Long Way Down

[twisted firestarter]

Hey Tourist (and anyone else planning a trip down through Africa)

Keep a close eye out for civil unrest on your route, it can make travelling around difficult or

impossible as I once found when we couldn't get further south than Morocco even though

the original plan was S. Africa, all because of conflicts in Algeria and Mauritania where

both borders were closed.

 

[Tourist]

Hey Tourist (and anyone else planning a trip down through Africa)

Keep a close eye out for civil unrest on your route, it can make travelling around difficult or

impossible as I once found when we couldn't get further south than Morocco even though

the original plan was S. Africa, all because of conflicts in Algeria and Mauritania where

both borders were closed.

Cheers Dude. Morrocco - Algeria has been closed for a while now.

Mauritania, apparently you have to remember that the border guards have birthdays, if you know what I mean.

Western Sahara, should be ok as I would like to visit with the Sahrawi Arabs.

Mali, is meant to be awesome.

Ghana, is developing and needs help.......which is why the plan is to leave all the goodies with a charity or aid agency down there.

Africa is a huge place, I've seen some parts of it, Spamel is right the rain can hose down, tracks turn to slush, villages float away and even 4x4's have problems getting thru........it's not lush and green for no reason. Other parts, when you walk outdoors it feels like you have thrown sand in your eye's and then clamped a hair dryer onto your eyeball's.

 

[Pablo]

You're an expert on Africa, huh?

Burnt Ash

No, I'm certainly not an expert although I have visited a part of Africa not far off Ewan's route namely West Sudan (Al Fashir.) There's a detachment of police officers stationed there assisting the African Union and I experienced first hand what conditions are like (as described by John Fenna.) In this case our expert advice was provided by the military. They said "It can get windy."

Pablo.

 

[stotRE]

It might be a good idea to take a surplus WCP (water carriage pack) and APE (ancillary purification equipment) with you in a 1 3/4 trailer.

The 1 3/4 trailer will carry two 680 litre WCP's which is alot of water (1360 litres).

PAM 9

 

[Burnt Ash]

The SA wind is a force to be reckoned with!
I had a brand new 4 man Goedesic Dome tent torn to shreds in a matter of minutes in a blow that only lasted about a half hour.
Ancient pine trees were blown down- with big root systems, the roots ending up about 18 foot high once the tree was flat

the bloke in the pickie is aprox 6foot 6 inches tall
Ewans shelter would probably have been shredded too!

I'm not quite sure what the point of all this is. You're telling me that African winds can sometimes be strong enough to blow down trees and damage tents? Well, thanks for the heads up! It happens in the UK too sometimes. Coastal Britain is a much blowier place, habitually, than I recall Africa being. Yes, I've experienced some extreme weather in Africa. The regular electric storms in early summer in the Transvaal are pretty exciting and we once had 10 inches of rain overnight. In 1984 or 1985 there was a storm that hit Johannesburg and surrounds that delivered hailstones the size of cricket balls (the pictures were on the front pages of the national newspapers) and did many millions of rands worth of damage to buildings and vehicles. So what?
As a norm, you'll experience stronger winds in coastal Britain than inland in Africa, but one can encounter extremes of weather and storm forces almost anywhere in the world on occasion. But we still go camping in tents and under bashas. It is not usually necessary to erect an Anderson shelter for a night outdoors in Africa. But, hey, if you really feel the need to bivouac under something that will withstand being driven over by Land Rovers and tanks ...or clambered over by Ian Maxwell, then fire ahead! I'd be the last person to want to stop you having fun.

Burnt Ash

 

[spamel]

Although the programme is orientated towards them going to Africa, the training they did will have been generic. Funnily enough, from what I can gather they did experience some really bad wind, but then that happens in most campsites with a bean only diet!

 

[John Fenna]

Well Burnt Ash, I live on the West Coast of Britain and have yet to experience any storms at home like I have in West Africa and on the West Coast of South Africa...part of which is also known as "The Cape of Storms " I belive...but it is obvious from what you have written that you ARE an expert on Africa so I bow to your superior knowledge on this subject.
Wherever I camp, home or abroad, I prefer, not an Anderson shelter, but at least something that will not fall over if some drunken pillock trips over it....
Some folk pitch anti deadfall ropes, some build shelters that stand up to the weather/Mad Max attacks...some dont.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Top Gear had an episode last night, driving across Botswana, really cool, in a Lancia, Ford Anglia and old Merc. Cougar Island on the biggest salt pan in the world looked amazing.

Nick

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Heh, 1 sounds like a story told by parents to get kids to brush their teeth
"Brush your teeth or a Hyena is going to rip your face off!"

Also reminds me of Pieter Hugo's photos http://www.pieterhugo.com/nigeria/index.html


-- 10mins to the repeat on 2 ...

Seeing them against Humans in your link makes them look huge and VERY mean.

Nick

 

[Burnt Ash]

...but it is obvious from what you have written that you ARE an expert on Africa so I bow to your superior knowledge on this subject.

Expert? No: just a native!

Burnt Ash