Flying Snakes and the kindness of strangers...
- Thread starter Edventure
- Start date
Riveting stuff.
My porridge has gone cold from reading this.
harlequin6
Registered user
fantastic stuff mate, very impressive.
cant wait for the rest.
:
cant wait for the rest.
:David Lee
Guest
I really do not know how you are going to stop in Nigeria.......
You have done most of the hard bit now (except for Angola !) Head for the Cape
Brilliant report,
Dave
You have done most of the hard bit now (except for Angola !) Head for the Cape
Brilliant report,
Dave
another hooked one here
good reading - got feck all work done since page one!
keep going
good reading - got feck all work done since page one!
keep going
bardicastle
Registered user
FANTASTIC, stll think your mad though 
" i'm just jealous really"
stll think your mad though " i'm just jealous really"
sheephead
Registered user
RESPECT 
when u get back, u deserve a nice cold pint of ......TEA
when u get back, u deserve a nice cold pint of ......TEA 
Back to earth........
The road to Sikasso was in excellent shape for the first hour or so then all change. Masses of potholes! Then just gravel. By this stage I’m feeling cocky, I’ve just clocked up my 4000th mile of the trip, I’ve got the TKC’s (off road tyres) fitted and I’ve done a few miles on dirt now, but nature loves to bring an overconfident fool back down to earth.
Bang! I hit a pothole at speed, it’s a big one and the bike goes swerving all over the place and there’s a terrible noise coming from the rear. I curse my stupidity. I coast to a halt not wanting to touch the brakes. I’m thinking that I’ve burst a tyre or smacked the rims badly and I almost don’t want to look at the damage. I walk round the bike and amazingly I can’t see anything wrong at all then I notice the rear mudguard has caught up on the rear wheel and been half ripped off. Out with a saw and cut it off. Slightly chastened I carry on for the border.
The border crossing into Burkina Faso is at first quite straightforward; fill in the paperwork and answer the usual questions. Then of course comes the “un cadeaux pour moi?” He wants a little bribe. My crap French comes in handy this time. I pretend not to understand. We look at each other for what seems like an eternity. I look around the room and take in his very basic living conditions and succumb, handing over 500 CFA, it’s less than a quid, I hate the principal but feel sorry for the guy and want to get on the road again.
I then have to go through customs. This time the request is more blatant. He wants 10,000 CFA. I tell him to bugger off. We glare at each other but I’m not budging this time. Eventually he just waves me out of his office and I’m on the road again.
The road to Sikasso was in excellent shape for the first hour or so then all change. Masses of potholes! Then just gravel. By this stage I’m feeling cocky, I’ve just clocked up my 4000th mile of the trip, I’ve got the TKC’s (off road tyres) fitted and I’ve done a few miles on dirt now, but nature loves to bring an overconfident fool back down to earth.
Bang! I hit a pothole at speed, it’s a big one and the bike goes swerving all over the place and there’s a terrible noise coming from the rear. I curse my stupidity. I coast to a halt not wanting to touch the brakes. I’m thinking that I’ve burst a tyre or smacked the rims badly and I almost don’t want to look at the damage. I walk round the bike and amazingly I can’t see anything wrong at all then I notice the rear mudguard has caught up on the rear wheel and been half ripped off. Out with a saw and cut it off. Slightly chastened I carry on for the border.
The border crossing into Burkina Faso is at first quite straightforward; fill in the paperwork and answer the usual questions. Then of course comes the “un cadeaux pour moi?” He wants a little bribe. My crap French comes in handy this time. I pretend not to understand. We look at each other for what seems like an eternity. I look around the room and take in his very basic living conditions and succumb, handing over 500 CFA, it’s less than a quid, I hate the principal but feel sorry for the guy and want to get on the road again.
I then have to go through customs. This time the request is more blatant. He wants 10,000 CFA. I tell him to bugger off. We glare at each other but I’m not budging this time. Eventually he just waves me out of his office and I’m on the road again.
