Long but good read..Landcruiser trip through the Congo(with pics)

[Texashiker]

Looks like a trip of a lifetime.

When I saw all of the canned goods on the table, I thought that was an awful lot of cans. Canned food is not very efficient, its heavy and you have to dispose of the can properly. You just do not want to go around throwing trash out. Freeze dried meals are a much better option.

The problem with freeze dried meals, you have to have water to cook them. When water is scarce, cans are better.

I figure they bought the food from a local store right before the trip, instead of bringing freeze dried meals.

 

[MattCo]

Amazing story, that guy had brass ones, his wife had 20lb brass ones!

 

[duragezic]

This thread needs a bump!

Amazing story. Absolutely incredible.

I started reading it last night. And reading. And couldn't stop, about 3-4 hours, until page 54 or so, heh. Going to finish the rest today. I'm probably getting pretty close to the end I think.

Man if I was going through there I would have weapons. Several pistols, extra mags (think Glock 33 rounders), knives, pepper spray, etc. Yet with all that, I would probably end up dead or in prison, while this guy made it through with nothing.

I think that was VERY risky though. How did he not run into someone who wanted to jack his car? I think going with just his wife was risky. Like when she's out scouting and he's in the car, she could get grabbed and he could do nothing. When he passed out, she was on her own.

How did his stuff not get stolen? A number of years ago, someone posted a story about a guy who went to help Katrina victims. He had a bunch of food to unload but was injured/in pain, and a couple of young guys there volunteered to get on the truck and help. At the end of it, he notices his bag with his prescription pills were stolen. This happened in a few minutes in New Orleans. I can't imagine how this guy kept all his stuff safe in Congo for a month. And it was a lot of crucial stuff, stuff that you couldn't just buy there to replace.

 

[duragezic]

This video was posted in that thread and is pretty sweet:

Deadliest Journeys: Congo

A trucker with what looks like a way overloaded truck, plus 10 people, travels from Lubumbashi to a city a couple hundred miles north. I believe they are on RN1, the same route that the guy in the Landcruiser did. So it gives some video to give you an idea what this guy traveled through in what looked like a mostly stock Landcruiser!

 

[grohl]

I am only about 12 pages in but loving it so far. Thanks for the link!

 

[KaOTiK]

I read it all yesterday but forgot to comment as it took awhile to read. It was simply an incredible read. The guy has a good knack for telling a story and could probably write his entire adventure from before the Congo and afterwards into a book. I found it all really interesting cause it was real and it is something I would never do but find interesting.

Some of it was just crazy.

 

[gonvik]

This is such a fascinating read! Thanks for posting, OP.

 

[xanis]

If you like your time, don't click this.

(But if you do, follow the "continued here" links from his 2nd post onwards. Breathtaking stuff).

You son of a bitch, I'm about to lose my entire day to this story. 😀

 

[SamurAchzar]

You son of a bitch, I'm about to lose my entire day to this story. 😀

That guy is something else isn't he 😀

Anyway, the trip reports section of advrider.com is THE place for reading about adventures. Some guys there are entirely insane. Great photography too, usually.

 

[ViRGE]

I'm amazed they didn't get themselves killed the number of times they refused paying bribes and pissing off the locals.

The whole thing is just nightmare fuel. Being chased by mobs with machetes, broken differentials, "stomach problems" galore? It's well beyond insanity to go on that trip.😱

 

[Vincent]

Amazing story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[FS]

Leaving for later on page 18 ... difficult to leave it unfinished but it's very time consuming as well. Good stuff, nonetheless 🙂