During our process of planning for our trip we read the following books and watched the following DVD's:
- Personal accounts:
Lois on the Loose, 2007, Lois Pryce, ISBN 9780099493563: Lois has really done a great job in writing this book starting with her excellent description of the farcical humdrum of office life, which every single one of us can relate to. Then showing how easy it can be to escape and turn your dreams into realities. The rest of the book is a detailed account of her trip across the Americas on her small little 225cc Yamaha Serow. Lois gives excellent insights into her personal thoughts, feelings, frustrations on a dialy basis without being opinionated which makes this book brilliant as you feel she is not holding anything back and she is also not trying to impress you with her skills. This is an honest book and a great inspiration!!!
Into Africa, 2005, Sam Manicom: Starts off well and an interesting read on the perals of crossing the dark continent. He really had a hard time including catching malaria and a horrific accident where he collided with a pedestrain who lost his leg. Then spending a few months on a island building houses. Then another huge accident in Namibia landing him in hospital. In the last few chapters he held a rather strong negative opinion of South Africans which obviously left us generally disappointed in the book having been painted with the same brush. It's unclear when he did his trip as this might have a bearing on his understanding of the politics in Africa. We just felt this is not the kind of book to publish in 2005 when SA is a totally different place and does not need such generalised negative comments. It's not a true reflection of the present-day South Africa.
PS: Please refer to the comment recieved about this posting. Having established that Sam did his trip soon after Namibia's independence and in the middle of South Africa's change-over I would agree that the chapters covering these countries were well measured. It does not detrack from the fact that the book is a good read. Safe roads Sam; look forward to your next book.
Desert Travels, Motorbike Journeys in the Sahara & West Africa, Chris Scott, ISBN 1874472-505: A compilation of stories by Chris giving an interesting, informative and occasional comical view of desert riding.
The Perfect Vehicle, 1997, Melissa Holbrook Pierson, ISBN 1-86207-119-5: A well written book by a biker chick from her time being introduced to bikering up to her travel across Europe. She had a great passion for Moto Guzzi.
Africa: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent, 1993, Blaine Harden, ISBN 0-00-637856-0: The views of a journalist about a number of African countries i.e. Nigeria, Kenya, Sudan, Ghana, Kenya and how they are coping after being dumped by the colonial powers and how they are coping with democracy, dictatorship, tribalism, the extended family, corruption etc. An eye opener for someone like me who grew up on the southern tip of Africa but clearly had no clue about what really made Africa tick. It's a lot more complicated than any UN or IMF advisors or Development Agency can imagine.
Swahili for the broken hearted, 2003, Peter Moore, ISBN 0-553-81452-4, www.petermoore.net: Hillarious stories of recently dumped backpacker crossing Africa by any means to 'get over it'.
Long Way Round: ....you know the rest
- Technical books
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, Fifth edition 2005, Chris Scott, ISBN 1-873756-80-1: Well if you don't already know, this is the all time classic kickstarter for any person planning a trip to the next town or to the far end of the glode.
Getaway Guide: Cape to Cairo, 2003, Mike Copeland, ISBN 1919938079: Good tips on the various routes from Cape Town to Cairo including info on petrol stops, campsites, food, attactions etc accompanied by GPS co-ords. A handy "back-up" we will be taking along on our trip...just in case.
Africa Overland 4x4-Motorbike-Bicycle-Truck, 4th Edition, Sian Pritchard-Jones & Bob Gibbons, ISBN 1-84162-135-8: Excellent reference book giving advice on each country, route, accomodation based on the auther's experiences and info provided by other travellers. PLENTY detail on paperworks and travel documentation. We will be taking this one along on our trip.
