Hey there. I don't think that old cruiser had diff lock and the driver, although a nice fellow, was a little inexperienced in muddy off road conditions. Thanks for the comment. cheers.
@@ForemanAndWilmsAdventures No Sir, I never got to watch the Star Wars series but as a Kenyan I took offense as I know the effort and commitment it takes the Maasai women to craft those works of art. They educate their children to university level with those trinklets. Every major Mall in Nairobi has a Maasai craft day when these collectables are sold to local and overseas buyers. I was once offered stuffed dolls by a vendor on a Rio de Janeiro street and at no time did I consider their local art "Junk". Thank you for your response though.
+Bill Blinky Thanks for the comments Bill. That was quite a good group on that trip. Always a bonus when things get a little rough. Whats a maxitrax? I googled the word and all that came up was trains.
Questions - When did this happen? What gate did you enter from? Where were you headed? Quite an adventure - amazing you were able to be pulled out with a rope - chains are a good thing to have in a vehicle...lol! Looking forward to the 'to be continued'. Looks like a good group of folks and they will remember the mud for a long time :>)
nice vid! i dont want to wise crack, but didnt the car have diff locks? and it seems the driver should have used more momentum to get through the muddy paths. just like the white mini van did...
Too many people in one vehicle, I think... I've done a few treks, mainly between Peru and Patagonia-overland of course- and the max we carried was my partner, plus our mountaineering gear...
YOEL LAZARUS Greetings Yoel. It was quite crowded. On that trip the Mara was a flooded mess of mud and our big Scania truck couldn't make the journey so we hired the little 4x4 and crammed in. We decided some discomfort would be better than missing the park.
Greetings mate, a pleasure to hear from you... First and foremost please know that I really enjoy your adventures immensely, and always look forward to future ones... That said, all I can said is that the adventure is the end goal, and you do have fun from what I've seen so far... Thanks for share such with the world...
+9 LAZARUS It is defiunitely not advantageous to the western world if our jungles develop and have tarred roads. First, we would be adding to global pollution, and secondly, they would lose all the rain-forest plants and animals for their research. Yes, we can blame our politicians, but there are stronger forces than our presidents, viz. the higher economic giants. If we think that one day we shall develop and be able to tar our roads and have peace and produce our own medicine and medical instruments, we must be kidding. How would that benefit the super powers? They have their own problems and if we changed our mentality to develop these things, they would change the economic dynamics to see hat we do not achieve them. We are a threat, and we are better kept as we are.
Yeah we had similar attention from the Maasai ladies on our way to Signost Corner & Larsen's Camp, the only difference being they managed to steal two rucsacks our of our vehicle while no one was looking!
John Smith Two rucksacks! Cheeky buggers. I got robbed a few times while I was over there. Can't beat the feeling of a lost passport and wallet. A mixture of feeling alive and dead at the same time.
***** Yeah,one had almost all our dirty clothes in it along with some bottles of water and a couple of tribal masks we'd bought as presents, the other had maps and socks and clean clothes and a roll of Maasai red cloth we'd already bartered. Luckily both of us had passports, money and documents in the gilets we were wearing. Later that week one of the tribesmen came to Larsens to apologise for the theft but we didn't get any of it back.
+Elias Sousa I do like the Toyota's. I think in this instance the driver was a little inexperienced in tough conditions. They are a bit heavier than the landrover however.
Foreman and Wilms Adventures I think he means Maxtrax... those plastic traction boards used for self recovery from mud/sand. TREDS make them too. Love your videos by the way!
What was the reasoning behind the hiring of of this poorly kept, poorly equipped and underpowered 1972 Toyota Landcruiser? Were you traveling on a shoestring budget? This is hilarious 😆
There was significant rain in the Masai Mara at the time so it was not possible to take our 2WD overland truck into the park. As we were only a small group we managed to find this wagon to take us in. Despite the troubles the trip was actually a huge success and ranks highly from my many visits into the Mara. It was a ludicrous idea but like many of these I have they make for good adventures.
