Laikipia

Well, I don't actually remember what my last update said, but I feel as
I can't go to bed yet because hannah is on the phone to her man, and
then James disappeared and sounds like he is also on the phone, that I
should do the same. But I'm far too tired, I could barely walk in a
straight line even before a couple of glasses of wine.

So yesterday morning I woke up at about 5am so that I could get packed
and ready for me, Matt & Joe to go up to Laikipia to work on a British
army base. We were basically just doing fieldwalking of an area that has
been planned out to build a training base on. So that was the
archaeology, of which there was very little. Also we were meant to be
being taken in a helicopter, but there turned out to be a load of NMK
people too so I guess they decided just to drive us all up there. We
were staying at Archers Post, and the site we were doing an impact
assessment for was about a 40 minute drive. We arrived in the afternoon
yesterday and go to work doing a smaller area, and then moved onto the
bigger area today. I met a guy called Frenchie who is a young member of
the engineering peeps. He was basically our babysitter for the two days,
although I'm not sure if this was a role he voluntarily took on or if he
was assigned too us.
We all sat around last night, me, Matt & Joe, and a load of the army
guys. They were chatting and telling tales and messing around, and
drinking a lot of beer. It was good fun. Then us three archaeologists
went to bed. Only as we had found out earlier in the eving we should
have been told to bring bedding, which we hadn't been. So we got someone
to go and buy us some blamkets, but blimey was that not enough. I was so
cold during the night. I was basically sleeping on a camp bed thing with
no padding or mattress, with nothing but a blamket and my jumper for a
pillow. At some point during the night I decided it was too cold and
that I could do without the pillow, and so I put the jumper on. I think
I did sleep a bit better after that, but still barely got any sleep,
which is why I am so tired now. I would go to bed if hannah weren;t in
the room.

So today we were surveying the bigger area, which was incredibly boring
until Frenchie found us (he'd been looking for us for about an hour) and
then he walked with me and we chatted for the last hour and a half of
the time. I'm not sure I would have noticed anything on the ground
anyway because I was nattering so much, but noone else found anything
either so I think that area was quite clean of any archaeology. The NMK
guys there were doing the environmental survey, and there was definitely
nothing left there that could e harmed by the MOD building their base
there as the nmk guys killed everything apparently. They were collecting
specimins or something. So I think there is nothing left for the army to
destroy! Anyway, they left before us and so frenchie drove us back to
base. The road has been recently graded and so is quite sandy in places,
so there were parts where you could lose control a bit if going too
fast. We lost control a couple of times. I was in the passenger seat.
The first time was ok, we just swerved a bit. Then the second time we
did a little off roading! Heheh. I asked him to slow down a little after
that! So we got backt to camp and signed off so that they could build on
the land. And I will hopefully be keeping in touch with one or two of
the guys if they come to Nairobi (I'm terrible, if anyone mentions
they're coming I tell them to call me and we'll all go for food!).
Anyway, I got back to Nairobi a few hours ago, have showered and eaten
and nattered with James and Hannah. And now I really want to go to bed.
I think I will finish this and then just go and get ready for bed.
Hannah can come dowanstairs to be on the phone.
Night
xx