places in northern Tanzania. I’m so lucky to enjoy these  amazing sceneries. the schedules don’t always give the best time of the day for the best light but hey, I’m there and this is what I see and experience. Here one of Flying Medical Service Cessna 206’s in Olorbelin, lake Natron, at the foot of volcano Shombole.

 

Soccer, international game if one. Here in Monik, on the lake again with volcano  Lengai in the background.

 

a bit further up, that is on top of the high cliff bordering the lake to the west. Oleparkashi, don’t look for those names on any map, I just like to name a few for your info. Lengai behind.

same place, looking towards the lake and Shombole below. Where the grass stops starts a 600 meter vertical drop.

 

Or towards mount Masonik, a landmark on the cliff.

 

Engoveroni airstrip and a shrouded Lengai. Pieces of clothes drying in the new after serious downpours.

 

McMinus and people in Pininyi, Natron and Lengai far away.

life in a village, Tanzania

 

Loliondo, a big village north of Serengeti. Lots of Masai people but not only. A village that seems to love colors.

 

truck instead of bus. Sometimes it is more confortable than a local coach, that is if the truck is full of sacks of rice. Then one just lies down on those sacks and can take a nap under fresh air.

 

Tanzania is the fastest growing country in term of cellular phones. I’m not surprised by that feat. Even Masai people in the remote bush have got cell phones.

 

Vodacom, one of the leading brands in phone networks.

 

2 warriors buying phone recharges.

B/W portraits in the bush, Tanzania

 below is a mix of Sonjo and maasai people. The easiest hints to recognize them is to look at the ears. Extension means Maasai features. Tiny scars on the face will belong to a Sonjo woman.

aerials over lake Natron, Tanzania

 

most descriptions will declare lake Natron environment as being harsh and inhospitable. Those statements are mostly true but there are exceptions near the few rivers and springs.

this happy herder wanders through a spring at the foot of Shombole, the mountain below.

this is all salted water, even where it looks blue. Any fresh water that hits the lake gets spoilt quickly sometimes even before reaching the lake.

the white dots are zebras.

 

the greenery in this area is only to be seen at the foot of Shombole.

 

a bit further south is Pininyi, a village and a forest fed by a river coming through the cliffs. Again the water is spoilt quickly as soon as it leaves the forest.

 

recent rains have helped a bit the vegetation on the shoreline.

 

otherwise rains or no rains, the lake itself always look colorful and geometric, but with 1000’s combinations during the year.

McMinus having a bad hair day outside the aircraft.

lake Natron, Rift valley, Tanzania, aerial shooting

 

probably my best or clear view of lake Natron. Last week that day was just exceptionally clear, such a perfect visibility is quite rare. On one picture, looking to the east and south: Mt Gelai on the left, volcano Lengai on the right, and behind lies volcano Kerimasi and the tip of Ngorongoro northern Highlands. I’m shooting from the NW part of the lake, that is overhead Oldonyo Sambu and the western cliff.

I swapped lens to get Lengai closer. A slight amount of haze and dust still hampers the view…

 

vertical view.

a village at the foot of volcano Shombole on the northern shoreline.

then an airstrip lies next to it, Olorbelin, where Flying Medical Service operates one of its numerous clinics with a Cessna 206.

Olorbelin is Masai country.

 

near Shombole a river delta offers a paradise for animals in the normally hot and harsh environment that the lake usually offers.

 

receding and evaporating waters leaving ‘parallel’ marks.

 

McMinus heard of those glass floors on high towers where one can get a thrill by walking on ‘nothing’ and he wanted to share the experience by leaning against the dipping windshield. He’ll be even braver later. To be continued.

Maasai people, Tanzania

 

shot on various locations in Northern Tanzania.

that goat was just born the boy, still wet and greasy indeed but already so big I thought?

 

Masai warriors just love to jump and sing or hum.

 

Masai school kids.

 

portraits in B/W, Tanzanian bush

 

a rare occurrence, an old Masai lady accepting to pose.

 

the ear is pretty damaged but she chose that profile whereas the other ear is much better (to what standard, true)

 

middle-aged woman who was shy but keen to pose.