Did you say, " They were trying to sell you lumps of junk?" Women trying to make an honest living and you call their source of livelihood junk? My goodness!
Lot's of comments about lockers etc. Please remember This vehicle is at least forty years old if not fifty or sixty years old. Lockers weren't a thing back then and in Africa they would be a luxury even on a 70 series. best thing to do is lower your tyre pressures
We entered through sekanani gate and there is a little backroad through to ololamutiek gate where all the horrors took place. It happened some time back in 2007 I think. Chains would have been a nice addition but that would be far too organized for a real African expedition.
You never should have accepted that vehicle its only good for paved roads not dirt. I would have laughed in there faces if they tried to give me that thing with smooth tires. Enjoy pushing
Just my two cents, going on an off-road adventure without a chain or a tow rope or even a winch is just plain, well, not smart. But as you said, it would be too organized... :) Sure you will keep these memories though.
The road to my village in the rainy season is worse than this. And even when it is better, the local thugs of villages you have to pass through dig holes in the road by night so that when vehicles get stuck, they are paid to move the vehicles. Whether I pass away in 2050 or 2060, I know the roads will still be like this. Anyone knows how to avoid my coprse to be sent to Africa, as I have a UK passport? I know people always try to send corpses there, but actually I have no one there that should genuinely want this experience, except enjoy my funeral money. Any organisation in UK, that one can pay in advance and write a will or something? Cheers for answering.
Greetings Bernard. Our driver was a little inexperienced with the sloppy conditions. A nice enough fellow though. As for the kids in Uganda. I think I might be guilty of similar acts of stupidity in my youth. Are you from Africa? It's an awesome place.
Hey, next time You stuck in pothole like this, use tool You carried it on the car :) The big red? It's called Hi-Lift. Dig out mud from around the stuck wheel, lift it up, drop some rocks/branches under, push the car out. Work for 30 mins max. (...lived in Africa 3Y, driven around nature parks, including Masai Mara, now offroadin home in Europe :) )
Greetings Milos. I've always found the hi lift jacks quite troublesome in muddy conditions. Even with some form of extra base they still sink and twist out, and many vehicles lack acceptable attachment points, even more so when on an extreme angle. This particular sinkhole had the toyota down on its chassis. An exhaust jack on the other hand would have sorted the problem out, but as you would know from living in Africa, one must work with what one has, which sometimes is not that much.
Hi, fellow adventurer! thanks for the response, Yes, exactly, you have to work with what You have. Axe or billhook is off-roader's great friend. As is the Hi-Lift. As this particular hole was in solid soil, You only needed to dig out the wheel and then to use solid log/branch as lever to lift the wheel using Hi-Lift. I am sure in the bottom the soil was solid enough to hold the Hi-Lift. The exhaust jack is useless dead weight on these muddy roads, they are only good in sandy conditions. Most important is to have good driving and self-recovery skills, which can be either learned by understanding car mechanics and physics deeply, or come with experience. Total lack of driving and recovery experience could be seen from the video not only by bad recovery attempt, but also by rope attaching (that was not a knot, but a joke) and wrong selection of attachment point. Should be on right side and as short as possible, also position and direction of pulling car should be different. (No worries though, internet is full of bad practices videos, and I remember many mine, even from my children times, well before internet and video cams become widely available.) For such trips like Yours safari trips, it is enough to have: - hi-lift with accessories (lifting, clamping, winching), - heavy axe (cutting, hammering) - normal and dynamic/kinetic rope (pulling out) (and of course, small items like shovel, gloves, chain, toolkit, etc) All cheap and easy to carry items. And most important, know how to handle them safely and efficiently. Thanks for posting the video anyway and wish you a lot of fun driving off the track around Kenya. All the best!
a few points i notice as I watch this. 1. you have a high lift jack, why not use that? 2. tie the rope to the chassis, stronger point of attachment, plus, less likely to be cut by the bumper :) 3. do look at which line you take. The common line used by others is not always the best as the previous driver may have been a truck, so, the rut is to deep for you ensuring that you end up on you belly like a beached whale. have fun. Africa is as we say here, not for sissies :)
+Mathew Peter Africa is definitely not for sissies. I have a few answers. The driver was also the owner of the vehicle and wasn't real experienced with off road driving despite owning a Toyota. Nice fellow though. As for the jack the ground was too soft and he had no viable attach points. Usually exhaust jacks are the best alternative and we certainly didn't have one of them. As for the knot tying I have no excuse. As you would have seen, pure man power ( and woman power) saw us through in the end, and a quiet prayer to which ever deity was prepared to listen. Cheers for the comments.
