In Togo we walked through the avocado tree plantations, absorbing topological data and hot moisture in equal parts. 

Indigo – that most restful, tasteful of blues – is a vegetable dye. We crushed its leaves in the palms of our hands and painted our skins with its juices, watching the green liquid turn dark blue with exposure to the air.  
 

We tattooed our varied skins to varying degrees of effectiveness with the underside of powdery ferns. 

We sat in company letting the deep shade of the mango trees restore vivid colour to the sun-bleached world.