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sub-Saharan Africa Topics specific to sub-Saharan Africa. (Includes all countries South of 17 degrees latitude)
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 18 Apr 2010
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If I remember correctly the ring road crossing isn't really a crossing and involved a boat across the river etc etc. It would be doing it the hard way in the rainy season, maybe not the best combination, but I'm happy to look at the pictures of you struggling to do it ;-p

Google the names as I found a blog of some who went through there.... and I may be talking bollocks on that one ;-)

Say Hi to the bikers club guys - was at the Sheraton when they bought a bike of a Spanish guy a month or so ago.....
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Old 19 Apr 2010
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OK, think I'll settle for Ekok then in that case!

Guess the bike was a white XR600 off a guy who got malaria AND typhoid(?)? It turned up here y'day...
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Old 19 Apr 2010
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"Guess the bike was a white XR600 off a guy who got malaria AND typhoid(?)? It turned up here y'day..."

Yes, that is the chap - the final straw was having malaria and typhoid and then the Nigerian policemen pulling him over with a machine gun pointed at his face (they entered too far south, near lagos etc). Quite rightly he thought I could be smoking dope on the beach in Barcelona instead of this ;-p

His friends have managed to get their Seat Minivan to Ponte Noire the last I heard - 4 days to do 7km on the Ekok/Mamfe road. Ended up paying 500 Euros to get a truck to come and get them out, putting the Seat on the back. Truck got badly stuck coming to get them, turning around and going back. I backed up their video files on my laptop. Reminds me (in a black humour way) of the line in a Faith No More song: "It's always funny until somebody gets hurt, and then it's just hilarious!"

They really suffered on that road, the guy who bailed in Abuja made a good decision ;-p

Enjoy!
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Old 19 Apr 2010
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Thanks Yak, that's made me look forward to the mud a whole lot more ;-) Leaving town in the morning, feels like starting a fresh trip - I'll make sure I've got plenty of Euros to hand for the recovery services! Passed on your "Hi" to Stanley, didn't see the rest of the boys tonight.
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Old 23 Apr 2010
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Hey Yak, I left Ekok at 4:00 and reached Mamnfe at just after 5:30 (inc checkpoints + photos) - they'd recently graded the road, it was a joy to ride :-) In fact started the day at Makurdi. But I could see a lot of slurry in the run-off ditches, I'm sure it can still get slippery. But like you say, not long and there'll be a high-speed road there. To be honsest, I can't believe they haven't managed it before, it is or could be after all a major route - and not just for us guys! But I was told in Mamfe that the road to Bamenda was "excellent" - I think they got their tenses muddled up! But got there for lunch anyhow.

I mentioned at one of the CP's about the Spanish guys in the Seat, and they remembered - asked me how I knew!
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Old 25 Apr 2010
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^ Ian, is the Ekok-Mamfe section ow that good that you can drive it in 1.5 hours??

So have they filled in all the major holes ready to lay foundations for a sealed road? Chinese project?

Would love to see some photos. Ive done that road twice and can say it was one of the best memories I have of West Africa.
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Old 25 Apr 2010
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Dave, I think the grader goes up and down every so often, but it only takes a few rains and large trucks for the holes to start again.

But yes, Chinese all over the place up there. The Mamfe/Bamenda road is currently being 'destroyed to save it' - my Chinese wasn't good enough to figure out if they were making it a good graded piste or asphalt, but I suspect asphalt.

Then Mamfe/Ikok is planned.

Shame (for us traveller types) when Europe to South Africa is all sealed - mass tourism always seems to make places worse to visit. Though I guess the reputation of a few of the countries will put off many.

The Seat passed out in Angola and is now scrap. One guy was on a motorbike, so the couple in the van bought a 500 Euro Chinese motorbike and were in Windhoek the last I heard. Well done guys!! They deserve a Charlie and Ewan reception if they make it to Cape Town ;-)
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