Ice ice (...sleep like a...) baby

Yesterday’s condensed milk discovery has had undesirable results. A stark reminder of the post-lunch period sprawled on the Cambodia office bathroom tiles where I’d be forced to snooze after a humongous iced coffee with two inches of condensed milk. A familiar slump occurred today in similarly high temperatures but with strong winds pummelling us like a Sahara sandstorm (without the sand).

This is the Chuilexi operations room, the nerve centre from where all Conservancy activities are coordinated. I asked Nito, Zafar and Celestino to trabalhar naturalmente (work naturally) for the photo and two of them complied. The vast majority of staff employed at Chuilexi are from the closest communities, or at a stretch, the district town which also falls well within the boundaries of Niassa Reserve. Over the years Wim has selected these three as some of the most capable and computer-literate scouts to help man the radios, deal with emergencies and track activities. The screen at the back uses a platform known as EarthRanger, which plots in real time things like the location of patrol teams, vehicles and fires. It totally revolutionises the ability to react to issues in a place like this. According to Wim, these three ‘are worth their weight in gold.’

The obligatory insect repellent can on the window ledge is ready to tackle any onslaught of tsetse flies.