 

 

below are Sonjo women. Ears are un touched, scarves or bandannas are quite common, tiny tattoos are seen on face

 

and some kind of other portraits, 2 of my drawings done in the same place.

a friend of mine, a real artist, told me to persevere, mostly on perspective and proportions.

Barack Obama in Africa

 

again only references in East Africa, stickers, paintings, clothes… I never saw any bad references about Obama. I don’t remember any reference to Bush. Only one about Clinton some years back in Arusha. And it was a daladala (public transport in Tanzania) labelled with a simple “ Monica Lewinski”. I heard that bus was forbidden of driving whenever one Clinton was visiting. Urban legend maybe…

Monik, lake Natron, Tanzania.

 

On a dreaded “matatu” (public transport in Kenya), Nairobi, Kenya. Not sure what the artist had in mind: mixing Obama with the Balkan mess…

 

Arusha, Tanzania.

 

Lira, Uganda.

 

Kwa Iddi, Tanzania. “Mgahawa” means cheap restaurant or coffe. It makes me think of “caoua”, slang French for coffee, Arabic origin. The Swahili language picked up a few Arabic words too.

 

Nairobi.

 

Near Nyeri, Kenya. Not exactly an Obama reference but a US flag is pretty rare out there and I thought it was related to this post.

Barack Obama in East Africa

 

well references or pictures of Obama that is. T-shirts, stickers, woollen hats…

Lira, Uganda.

 

Maasai man, lake Natron, Tanzania.

 

Nairobi, Kenya.

 

Lira again.

 

Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

 

“the Good the Bad the Ugly” (make your pick heehee), Arusha, Tanzania.

 

Arusha.

 

Sonjo woamn, Sonjo Valley, Tanzania. Not sure of the meaning or origin of that piece of clothes.  “Adercronbie”…? Some mixed fake stuff maybe?

B/W portraits, Sonjo and Maasai people, Tanzania

 

I just came back from a tour of flying medical clinics. Here a few portraits of Sonjo girls on lake Natron, Rift valley.

nevertheless this model has an imperfection in the eyes, I find her quite photogenic. Or maybe that feat makes her photogenic…

 

 

 

and some Maasai girls. Those 2 tribes used to be at war for centuries, some clashes still happen over land issues but these women seem to live in peace. Women know better usually, right?

Cessna 206 at work in the bush, Tanzania

 just  a quick break from the Kenyan road trip...I just came back from some clinics in the beautiful tanzanian bush, and I'm gone again for 2 days. I just can't have enough of that bush and the interesting job I help being performed. I'm just an 'ambulance' flying so to speak, don't call me a saint. Just in case one had the idea...  ;-)

 

above and below, taking off at Pininyi, western shore of lake Natron, Rift valley.

Olorbelin, northern lake natron.

 

Engoveroni, Rift valley. Kerimasi in the background is one of the numerous extinct volcanoes in the area.

a dust devil is a thing to avoid on take off or landing. Trust me. OK to cross when you get speed though, just like having a huge kick in the ass.

 

Sengerema, near Mwanza. Somebody with some sense of humor put an airstrip in the middle of a village. People are not always aware of the dangers of an aircraft. But somebody with common sense had an hospital built just on the edge of the airstrip. So all is well.

 

Olbalbal airstrip  in the rain season, Ngorongoro area.

Flying Medical Service, meeting people

 

Yesterday I came back from a 3 day clinic tour in Loliondo and lake Natron areas. Flying Medical Service operates 12 airstrips on this medical tour.

We meet all kind of people out there, and this time we had some lovely Austrian medical visitors in Loliondo hospital. They were organising a walking safari between Loliondo and lake Natron and so had hired 2 Masai guides. We got to share our meals and laughed a lot. These guys are highly educated, vivid story tellers, fluent in English, have traveled in Europe and so explained their experiences and amongst many laughs I’ve learnt a few things.

They admitted they enjoyed the encounters and visits in Europe but couldn’t live there. They found Europeans shut off to foreigners, living in a cold selfish environment. Well, they used more euphemism than me to explain this.

We have to admit that quite often most of us will react defensively when an utmost stranger greets you for no apparent reason or tries to start conversation, that we look at our shoe tips in the elevator, that we don’t care for our sick parents at home, we call long ahead our friends to organise a social visit… Spontaneity is not our main characteristic, let’s face it.

