ANYONE CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE

As aviators, we often make the mistake of thinking that we will be coming home at the end of the day.

- IRIS MCCALLUM

SOMETIMES the Universe has a sense of humour. I remember flying 5Y-IHC, our Piper PA31 Navajo to El- Wak very close to the Somali border with a couple of civil engineers who were inspecting the roads. We flew via Wajir in the North of Kenya to top up with fuel as the routing was Wilson, Wajir, El-Wak, Rhamu (on the border with Ethiopia) and back to Wilson.

On arrival at El-Wak I parked off the runway on to the murram parking area. There wasn't much to do in El-Wak and really nowhere to wait for your passengers except in the aircraft, which was very hot and uncomfortable.

I was therefore very pleased when the two engineers kindly invited me on the road trip to inspect the roads up north. I jumped at the opportunity as I loved seeing new places and experiencing a safari whenever I can.

We drove south towards the Sukela Hugla where the road maintenance camp had been set up. As we drove, the mother of all storms fell on us and when it rains in the desert, it really makes up for the usual lack of rain.

In my logbook that day, I noted that we had six inches (150 mm) of rain. John and Dave called up the other maintenance camps using the UHF radio and it was confirmed that the weather had flooded the roads and dry river beds were now too dangerous to cross, to get back to El Wak or anywhere else.

After long discussion it was decided that we would spend the night at the maintenance camp, which was made up of four containers, consisting of a kitchen (partly open to the elements for an open fire to cook on) stores, bathroom and very little else.