Former local Geoff Whitty is exploring his adventurous side, and is embarking on an 18 month overland trip across multiple countries.
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Geoff set off on the trip in April 2024. He returned to Australia last week to get a new passport, stock up on medications and visit family and friends.
He departs again for overseas this week, to Patagonia and beyond.
We’ve already received updates on the road from Geoff from his experiences in China and Turkmenistan, the trek to Tibet, his time in war torn Ukraine and his introduction to West Africa.
This latest article covers the rest of his time in Africa.
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It’s easy to fall in love with Africa. She can be beautiful and brutal.
She has suffered and been tormented.
Treat her gently or you will suffer the consequences. I love her like no other.
And so, it is done.
My journey has been long and not without its challenges and misadventures on this 186 day overland truck from Fez, Morocco to Cape Town, South Africa.
A journey of over 24,000km, passing through 20 countries with 31 other mad adventure seekers.
A severe bout of Malaria in Gabon forced me into a local hospital for three days.
After being discharged I flew to Luanda, Angola and was able to rejoin the truck and continue onto Cape Town, South Africa.
We have been challenged by rough boggy roads and hot dusty days.
We have camped, cooked and pitched our tents in glorious sunshine only to have them swept away by howling winds and lightening thunderstorms, forcing us to retreat to the truck to spend the night.
We have had our fair share of adventure.
A broken front suspension spring, a blown battery, a faulty clutch and a fridge without a thermostat meant no cold storage for most of the journey. Not all at the same time.
We have had some excitement.
A police escort in Nigeria and armed car escorts through the red zone in Cameroon.
We have been side swiped by a wayward truck trying to overtake us on a bridge which put the rear cargo hold and four top seats out of commission.
We have had sickness and some disappointments.
Several of our party were forced home due to dehydration in the Western Sahara, where temperatures reach 40 degrees plus.
We have come down with malaria, colds, flu, homesickness and got downright cranky when tempers and temperatures got a little too hot in the kitchen.
We have suffered, oh, how we have suffered.
We have lazed our days away on white sandy beaches that hug the Atlantic Ocean.
We have indulged in fresh lobster, crayfish and prawns in the outdoor cafes and fresh fish markets that dot this seemingly endless coastline.
We have been blessed and rewarded by school children who run, dance and skip alongside our truck as we pass through village after village, country by country where their smiles are as broad and as inviting as the African horizon.
Now, sitting on this balcony in Cape Town, at the end of this journey, with my friend, I am content.
The stars dance like flickering flames under a moon lit sky and my thoughts drift like the great sand dunes of the Saharan Desert.
There is much to reflect on. The children with infectious smiles, the vibrant night life and history of Freetown, barbecues on the beach, the beautiful Ivory Coast, voodoo and fetish in Benin (Google it), and kayaking with a colony of thousands of seals in Namibia.
So, if you are seeking adventure, travel West Africa.
It is truly the last of the adventure frontiers. There is something for everyone.
Don’t forget to take your malaria tablets.
Next stop Patagonia, Argentina to Fairbanks, then Alaska by public transport.
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