All of this is quite un-African. Africans value their family above anything else. Even a friend or colleague’s family. This is explained by the fact that parents have produced you, so they matter and meeting them is thus important. Every year for my annual trip home I’m told to greet my parents by colleagues or friends. They’ve never seen my family and still they insist on passing their greetings. And if family members happen to visit here, you’d better make sure you pay a visit to everybody. They found it puzzling that we don’t rush to meet our new parents-in-law as soon as a relationship starts. I had upset a dear friend like that because I hadn’t introduced my Mom to her, sorry Valentina, I was just plain ignorant.

Then there was the funny description of a farm visit in Switzerland. Imagine the Masai herder…his experience with cows consists of usually skinny cows roaming the vast and dry savannah, producing 3 to 5 lt of milk a day. Now he meets some 700 kg cows, producing up to 40 lt of milk everyday. An army of cows, producing 1000’s of liters at once, “a river of milk flowing in a big vat” said my friend with large gestures and big eyes.

But he didn’t like the taste of that abundant milk. The bush milk tastes much better.

Talking about our mutual women and rules of marriage was quite interesting too. We came to the conclusion that white women seem usually quite complex creatures to handle…

 

And today, Karine (who’s not a difficult creature) and I are busy packing for a one-week trip in Kenya, starting tomorrow. I’ve scheduled some posts on this blog for the coming week, enjoy.

life in Loliondo village, Tanzania

 

 

Masai man leaving after the market.

 

this man was extremely serious while buying a cow bell. Each bell seemed to have its own tune and he was listening carefully to each bell before making his choice, like a musician choosing his instrument. The tunes must be important indeed if you are to herds on long distances, better have a sound you like. Also to retrieve lost animals…

 

it seems there were 2 painters, one sober and the second one drunk …

 

dreaming of better days and a new jeep…

a Cessna 206 flying the Tanzanian bush

 

Flying Medical Service 206 over the years in various places in Tanzania

a Barabaig woman patting the soft metal of the wing strut.

 

 

Yes this is the airstrip/cow track. Women sheltering from the rain.

 

on take off, Pininyi, lake Natron, western shore.

 

above Olbalbal on the outside slope of Ngorongoro crater. A non go-around airstrip. I did once and it was one of my scariest moment in my flying time. Altitude and slope are not pilot friendly.

 

another such airstrip is Engoveroni at 6500. Here is a glimpse of the slope.

and, same place, if heavy passengers sit in the back, you’ve got to be careful on how you load or unload the plane since it can easily drop on its tail, leaving the nose wheel free.

and here is an aerial of Engoveroni, seen from Empakai crater. All ravines and rough terrain and bad winds. Volcano Lengai on the left, and Kerimasi quite close.

 

fixing a flat nose tyre.

market day, Tanzania, B/W film photography

Olbalbal, a village in the Ngorongoro area. Market days are twice a month and the people activity is greatly increased.

And Maasai women want to look good so these ones here wash in a puddle.

 

except selling cows guys are rather busy chatting up.

 

but women seem to combine too funny stories while selling stuff.

 

 

a Leica M6 was on the prowl.

people in the Tanzanian bush, b/w pictures

 

 

The pictures above were shot on a 1961 Rolleiflex 3.5F and B/W films. And below with a Nikon D300s, edited in B/W and cropped square. Interesting how digital is more and more used for old results. B/W, sepia, cyanotype,…even the imitation of various types of films is now available and sought after!

 

a Cessna 206 in the Tanzanian bush

Flying Medical Service’s 206 at work in Tanzania.

here landing in Ngaresero near active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai, Rift valley. There was a tad bit of crosswind that day.

 

take off from Olorbelin at the foot of an extinct volcano, Shombole, lake Natron, Rift. Notice how people seem unfazed by the roaring plane… But others will run away or lie down even if the plane is not coming close.

 

Njurlan at the foot of Oldoinyo Sambu, western cliff of the Rift valley, lake Natron.

 

just having fun with ancient pinhole technique.

 

Engoveroni airstrip, volcano Lengai, Rift valley

in August, it’s getting quite dusty and the worst is still to come.

