Every few weeks we see a black cloud emerge way out on the lake that signals another hatch of lake flies. That's when we start praying that they get blown to Uganda instead of to Matoso. So far we've been very lucky. Very lucky that is, until today.
Lake flies are part of the legend of Matoso. The ex-pats like to tell stories to the newbies about the worse lake fly infestation they've ever experienced. It usually involves flies that are so thick you can't you can't breath without inhaling them etc. So today, when we spotted the ominous dark cloud over the lake we felt that sense of dread. I didn't look forward to breathing in bugs but maybe they'd blow over to the Uganda side. But as we were walking I found myself searching the lake to see if they were coming closer. Every adult I passed was asked "lake flies?" as I'd gesture toward the lake. They'd smile benignly at me and nod yes, as if to imply "what's the big deal?" Haven't you ever seen flies before?
By the time we got home there were small clouds of flies in the compound but we were relatively lucky. Instead of the usual trillions of flies, we had only a few hundred thousand, give or take a million. And the good news? They don't bite or sting and don't even live that long. Probably provide good eating for the fish and birds too so I guess they're tolerable. Thought you'd like to see a couple photos of what I'm talking about.
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1 comment:
what percentage of the people speak some english? Julie
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