+Gavin Foreman Awesome Gavin. I have a habit of carrying a block of solid hardwood which comes in handy as a stool, a chopping block or in this case, a foot for the jack. I must add comment to yours regarding the willing hands. In all my travels I've had in Africa is always amazes me how people of all ages, religion and origin will help. Often getting themselves covered in sticky Congo mud or stinking, putrid pools of the DRC 'roads' I have even had an old man drive his Peugeot 404 150 km, each way, to fetch me a part that i needed, plus, when I offered him a spare 5hp Generator for all his troubles and kindness (including arranging bush meat for our camp from the local hunters) he refused! I have to say, kudos to our wonderful rural people. Sadly one cant say much for the city people in some African countries.
+Mathew Peter greetings there. Your trips in Africa. Were you an over lander or just out on your own. Over lander being tour guide. I've been in the drc a few times but missed the good old days before it was so risky. By the time I got to Africa it was off the itinerary. Aside from a couple of trips to see gorrilas we came down from Congo to Angola in a big 2 wd truck. A challenging endevour.
+Gavin Foreman Hi Gavin, I had my own 'Extreme" safari company based on Samil 20 and Samil 50 Chassis. Ex South African Military vehicles. The 20 is like a long wheel base Unimog but higher. One can go totally off road with them which is what I did. Trips across country (no roads) from Selous Game reserve on a compass baring to anywhere mid Lake Tanganyika on the Tanzania side, or from Kitwe up through DRC along Tanganyika to Uganda. Today it is still possible, a lot safer than then. The army has calmed down so you would avoid being 'captured' and held for 8 weeks in rather unsavory conditions while they tried to 'extract' the information you were 'spying' to find out. I escaped eventually when the Foreign Legion guys arrived to restore peace. Probably the only time I've ever been happy to see a frog and hear french :). DRC has some very good but also some rather painful memories. I'll be going back to see the same General who held me in his pit back then. We are now friends :) Your trip down from Congo to Angola is not the easiest route! With a 2 wd drive you must have sent a lot of time on your knees, praying to the mud god :) 'I've done Maputo to Uganda, CAR across to Ethiopia and back down through Zambia, Botswana and the through Tuli block back to JHB a few times, first with 2 landrovers, then by myself with a 450 cc Suzuki 2 stroke 'thumper' road bike I converted with bigger shocks and long range tank (Great bike, never gave me a single problem, apart from dumping me in the sand or mud a few times) then in another rebuilt Samil 20. (Magirus Duetz) The most fun was the bike but not the easiest. Now with this new MAN I'm going using on the next trip I'm doing it the 'luxury' way. That Action Mobile truck is the best. IF I cant hook up with another crew doing the same or similar route then I may get a Unimog or a landrover as a scout / support vehicle and find two guys or a couple to drive that. Its always good to have another vehicle as back up, even though Ill have the POLARIS RZR 570 on the lift. Its good for playing in the dunes and rough roads but not much good for pulling. I love your 'walkabout' trips. When I've had enough of humans then I do what im doing now, my own 'walkabout' into the wildest places i can find. I will definitely hook up with you when I get to Australia. BTW, what shocks do you use to make that Landcruiser softer? Here they are a back killer of note!