- Travel Guides:
Lonely Planet: Africa on a shoestring, 2004, ISBN 1-74059-462-2: Well it's reputation preceeds it. Handy info on touristy stuff by country with good maps of major centres etc.Lonely Planet: Middle East, April 2006, 5th edition, ISBN 1-74059-928-4: As above
Lonely Planet: Europe on a shoestring, 3rd edition, ISBN 1-74059-314-6: As above
- Medical:
Travel Medicine for Health Professionals, 2004, Larry I Goodyer, ISBN 0-85369 511 3: A reference book on all the VERY scary nasties out there in the big, dark, infested, swampy, festering, congealed world. You will not believe how many diseases are carried by any flying insects and water. And you thought malaria was your only serious risk...you wont sleep if you've ready this book. So to stay alive, under no circumstances are you to get bitten by anything...and don't drink the water...
Immunisation against infectious disease, 2006, DoH UK, ISBN 100-11-322528-8: As above but at least this book lets you know there are injections to cover you. Well..maybe some of them!!!
- DVD's:
Mondo Enduro: An inspiring movie following the Mondo Enduro crew as they cover 44,000miles around the world taking in all the continents in 440 days. Free Plug: Austin is now selling his book by the same title.
1 comment:
Hi Charlie and Rensche,
Can I start this by saying what a great and useful site you have set up. My name is Sam and I went though the sorts of research you did before I set off to do my trip through Africa – I wish there had been a site like yours around to learn from, or books like Chris Scots.
I see that I have upset you with my book ‘Into Africa’. I’m really sad about that – it was a magical trip and the book was written from the heart. I’m passionate about Africa and this trip down, in spite of the disasters, was an amazing thing to do. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to do it.
You knock my observations about South Africa. I’d thought that, where on page 267, I’d said SW Africa had just become Namibia and on p277 that Apartheid had recently been abolished, that this was enough to set the scene. Damn. I should have been more specific about the time scale. As you’ll have picked up from the book I have family in Cape Town and in Durban, and I spent a lot of time with them. I also have close friends in Jo’burg and up near the border with Mozambique. I have family who emigrated from SA at this time and made friends with people who did the same. It was a troubled and uncertain time as you obviously know being from there – I wanted to show what a dramatic development was in process – in the UK the media very rarely ever shows the everyday human ‘angle’. Before publishing ‘Into Africa’ I checked with people on the ground that I wasn’t being unfair with my observations. I really didn’t want to come across as that.
Anyway, I’ve taken note of your thoughts and appreciate that I didn’t get it right – if you had these thoughts then so will others have. My new book ‘Under Asian Skies’ is due out in November but when I saw your site yesterday I called a halt to things so we could insert an extra page in the hope that if you ever get round to reading it, you (and others) will not have the same sort of thoughts. The page starts off with the following text and I hope that it will do the trick.
I’m already working on a third book and in this one I am back in South Africa for about 3 months, and I think you’ll find that the mood had changed quite significantly by the time I was back – by the way, one of the things I say to people when they ask which were my favourite countries in Africa, SA is always in there. If I had any money, I’d love to live there!
All the best and I wish you every success with your travels, and thanks again for pointing out that I should have been clearer.
Cheers,
Sam
Authors Note
‘Under Asian Skies’ covers the period from the start of 1993, through to mid 1995. Why the delay in publishing? Too much travelling to do! It’s addictive! Life gets in the way!
Since my time riding in this part of the world, disaster, politics and economics have changed some of the countries significantly. It’s also that cultures are ever evolving; they rarely remain static with the passing of time. As is the way of the world, sometimes these changes are for the better, and sometimes not…
…In fact, I’d happily go back to every country I was lucky enough to be able to visit.
For me, it’s the people of any country that make travelling such a special thing to do. The one specific thing I hope never changes, is how amazingly welcoming and friendly the vast majority of people were to a visitor to their land. It’s too easy to forget that we live in a stunning, ever-changing world that’s full of remarkable people.
I can’t resist recommending that those of you who dream of travel should make it happen, you’ll never regret it. To travel is to adventure. To adventure is to learn, and to make your journey by motorcycle is, quite simply, stupendous fun! Your trip will be unparalleled – disregard how many travellers have passed that way before – your collection of exploits, your experiences, observations, disasters and discoveries will be unique.
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