Heron on the Nile
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  Ab Rahad Lake Tourda Fri 4 Feb 2005  

Lake Tourda, Ab Rahad
Lake Tourda, Ab Rahad
The lake is enormous; far bigger than I am expecting. Essentially it is filled in the rainy season being the lowest point for miles around. From here the water leaves by evaporation or donkey. The sun is high. The day is hot. Even the breeze feels warm on the skin. The light is scintillating on the water. Some boys are playing, splashing, and keeping cool. It looks inviting. No, more than that it looks irresistible. But where, and how? I am already the centre of attention. If I strip off to my underwear I will most likely have the authorities along for causing a disturbance.

The areas immediately either side are fenced off so we walk back up the slope. The first walled garden is a Research Centre for the Ministry of Agriculture - Department of Forestry. Something to do with gum trees and having plenty of water on hand to experiment with. We smile nicely at the gatekeeper who lets us wander in and get back down to the lake shore.

Shanubla woman
Shanubla woman
For fear of sunburn, I keep my shirt on and probably out of laziness I leave my sunglasses on too. That's when I discover that they even stay on when I do front crawl! The swim is delightful. The water is beautifully refreshing, but then you just knew I was going to say that. I would have loved to stay for longer but this isn't on Omer's agenda and he is not a water-baby.

Back on the shore, I discretely take off the clothes I've been swimming in, wring them out and immediately put them back on again. I pop on my trousers and hat, and go to find Omer. Remarkably with the sun and the breeze my clothes are not cold or damp for long and within 10 minutes they are quite dry.

Several kilometres south of the town we get back down to the lake side. There is a lot of dust in the air which means the sun is hazy: the sky and water are looking more grey than blue. However colour is not absent. A woman and children from the Shanubla tribe are there collecting water. She is wearing a bright "tobe" (one long piece of lightweight cloth worn as an outer shawl) and doesn't mind posing for a photo.

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