 

making friends…

 

Engoveroni airstrip on the slopes of Empakai crater, my first day of flying in Tanzania in 1999. I knew right there I’d love my time in TZ! This strip lies at 6500 feet, is about 4oom long, slope at 11%, VSI shows 600 ft down on take off, it is badly paved, is bordered by a ravine and the winds are always strong. Our 206’s are not turbo equipped…

Since then a homestead managed to develop just on threshold and 2 trees grew up, which we have just planned to have cut down. This being Maasai country, it might take a long while till they are actually chopped down…

people in the bush, Tanzania

 

one of the Flying medical planes under the African sky, on the Serengeti border.

 

another way of carrying burden instead of on top of the head.

young Masai showing respect to an elder by presenting her head, in turn the man will pat it.

Loliondo, a big village in Tanzania

 

this old tramp, not a beggar, lies on a daily basis on that old dirty mattress with his little belongings scattered around. He seems to suffer from some genital disease: the shiny thing between his legs is indeed one his balls, tennis ball size…

he doesn’t seem to beg or talk to people. Here he is getting ready for the night…

 

mototaxi and Masai passenger.

 

tall boy shop….? Notice the 'effort' put by the owner took to paint his motto…

 

Masai women shopping before heading home in the bush.

 

derelict yard.

 

typical shop front walls painted in bright colors. It had already struck me in 1999.

street life and market in a village, Tanzania

 

this is Loliondo, a village near the Kenyan border and Serengeti.

not a fashionable hat but a sack of grain or rice maybe.

 

typical toy around, some wheels made of flipflop soles, a plastic bottle or jerrycan, a string or a stick and you’ve got a little vehicle. Some are more elaborate than this one, with trailer, steerable wheels….

 

colors! Very hippy 70’s no? I kind of remember that sort of design when I was a child….

 

the door was locked but I’ll enquire one day. Some women’s club? Must be tough case in local culture, Masai or else.

 

that old blue Land Rover was already there, in that color, in 1999.

 

 

warriors shopping!

 

colorful coach, as always. Those drivers or owners, as in many places in the world, love to decorate their coaches for the worst or the best, usually the worst.

 

these girls didn’t want their pictures taken.

A Flying Medical Service clinic tour, Tanzania

and this time, Karine came along. It was high time to share this wonderful experience with her. So last Tuesday we took off from Arusha to Endulen where we picked the medical staff. We then flew to remote locations in the Rift valley, near lake Natron, Ngorongoro crater and volcano Lengai, bearing exotic names like Oleparkashi, Engoveroni and Olbalbal.

here in Engoveroni with the village leader who insisted to pose with this royal guest.

 

Here is the Flying Medical Service Cessna 206 on top of that crazy airstrip. This time of the year tends to be on the dry side and the dust gets everywhere.

 

I hardly took pictures preferring to show and explain a few things about the medical aspects, and let her shoot. See her blog these days (and anytime too by the way) for her experience to share. Below are some older pictures of my FMS time.

 

polio drops, such an easy and effective vaccination. Too bad some idiots with big powers decided to fight against it some years ago, in Nigeria for instance, allowing the polio strain to spread again. So the disease eradication took a serious delay.

 

weight decrease is usually a serious indication of health problem. A cheap and reasonably easy check.

 

Under the wing, dr Ole treats a Maasai woman.

 

a Maasai village, typical to the ones we fly to.

 

not so convenient as polio vaccine to administer.

market day in a village, maize selling, Tanzania

while flying on a medical clinic, the market was happening in Olbalbal village nearby Ngorongoro Crater. The doctor didn’t need any help so I went for a photographic stroll.

 

maize was sold from the back of that truck, spread on the blue tarpaulin and bagged again with the help of the bucket.

 

quite often potential Masai client would grab some grains, roll them in the hand, squeeze or even smell them. One is never too careful.

 

10.000 Tanzanian shillings, the highest denomination unfortunately, are worth about 5 euros. Imagine buying a car hand to hand with such a banknote when you need a few dozens millions …

 

2 kids helping…

 

here filling a goat skin bags which look really sturdy.

