We have a full day today, as the plan is to visit the Karo village, then return to Turmi and attend a bull-jumping ceremony after lunch. To reach the Karo village we drive through real African territory - a rough road that only a 4WD can negotiate, plus hundreds of termite mounds in the scrub. Frequently we see a lone bee-eater on top of the mound, contemplating how to hit the jackpot.

The Karo village is interesting - both authentic and commercial. There is no doubt that the people living there are the real deal, as are the day-to-day activities. Taking photos is fraught with danger. The deal is that you pay 2 birr for the children and 5 birr for the adults. Everyone is keenly aware of where the cameras are pointed, and all have their hands out. You line up a shot which you think has 2 or 3 people in it, but when you look at the replay, you find another 5 or 6 have managed to sneak in - and all have their hands out.

We spend an hour or so there negotiating the budding Donald Trumps before heading back to our lodge at Turmi for lunch. We are told that the bull-jumping starts at 2, so we have a quick bowl of soup and head off. on foot - about a 15-20 minute walk from our lodge across a dry river bed.

As it turns out, we need not have hurried - this bull-jumping is a bit like a grand final - there are a lot of preliiminary acts before the main event.

The purpose of this bull-jumping is obviously a coming-of-age rite - the prospective jumper has to do this in front of all his relatives in order to prove his manhood and qualify for marriage. However, before the actual event there is a lot of singing, a lot of dancing, a lot of milling around. Suddenly at 4:30 we are told that the bulls have arrived, and everyone gets up en masse and treks about 500m into the bush where they are being assembled.

As we arrive, a short thunderstorm breaks and the effort of trying to line up the bulls begins to go pear-shaped. However, they persevere, and with two people holding each bull, they manage to get the requisite number more or less lined up.

The bugle then blows and the young candidate (by this time fully naked) begins his run - he has to make seven passes over the bulls, which he does in very short time and with a minimum of fuss - not a bad effort considering that it is still spitting a bit and the bulls are getting increasingly fractious.

As it turns out, our driver brought the 4WD around when it looked like it was going to rain. From the comfort of our vehicle on the drive back in the rain, we marvel at the level of difficulty involved in some of these everyday rites of passage.