Trans Africa 1980

In 1980, at the age of 24, I made an epic journey of 15,000 kilometres across Europe, over the Sahara desert and through the Central African rain forest. I was one of a party of 18 travelling in a 20 year old ex-army 3 ton Bedford truck. Our journey was a remarkable one, often hard, frequently exhilarating, at times bizarre, sometimes breathtakingly spectacular, sometimes dangerous, and on one occasion, tragic.

Whilst undoubtedly the experience of a life time, my photographic slides have sat in a cupboard gathering dust for many years. Recently one of my fellow travellers, 'the other Pete', contacted me from Australia and asked me if I still had my photos. Eventually I got around to scanning them and here they are.

One of my fellow travellers, Brad Doney, wrote an account of the journey on his return to Kingston, Canada. With Brad's kind permission I am pleased to host Brad's article here. Brad Doney: African Odyssey

If you were a member of the party, please contact me. Some of us are in touch and it would be good if we could be together once again.

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Europe

1980 01 22 London, England

We met up round at the Ravenscourt Arms in west London at 11.am. By closing time everyone had arrived and had plenty to eat and drink. Mike the organizer and Mike the driver came with the truck. On the back of Mike's white overalls “Micky Mouse Tours” and on the back of the other Mike's overalls “Stanley Living Stoned”. Our ex-army 3 ton truck and trailer painted white with “Sahara” on the side must have been the most extraordinary vehicle passing through London that day.

1980 01 23 Calais, France

1980 01 28 Oberau, Austria

We stopped at Calais for one night and a few days in Mons while visas were arranged. After a 30 hour drive we arrived in Oberau and found some relief from the cold in a hotel for the night.

1980 01 29

We continued via Rome ...
Pete, Tina, Colleen, Matt in the truck.

1980 01 29 Palermo, Sicily

... and after a mad drive down the side of Italy and across Sicily we caught the weekly ferry from Palermo to Tunis with just minutes to spare.

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Noth Africa

1980 02 01 Tunis

1980 02 01 La Marsa near Carthage, Tunisia

1980 02 04 Tunis

1980 02 12 Most northerly tip of Africa

We took a wrong turn.

1980 02 13 Near Annaba, Algeria

Linda cooks breakfast.

1980 02 13

Breakfast in Algeria.

1980 03 13

Here I am wondering how we might get the truck out of the sand.

1980 02 13

A helpful shove from the local road builders proved more useful that futile digging.

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Sahara

1980 02 14 Northern Algeria

Our first taste of semi-desert conditions.

1980 02 13 Batna, Algeria

1980 02 14 near Ouargla, Algeria

Brad, Dave, Matt and Stuart on a sand dune.

1980 02 14 Northern Sahara

Bedouin traders selling 'desert rose' rock formations.

1980 02 15 Ghardaia, Algeria

1980 02 17 Ghardaia, Algeria

A street in the old part of town.

1980 02 17 Ghardaia, Algeria

Yes, this is also a public street.

1980 02 17 Ghardaia, Algeria

Brad, Tina and Cynthia with our host and guide, Zaouhir.

1980 02 18 Ghardaia, Algeria

Jeff with guitar and John at Zaouhir's house.

1980 02 19 Ghardaia, Algeria

John, Dave and I with our host Zaouhir and his uncle Ali.

1980 02 21 near El Golea, Algeria

1980 02 21

Route Number 1, straight across the Sahara desert. El-Golea 200 Km and on the other side Ain-Salah 200 Km. The middle of nowhere, a wilderness, the Sahara desert. To lie under the stars in the moonlight here makes one aware of the amazing expanse of the desert.

1980 02 20 Algerian Sahara

We frequently had to push the truck over soft sand. No wonder Ain Salah is called 'Ville de Sable'.

1980 02 22 Ain Salah, central Algeria

1980 02 24 Tamanrasset, Algeria

Police station.

1980 02 24 Tamanrasset, Algeria

Hoggar mountains.

1980 02 24 Tamanrasset, Algeria

Cemetery.

1980 02 26 southern Algeria

1980 02 26 middle of the Sahara

South of Tamanrasset the tar sealed road comes to an end. Which way was it?

1980 02 26 middle of the Sahara

For this Bedouin the only direction is up. Note the mirages on the sky line.

1980 02 27 middle of the Sahara

There are many abandoned vehicles.

1980 02 27 middle of the Sahara

This is not a place where one would wish to get stuck.

1980 02 27 Tassili du Hoggar, southern Algeria

1980 02 29 northern Niger

We meet a lone Japanese cyclist. Again there are mirages all around the horizon.

1980 02 29 Niger

Niger is one of the poorest countries in Africa yet this area has rich Uranium deposits.

1980 03 02 Agadez, Niger

Tea time at Agadez.
L to R: Rose, Colleen (hardly visible), Pete, Linda, Sue, Tina, Diane, Mike, Bruce, Jeff (under truck).

1980 03 03 Agadez, Niger

Agadez Minaret.

1980 03 03 Agadez, Niger

1980 03 05 southern Niger

Cynthia borrows a horse.
The desert is behind us as we reach savannah.

1980 03 05

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contact me

Sub-Saharan Africa

1980 03 05 southern Niger

Village on the road to Zinder. We are in sub-Saharan Africa now.

1980 03 05 southern Niger

A well on the road to Zinder.

1980 03 05 Zinder, southern Niger

Cynthia buys silver jewellery from local traders.