+Mathew Peter Greetings again. My own African adventures pale in comparison to the places you've trudged through. Angola was a tough challenge but only 12 months later our friends the Chinese have finished the road and a friend of ours completed the whole length in a few days. So as you know yourself things can change very quickly over there. Bad to good and good to bad. Summer and myself have relocated to the states and are about to leave on a 10 day canoe trip through the Florida everglades, in fact the moment I post this comment to you we are heading to the airport. Should be a good trip if we don't get eaten. As for the shocks on the Land rover they were big barreled terra firma shocks. Nothing softens the ride on those magnificent chariots. One embraces the discomfort. They're nearly unobtainable over here in the US so we had to pick up a disco 2 which is actually not a bad car and they're quite cheap 2nd hand. Not quite the same character as the defender though. I like the mention of praying to the mud gods. I might steal that one for future use. Cheers for now.
Hey there. I don't think that old cruiser had diff lock and the driver, although a nice fellow, was a little inexperienced in muddy off road conditions. Thanks for the comment. cheers.
1:27 - 1:30, that is NOT Junk Sir,it's intricate work of art and it is very disrespectiful of you to talk that way.
@@ForemanAndWilmsAdventures No Sir, I never got to watch the Star Wars series but as a Kenyan I took offense as I know the effort and commitment it takes the Maasai women to craft those works of art. They educate their children to university level with those trinklets. Every major Mall in Nairobi has a Maasai craft day when these collectables are sold to local and overseas buyers. I was once offered stuffed dolls by a vendor on a Rio de Janeiro street and at no time did I consider their local art "Junk". Thank you for your response though.
2:00 should have used the hi lift jack on the rear centre and lifted it up, then swing it to the left.
Luv this
Resembling my current lifestyle, especially road conditions
Looks like a nice challenge for Maxitrax. But really enjoyed the spirit of cooperation and willingness of everyone.
+Bill Blinky Thanks for the comments Bill. That was quite a good group on that trip. Always a bonus when things get a little rough. Whats a maxitrax? I googled the word and all that came up was trains.
8 year back,ha ha ha,welcome back again.have you even got to the camp?😂🤣😅💘👍love it.
Next time your back in kenya come and drive some our our series ones!
That's not junk they're trying to sell to you! Stop hating.
Questions - When did this happen? What gate did you enter from? Where were you headed? Quite an adventure - amazing you were able to be pulled out with a rope - chains are a good thing to have in a vehicle...lol! Looking forward to the 'to be continued'. Looks like a good group of folks and they will remember the mud for a long time :>)
Funny people are telling tourists to fix winches and mud grip's tires on a hired vehicle this is Africa u use what you get
Charles, thank you for a sensible comment from someone who understands. There seems to be a lot of 4x4 wannabe's with a lot more money than sense.
nice vid! i dont want to wise crack, but didnt the car have diff locks? and it seems the driver should have used more momentum to get through the muddy paths.
just like the white mini van did...
if the used the bushes around them for traction they would have been gone by now lol .... i love my Africa
Next time you need an off-road driver, call me
This is awesome
Unity Is Strength :-)
Seems a lot of fun
wow,it was really a nice off-roading
A pair of lockers would have made all the difference.
Nice land cruiser needs better tires lockers and some recovery gear
Le Bj n'a pas les 4 roues motrices ?!
need some super swampers on that 4x4
No lockers?
Just adjust the wheel cylinders real tight,then back Em off once traction took hold
Too many people in one vehicle, I think... I've done a few treks, mainly between Peru and Patagonia-overland of course- and the max we carried was my partner, plus our mountaineering gear...
YOEL LAZARUS Greetings Yoel. It was quite crowded. On that trip the Mara was a flooded mess of mud and our big Scania truck couldn't make the journey so we hired the little 4x4 and crammed in. We decided some discomfort would be better than missing the park.
Greetings mate, a pleasure to hear from you... First and foremost please know that I really enjoy your adventures immensely, and always look forward to future ones... That said, all I can said is that the adventure is the end goal, and you do have fun from what I've seen so far...
Thanks for share such with the world...
+9 LAZARUS It is defiunitely not advantageous to the western world if our jungles develop and have tarred roads. First, we would be adding to global pollution, and secondly, they would lose all the rain-forest plants and animals for their research. Yes, we can blame our politicians, but there are stronger forces than our presidents, viz. the higher economic giants. If we think that one day we shall develop and be able to tar our roads and have peace and produce our own medicine and medical instruments, we must be kidding. How would that benefit the super powers? They have their own problems and if we changed our mentality to develop these things, they would change the economic dynamics to see hat we do not achieve them. We are a threat, and we are better kept as we are.
