An Inventive Fishing Boat

Fisherman on the Nile River are commonplace and their fishing boats vary widely.  Some boats are simply hollowed out sections of a tree and and others are hand crafted canoes.  They vary in size and color and always make for and interesting sight on the water.  One young man that we met recently while exploring the river looking for birds had taken ingenuity to the extreme!  Clad only in his underwear, he was floating on a banana tree stem and used his feet as a motor of sorts.

Carefully hanging at the front of his vessel was a makeshift storage compartment made from small sticks and a plastic bag which carried his clothes, presumably for when he returned to shore.  His fishing line and hooks were meticulously attached to the banana stem along with his catch of the day.

 

Although this is probably not the image that comes to mind when you think of a fishing boat, it's working and for this young man it's extremely cost effective.  One can only hope that as the months and years pass, his savings will translate into something more traditional as his business grows from mere subsistence fishing to commercial fishing.  What a crafty water craft!

Would you dare?

Hippo's are responsible for killing more people in Africa than any other animal.  When you approach the water during the day they seem pretty caught up in keeping cool that they don't seem overly dangerous.  Having said that, I would never compromise a healthy and respectful distance from them, they are wild animals and thus can be unpredictable.  This women is fetching water, a resource vital to any human existence and given that she lives in a remote village, her only source for water is a lake occupied by hippos.  I suppose when there is no other option, people take chances, not sure I would dare do this, it's a little too close for comfort for me!