Mined your step

When I arrived at breakfast, Ernie was conducting experiments by attracting bees to piles of flour and sugar. They formed a cloud inside which I wolfed my eggs and beans. At least it was confirmation that bees exist in large numbers here, ready to colonise the hives that we will install.

We switched camps so we could investigate a different area of the Conservancy for honey production compatibility. On the way we walked off the road to a spot where illegal miners have been arrested before. Today it was found abandoned. The presence of the miners themselves creates little impact, however the mercury used to clean the ore to reveal whether gold is present in the rock, is damaging to water courses.

Around the beautiful Changaue Hills area of the Conservancy, we walked to a high rocky outcrop to phone signal. I remarked to the scout that we hadn’t seen much wildlife in the area. ‘There are many animals here: buffalos, lions, elephants.’ After reeling off the three species you particularly don’t want to encounter in the bush, he cheerfully trotted on, leaving the gun-bearer lagging behind with a slower colleague.

At the second camp of Rungue, in a beautiful remote and rocky area, we went on a late afternoon stroll. I was quite spooked by walking in thick bush and riverine forest, but all we encountered was one loud animal snort.