 

the bucket is used as a reference for payment and then used to refill customers’ bags.

aerial photography in Tanzania

 

between 2 airstrips on lake Natron, where Flying Medical Service operates on a regular basis.

there is a spring nearby an extinct volcano, one of the very few springs around the lake, and is really prized by local people and their herds.

here is a chunk of that volcano, Shombole, on the Kenyan border.

a Masai homestead.

clinics with Flying Medical Service, Tanzania

 

Northern Tanzania is where Flying Medical Service operates on a regular basis for mobile clinics with 2 Cessna 206’s. The pilot flies to one of the 3 hospitals we use as a hub, and from there during 2 or 3 days, with nurses and doctors and medical supplies, the plane will reach remote villages to treat and vaccinate people, who otherwise would have to walk for days across a harsh savannah to reach an hospital.

Oljoro, a small village at the foot of the Gol mountains, part of the Loliondo Hospital tour.

while the clinic are being done, life goes on in the nearby village. Obviously no schooling is available for this young herder

 

baby weighing, Mpopong’i.

 

a Masai hut in Olemilei in the Gol mountains, not made for tall people.

photo shy girl.

 

young herders in Ololosokwan, Serengeti border. I know that giving names is useless since they’re not drawn on any maps but for the sake of exotic sounds….

Market in a Tanzanian village

 

Loliondo, near Serengeti.

 

I like the match of colors of this picture. But I feel sorry for this mean looking woman's husband…he’d better not show up late at night with alcohol breath and suspicious hair on his clothes!

 

what can be so paradisiac about a hair saloon? Paradaizi is paradise in swahili obviously, another one of those superb direct translations.

 

aerial photography of people and herds and water, Tanzania

 

Ngorongoro area, a Masai homestead or ‘boma’ seen prior to landing at Olbalbal village (probably not to be found on any map…). Classical structure, a large acacia branch fence contains the goats, cows and huts and sometimes a smaller enclosure.

 

a dam, not to provide electricity but to keep water in the dry season.

 

another ‘boma’ with modern materials like tarpaulin or corrugated panels. Ugly sighting and the panels must be dreadful under the fierce sun…

 

here is Olbalbal, western slope of Ngorongoro Crater, a main village in the area notably for the water pump in the center.

here are the Masai ladies with jerry cans and other containers collecting water. water collecting with stay a women’s duty for the next century around here….

 

on short final, a herd in the dust.

 

a ‘boma’ near Endulen hospital, still in Ngorongoro area. Masai people are targeted in this conservation area to be expelled. Which was easy in the past when they were still leading a nomadic life and were prevented to come back in many areas. They’ve learnt their lessons the hard way and now have settled more permanently in the disputed areas. So the hamlet here is quite crowded and not so conventionally organised. The outside fence is missing and there are too many huts for one sole husband and his wives…normally each wife has built her personal hut and the husband makes his choice every night, not owning a hut himself, too much menial work regarding a male status.

 

some cow tracks start thin then, when well trodden, get larger and more eroded. Some could be used as a decent bush airstrip like this one.

 

friends working at Endulen hospital, in front of their house.

market day in the bush, Tanzania

 

my Flying Medical Service duties bring me to nice remote places, I land on airstrips that would take hours to reach by jeep. Just before landing in Olbalbal in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (thus not a national park), I noticed the village was busy. So I left the staff to perform the medical duties and I walked to the village. Market day, that is lucky day for any curious mind.

heavy sacks of corn are offloaded from the truck.

that yellow bucket serves as a reference container.

I had crawled under the truck for a different angle.

a customer bag is being filled up. 5 $ a bucket or 8500 Tanzanian shillings.

this woman bought a lot of bags apparently. She must have come with various helpers.

flying the bush, part 2, Tanzania

 

so flying the bush…I was just hoping for nice pictures, a bit of dust, a nice landscape in the background (the Rift Valley at a place called Ngaresero, 600 meter cliffs), a touch of color with the red Cessna 206…I got more than expected: a tricky airstrip, quite soft and sandy and rocky altogether. The pilot got a bit rough on the controls, kicked the pedals a bit too hard and jammed the nose wheel in the sand…

 

just starting to move and turning to align with the airstrip heading…

the propeller is still rotating here….the 300 HP engine roaring, creating a lot of noise.

