Bats and Butterflies!

It's the end of half-term, I'm looking forward to getting back to school! Yes that is really true (all you Uk teachers who are choking). Before you say, anything about being lucky, there are plenty of openings for teachers here if you want to take the plunge!

Some of my half-term high spots. A visit to the bat trees. Bujumbura has a huge colony of large fruit bats, that fly over the city at dusk. They spend the day roosting in a set of trees in the city. It was a bit of a challenge getting photographs, as there are a lot of street boys in the area. It is not really good making it known that you are carrying a camera. It's mainly just a case of being careful and watchful. But I think you'll agree it was worth it. It's such a shameyou can't hear the sound that engulfed the trees.

This week has been the first time I have spent any time out in the sun. I have walked for miles around the city and suburbs. It is full of amazing contrasts. One minute you can be walking along a muddy, rutted track, with goats feeding at the edges, the next you are on a brand new tarmac dual carriage way. I often find myself with a surreal feeling, it's November and I'm walking along watching dragon flies and butterflies swarm around me, getting sun burnt!

Another high spot was a visit to Bujumbura's one and only Ice cream parlour. I had a Chocolate Mountain, it was great. I've also had two vanilla milkshakes at the Cyber Cafe we were using this week, whilst the internet was being sorted in the new house.

I have discovered that every room in the new house has it's own resident gecko. It's sometimes odd to sit and see the sudden movement on the wall of a gecko creeping around. It keeps the flies down, but they are not very particular about where they poo!

Finally, to add to the joy of breakfasting on the veranda, I discovered a 'new' insect to me. I was busy decribing it to a friend. Saying, 'it had this triangular head, a longish body, and these front legs that kind of swept the ground in front it, it looked a bit like a tiny Praying Mantis. What do you think it was?'
Friend answers, 'A Praying mantis!!!'

Wow, I eat breakfast with a bunch of tiny Praying Mantis'sss!