Magestic Baobab with Pains de Singe hanging from branches
Last Saturday, out in the bush mapping with my trusty side kicks: locally sourced technicians, we stumbled on a dried river with fantastic outcrops along the banks. Naturally, we followed it and mapped the various lithologies, contacts and structures. After a few hours of mapping, we came across a fork in the river with a great big Baobab tree in the middle. This baobab tree had “Pain de Singe” hanging from it, first time I’d seen it in the field. Fresh off my recent discovery of the Jackal Berry, I was excited to try some fruit of the Baobab.
The locals were skeptical; they approached the tree with caution, while I threw rocks at the branches trying to knock a fruit down. After clearly knocking a fruit with a rock and it not coming down, I resigned. Defeated, I agreed that the fruit would not be mine on this day. A few moments of admiration, some pictures and I decided it would be a good idea to touch the baobab tree, I gave it a few good slaps and concluded it was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful trees I’d ever seen. Gigantic in size, with an imposing stature, thick, dense and menacing without any leaves(dry season), the Baobab has merited its place in the hearts of the Senegalese.
Somewhere between the stone hucking, tree slapping and Baobab admiring I pissed off some bees. Apparently, their nest was somewhere up near the top. They came down in a fury, my initial reaction was to swat as I hadn’t noticed they weren’t flies. I felt a sharp sting at the back of my head. Looked down at my forearm and saw a bee. Next thing I knew I was 500m down stream tearing off my geology vest (I could hear them stuck inside it).
I counted 5 kills, three came out from my vest, one from my forearm and the first sting at the back of my head. Monday, my watch strap was worn two notches bigger on a account of the swelling caused by a bee sting on my forearm. I’ve been to see the medic, she gave me some anti-histamines and a cream to help with the itchiness. I wasn’t planning on going to see the doctor but after the swelling forced me to bump my watch strap up 2 notches and my wrist mobility begining to feel limited I thought it best. My head is fine, I have a stiff bump at the back of my head but it’s not itchy, and there’s no swelling. If anything, my head is feeling smaller as my ego has just been deflated.
My local colleagues had a great chuckle at my expense while I ran down the stream. They explained to me that if there were fruits left on the Baobab, that the monkeys had chosen NOT to take them; there was probably a good reason. Quite the humbling experience, I am glad I came out with only 2 stings.
I guess all that running with my Nike GPS watch is paying off.
Mon pauvre Raoul
un traitement de bonne fme pour les piqres sont de faire pipi dessus et un autre que j’exprimente avec les piqres de moustiques (qd a gratte trop) c de chauffer ( l’aide d’une spirale, d’une cigarette ou d’une allumette) la piqre pendant un petit moment, a disperserait les histamines.
A essayer avec prcaution
Moi aussi j’adore les baobabs, il y en a qq uns Saint Pierre, St Louis devant la maternit il y en avait l qui faisait au moins 4-5m de diamtre de tronc bien qu’il n’tait pas si haut que a, comme l gigantesque champignon sans chapeau
Merci de ton compte-rendu
marraine
I thought bee stings youre supposed to put onion !!!
[...] few weeks ago, I was stung by a few bees after I inadvertently disturbed a hive. Since that incident, I have to admit I’ve been [...]