[Katamarino]

I did a similar trip in a Cessna 182 airplane a few years back. Now you've got me wanting to go back in a Jeep!

 

[Grecy]

Hi Everyone,

Just for the fun of it, I'm running a prize pack giveaway !

Up for grabs are:

• A Traditional Tinga Tinga oil on canvas painting from East Africa (18″ x 12″)
• The Road Chose Me Vol. 1 (Signed) book
• The Road Chose Me Africa Embroidered Patch
• The Road Chose Me Africa Sticker

For your chance to win, just follow The Road Chose Me on Facebook and Instagram.

The Road Chose Me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/theroadchoseme/

The Road Chose Me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theroadchoseme/

I'll draw a winner at random on September 13th

Good luck!

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi Everyone,

I've been exploring remote parts of Zambia and absolutely loving it!

This ferry across a hippo and croc infested river was a highlight - it's a bunch of barrels lashed together, and it's pulled across the fast-flowing river by hand!





More on that here: http://theroadchoseme.com/splitting-north-and-south-luangwa-national-parks

Since then we've treated ourselves to some affordable luxury at Marula Lodge on the banks of the Luangwa River, where we go into the National Park every day at sunrise and sunet.
We keep bumping into large critters like this:





And we even saw this lion chased off the river by hippos! So much for king of the jungle!




And finally! A leopard!


You can see a ton more animal pics in the two posts:
http://theroadchoseme.com/marula-lodge-south-luangwa-national-park-pt-1
http://theroadchoseme.com/marula-lodge-south-luangwa-national-park-pt-2

Zambia is wild!

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

I have crossed into Malawi - a painless border crossing.



Story about the crossing here: http://theroadchoseme.com/into-malawi

I have been camping lakeside and enjoying paradise - Lake Malawi is hard to beat!



Tons more photos here: http://theroadchoseme.com/cape-maclear-lake-malawi

and here: http://theroadchoseme.com/north-along-lake-malawi

..and now after driving up a mountain, I'm camping at a place called Mushroom Farm overlooking the lake. It's fantastic.


More: http://theroadchoseme.com/mushroom-farm-livingstonia

Malawi has been great, though a little difficult. With the language barrier and extreme wealth disparity I found it virtually impossible to connect with the local people - a first on the continent for me.

Tanzania is up next!

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

I have driven into Tanzania, which turned out to be the hardest border crossing of my life.
I don't have a "Carnet De Passage" which is an international customs document for the Jeep, and so far I have managed every country without one. Tanzania didn't want a bar of it.
Officially their Temporary Import Permit is only for vehicles registered in nearby African countries, and so technically I MUST have a CDP.
After lots and lots and lots and lots of discussion and me basically begging, the guy finally let me use their Temp. Import Permit system!



Read the full story here: http://theroadchoseme.com/into-tanzania

After a week of R&R and fun on Zanzibar, I have now cut across Tanzania, and I'm checking out Kilimanjaro. Wild camping in the shadow of a big glacier-capped mountain feels just like being back in South America.



More: http://theroadchoseme.com/around-kilimanjaro

Tanzania is enormous, I'm cutting inland now to checkout a couple of tiny countries in the very heart of Africa!

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

I roamed across Tanzania, finding remote places and friendly locals



Tons more pics here : http://theroadchoseme.com/across-wild-tanzania

And now I have driven into Burundi, the tiny country that labels itself "The Heart Of Africa". I had to swap back to driving on the right after 10 countries driving on the left, and it feels exactly like West Africa.
Ebola check at the border, totally French speaking, a lot less development, humidity, rain, mud and really raw.





Border crossing story here: http://theroadchoseme.com/into-burundi



More Burundi here: http://theroadchoseme.com/wandering-burundi

It's a blast from the past to drop back into what feels like West Africa - A really good one!

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

Burundi turned out to be nostalgia in the best possible way. Fully French speaking, much less developed than nearby countries, really friendly and down to earth people and some great wilderness spots to explore.

Here's a great wilderness hot spring I managed to locate:

And Burundi even has a claim to the source of the nile river! From this point all the water that flows off one side of the mountain goes into the Congo River, from the other it all goes into the Nile... all the way to the Mediterranean in Egypt

Now I have driven into African country number 29, Rwanda.
Immediately I can see it's very different than other countires. Since the genocide 25 years ago they have bonded together to form a very strong and unified country. There is absolutely ZERO trash to be seen - everything is extremely neat and organized.
It's vibrant, fast and really friendly!

