As I mentioned in the travelogue, our car was turned into a rolling armada on the way to Lake Stephanie...
It must have been well over 120 degrees Fahrenheit out on the plain, and these birds are trying to cool down. I chased after them, hehe.
Mouse-over the bird to flap his wings
Chew Bahir (Lake Stephanie) is dry most of the year, and goes on for miles in every direction
At the edge of the lake are some much-needed watering holes from underground springs
Not all animals survive, however
Unlike the Kenyans which we would meet later, these Ethiopian cattle farmers were friendly
Here are the Kenyans. I shot this through the windshield when they weren't looking. It took our guide (in the yellow shirt) a good 20 minutes to talk our way out of their camp. None of the rest of us dared leave the car
There were dead cattle strewn all around the Kenyan's camp. The stench of rotting flesh was overpowering.
We found these wild ostriches just randomly walking around on the dry lake bed (and no, that's not water in front of them--it's a mirage)
The raised platforms are to avoid mosquitoes, which are in great abundance in this area