This vid is a hoot!
Cheers Diego!
put some grass in that knot of the rope so you can loosen it easily, a snatch strap would have worked better
Great viewing
Yeah we had similar attention from the Maasai ladies on our way to Signost Corner & Larsen's Camp, the only difference being they managed to steal two rucsacks our of our vehicle while no one was looking!
John Smith Two rucksacks! Cheeky buggers. I got robbed a few times while I was over there. Can't beat the feeling of a lost passport and wallet. A mixture of feeling alive and dead at the same time.
*****
Yeah,one had almost all our dirty clothes in it along with some bottles of water and a couple of tribal masks we'd bought as presents, the other had maps and socks and clean clothes and a roll of Maasai red cloth we'd already bartered. Luckily both of us had passports, money and documents in the gilets we were wearing. Later that week one of the tribesmen came to Larsens to apologise for the theft but we didn't get any of it back.
IN BRAZIL HAS A LOT THIEF - WE ARE DESCENDANTS OF AFRICAN ...
This is too much fun
Traductor ese c9nductor lo hace con intencion toyota no se atasca asi
that 2nd stream crossing you needed more momentum
anglai vairuot nemoka,
looool we should all have tanks in kenya
Shoulda jammed up that front airborne wheel and you would have had traction
use your winch
use your high lift jack as a winch
you should never go without at least a tow strap or chain! ooffaa
No LSD, Difflocks? Guess not
now assist that bus
PUT DOWN CATERPILLARS M1 Abrams
essas toyhotas sao fracas de mais!
+Elias Sousa I do like the Toyota's. I think in this instance the driver was a little inexperienced in tough conditions. They are a bit heavier than the landrover however.
Foreman and Wilms Adventures I think he means Maxtrax... those plastic traction boards used for self recovery from mud/sand. TREDS make them too. Love your videos by the way!
That FJ40 has seen better days.
What was the reasoning behind the hiring of of this poorly kept, poorly equipped and underpowered 1972 Toyota Landcruiser? Were you traveling on a shoestring budget? This is hilarious 😆
There was significant rain in the Masai Mara at the time so it was not possible to take our 2WD overland truck into the park. As we were only a small group we managed to find this wagon to take us in. Despite the troubles the trip was actually a huge success and ranks highly from my many visits into the Mara. It was a ludicrous idea but like many of these I have they make for good adventures.
This vehicle desserves to be resting and hire modern toyota land cruisers
lazy driver
Old fatigued Toyota.
Everywhere creaks in this thing. Too old for such a challenge
Did you say, " They were trying to sell you lumps of junk?" Women trying to make an honest living and you call their source of livelihood junk? My goodness!
the driver doesnt know how to drive a 4wd landcruiser
overloading and no good tyres. no difflocks. wrong way to go to africa.
Lot's of comments about lockers etc.
Please remember This vehicle is at least forty years old if not fifty or sixty years old.
Lockers weren't a thing back then and in Africa they would be a luxury even on a 70 series.
best thing to do is lower your tyre pressures
This is great guys..beautiful natural filming..and great vehicle.
Thanks Tau .
We entered through sekanani gate and there is a little backroad through to ololamutiek gate where all the horrors took place. It happened some time back in 2007 I think. Chains would have been a nice addition but that would be far too organized for a real African expedition.
You never should have accepted that vehicle its only good for paved roads not dirt. I would have laughed in there faces if they tried to give me that thing with smooth tires. Enjoy pushing
Just my two cents, going on an off-road adventure without a chain or a tow rope or even a winch is just plain, well, not smart. But as you said, it would be too organized... :)
Sure you will keep these memories though.