Intimate in the rain...
Bobo Dioulasso, what a wonderful name! Apparently everyone in Burkina just calls it Bobo.
Anyway, it was on the road to Bobo I met the rainy season.
We got to know each other intimately and with very little preamble. Wham, bam and thank you Ma’am.
One minute I’m just riding along in the 38 degree heat then in a matter of a couple of minutes the temperature drops, the wind blows and the heavens open. And boy do they open. It’s rain on a biblical scale, I’m soaked in seconds. There’s nowhere to shelter so I keep going and try to enjoy the cooling effect of the rain. I eventually reach Bobo with my boots full of water; the rain has run down my legs into my boots. The rain has also washed most of the Saharan dust off the bike.
After a night in Bobo I head for the capitol, Ougadougou, pronounced Waggadoogoo. Here I need to get a visa for Ghana.
Every time I stop in Burkina I get a crowd round me wanting to ask about the bike. The Burkinabe are great bike fans though mostly they ride Korean 125 scooters. They all want to know how fast it goes, how much it costs and where did I come from. Arriving in Ougadougou I stop to ask for directions, all of a sudden I have a crowd of 30 people around me. It’s a bit intimidating. A policeman comes over to break up the crowd. I have a rock star moment then realise the bike is the celebrity not me.
The country has a nice feel to it. The people are laid back, very polite and friendly. In fact Mali was quite similar.
I had my first beer for 2 weeks
Bobo Dioulasso, what a wonderful name! Apparently everyone in Burkina just calls it Bobo.
Anyway, it was on the road to Bobo I met the rainy season.
We got to know each other intimately and with very little preamble. Wham, bam and thank you Ma’am.
One minute I’m just riding along in the 38 degree heat then in a matter of a couple of minutes the temperature drops, the wind blows and the heavens open. And boy do they open. It’s rain on a biblical scale, I’m soaked in seconds. There’s nowhere to shelter so I keep going and try to enjoy the cooling effect of the rain. I eventually reach Bobo with my boots full of water; the rain has run down my legs into my boots. The rain has also washed most of the Saharan dust off the bike.
After a night in Bobo I head for the capitol, Ougadougou, pronounced Waggadoogoo. Here I need to get a visa for Ghana.
Every time I stop in Burkina I get a crowd round me wanting to ask about the bike. The Burkinabe are great bike fans though mostly they ride Korean 125 scooters. They all want to know how fast it goes, how much it costs and where did I come from. Arriving in Ougadougou I stop to ask for directions, all of a sudden I have a crowd of 30 people around me. It’s a bit intimidating. A policeman comes over to break up the crowd. I have a rock star moment then realise the bike is the celebrity not me.
The country has a nice feel to it. The people are laid back, very polite and friendly. In fact Mali was quite similar.
I had my first beer for 2 weeks
Stevie73
Registered user
This is cracking stuff.....very inspiring mate!! keep it coming and stay safe
thanks
Guys,
Thanks for all the encouragement and support. There have been a few tough days but mostly am having a blast!
Next stop Ghana.
Ed
Guys,
Thanks for all the encouragement and support. There have been a few tough days but mostly am having a blast!
Next stop Ghana.
Ed
Captain Colonial
Guest
I've decided you are just a bit of a show off, any one of the rest of us could have done it. I mean to load your bike with a bit of camping gear, throw on a couple of spare nobbly tyres(then forget to use them until after the desert!!) dodge along across Spain, Morroco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Burkino Faso, is no big deal.
Then, not wishing to sound critical, you let us down by moaning about it being too hot, too sandy, too rough and now too wet.
Get a grip man, if it wasn't for mortgages (and the small matter of getting a 3-4 week pass from the petticoat government) the entire the road to Ghana would be polluted with GSers. You're just lucky there is a credit crunch on, or you'd have got no peace and quiet at all.
