Turkana

My next destination on the way south brings me through Sibiloi National Park. The barren landscape with its wild track is fun to drive and gives a real feeling of remoteness. The eroded, endless badlands look like open surface mining. I find fossils all over the place wherever I stop for a second. Interestingly looking sedimental and volcanic stones with various “things” enclosed. I really wonder “how this all got created”. At Koobi Fora research camp there is basically nothing going on but from a ranger I learn a lot about tribal problems and conflicts within the national park. The herdsmen push with their cattle into the national park (coming as far as from Ethiopia) and the wildlife service tries to fight/control that. This also explains why all natives I met in the park were running away from me when usually the opposite happens. In contrast to the Masai of southern territories who live rather in harmony with the nature and at least do not touch the wild game, the local tribes here allegedly are involved in poaching in order to claim land for their cattle. But they say that this northern region is out of governmental influence and that “things are handled differently” up here. I indeed met some shepherds with Kalashnikovs. No need to be bothered. What is more bothering is the huge (small) locust swarm I get to see. While sitting with the dudes in Koobi Fora, “something” starts to rain down on us. Crazy! Immediately all lizards around the buildings and even squirrels run to the field to catch a locust for lunch. Yum Yum. The swarm moves with the wind further north.
Around Mount Sibiloi I find traces of a petrified forest: 4 million years old trees turned into stone. Fantastic! Being here and inhaling this whole atmosphere lets you seem very tiny and unimportant. People, whatever you are currently caring and bothering about, just stop! Lean back and watch all the things to pass by. Just be nice to each other and enjoy what you call your life. On the long term you, everything, all this is just a moist fart (feuchter Furz)! Love? Money? War? Climate change? Overpopulation? Nature destruction? Ha! Pointless! Either we will exterminate ourselves or the planet will get rid of mankind anyway very soon. Then, after just another few million years and some “tectonic re-adjustments” everything is back to normal. Splendid!Read more