Desert lake is a world away

At this time when international travel remains off limits for many, Craigie regular Kenneth Miln is keen to relate some of his own experiences on the planet’s secondlargest continent, specifically in northern Kenya.

The Monifieth resident emails: “During many years living in far-flung places, I have come across a few – exceptionally strange – which merit special mention and which may be of interest to Craigie readers.

“Kenya’s Lake Turkana, formerly Lake Rudolf, located in Africa’s Great Rift Valley,

is a singular example. Also referred to as ‘the Jade Sea’, the lake is almost 300km long and, in places, over 30km in width with an active volcano on the centre island.

“The region is very hot and dry, resulting in a mean surface water temperature of around 30°C, and inhabited by large numbers of dangerous Nile crocodiles and huge Nile perch, specimens of which can attain over 120kg.

“The lake’s shores are home to scorpions and venomous carpet vipers. The Turkana people of the region rely on cattle herding and fishing for their living.

“Until recent times the lake was considered remote and very difficult to reach by road. We, the Milns, made the trip by air, a small twin-engined Cessna, landing on a sandy strip close to the shoreline.

“My first impression was of the strange turquoise colour of the lake – hence the Jade Sea – glittering under the fierce glare of a tropical sun.

“Walking along the shore we saw the bones of massive Nile perch sticking out of the dark volcanic sand and heard the splashing sounds of tigerfish as they chased prey in the shallows.

“Sudden gusts of wind whipped the surface into a frenzy of spray, highlighted in the brilliant sunlight. At night, starlight reflected from the lake’s surface produced a very eerie effect which seemed to warn of great danger – Lake Turkana is a most otherworldly place!”