IN THE ARMY
While human society isn't as industriously prolific in Central and East Africa as the regimentation and crud of Seffrica has developed, the animal kingdom here is significantly more organised and militaristic.
Ants especially show a predilection for route marches and keeping in line with some tight discipline. Two species in particular made us take note and keep away from their labour lines.
I have no idea what the species names are - do I look like an entomologist?!?! - but the first group were black soldier ants (according to the locals) about a centimetre long which patrolled the Lukwe Permaculture Camp at Livingstonia in Malawi.
Hup, two, three
Seldom seen individually, when we did see them it was as a column of several hundred or thousand ants marching out of the bush in a very determined manner and heading for a specific spot. The workers would all be herded along by larger guard ants which would also scuttle into action if the column was disturbed.
The columns were about 5 or 6 ants wide and 2 to 5 m long, all the ants following the same course. A while after the column had disappeared into the distance it would return, this time with the workers all bearing their burden of food for the nest.
A bit like porters in the Africa of Victorian explorers. I wonder if ant humour extends to two columns meeting and one asking the other: "Dr Livingstone, I presume?"
We observed the ants during the rainy season and when the sun did come out for a while and things began drying out, the soldier ant's nests were easily found. They would bring their black, rat dropping-sized and coloured eggs out into the sun to either dry or warm up.
The eggs would be laid in a small mound outside the entrance to the nest and the rest of the colony would keep a close guard on the eggs, going haywire if they detect the carbon dioxide of an animal's breath on the eggs. Some of the ants would rush to attack the intruder - it may sound a bit David and Goliath-like but they have a painful bite! - while the rest would hurriedly begin carting the eggs back into the safety of the nest.
Supply lines
The second species were living in the mountain paradise of the Usambara mountains of northern Tanzania and had made the campsite at Muller's Forest Lodge their base of operations.
Slightly smaller than the first group, this species made up for its lack of size by sheer numbers. There was also a greater differentiation in job descriptions and size - the guard ants were twice the size of the "porters" and reminded me of English bulldogs: massive heads and pincers on bodies that seemed only just strong enough to carry the biting end.
These ants seem to stick to well-defined pathways which have been worn a centimetre or two into the ground by the passage of so many industrious ant-feet. The pathways wind through the grass between nest and main food areas, I would assume.
When we blew on these ants, the workers carried on with their task, portering with a little more haste, while the guard ants rushed to see off the intruders, spreading out in a circle from the track looking for something to bite.
Tigger discovered the hard way just how painful their bite is and I had a lucky escape, find one savaging my sandal, fortunately, rather than my foot. While the guard ant, which has a head 2mm - 3mm broad, had a good mouthful of sandal I pinched off the body. The mouthparts stayed embedded in the sandal although the antennae kept twitching for several hours afterwards.
Three days later, the head was still attached to the sandal.
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TRAVEL FARE
Arusha, 29 January 2002
Now that we've decided on our dream vehicle for travelling Africa the next question is what to put in it and just how big the pile of things to leave behind is going to be. We started off with way too much stuff and have whittled things down to a point where we only need to shed another 50 kg of junk and life will be really easy.
Most of what we've discarded, sold, posted home (wherever that may be!) or given away to locals has been in the "This could be useful" category and while it would indeed have been useful, getting to it in the back of a truck literally full of our possessions was so much work that we ended up not using it at all - and if you're not using it, why bother having it with you?
We've found that we use, and need, far less than we thought we would and those things that make life comfortable and easier, we tend to use every day. Being able to get to them without spending 15 minutes unpacking and repacking the truck gives us more time and less frustration. So, here's what we've found out the hard way.
Personal goodies
Start with a rucksack and if you can't fit your clothes, shoes, toiletries and other personal goodies into it, don't take them. You really don't need more than 3 teeshirts, 1 or 2 long-sleeved shirts, 1 pair of long trousers, 1 pair of tracksuit bottoms, 1 fleece or jersey, 1 raincoat and a hat.
A pair of boots or strong trainers will spend most of their time in storage but they are needed while a good pair of sandals is essential - I've worn my trainers once and the boots I brought along, not at all. Don't bother with more than 2 pairs of shoes. Obviously then, socks are a little used but essential item. Take enough to wear and a spare set and just wash them more often if you're wearing them for extended periods.
Once you've packed your rucksack and whittled things down to manageable proportions, you can always expand a little, but it will definitely pay you to think like a backpacker and live in relatively spacious truckers style. The opposite is to think like a caravanner and end up living like a backpacker - not the way to go!
Wash out
Don't bother taking enough soap, toilet roll, toothpaste, razor blades and shampoo to last you the whole trip. The stuff is all available in most towns, even if it isn't your "special" brand. You also spend a lot less time worrying about whether your nails are done or whether the boss is going to notice the shine in your hair!
