Sulphur and salt

We slept on those rope beds out under the stars and it was a good night's rest - I woke a few times, saw that Orion had wheeled round a bit, then drifted back to sleep.

After breakfast it was time for a visit to those malodorous hot springs. You should know that I haven't increased the saturation in this photo! It was very hot, both above and below us, and yes, the stench of sulphur was at times overpowering. But oh, so beautiful!

Then a visit to the salt mining area, which was 160 metres below sea level and even hotter. My extras show how the salt is mined - one man lifts the salt, the other hacks it out, the third cuts it into 30x40cm rectangular tablets. Each tablet weighs 6.5kg and a camel can carry 30 of them to Mekelle where they sell for 50p each. (For animal, not human consumption). There were 100s of these men working away in the heat...

We slept out under the stars again tonight, by the shores of Lake Afrera, a salty lake fed by hot springs. I floated about in it for a while before dinner.