Equator

Rain teeming down in Stone Town, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

I always come back to this photo when it is pouring down with rain, like it has all day today and then with the assurance that it will continue to do so for the rest of the wek.

Anyway, we should not complain too much, as it had been far too dry for all the months earlier in the year, even though rain now is making the potatoes even more expensive than they would be if it was not raining. We can always eat rice or spaghetti, or if we are a bit adventurous, bulgur wheat!

One part of the world which is always a lot wetter than here in north-west Europe, is the equator. The BBC started a new three-part series about the equator, called Equator, whereby Simon Reeve travels through the three equatorial continents, namely Africa, (Asia) Indonesia and South America.

Yesterday it was Africa's turn and I got quite excited, knowing that the equator goes through southern Somalia and that Simon Reeve has already been to Somalia, for his excellent - Holidays in the Danger Zone - Countries which don't exist - programme. He started in the west, in Gabon and continued east through Uganda, then Kenya and then..... a bit o fake drama. It was early morning, low light and he tells us in whispered tones that he had just heard that there was an increase in violence in Somalia which meant that he was not going to go there... but go to a refugee camp in Kenya instead. It was a bit disappointing and I really don't think they had ever really planned to go to Somalia this time. Still, it was interesting visit to the refugee camp, just 95 kms away fro Garissa, which Fred and I visited in 1990.

Simon Reeve is an excellent chap and watching him is a lesson in how one should travel... with an open mind and a great sense of humour and enthusiasm. He always respects the people he meets, never partonises them and is always willing to share a joke with them. In this respect he matches very closely that other BBC traveller par excellence, Michael Palin. A joy to watch.