Day Two Hundred and Eighty Eight - Flying Out

After taking the road through the rainforest a few more times than planned this year, we decided to go for the luxury option and fly to G'town from Lethem. I was hoping for some spectacular views of the forest, but it was a dull day. The sunlight breaking through cloud gave a nice island of colour in the sea of trees for this shot.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty Seven - Confirmation

My last day in the interior I took photos of the Catholic Confirmation candidates in a small village near Dadanawa Ranch. The candidates had been waiting a full year for a visit from the Bishop to be confirmed. A big occasion for them, they have had dresses and suits made and added trimmings from Brazil.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty Six - Cheeky Macaw

At Dadanawa Ranch a macaw is stealing food from the cooking pot which is outside over an open fire.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty Five - Girl in Church Doorway

Day Two Hundred and Eighty Four - Daycare

Day Two Hundred and Eighty Three - Sunset

Day Two Hundred and Eighty Two - Heading Home for Christmas

The miners working around Aishalton are starting to make their way home, either to Brazil or to Georgetown, in time for Christmas. Maybe there are some nuggets of gold in those pockets!

Day Two Hundred and Eighty One - Big Eyes

The eyes are good, it's pin sharp in focus, but I think it's the graze on the chin that provides the finishing touch!

Day Two Hundred and Eighty - Road to Maruranau

It seems I never get around to stopping and taking a picture of the general countryside around here. I was concentrating on the flowering trees to the left of the picture, but the sun just wouldn't shine on them, and I had a few passengers wondering what on earth I was doing - taking a photo with no people in it!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Nine - Reading

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Eight - Mango Picking

Atmospheric, but fuzzy... It's been a day of slim pickings on the photo front, rich pickings on the mango front!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Seven - Mango Bug

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Six - Waiting for Rain

The ground is getting very dry. Savannah fires are taking away the long grass. Everyone is waiting for rain.

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Five - Poster Girl

Today I was helping out at a World Aids Day event organised by the Peace Corps Volunteers in Aishalton. We were looking for a model for an Aids poster. Not sure if this one will make it, but I think it fits in photo of the day quite well!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Four - Man goes up a Coconut Tree

But you never see coconuts up a mango tree!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Three - The Old Vacquero

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Two - Woman and Child (and cracker!)

Different league from yesterday - back to snapshots!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy One - Handbuilt

Dirty work, but a real community effort. A church in the small village of Katoonarib is being refurbished. I'm actually pretty happy with this picture: the stripe of focus running down the wall shows a depth of field of about 1 inch, but the details of the face are all crisp; exposure is bang on; framing is OK I think... Any thoughts?

Day Two Hundred and Seventy - Taxi to School

Maybe I should have waited for 'Taxi from School' and I might have got a smile from both of them!

If I could have got today's subject under yesterday's tree, then it might have been a winner... Next time!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Nine - Empty View

Nothing really of special interest or merit in this view, I just felt that it was a lot different to the batch of portraits that have been on the blog lately. So, a little greenery for a change!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Eight - Building

A new community building is nearly finished. The floor is concrete, the roof is Ite. The children are still curious!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Seven - Girl in Doorway

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Six - Moonlit Slideshow

Fr Varghese, visiting a remote village, is showing a slideshow on his laptop. The people of the village are gathered for this unusual entertainment, sitting still in the moonlight, under the stars.

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Five - Eyes

Where nearly everyone has dark eyes and hair, this girl really stands out! Sadly, the photo doesn't really do justice - more of a snap and not well planned out. Not happy at all with this one!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Four - Learning to Sew

For all 'Blue Peter' fans out there - here's one she made earlier!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Three - Traditional Kitchen

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Two - Wheelspinning

Day Two Hundred and Sixty One - Curious

Day Two Hundred and Sixty - Sister Lucy's Rounds

Like rural doctors, the sisters travel around the homes of the old and unwell, giving comfort and prayers. Here Sister Lucy is reading to an old blind lady, in the hammock, who can no longer leave her house.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Nine - The Family Runaround

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Eight - Clearing for Farming

The small family farms which provide most of the basic foodstuffs (such as cassava and rice)for the people of Aishalton are out on the edge of the forests. The farm areas are rotated regularly to allow trees to grow back and the soil to recover. Clearing a new farm is hard work, cutting down trees, letting them dry enough to burn the leaves and small branches where they fell, then a couple of months later cutting the trunks into liftable sections which can be stacked and burnt.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Seven - Spinning Cotton

All women over a certain age here are called 'Granny'. This granny is well past that certain age and is actually a great-grandmother. At first she appears weak, but I often see her swinging a big axe, chopping firewood. Here she is spinning cotton to make a traditional Wapichan hammock. She is sitting in another hammock she made earlier.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Six - Doorway

Couldn't think of a good title for this post - but as for the picture - I think it's the foot that makes it! Maybe I should have called it 'footloose'?

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Five - Firewood

Douglas helps Sister Calista unload firewood from the old Land Rover.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Four - Dressed for Dinner

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Three - Sunrise moonrise

The moon was about half an hour ahead of the sun, straight above it in the sky. They will almost be near enough to eclipse tomorrow morning - which in practice means I won't be able to see anything other than a normal sunrise!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Two - Photographer

Day Two Hundred and Fifty One - Getting Ready

Day Two Hundred and Fifty - Amerindian Child

There are two options on this one. The other one is here. This one shows the hands and mouth - chewing a small piece of wooden necklace.

Day Two Hundred and Forty Nine - Hammocks

Day Two Hundred and Forty Eight - Pan Washing

On the road - the creeks provide shade, water, fish, and sand for pan scouring!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Seven - Feathers

There's some wonderful crisp detail in the feathers here - though I'm not sure it will make it through the blogger fuzzy mask!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Six - Tree at Sunset

Day Two Hundred and Forty Five - Spider Jewels

I think that these are spider eggs, laid on a stem of thick web, hanging from a piece of wood. Another day of rain left these eggs with a coating of fine water. With a shaft of sunlight falling on them they look like jewels - better than diamonds!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Four - Heavy Sky

The full moon is bringing much needed rains. Just in time for the end of the sports we had a day full of rain to top up the empty wells.

Day Two Hundred and Forty Three - Victory and Defeat

For every winner, there has to be at least one loser! Last sports picture for a while. Some more pictures of the events are available on the Picasa album, but not too many - I tried to have a day off and enjoy the action for myself today!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Two - Grandstand View

What better place could there be to watch the first day of the sports action at the regional schools finals? A good view, shade, and a cool breeze!

Day Two Hundred and Forty One - Carrying Water

More supplies for the atheletes!

Day Two Hundred and Forty - Creek Shades

No real focus to this one, just a study of different shades and colours.

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Nine - Carrying Meat

Beef supplies arriving for the atheletes who are staying over to train for the regional school sports competition.