The mountains the background here are in the mighty Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - I miss that place!






Read the full story of the border crossing here: Into Rwanda | The Road Chose Me

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

Rwanda was great, I found some fantastic camping on the side of Lake Kivu:


and then went looking for mountain Gorillas near volcanoes


Read More: http://theroadchoseme.com/volcanoes-national-park

It's a little mind-bending, but after almost 45,000 miles I have just driven into country number 30 in Africa.
I have no idea when that number got so high, it honestly feels like it's been about 6 months on the road (it's been 2 and a half years...)

The border crossing was extremely simple and straightforward, everyone is really friendly. I had to yet again swap driving sides of the road.
I'm back to driving on the left for Uganda and Kenya, then I'll swap back to the right side for the rest of Africa.



Read about the border and my first impressions of Uganda here: http://theroadchoseme.com/into-uganda[/URL

Soon I'll have to start planning and thinking about the final push North to Egypt.

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi Everyone,

After 45,000 miles through 35 countries in Africa, the plan has gone a bit sideways.



You can read the whole story and see more photos of the accident here: http://theroadchoseme.com/disaster

-Dan

 

[RockWoRM]

Merry Christmas from the left coast...

As for the Jeep... I assume it's an auto? If so, why didn't you put it in park or neutral?

Aside from that, when I first started following your adventure, one of the things I wondered if you addressed, was extra winch line for straps and/or straps? I was thinking along the lines of 300 ft. Synth line, albeit not cheap, packs well for a lot of footage. Also, some sort of winch anchor. I've seen some designs in the past and not knowing if there would be a tree or ?? available, IMO this would be a must on a journey such as yours. Even 3 simple stakes driven into the ground and lashed together makes workable winch point. Good that you have a snatch block!
Good to hear the Jeep only suffered cosmetic damage. As we all know, it could have been a lot worse. Sadly enough, I almost cried when the beer got broken! :crying:

Safe travels and God speed. :cheers2:

 

[Grecy]

Merry Christmas from the left coast...

As for the Jeep... I assume it's an auto? If so, why didn't you put it in park or neutral?

Aside from that, when I first started following your adventure, one of the things I wondered if you addressed, was extra winch line for straps and/or straps? I was thinking along the lines of 300 ft. Synth line, albeit not cheap, packs well for a lot of footage. Also, some sort of winch anchor. I've seen some designs in the past and not knowing if there would be a tree or ?? available, IMO this would be a must on a journey such as yours. Even 3 simple stakes driven into the ground and lashed together makes workable winch point. Good that you have a snatch block!
Good to hear the Jeep only suffered cosmetic damage. As we all know, it could have been a lot worse. Sadly enough, I almost cried when the beer got broken! :crying:

Safe travels and God speed. :cheers2:

My Jeep is a 6 speed standard.

I thought about bringing an anchor and a winch extension line.. but they're just more weight and take up more space... so in the end they got cut.

Thanks for the kind words!

-Dan

 

[RockWoRM]

That is really odd that it would roll that easily in 1st gear? And pick up speed, no less? In 20 years of Jeeps I've never experienced such a thing. Well, maybe get into the habit of putting it in reverse from now on. :grin2:

 

[Grecy]

That is really odd that it would roll that easily in 1st gear? And pick up speed, no less? In 20 years of Jeeps I've never experienced such a thing. Well, maybe get into the habit of putting it in reverse from now on. :grin2:

It's just a question of how steep the hill is. Becuase it weighs 6,000lbs that's a lot of force trying to turn the engine over. I also suspect my 3.8 does not have the world's highest compression anymore

Reverse would be worse, the engine would turn over backwards - and I've seen it do that once while I was sitting in it.. I felt it turn what must have been one cylinder, then put my foot on the brake because I don't want it to skip a tooth on the timing chain, which is a possibility if the engine turns backwards fast.

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

I spent a few days cleaning out the broken beer bottles and eggs, and have most things back in order.

I had a bunch of plastic clips on board, and after pulling the rear flare apart I put it all back and it's as good as new.