I must confess I'm looking forward to hearing how your kit has faired on the trip. Any chance of getting some photos of you and the bike posted (especially as you've washed it now) Stay safe, ride carefully (ish) and keep posting.i
Then, not wishing to sound critical, you let us down by moaning about it being too hot, too sandy, too rough and now too wet.
Get a grip man, if it wasn't for mortgages (and the small matter of getting a 3-4 week pass from the petticoat government) the entire the road to Ghana would be polluted with GSers. You're just lucky there is a credit crunch on, or you'd have got no peace and quiet at all.
I must confess I'm looking forward to hearing how your kit has faired on the trip. Any chance of getting some photos of you and the bike posted (especially as you've washed it now) Stay safe, ride carefully (ish) and keep posting.i
Zareeba
Guest
I have to agree with the Captain, you are bleating a bit Ed, and some of your posts make you sound like a school girl who's boyfriend has just dumped her. BUT at the end of the day, we're just saying this 'cause.... we're BLOODY jealous!!!! So how about some more pics mate. Some with you in the frame would be nice (thats if you can get someone to take a pic without running off with your nice shiny new camera). Sounds like you are having a blast. Keep safe bro.
So how about some more pics mate. Some with you in the frame would be nice (thats if you can get someone to take a pic without running off with your nice shiny new camera). Sounds like you are having a blast. Keep safe bro.Zareeba
Guest
BTW, some good news for you. I've been visiting the UK for a couple of days and I've actually seen the sun twice. So hopefully it'll still be around when by the time you get home
Neil Carlile
Guest
Ed
This is gripping stuff! Am I the only person who doesn't think you are mad? Stay safe mate and enjoy the times....
This is gripping stuff! Am I the only person who doesn't think you are mad? Stay safe mate and enjoy the times....
Is there such thing as a free lunch?
It’s hard to imagine how these people can be so hospitable when they have nothing. I stop near a small village to have a smoke and drink some water. In a thrice I am surrounded by small children all asking me questions I can’t understand. There is much laughing going on when I try to speak French. The mother of the children appears and invites me to sit with them and eat. It’s the big communal bowl and dip your hand in scenario. I must admit I follow suit with a bit of trepidation but I’m hungry. I offer the woman some money, she looks a bit offended but I insist. I ride away wondering on the true nature of things.
It’s hard to imagine how these people can be so hospitable when they have nothing. I stop near a small village to have a smoke and drink some water. In a thrice I am surrounded by small children all asking me questions I can’t understand. There is much laughing going on when I try to speak French. The mother of the children appears and invites me to sit with them and eat. It’s the big communal bowl and dip your hand in scenario. I must admit I follow suit with a bit of trepidation but I’m hungry. I offer the woman some money, she looks a bit offended but I insist. I ride away wondering on the true nature of things.
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Ougadougo is quite an easy city to get around if of course you discount the suicidal drivers in cars and on bikes. The whole traffic system is one huge free for all and it ain’t for the faint hearted. By the end of my second day in Ouga I’m getting the hang of it but one of the features of the bike is a right pain in this heat. Because the cylinder heads stick out in front of your feet they literally roast your shins and feet at low speed. It’s ok when you’re riding at a decent speed.
I guess it must be like going out with a supermodel or something, heads turn wherever you go. I’m getting used to the attention the bike brings. She, however like a true supermodel is getting a bit temperamental. I’m sure it’s just the heat and crap fuel.
Ougadougo is quite an easy city to get around if of course you discount the suicidal drivers in cars and on bikes. The whole traffic system is one huge free for all and it ain’t for the faint hearted. By the end of my second day in Ouga I’m getting the hang of it but one of the features of the bike is a right pain in this heat. Because the cylinder heads stick out in front of your feet they literally roast your shins and feet at low speed. It’s ok when you’re riding at a decent speed.
I guess it must be like going out with a supermodel or something, heads turn wherever you go. I’m getting used to the attention the bike brings. She, however like a true supermodel is getting a bit temperamental. I’m sure it’s just the heat and crap fuel.
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