 

then the engine stops, see the dead propeller, and the total silence sets in…impressive moment.

 

nobody was hurt but the pilot’s pride. Two propeller blades are pretty twisted.

 

show time for the Masai!

 

on take off in a dusty area, Olpirikata, near the Serengeti. The power of a propeller!

 

Nairobi Wilson airport. A bombed airplane! Mafia style. The story was never cleared up…

 

the plane stayed there, like this, visible by everyone for months! Parked on the main parking lot, nice impression for the tourists who have just arrived in the country…nice marketing.

 

you’ve got long hair? Blonde? Or worse, red haired? You’re in to feel like a circus animal amongst the remote tribes who have never or rarely seen this kind of hair. And real, not extensions.

 

some incredible airstrips. Some pilots have refused to use this one again after the first training visit. Ngoveroni, one way in one way out no matter the wind, altitude 6500 ft or 2000m, on the flank of a crater (Empakai), 400 m long but luckily quite steep. No going around once you’re committed to land because the crater slope is too steep for the aircraft capability. For the pilots, 600 ft down on the VSI during take off, aspirated engine…

 

so steep that once I got booby trapped: heavy mamas were in the back of the plane, and as soon as I got out, the plane sat on her tail. Not proud of myself even if the conditions were unusual. The mamas were yelling at me while I was shooting instead of getting them out. Maybe they were angry that there would be a long lasting proof of their big weight…you know there is no television out there. Little stories like this are gold for people, not for the victims of course, and they stay for long. Legends start for less, nicknames or references too. “It was the day when the plane sat on its tail because fat mama 1 and fat mama 2 were on board…”.

 

here, the steepness is quite visible, and also the airstrip banks to the right as well. Quite challenging airstrip.

flying the bush, part III, Tanzania

just a bit different than the airstrips I know in Belgium….the active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai in the distance. Engoveroni airstrip, Rift valley.

 

grasshopper scheme.

 

LSD effect? Nope just a super wide lens. A cool 16 mm Nikon lens I had borrowed.

 

Barabaig woman. She kept on touching, stroking the metal of the aircraft. It looks like she had never seen smooth surfaces like that.

 

friend of mine who trashed this plane by flying (by mistake) between power lines! He got sooooo lucky and so skillful to bring that plane back. He ripped off a big chunk of the wing…

…and an appreciable bit of the rudder

 

the rudder has been compressed vertically too! The antennas on the belly have been ripped off. No doubt he really flew between cables. Since that company owes me money, I congratulated that pilot for the ‘good’ job.

 

we had received a new airplane, so we went up for some fun, 2 planes together, filming, flying in formation…

 

bush repair…the main contact switch had died. I couldn’t start the engine. Luckily we had a solar engineer with us. He got an Xray machine switch in the hospital and ‘voilà’, an elegant fixture that held for 2 weeks while waiting for a spare part. Very stylish as the cables went outside the aircraft, from this picture to the engine compartment, glued with bandage tape.

 

a narrow wet and short airstrip (the brown bit) and brakes that were useless on that slippery mud…so I applied the emergency way: kick one pedal to force the plane to spin, left in this case, play with the power to control the U turn and full power in the end to push the plane the other way and stop. As you can see, this was not quite perfect, but at least I stopped before the end of the airstrip. Few pilots have performed that maneuver, which is not in the books. Only hearsay, no training. The next one was much better.

that mud would be called black cotton. La traduction en français semble difficile et varie selon les sites, ‘sol argileux lourd’ ou ‘terre noire à coton’…? Thick, soft, extremely slippery and very sticky…the worst kind. But potentially fun.

aerial photography in Tanzania, market day and animals

I just came back yesterday from Ngorongoro large area. I spent a few days there with Flying Medical Service airplane to perform mobile clinics. The area is awfully dried out already and there are still a few months to come before the next rains.

these herders below my wing are scratching for the last grass and moisture on Olbalbal swamp which was still wet not too long ago.

the herd is here moving on the shore. The dry flat bed is clear and distinct on this picture.

 

 

Endulen village, market day. Very colorful event, mostly red and purple from the Masai togas (or “shukas”) and blue for tarpaulins.

a lower fly by to show details.