Desert Rose

One of the most beautiful sights in the middle of nowhere, the "Desert Rose" stands out with its Baobab-like branches and its magnificent flower cover. It shares the same fate as the Baobab, though: no young Desert Roses have been seen for a while, apart from being in botanic gardens.
For people loving this plant, it often can be bought in garden centers around Christmas (at least in central Europe), as it is blooming around that time and a though-after decoration. It also supports rather well the dry and hot air typically found in heated housings.
Enjoy this picture which has been taken in Januara 2008 on the road between Jos and Bauchi in Nigeria.

The great adventure, Take 2 (where is Take 1?)

Lapland (Swedish: Lappland) is a province in northernmost Sweden. It borders Jämtland, Ångermanland, Västerbotten, Norrbotten, Norway and Finland. About a quarter of Sweden's surface area is in Lapland (from Wikipedia).

Ben and I are preparing a second stay in Lapland, this time it will be cross-country skiing @ around -20 degrees Celcius in mid-march. Anybody care to join?
Stay tuned for individual updates.