1980 03 05 southern Niger

Grain storage silos.

1980 03 06 Kano, northern Nigeria

Coca-Cola culture Kano. After so long in the desert the large city of Kano is something of a culture shock.

1980 03 07 Kano, northern Nigeria

Pepsi-Cola, cigarettes and 'Elephant Power' washing powder.

1980 03 07 Kano, northern Nigeria

"Destiny unchoosable."

1980 03 07 Kano, northern Nigeria

Local motorcycle market with an open drain running through it.

1980 03 07 Kano, northern Nigeria

Market collapse.

1980 03 14 Jos, central Nigeria

The town of Jos on the central plateau of Nigeria.

1980 03 14 Jos, central Nigeria

Garbage piles up in the middle of the streets.

1980 03 14 Jos, central Nigeria

John, Cynthia and I enjoy some yam chips at 86 Mango Street.

1980 03 14 Jos, central Nigeria

For all your high tech needs.

1980 03 15 Yankari game park near Bauchi, Nigeria

Camped on the veranda of a missionary school (closed for holiday).

1980 03 15 Wiki warm springs, Nigeria

Pure clear warm water flows out from under a cliff. Nuts and gourds drop from the shady trees in a gentle breeze. There is a huge dragon fly flitting around. A family of baboons sit drinking water and lazing around on the opposite bank.

1980 03 15 Wiki warm springs, Nigeria

A game of 'black against white' with the missionary's children and the locals. After our hard travels this place seems like Heaven.

1980 03 15 Wiki warm springs, Nigeria

A water buck.

1980 03 15 Wiki warm springs, Nigeria

The work of beavers.

1980 03 17 Yankari game park, Nigeria

Baboons chase us for food. They are slightly less body mass than a man so one can see them off to some extent, however their long sharp claws and huge fanged teeth command some respect.

1980 03 18 Gombi, eastern Nigeria

1980 03 19 Guider, northern Cameroun

Cameroun seems altogether more cultured and relaxed than Nigeria, perhaps reflecting the different outcome of French colonial rule compared with British. The architecture is also different.

1980 03 19 Guider, northern Cameroun

The village pub has an electric fridge. There is no electricity in the village but who cares.

1980 03 19 Guider, northern Cameroun

Dave enjoys a beer.

1980 03 19 Guider, northern Cameroun

Matt.

1980 03 20 Maroua, northern Cameroun

We often slept out in the open.

1980 03 20 Maroua, northern Cameroun

There was a cinema here showing 'Apocalypse Now'.

1980 03 20 Waza, northern Cameroun

This entire 'village' is a hotel. There are two rooms in each 'hut'. The restaurant and bar are at the top of the hill. Linda and I decided to walk up the opposite hill which proved to be higher than we expected.

1980 03 22

There was some industry here and there.

1980 03 30 Tinglin, Cameroun

A typical village.

1980 03 30 Tinglin, Cameroun

Cynthia with some local children.

1980 03 30 Tinglin, Cameroun

Two men build a hut. One makes balls of soft mud and throws them up. The other catches them and slaps them on the wall moving backwards round the wall as he does so. It is much faster than brick laying.

1980 03 30 Tinglin, Cameroun

This is the village pub. These are people who mostly speak three languages and the young study maths, physics and chemistry amongst other subjects.

1980 03 31 near Garoua, Cameroun

Stuart poses in a fancy suit made by a local tailor. This is a cotton growing area.

1980 03 31 near Garoua, Cameroun

A bush fire rages past out camp. This was as close to it as I cared to get.

1980 04 04 Lac Tisson, near Ngaundére, Cameroun

A beautiful lake in the crater of an extinct volcano. Crickets and frogs can be heard croaking. Colourful dragonflies, ants up to an inch long and huge caterpillars.

1980 04 04 Lac Tisson, near Ngaundére, Cameroun

My turn to cook.

1980 04 05 near Ngaundére, Cameroun

Semi-detached for termites.

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African Rain Forest

1980 04 06 Baboua, Central African Republic

As usual, there is a change in architectural style on crossing the border. Here the huts are more often rectilinear. There are pigs. We are on the edge of the tropical rain forest.

1980 04 06 Bouar, Central African Republic

In addition to the colourful transport, there are colourful flowers on the trees.

1980 04 09 Bangui, Central African Republic

A modern hotel stands by the sandy beaches of the Oubangui river overlooking the green hills of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo). Behind is a palace of the infamous dictator Colonel Bokassa. The natural beauty stands in stark contrast to the political turmoil left in the wake of the deposition of Bokassa. French marines are in evidence everywhere, amongst other armed factions. Helicopters cruise over the river. What an extraordinary place.

A French hitch hiker told us he had just had a 3 day lift with some United Nations ambassador. According to him, last year (1979) the French suggested to Bokassa that he was becoming a tyrant and that he ought to behave himself. Bokassa was having a spot of bother and threatened to call the Russians to his aid. This upset the United Nations so, while Bokassa was in Lybia, the French came in with paratroopers and the lot. They had a puppet president at the ready and installed him immediately, telling the people they were safe from Bokassa. At that point the local factions were fighting in the street with machetes. Bokassa's house was ransacked and priceless French cut glass was for sale in the streets.

1980 04 09 Bangui, Central African Republic

Bangui in some ways resembles a French Riviera town. There are beautiful coloured flowering trees.