I awoke this morning feeling much better than yesterday, but still have a throat full of razor blades. Yesterday I would have been happy to simply lie in bed but the cold medicine I brought helped get me through the day. Reflecting on this trip, I am recognizing it can be hard going, and being on the road in accommodation of widely varying standard does start to wear you down. I finally take the plunge and had a shower this morning following my last attempt; the water ran clear but was cold. At least I was able to get clean!
This morning we drove to Dus, the head town for the Kara Tribe. The elders meet there in a council each week and non-Kara people are forbidden from entering the council structure. I also found out it is not good form to ask one of the Kara people to pose sitting on top of a part of it which I thought was simply an old wooden structure – I guess I need to improve my cultural history related to the Kara tribe.
I had seen a number of pictures with tribesmen and guns before I came away and I suspect this was the place where many were taken. It appeared most of the men were carrying something like an AK-47 and this made for some interesting pictures. Of late they haven’t been used in anger but in their world, it would be fool hardy in my opinion to give them up. Things change very quickly around here where tribal culture and tradition is equally important as the law.
Andy Robbins Photography 
I’m surprised, but the black and white photos are the ones that are really standing out for me. They are stunning. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen tribal pictures before, but never in black and white. And the lack of color really adds drama in a way that’s unexpected. My vote is that you put up some of those at Twist! 🙂
Hi Evelyn. I have been really pleased with the black and white pictures. I owe this to Louise Porter who also attended the trip and shot with an infra-red camera. The infra-red look is similar in some respects to black and white, and when I saw her pictures they were totally eye-catching. It has been interesting for me comparing the color and black and white versions of the same picture and I’ve noticed black and white works really well when the colors are very vibrant and the B&W makes the colors much less overwhelming.
Thanks for the comment!
Andy