Photos by SteveScott : on the map, in Google Earth (KML)

Beautiful shot. I wish I'd taken it... Symmetrical and crisp... I want to be there; almost feel like I am.

Very nice

I learned last month that in the past 7 years the almost the entire hospital complex has been rebuilt or remodeled and conditions are much improved. Please do not take my comments to be derogatory of the people or country. Western nations often pass judgment on the health care systems of developing nations in ignorance of the paucity of resources that the couragous workers have available in both public and private sectors.

The bridge is across the River Benue in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Jimeta is essentially part of Yola, the state capital. The men in the river holding each other are apparently getting ready for baptism, a river ritual practised by some Christian sects in Nigeria. The Cameroon border with Nigeria is not very far from here, just beyond the mountainous area in the background. Yola is a traditional Hausa/Fulani settlment, though now tinged with some modernism.

The beautiful photo shows one of the volcanic cones of the Kerang area on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria. They are composed of relatively young lava flows (basalts) of the Pleistocene age (i.e. they are at least 1.8 million years old!). The dark-brown colour of the cones and soil (foreground) indicates the presence of the mineral olivine, which is the chief constituent of the basalts. Springs, with extraordinarily clean water, issue from the base of some of the cones, and form the basis of the SWAN bottled water product, which is widely used at tables in many parts of Nigeria. A few kilometres from the cone, a mysterious crater lake can be found, drawing a number of people there each year.

Queries to: gilbertdiche@yahoo.com

On the road between Jos and Bauchi you will see a very small sign for the Geji Petroglyphs. If you want an adventure stop at the house next to the sign. They willingly provide a guide for tourists interested in "treking" to the site. A 4-wheel drive is a must and be prepared to walk a ways as well. The site itself is underwhelming but the experience is worth every moment you spend.

We spent the night on this hill south of Jengre. To our consternation it just happened to be the night the farmers set fire to their fields - all around the base of the hill. Soon we were on an island of granite in a sea of flaming fields.

This hill reminded one of our kids of a walrus. We never could learn a name for the hill in the local language so it was christened "Walrus Hill." The trees in the farmland below are all used for either food or firewood. Nothing is allowed to go to waste.