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Steve Blackmore »
The Source of the Nile - Bahir Dar 31 Oct
Posted on 10:59am Tuesday 4th November 2008
I awoke early as the sun was coming up. I think it was a tapping on the window. I peered out to see a sea of grinning black faces peering in at us as we slept on the bus. Where the hell do they all come from ? No matter where you park in Ethiopia, within a few minutes your double decker bus will be surrounded by chattering, excitable Ethiopians.
Steve Blackmore »
The Mexican Standoff - Gonder 30 Oct
Posted on 10:56am Tuesday 4th November 2008
With the bus still not well, I was up in good time to go over to the mechanics. He wanted me there at 9am when he contacted his mate in Addis to get a price for a seal. That's a rubber part, not the aquatic animal. Bill was expecting a price of a few pounds. I was a little taken aback when he quoted 6800 birr, that's about £425. He made the final total about £950. It gave me some serious questions. Was it financially viable to carry on to Addis ? What was the alternative ? I would be gutted to get this far and not actually make it to our final destination. The mechanic would still want paying for the work done so far and the bus isn't moveable now the old, damaged seals have been ripped out. We were at the mercy of the mechanic. He could offer us what he wanted for a non working bus in his yard and we would be obliged to accept what he offered.
Steve Blackmore »
The Never Ending Road
Posted on 10:53am Tuesday 4th November 2008
I awoke to hear people moving around outside and looked out to see hussle and bustle of a huge number of people. Why ? Its 6am, the border is still closed and there is nowhere for people to go. We had a disagreement with the bloke who sold us the beer. We hadn't drunk it all and he wanted the empties back or he wanted us to pay another 2 Sudanese pounds each bottle. We had only paid 3 for a full one.
Steve Blackmore »
African Camelot - Gonder 29 Oct
Posted on 10:20am Tuesday 4th November 2008
The bus, with its leaking seals and gaskets, blowing exhaust and bodged pipes was in bad need of some TLC. The huge slick of transmission fluid was not a good sign for us or for the hotel owner.
Steve Blackmore »
Khartoum Nightmare - Abu Dom to Ethiopian Border 27 Oct
Posted on 10:16am Tuesday 4th November 2008
I was tasked with driving down the fairly new section of road from Abu Dom towards Khartoum. No great hardship, in fact a doddle after the last 2 days. It was wonderful knowing we were actually putting some real distance on the clock. My concerns on the tight timescale were getting worse. Previously I was working in days until we had to be at Bahir Dar to meet Jo and Sean. Now I was counting hours and realising that we could only make the deadline by driving constantly at speed.
Steve Blackmore »
More Dust - Dagio 25 Oct
Posted on 10:13am Tuesday 4th November 2008
Desert is traditionally supposed to be yellow or orange sand. Gritty and with definate particles. I'm guessing this bit of desert has been around a bit longer and the particles have been ground more. Think of grey flour and you are close. There is no substance to it. If you compact it, its still loose and soft. And this is what we found ourselves bogged down in up to the axles at 8am, with our tight schedule.
Steve Blackmore »
Dust - Dagio Sudan 25 Oct
Posted on 10:10am Tuesday 4th November 2008
One of the things I was asked for when I'm away was some shots of the bus in some desert and other locations. This was for the Bristol VR enthusiasts club. This is now concerning me. I have plenty of shots of the bus in the locations they want, however the level of abuse we have been dishing out to our poor bus today is definately going to upset them.. It will be like sending photos of pigeons being strangled to a pigeon racing club.
Allan & Rose Davies »
!Algunas cosas son enviados a tratarnos, aun el tiempo puede devolver aqui!
Posted on 8:30am Monday 3rd November 2008
Well, first off apologies for last weeks late feature entry, I hope no one was too upset? But hey, these things are sent to try us, and it wasn’t my fault, honest! It was actually an act of the elements that caused the break in transmission of my editorially based sunshine memoir, or should I say a whopping great thunder storm!
Trevor Morris »
No fuel like an old fuel
Posted on 4:09pm Friday 24th October 2008
THERE are times when it pays to be patient. I drive other people mad by never changing the clock on my van, but I know that if I wait patiently through the winter, after six months it will be telling the right time again, and I won’t have had to annoy myself by trying to fiddle with those awkward little controls. Fashions are also like this: if you could have stood the ridicule in the ‘80s then those bell-bottomed trousers from the ‘70s would have been right back there in the cutting edge of fashion.
Jenni Stevenson »
The racoons and snakes of Weymouth
Posted on 11:19am Thursday 30th October 2008
In the New World Portland is not an island. Dorchester is a dangerous and drug-ridden town and Weymouth is home to an $8 million wildlife centre that looks after racoons and boa constrictors.
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