6th November 2006 - Africa
Overlanding in the developing world is a great way to travel. Not only does it enable you to get a Worm's Eye View of the world and to meet the locals in situ, see areas totally unaffected by tourism and avoid airport security scans, it's a great exercise in social equality. A chance to meet your fellow travellers stripped of all the pretences that normally shroud our every day lives.
Doctor, lawyer, dentist or dustman, you all meet up at the team briefing in uniform back packers' clothing sporting a dirty rucksack, plastic sports watch, wearing ridiculous looking Teva sandals and carrying a water bottle and a well thumbed copy of The Lonely Planet. All your distinguishing finary is at home, you're sweatty and if you're male, unshaven, and female, devoid of makeup. Separated from all cultural support structures you're about as individual or distinguished as an army conscript. And this in only day one!!
You're now going to spend the next 3-4 weeks living 24X7 on the back of a truck with these people (well it's more a truck/bus really) eating round a campfire & washing out your kit in the river. You'll be starved of all TV and sports results, stock exchange movements and newspapers. You'll subject yourself to all sorts of risks and dangers and hot showers will be as rare as hen's teeth.
So why, you might ask, would one want to do such a thing?
Well, for all the reasons above. There is an edge to this kind of adventure that creates a life long bonding between those who share it and there's a reality and a simplicity that's hard to find in our complicated daily lives in the real world. Either that or we've just become a little more excentric in our dotage!
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