Wednesday 28 January 2009

The answer is blowing in the wind.




It has been a windy few weeks on and off and being outside so much makes one acutely aware of the weather. One day whilst working indoors at our base there was a gentle wing coming up from the south. Warm, and with a bit of dust in it, but nothing too threatening. Within half an hour it swung right round and came from the north, across the great Ubari Sand Sea bringing with it hundreds of tons of sand. We all went outside to look, as the air literally went orange. Working throughout this was the mighty Fiat bulldozer out on the road, the squeak of it’s dry tracks on dry driving wheels audible over all other things. The Government are laying infrastructure to take fibre optics and improve communications throughout the Wadi. This involves the Fiat dragging a huge hook that rips a metre deep gouge out of the land at the side of the road. Then another equally huge Fiat comes along when the trench has all but filled up with dust and lays the tubing to take the cable. Somehow I can’t see it working.

3 comments:

Fred Fibonacci said...

Amazing posts Tobe: too much to take in all at once. Welcome back to cyber-space.

Affer said...

Welcome back Effendi! I too have been on an expedition: Walthamstow. There, I found no petrol cans left behind by the LRDG, but quite a lot of Coke cans left by the TWATS. My accommodation didn't provide a gingham tablecloth either. Perhaps I shall employ you on my next expedition.....

Peter Ashley said...

What a place. Where your photographs are automatically rendered in sepia whether you want them to be or not.