The camp is costing us US$5 per day and today I discovered why. The filtered water tap is for drinking purposes only, this makes washing dishes and clothes a bit tricky. If we require water for cleaning, then one of chaps that works here has to take a bucket down the cliff stairs to the lake and bring it back up – my conscience certainly won’t allow this. So we will eat our meals from the ‘kitchen/restaurant’ on the beach (no hardship there as the food is excellent) and watch the washing pile up (no hardship there either as we are in our costumes all day).
The next non-camper friendly obstacle is the ablutions; all clean, tiled shower floors and freshly painted. The problem arises when you try and use the facilities. I can cope with anything the day throws at me, as long as I have had a decent shower in the morning (preferably a hot one). So first thing I headed off to the showers; no hot water, so I jumped under the cold spray, shampoo on hair and body soaped and cold spray stops. What now, by the time I had switched the shower on and off in the hope some action my eyes were burning with shampoo having seeped into them. I eventually willed a slow trickle down onto my head and but dried most of the soap off with my towel.
The next obstacle was the toilet; the cubicle was made for anorexic midgets and the toilet bowl was set on a 10 inch concrete slab. So picture the scene, me backing into the cubicle (because turning once in was not an option) and finding the toilet seat poking me somewhere in the lower back region, with no ladder to climb up. I guess it’s back to weeing in the bush. Gray had a similar experience with the urinals in the gents; he struggled to reach it and as he put it ‘I’m not that small’ – I think he was referring to his height.
There’s not much else to tell about our 38th day in Africa; once we got to the beach, we could have been living in a squatter camp for all we cared. It was just one long lazy day at the lake; swimming, eating, reading and watching the fishermen canoe past.
Sangilo kids at play
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