Andi and Grant's Trans-Africa Diary - First Entry January 2004
Well we have made it to Accra in Ghana, from starting in Gibraltar on the 9th November 2003.
There are so many exciting things that have happened, as well as seeing and doing over the past 10 weeks. It is hard to sum it all up without writing a long novel, but while the gang was relaxing and taking a boat trip on the Niger river, they have come up with this poem to best describe what we have been up to. We hope you enjoy..............
This story all starts on 9th November
A day 18 strangers will always remember
We were embarking on a trip we'd never forget
Although arriving in Gibraltar we never imagined it would be so wet.
From all walks of life, we wanted the same
To do an overland adventure so who cared about the rain
Twiga the truck is how we'd all travel
The wonders of Africa are what we wanted to unravel.
Morocco came first, what wonders we'd find
Casablanca, Fes and Rabut proved we'd left Europe behind
The muslim culture we began to learn fast
As ramadan ended, the locals celebrated at last.
Through the Atlas mountains and their snow capped peaks
And the freezing cold that seemed to go on for weeks
We had our first and only snow fight at 2260 meters
Oh how we wished we all had our own personal heaters!
After the Tropic of Cancer the sun appeared
We left behind the cold weather that once we had feared
We entered the dunes with much trepidation
Sandmatting proved too be a team operation.
Mauritania is the country where train travel is at its best
The longest train in the world passes here from the west
Hugging the Atlantic coast, migrating birds will fly
Unlike old overland trucks which are left to die!
Mud hut villages and mosques in Mali we found
We experenced our second blowout, you should have heard the sound
With a choice of trekking in the Dogons or a trip to Timbuktu
A river ride up the Niger, the decision was down to you.
It was to be a Mali Christmas with lots of fun and cheer
A pig was on the menu to devour with wine and beer
After giving out all his presents, we launched santa into space
The firework on his back soon wiped the smile off his face.
From Mali to Burkina Faso was where we began 2004
Ouagadougo was where we headed and the national footbal team we saw
The highlight of this country though was a moment for us all to treasure
The sight of real wild elephants going about their leisure.
The promised land was Ghana with wonders all around
The friendleness of the people though, we instantly all found
Mole National Park saw nature at its best
These are only some of the wonders of Africa all hidden in the west.
Not since Mauritania have we seen the sea
Now at Cape Coast how much more relaxing could it be
With castles, forts, palm trees and Irish pubs thrown in for fun
Life on the road gets better as we follow the African sun.
Poem composed by Lorna with help from rest of the group.
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