Water

On 25 June, events were held all over the world as part of the Global Water Dances, directed at raising awareness about the lack of access of safe drinking water. The problem affects a third of the world's population, and is expected to worsen in coming decades. Some 5 million deaths annually are attributed to polluted water. The indirect effects associated with a lack of potable water even include civil strife and violence.
In Lima, over 1 million people do not have access to clean water, and they have to get it from private water trucks - at a far higher cost than those of us served by the public water supply. Natural water sources (rivers, underground aquifer) are being tapped out as the city and its thirst for water expand.
So, the local dance group, Yakudanza, took part in the Global Water Dance here in Lima. Their performance took place at sundown, along the "malecone" and cliff edge above the beachfront in the neighborhood of Miraflores. The dancing itself was not remarkable, but the meaning was important. The performance attracted a good crowd, which was integrated into some of the dancing.
Did it succeed in building awareness? I don't know. Will any of us change our water-hogging practices? Not likely.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't matter.

 part of the dance included strings of plastic bottles

Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

Britt had a recent work trip to Brazil, and because it coincided with their 22nd wedding anniversary, Valerie tagged along for fun. The weather was beautiful, as was the aqua blue water, white sand, and palm tree dotted beaches.
They spent time in the old historic center of Salvador de Bahia - a city of 2.5 million people. The old neighborhood has cobbled streets and colorful mansions left over from the rubber baron days and colonial period. Many are in disrepair and there are visible signs of poverty/disparities, but the atmosphere is gay, thanks to warm people, a temperate climate, great music, and a general vacation-spot feel.

 view of Salvador de Bahia from our hotel room

 Grand old buildings that have seen better days

 Lunch

 From the old center you can take the elevator down to the port and market

 Traditional dress

 Visiting a sea turtle sanctuary on the coast north of Salvador. Even the bathrooms were cool.

 

Back to Africa

Valerie had a work trip recently, which took her to Kenya and Uganda for three weeks.  Most of it involved long hours of meetings, workshops, and fascinating site visits to potato and sweetpotato projects near Kampala and Entebbe, Uganda, western Kenya, and the Taita Hills of southern Kenya.
Though there was little time off, she did get a chance to visit a few national parks to admire the amazing wildlife of that part of the world.

 Mosquito netting in all the bedrooms, not to be taken lightly.

 Rift Valley in Kenya

 Grooming baboons in Lake Nakuru Nat'l Park

 Dancing zebra with pink pelicans, Lake Nakuru

 Spotted hyena, Lake Nakuru

 Water buffalo couple, Lake Nakuru

 Stork, Lake Nakuru

 Leopard, Lake Nakuru

 Mama and baby white rhinos

 Lion

 Zebra and various storks

 Rock hyrax

 Looking down on Lake Nakuru from baboon overlook

 lizard

 wart hog

 Secretary bird

 Wart hog covered in white mud (the white is from the high levels of salt in the soil)

 White rhino

 Mother and baby zebra

 Water buck

 Impala

 Sykes monkey

 Colobus monkey

 Taita Hills in southern Kenya

 Potato farmer and extension workers, Taita Hills

 Shop built from potato cultivation profits

 Meeting with members of a farmers group in their beautiful potato field in the Taita Hills

Salt Lick Lodge  where we stayed after a long field day. It's located in a nature conservancy and up on stilts so you can watch the animals come to the water and salt lick.

 Visiting Tsavo West Nat'l Park on Sunday with colleagues

 These are the colors of Kenya

 Lizard, Tsavo Park

 Note the baby giraffe on the bottom left

 Typical round rural houses in western Kenya

Program recipient in front of here newly planted orange-fleshed sweetpotato field