"The Road from Hell", and off to Addis

Update, 6 Nov: Sarah Henderson (Peugeot 404) send a link to a story about bandits on the "Road from Hell", which happened just after we went through....  Full text in comments below.  Tx Sarah!]

[Bit of a scrappy post, this, as it's on the run, in Awassa, Ethiopia, and we're off at 05:00 in the morning to Addis, to struggle with Sudan visas.   And it's all about the road and the cars, nothing about people and places, which after all is what the trip's about.  But that road was such an experience, that it takes first place for now]...

Wowie, Zowie, what a road!

I left you at the Samburu Lodge in Kenya, just as we were to set off on what is widely-known as “The Road from Hell” and what a road it was.  400 kilometers of bone-jarring, car-crunching gravel, horrendous corrugations, rocks, stones, wash-aways, rock and massive pot holes you could hide a donkey in.  A “car killer” said Gordon, whose done 2 London to Sydney Rallies, one Peking to Paris, the Himalayan Rally, and innumerable other rallies.  He said this one was “right up there”. 

High Plains Drifters

Mother and two children, in Samburu Park, North Kenya
The real high plains drifters

Oryx

Beautiful drive today through the Aberdaires of Central Kenya.  The high plains country, the mighty Mustang drifting along winding valleys at over 8,000 feet.  Fine driving.

On the go... photos... (maybe)

Just about to get into cars, it's a fine cool Nairobi morning, trying to upload some nice photos from yesterday, as I pack..

We're cheered in to the Grand Parade

[ah well, no go.  See you in Addis..]

PF and Mark 2 Jag, similar colour to my old XK 120

(Just snuck a couple in.  Off now)

Sandi first direct post

Hi all, we had a lovely day at the Nairobi Concors d'Elegance, will catch up with all of you when we reach Addis in 5 Days time.

Note to Followers of Sandi's blog

Sandi is now posting here: either I posting her notes, or her posting direct, in which case it'll be her name at the bottom of the post.
For those who have signed up to Follow her blog, please do sign up to follow this one now.
I'm not putting the "followers" on the right side of the blog, so you'll be anonymous, but will still be notified of posts.
As mentioned below, we don't expect to be able to post for five days or so; after we get through "the road from hell"...
Cheers,
Peter

Wish us luck....

We head off at 05:00 tomorrow morning, for the drive up through northern Kenya.  This is the roughest part of the trip.  The road is called "the road from hell".  You can't drive more than 20-30 kph, or you'll break your car.  More of a worry for us is the Shifta bandits, nomadic tribes that occasionally prey on travellers on the road to Moyale in N. Kenya.  Recent droughts have made them more aggressive.  And of course, one is assailed by middle-class angst. What does one do?...

In Archer's post tomorrow, we decide whether to take armed escorts along: local soldiers or police.

There's also the prospect of camping, as there's no lodges or inns.  Also then there's shortage of water and food. 

The least of the worries is no internet.... won't be back on line for five days or so, till we're in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia.
You can still follow us on the tracker: instructions above in the Tab.

The itinerary and the detailed Route Schedule are also in Tabs above.

TTFN [= "ta ta for now"]

Cars, cars and more....

The Nabibii and their Mercs: winners of two prizes including cash

....cars.

SandiPost I: "20-23 September 2011"

Tuesday 20 September 2011

A tappet was found - eventually – a tappet from a Land Rover – so Modesty is now working thanks to a Land Rover – we managed to have a anxious morning although we were trying to relax, remaining ever so positive that a tappet would be found.   Dulllah arrived after 2 pm – with tappet in hand it was installed  it was working with a couple  of praise to Allah off we went to see DHL – it was just fantastic seeing everyone – loads of staff changes but a great welcome and well worth the visit.  We also managed to catch up with Simon Maitland – we had arranged to meet at the Southern Sun at 5 pm.  It was wonderful to see him and to catch up with all his exiting times in Dar.  Blaze from DHL also came to see us and wonderful to meet him and hear all about his times with DHL (so far) in Dar.

Dealing with the Tanzanian Traffic Cops ("TTCs")

Back in Tanzania, we were stopped a minimum of 3 times a day and maximum 9 times, with three fines in the one day. In case loyal readers are thinking we must be mad men in motor cars, let me tell you this: that each and every one of the cars in our little fleet was stopped and fined multiple times per day while in Tanzania, even the stateliest of our drivers, the Canadians Rob and Wendy in the Kombi van. (aka "Ron and Wendy Kombi", as in, we're now "Gordon" or "Peter Mustang")

Even a local paper, the Guardian (motto: "We did not steal the name from the UK Guardian, promise"), had an op-ed the other day, bemoaning the harassment of motorists by the traffic police.

So, for posterity, here's some thoughts on how to motor through with the fewest fines.  It becomes a game after a while, wondering what they'll pick on next time, and going a day "O for four" (four stops, zero fines) is cause for satisfaction.

Six Strategies for dealing with TTCs:

Ngorongoro, "cow bells singing"

Ngorongoro from the rim, 7,800 feeet (click to enlarge)

I'm on the rim of the Ngoronogo crater, gazing down at the caldera 3,000 feet below.  This is the home of Olduvai gorge, the "cradle of mankind", where the Leakey's in the 1930s found the first traces of mankind, 1.8 million year old homo habilis, who eventually came "Out of Africa".
"Ngorongoro" is a Masai word, onomatopoeic, the sound of cow bells ringing. [*]
It's a magnificent view, impossible for we bears of little brain to capture on film, or pixels, though Gordon's done a pretty good job above.

Volvo to vhere?

First, welcome to readers of Sandi's blog, "Volvo-to-vhere", who will be posting here from now on."Volvo to vhere?", you ask. "Volvo into the bush", I answer.
Yesterday, the clutch in the valiant Volvo went, about 100km from Arusha.  Chris couldn't come to a halt, so when they were stopped by a police check point, he drove the car off the road, into some fields, round a hut, scattering chickens, goats, and startled villagers as they went.  Bumping over some sisal bushes they rounded the hut and back to the road.
The MG of Ian and Val, which was following, as its brakes are shot, thought the Volvo was simply taking a detour and followed along behind...
Next time, the Volvo strataegy on stopping by police was to stop, engine off, and get the police to help push the car for clutch start.

The final word on Rita's house...

Final bit of the saga: note from Mutti, re the Quest to find Rita Hayworth's house in Dar es Salaam, which I posted part I here and part II here.

Thanks to Mutti for the post, and using the iPad with such facility!

Have just read what you had to say about your search.  I thought our area might have been Oyster Bay. Now that I think about it, the residential land ran around a bit of a point.  Lew Border teased Dad about sleeping in Rita's bed.  if only!!  Someone at bridge today suggested money may have come from Russia.  Don't know. From the sentences there you can see your blogs are read and discussed. Had card from Bron from Murren, so gather my research,using the I-Pad, is coming in useful.  have half an ear to the T.V. And hear that No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency will be on on Sunday.  Should be fun.  Enough rubbish.  Love.  M.

Sent from my iPad

Margaret F. (Mutti)

We're now in Arusha, gateway to the trekking business to Mt Kilimanjaro and surrounding hills. Arusha is a pretty town, the entering roads flanked by graceful trees and trimmed hedges.  One could almost see hints of Sydney, or an Australian country town; then you blink and, nah, it's still Africa....
This is exactly half way between Cape and Cairo.  There's a clock tower with a plaque attesting to this.