Auntielou

Auntielou’s African Adventure!

Oh my god D Day has finally come

The twelve weeks of planning have been fun.

The reality hits home, as the truck is real

A terrible feeling of sick I feel.

As I say goodbye, I start to cry,

But saved by Marcus a really nice guy,

Came to my rescue and told all to go,

The tears and the fears started to flow!!!

From Portsmouth to Cherbourg we crossed

On very uncomfortable seats we dosed.

Through Loisies, Nantes and Bordeaux

I fell in a ditch. Was I Pissed? – No!!!

The noise of the windows flapping was so loud.

The smell of diesel – The sky full of black clouds.

Across the Spanish Border and the Pyrenees

Baby Octopus, ice cream and beer for tea.

Another concrete campsite, oh we did moan,

Oh it felt good to speak to Alan at home.

Another grey day as we arrived in Gibraltar,

A day to do my bits! – washing etc, “I ought to”

From Gibraltar to Cueta we took a boat and floated.

Our first campfire and good wine left us feeling bloated.

Morocco, the border!!!! On to Fez and 1^st Bush No 2’s

A luxury campsite – hot showers and even clean loos!!!

The shopkeepers hassled big time, Fez market was manic.

The Tannery, carpet shops, Jalabahs and ceramics.

Camped in the Atlas Mountains so cold and then to collect wood.

Then to the desert to practise sand matting – not so good!!!

Next it’s a camel ride on a camel with just one hump,

Clare and Corrine slid off and Nick fell off with a bump.

We slept in Berber tents and ate tarjin with meat

And then it was sand matting “take two” for our next feat!

Our turn to cook – Oh dear too much Vodka!!!

Next stop was a gorge – I think they called it Todra

Donkeys and goats, we stopped at Ait ben Haddou

I was like Rudolf with a red nose, a bad cold and flu.

Lots of films had been made here including Jesus of Nazerus

And then no rest for the wicked its off to Marrakech.

Marrakech Square was everything I expected,

And then I spoke to Alan – Its good to get connected!

Delicious fresh orange juice for sale Rich in Vitamin C

Baby tortoises for sale, definitely not for me!!

We had our hands tattooed with Henna, we did laugh

And then I learnt to play a new card game called “Grass”

For taking a photo of him, I got chased

By the monkey man around the market I raced.

Too many honey-coated peanuts left me with the runs,

My turn to cook full English brekky for 30, Oh what fun!

On to Essaouira – a fishing village painted blue and white

Then to Agadir, a modern new town, not worth the hype

My first night sleeping out – fantastic the stars glistened!!

George Harrison has died – “How sad” to the Beatles we listened.

Now we're at Dakhla a little beach for four days,

Its 3^rd December – Alan's mum’s birthday today.

Its time for our Green peace team to clean up the beach,

Ange and I got chatted up by a Moroccan – He did make us reach!

Woke up to grunting camels – Oh what a din.

Sat down to work out budget – Oh good I am going to be thin.

In convoy we drove until 9.30 pm when we stopped in a big rubbish tip

And then we met the real desert YIPPEE!!! ( I am being sarcastic)

A whole 3 km we sand matted that afternoon,

We cooked and washed up at 11pm by the light of the moon

A very productive morning lots of kms under our belt

But pm spent five hours doing ten km could have done better I felt!

Its porridge for brekky which is good to start the day

Then more sand matting – we carried them most of the way

The next two days were much the same at 110 degrees

As you can imagine we were all on our knees

The next two days we worked like trogons throughout the night!

We punctured the fuel tank in the dark – it gave us quite a fright.

With fuel tank mended we had to reach Nouakchott by 2 pm.

Then disaster struck – to a grinding halt we came.

In thick gloopy clay/muddy sand we had got stuck

At a precarious angle of 20 degrees was one side of the truck!

The next four days were a bit of a haze

Digging, sleeping, digging all in a daze

We then got towed out by a much bigger truck

On the move again – What a stroke of luck!!

Then a midnight dash across the beach

Yippee!!!! Nouakchott at last we reached.

Four nights bush camping its now Xmas Eve,

We arrive Hotel LesArbes, Bameko, Mali.

Spit roast lamb, roast taties not forgetting Xmas pud,

Secret Santa, melon punch – Oh it tasted so good.

Then I phoned Alan, how homesick did I feel?

The sun, the pool, Africa. Can it be real?

Back to work on Boxing Day and the truck to clean

Some very hung over Ozzies here it seems!!!!

We traveled across a river on a very busy ferry

To see the mud mosque and eat sweet potato in Djenne.

Then off to Mopti for a river pirogue ride

Then for New Years Eve we watched our pig loose its hyde. Yuk!!!!

Nicky and I were scared as we climbed down hills on the Dogon Trek!

The Corrine and I went up magical mountain we nearly broke our necks!!

We got told off and had to sacrifice some chickens or a cow

We both got down the mountain in one piece, God only knows how!!

Through Bancas to Ouagadougou to the Hotel Inn OK

Good food, good wine, soaking up the sun is how we spent the days!

A few more days of bush camping lead us to Ghana

Not forgetting we left Rach behind. Oh my god what a drama!!!

God is great in Kumasi as all the signs read

Oh what fun we had with “I Never” before we went to bed”

Then Busua Beach and Dixcove and Daniels Pancake Bar

Who would think we have had already a 1/3 rd of the trip so far!

Next the canopy walk at Kakum was terrifying for me

Then Nana cooked us an amazing lobster curry for tea

We breakfasted on fresh pineapple, mango and papaya.

Then off to Ryan’s Irish Bar in the capital – Accra.

Museum, Makola market, the lighthouse and James Fort

Christiansburg Castle, at the arts center and elephant I bought

Then a Chinese meal at Dragon 88 before leaving for Togo

Then a visit to a fetish market full of bones and strange voodoo.

A short boat trip on the lake to Togo Ville to meet the village chief

Saw the market, voodoo statues and cinema our visit was brief.

Then to Grand Popo Beach we’d crossed the Benin Border.

A beach with golden sand and a bar a holiday was in order!!!

A visit to Ganvie Island a village all on stilts!

Oh I wish the sun would cool – I’m beginning to wilt.

To Abomey, Lynn and I on two mopeds around we hared!

Oh I almost forgot in Ouidah a python I held – I was so scared!!

Then it’s of to Lagos in Nigeria for a visit not for long

How could we be so stupid, how could we be so wrong!

Graham our driver, Kerry and Womble were very very ill!!

Fortunately they’re better but the hospital still has forms to fill!!

For Lynn and I time has flown as guests of Lagos Polo

The members bar, riding ponies, Baba, Rambo and Bello!!

For most of us day 100 marks that ½ of our trip has gone!

Were now looking forward to Cameroon, Chad and the SUDAN!!!!!

Written by Auntielou alias Lisa Hill