It all began last summer. In a newspaper interview I, tongue in cheek, added "if anyone reading this has a 4x4 they don't need, the school in Cameroon would love it". I was utterly floored when, a fortnight later, a gentleman emailed me to say "I have a long wheelbase Nissan Patrol. It's yours"!
After my last adventure in Cameroon was safely behind me a group of us met up with our benefactor Bob, and his lovely wife Jan, and the handover was completed on a windy day in Benidorm. The subsequent 2 months were spent modifying the car, arranging sponsorship, visas and drivers, plus a lot of tearing out of hair and cursing that damned car! I was so stressed out with the whole saga that I came close to binning the whole idea. Yet here we are, ready for the unknown.
The first idea for getting the car to Cameroon is, logically, to ship it. However, corruption is so blatant in the port of Douala there was a more than high risk the car, on its arrival, would disappear for good. We took the other option; to drive across the Sahara.
My two drivers, father and son team, are now eager and waiting for the off. I am trying my best to remember all those nitty-gritty details that will probably become obvious a day too late. We sail for Algiers tonight after a champagne reception and pressinterview on the dock at Alicante. Today is my birthday. It is also the anniversary of Stanley setting out to find Livingstone.
Prophetic?
Time will tell.
Dave
PS: The title? With two Walpoles and a Wilco, it came naturally.
the moral of the story - always say things without actually meaning them and you'll get some good things coming to you !!
have a great trip ! again !
Happy birthday, Dave, from gelid Helsinki (albeit on my way to rather warmer Dhaka on Monday). Sounds like a great trip, and a classic example of the squeaky wheel getting the long-wheelbase Nissan Patrol.
Hi patonki--how about a TTAB Helsinki subgroup pissup in late March?
CK
CK
if i'm here, i'm there ! so to speak
might be away but probably here, depending on the job. in either case, i'll probably limited to one of the bars in kallio :)
trusted partner
