Broad Horizons, Sundowners & Snakes: Somali and Ugandan Savannahs

“Our camp was secluded, cool and particularly welcome after the hot, dusty plain. A selection of exotic flowering trees planted by the Germans before the First World War were amongst the remnants of indigenous tropical rainforest. There was now no human habitation within several miles. We sat naked in the cool running water, swilling our dusty bodies with cupped hands before settling down for sundowners and to build a kitchen fire amongst a collection of large stones. The area was littered with excellent “cooney” (firewood), so before getting into our camp beds we built a really splendid fire. It was just Heaven!”

From being posted to do his National Service in Somaliland at just 18, and then subsequently working as an agricultural officer in Uganda in his twenties, Bob Leach writes about a time of sweeping change across East Africa; of the dusty plains, deserts, mountains and game; of pet cheetahs, snakes and savage beasts; and of the generous and warm spirit of the people who made his years in Africa such a fascinating and memorable experience. But most of all, of the peace and solitude to be found in sitting in front of a campfire at sundown, cold drink in hand, after a hard day’s work.