The road to my village in the rainy season is worse than this. And even when it is better, the local thugs of villages you have to pass through dig holes in the road by night so that when vehicles get stuck, they are paid to move the vehicles. Whether I pass away in 2050 or 2060, I know the roads will still be like this. Anyone knows how to avoid my coprse to be sent to Africa, as I have a UK passport? I know people always try to send corpses there, but actually I have no one there that should genuinely want this experience, except enjoy my funeral money. Any organisation in UK, that one can pay in advance and write a will or something? Cheers for answering.
You picked quite an old jalopy, next time pick a proper landcruiser
Poor driver skill, who drives into a mudhole? I bet the grassy part may have been a wiser option if the road is too bad.
Greetings Bernard. Our driver was a little inexperienced with the sloppy conditions. A nice enough fellow though. As for the kids in Uganda. I think I might be guilty of similar acts of stupidity in my youth. Are you from Africa? It's an awesome place.
That's why. Yes i'm from Africa, Kenya specifically, I live at the outskirts of Tsavo, Voi town.
Hey, next time You stuck in pothole like this, use tool You carried it on the car :) The big red? It's called Hi-Lift. Dig out mud from around the stuck wheel, lift it up, drop some rocks/branches under, push the car out. Work for 30 mins max.
(...lived in Africa 3Y, driven around nature parks, including Masai Mara, now offroadin home in Europe :) )
Greetings Milos. I've always found the hi lift jacks quite troublesome in muddy conditions. Even with some form of extra base they still sink and twist out, and many vehicles lack acceptable attachment points, even more so when on an extreme angle. This particular sinkhole had the toyota down on its chassis. An exhaust jack on the other hand would have sorted the problem out, but as you would know from living in Africa, one must work with what one has, which sometimes is not that much.
Hi, fellow adventurer!
thanks for the response,
Yes, exactly, you have to work with what You have. Axe or billhook is off-roader's great friend. As is the Hi-Lift. As this particular hole was in solid soil, You only needed to dig out the wheel and then to use solid log/branch as lever to lift the wheel using Hi-Lift. I am sure in the bottom the soil was solid enough to hold the Hi-Lift. The exhaust jack is useless dead weight on these muddy roads, they are only good in sandy conditions. Most important is to have good driving and self-recovery skills, which can be either learned by understanding car mechanics and physics deeply, or come with experience. Total lack of driving and recovery experience could be seen from the video not only by bad recovery attempt, but also by rope attaching (that was not a knot, but a joke) and wrong selection of attachment point. Should be on right side and as short as possible, also position and direction of pulling car should be different. (No worries though, internet is full of bad practices videos, and I remember many mine, even from my children times, well before internet and video cams become widely available.)
For such trips like Yours safari trips, it is enough to have:
- hi-lift with accessories (lifting, clamping, winching),
- heavy axe (cutting, hammering)
- normal and dynamic/kinetic rope (pulling out)
(and of course, small items like shovel, gloves, chain, toolkit, etc)
All cheap and easy to carry items. And most important, know how to handle them safely and efficiently.
Thanks for posting the video anyway and wish you a lot of fun driving off the track around Kenya. All the best!
That guy spoke Kiswahili :D :D
No diff lockers?
break a side shaft in the process
and a winch with a land anchor.
Lumps of junk?
a few points i notice as I watch this.
1. you have a high lift jack, why not use that?
2. tie the rope to the chassis, stronger point of attachment, plus, less likely to be cut by the bumper :)
3. do look at which line you take. The common line used by others is not always the best as the previous driver may have been a truck, so, the rut is to deep for you ensuring that you end up on you belly like a beached whale. have fun.
Africa is as we say here, not for sissies :)
+Mathew Peter Africa is definitely not for sissies. I have a few answers. The driver was also the owner of the vehicle and wasn't real experienced with off road driving despite owning a Toyota. Nice fellow though. As for the jack the ground was too soft and he had no viable attach points. Usually exhaust jacks are the best alternative and we certainly didn't have one of them. As for the knot tying I have no excuse. As you would have seen, pure man power ( and woman power) saw us through in the end, and a quiet prayer to which ever deity was prepared to listen. Cheers for the comments.
