Monday, July 28, 2008

Left at 8 AM, usual time for VETCAP departure from Hotel Mkonge, in convoy of four SUV’s and one van. Picked up Ministry of Agriculture (Livestock?) folks including Mama Safe and “Freddy” plus others to head to Pongwe site, same as Friday. We are told to expect 900 animals but by the end of the sunny, hot day we have worked >1400, including 40 owned by one of the Ministry extensionionists to whom we give 40 doses of FMD vaccine and enough injectable ivermectin to treat 40 cattle @ 400 kg; good deal for him. I get some sun on my face, neck and arms as the temperature gets into the 90’s (F) by my estimate.

Amanda Coenen and I are asked to inspect two goats who will be slaughtered for lunch. We do an antemortem inspection and then a post mortem, with able assistance from one of the Ministry personnel who is pretty spiffy at finding the parotid and retropharyngeal lymph nodes. Despite the busted gut and hair on the carcass, we pass them both as essentially healthy. I am befuddled by feces in the spiral colon I mistake for a lymph node chain, but other than that don’t look too bad. At lunch, which is not ready until about 4 PM, the boiled meat, liver, bananas and cucumbers / onions are not too bad although I pass on the liver, as always.

We finish up and return to the hotel. I commandeer Menano, our driver, to take me to the Tourism kiosk in town to ask for location of Commonwealth Graves Commission cemetery. Same guy there on Saturday tries to talk me into getting him to tour me there rather than showing me on the map. I decline and will find it on my own. After cleaning up and sending emails to Mother, Twila, and also to Family and Friends along with pictures, I walk to the Tanga Yacht Club and have fish and chips along with a Bushmills and water and then a Tusker Beer for supper. All in all a good day.