Likewise, washing powder is readily available - although some brand names are apt to put you off your stroke a bit: "Toss - for a whiter wash" is one case in hand.
The one category of hygiene products that don't fall off the shelves to be bought by you in every small town is sanitary ware. While there is a selection available in major cities, it isn't the widest choice available.
Medical matters
We thought our medical kit was a happy compromise between big enough to cope with most eventualities and small enough not to make us look like hypochondriacs. Unfortunately, the latter is still the case - drugs, antibiotics and almost everything you'll need is available up here and the medical care seems to be fairly good. There are clinics in most towns and more experienced travellers and lodge owners will be able to give general advice on common problems, how to solve them or where in the area to go for care.
We've also met many European doctors working out here who say that the local doctors are good - when you can find them at the clinics rather than at their private practices - although the nursing care is less than wonderful. Bank on having a travelling companion do a lot of the after-care if you do have to stay in a hospital.
One overlander truck driver who has been in Africa for the past four years says that many hospitals will make a big show and insist on you being admitted overnight - with the consequent huge bills. He said that if you make it very clear that you are not going to stay there, the doctors will eventually give up, tell you what is wrong with you and you can go to a pharmacy (called dispensaries up here) and get the medication you need.
A standard well-equipped medical kit with some extras will suffice. The extras we would include are a course of malaria treatment (over and above whatever prophylaxis you are taking) such as Halfan or Fansidar. Better, we are told, and readily available in Africa are Cotecxin or Artemisin. Remember, if you do get malaria - no booze for a month afterwards.
We'd also recommend a broad spectrum antibiotic - if you need specific stuff, you'll find it here. Sterile syringes and needles, some burn dressings and a lot of common sense should stitch things up.
Burning issues
Some people have travelled with a single burner backpacking stove and been quite happy - it saves space and weight and a multi-fuel type will allow you to cook with almost anything. Paraffin/Kerosene is readily available (you can fill up at any fuel station as they have a petrol, a diesel and a kerosene pump!) but Camping Gaz canisters are not found north of South Africa.
We opted for luxury in the kitchen, bringing a two-burner with grill gas stove. It's been brilliant and worth the extra weight - except that the Cadac gas canisters cannot be filled up here (we haven't managed anywhere north of Namibia and Botswana). Much more sensible would be an Easigas or Handigas grey canister although the smallest available weights about 20 kg.
Two smallish pots, an aluminium kettle with folding handle and a grill tray that doubles as a frying pan hold the food and we carry 3 sets of cutlery - one for each of us and a spare set. A sharp knife or two, a wooden spoon, tin opener and a small grater (for the ultimate luxury, cheese, as well as ginger and other stuff) cover most eventualities while some Tupperware-type containers keep the leftovers.
A water filtering system is also worth considering as some of the water available has loads of suspended sand or organic matter in it and it makes life a lot easier when you start making tea with water that is at least slightly translucent, rather than liquid that already looks like it is milky tea.
The staple food products are all available up here and aren't too expensive but luxuries can be hard to come by so if you need to have five-course dinners, bring a trailer. What we did do, and are really glad about, was bring a stash of dried herbs, powdered soups (for flavouring stews and such like), some powdered mustard and other relatively light and compact extras to make the usual fare of fresh vegetables, tinned meat and rice a little more varied.
Left? Right? Lost?
There are many other "could packs" to consider but the last thing we'd like to pontificate on is the subject of maps. Take the Michelin 95-whatever series for the section of Africa you'll be travelling through. There are three maps covering the whole of Africa - North and West, North and East and South and East.
The scale is a bit small - 1:4 million - but they have the most accurate information regarding the most likely roads you'll be using. The maps also indicate scenic routes and give information about the condition of roads which helps with route planning.
We scanned the maps into the computer and printed them out in A4 sheets which were then laminated (fortunately, friends could do this at their work. Thanks Bridget and Thomas!). This means you only have to have the sheet you are going to be using that day up front and don't have to fight with folding and holding larger maps. When not using it, tuck the laminated sheet behind the sun visor.
If you don't have access to scanners etc, buy two maps, cut one up and laminate and keep the other for times when you need to see the bigger picture. Also keep a permanent marker or koki pen with the laminated sheets - when you meet other travellers, you can put the notes directly onto the relevant sheet, marking either the map side with cryptic info or putting longer notes on the reverse side.
We're off for a drive. First to Ngorongoro for a day of "safari" (big word up here and incredibly overused by tour operators looking to gull unsuspecting tourists into parting with their money!) and then round the western side of Lake Victoria into Uganda. So we may be out of contact until we reach Kampala in two weeks or so.
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