+Gavin Foreman Awesome Gavin. I have a habit of carrying a block of solid hardwood which comes in handy as a stool, a chopping block or in this case, a foot for the jack. I must add comment to yours regarding the willing hands. In all my travels I've had in Africa is always amazes me how people of all ages, religion and origin will help. Often getting themselves covered in sticky Congo mud or stinking, putrid pools of the DRC 'roads' I have even had an old man drive his Peugeot 404 150 km, each way, to fetch me a part that i needed, plus, when I offered him a spare 5hp Generator for all his troubles and kindness (including arranging bush meat for our camp from the local hunters) he refused! I have to say, kudos to our wonderful rural people. Sadly one cant say much for the city people in some African countries.
+Mathew Peter greetings there. Your trips in Africa. Were you an over lander or just out on your own. Over lander being tour guide. I've been in the drc a few times but missed the good old days before it was so risky. By the time I got to Africa it was off the itinerary. Aside from a couple of trips to see gorrilas we came down from Congo to Angola in a big 2 wd truck. A challenging endevour.
+Gavin Foreman Hi Gavin, I had my own 'Extreme" safari company based on Samil 20 and Samil 50 Chassis. Ex South African Military vehicles. The 20 is like a long wheel base Unimog but higher. One can go totally off road with them which is what I did. Trips across country (no roads) from Selous Game reserve on a compass baring to anywhere mid Lake Tanganyika on the Tanzania side, or from Kitwe up through DRC along Tanganyika to Uganda. Today it is still possible, a lot safer than then. The army has calmed down so you would avoid being 'captured' and held for 8 weeks in rather unsavory conditions while they tried to 'extract' the information you were 'spying' to find out. I escaped eventually when the Foreign Legion guys arrived to restore peace. Probably the only time I've ever been happy to see a frog and hear french :). DRC has some very good but also some rather painful memories. I'll be going back to see the same General who held me in his pit back then. We are now friends :) Your trip down from Congo to Angola is not the easiest route! With a 2 wd drive you must have sent a lot of time on your knees, praying to the mud god :) 'I've done Maputo to Uganda, CAR across to Ethiopia and back down through Zambia, Botswana and the through Tuli block back to JHB a few times, first with 2 landrovers, then by myself with a 450 cc Suzuki 2 stroke 'thumper' road bike I converted with bigger shocks and long range tank (Great bike, never gave me a single problem, apart from dumping me in the sand or mud a few times) then in another rebuilt Samil 20. (Magirus Duetz) The most fun was the bike but not the easiest. Now with this new MAN I'm going using on the next trip I'm doing it the 'luxury' way. That Action Mobile truck is the best. IF I cant hook up with another crew doing the same or similar route then I may get a Unimog or a landrover as a scout / support vehicle and find two guys or a couple to drive that. Its always good to have another vehicle as back up, even though Ill have the POLARIS RZR 570 on the lift. Its good for playing in the dunes and rough roads but not much good for pulling.
I love your 'walkabout' trips. When I've had enough of humans then I do what im doing now, my own 'walkabout' into the wildest places i can find. I will definitely hook up with you when I get to Australia. BTW, what shocks do you use to make that Landcruiser softer? Here they are a back killer of note!
+Mathew Peter Greetings again. My own African adventures pale in comparison to the places you've trudged through. Angola was a tough challenge but only 12 months later our friends the Chinese have finished the road and a friend of ours completed the whole length in a few days. So as you know yourself things can change very quickly over there. Bad to good and good to bad. Summer and myself have relocated to the states and are about to leave on a 10 day canoe trip through the Florida everglades, in fact the moment I post this comment to you we are heading to the airport. Should be a good trip if we don't get eaten. As for the shocks on the Land rover they were big barreled terra firma shocks. Nothing softens the ride on those magnificent chariots. One embraces the discomfort. They're nearly unobtainable over here in the US so we had to pick up a disco 2 which is actually not a bad car and they're quite cheap 2nd hand. Not quite the same character as the defender though. I like the mention of praying to the mud gods. I might steal that one for future use. Cheers for now.