The front inner fender is all cracked, so it has some Gorilla tape to keep it mostly solid.


I found some guys on the side of the road that were able to "weld" the rear view mirror back together. Driving on the wrong side of the road without it was more annoying than anything, and it must be dangerous.
The guy heated up the aluminum with an oxy torch, then just pushed around the slightly liquid metal with a rod.... it works well enough and the mirror seems very sturdy again.



You can read the full story here: http://theroadchoseme.com/disaster-aftermath

The front axle is now leaking a bit, which it has never done before, so I'll keep an eye on that.
After a couple of hundred miles of driving the Jeep appears to drive OK, though I have not found a paved road yet to be sure.

A major lesson I learned is to keep my winch controller and recovery gear in a storage location that is accessible no matter which way the Jeep lands. It was in a cabinet only accessible from the drivers side - so if the Jeep had flopped the other way it would have been impossible for me to use the winch!

Onwards then.

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

I've been super-busy lately moving through Kenya.

Without a front driveshaft I managed to slide into a ditch, and had to pull out the winch for the 2nd time in a couple of weeks.

Story here: http://theroadchoseme.com/to-lake-naivasha

The I spent time in the Masi Mara National Park - WOW, WOW, WOW, so many lions I stopped taking photos!
Yep - I get close to the action - this is five male cheetahs out hunting

And this big guy

More here: http://theroadchoseme.com/masai-mara-national-park-1
and
http://theroadchoseme.com/masai-mara-national-park-2

I replaced the CV Joint on the driveshaft with a HD unit from Terraflex designed for the high-angles of my lift, so I'm really happy to have 4x4 back:

More details here: http://theroadchoseme.com/nairobi-jobs

And now I'm driving North to Ethiopia, along the shores of the extremely remote Lake Turkana - easily the most isolated I have been in all of East Africa. I love it!

More: http://theroadchoseme.com/to-lake-turkana
and
http://theroadchoseme.com/loiyangalani-lake-turkana

-Dan

 

[RockWoRM]

Thanks for some more great pics!

This is why I love JF... ya learn something new all the time. I've never heard of a repezza CV joint. A JK thing obviously... I'm just on old YJ, converted to LJ guy! lol. Leave it to Jeep to stop using a fixed yoke that practically never wears out to something that can! :laugh:

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

After taking the extremely remote Lake Turkana route up into Ethiopia, I immediately bumped into these guys

This is the first country I have seen civilains with AKs (or really any guns) and suddenly they are everywhere.

After all this time on the continent, I finally got to hold one too. Much smaller and lighter than I expected. It was loaded while I was playing with it too.

More here: http://theroadchoseme.com/into-ethiopia

I made a stop at a Mursi village before driving myself into a huge gas shortage that is impacting all of Ethiopia. I manage to find some, and a few times I buy from the black market out of containers. It does the trick, the Jeep doesn't seem to complain no matter what I put in the tank



More here: http://theroadchoseme.com/the-mursi-people

After swinging through the capital of Addis Abba to pickup a couple more visas I have driven into the seldom-visted country of Djibouti, and I immidiately feel like I have driven onto another planet.
This is like nothing I've ever seen before






More here: http://theroadchoseme.com/lake-abbe-pt-1
and here: http://theroadchoseme.com/lake-abbe-pt-2

Although I'm getting close to the end, it feels like there is still a lifetime of adventure in front of me.

Next I go back into Ethiopia before pushing through Sudan and into Egypt, the final destination!

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

I drove back over the horrendous road and into Ethiopia, and after driving the Jeep to over 14,080 ft. in the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia, I was happy to make it out of that country safely and without incident.

In all my expeditions around the world, Ethiopia is the only country I have ever felt unsafe in, and certainly very unwelcome.
It's a beautiful place, but it has some serious problems right now. Unfortunately I feel like I can't recommend a visit, which is really sad.



You can read about the mountains here
http://theroadchoseme.com/the-simien-mountains-part-1
and here
http://theroadchoseme.com/the-simien-mountains-part-2

And now I have driven into African country number 34, Sudan!

The border was time consuming, but more-or-less what I have come to accept as normal. Dropping out of the mountains the temperature skyrocketed well over 110F.
Border crossing story here: http://theroadchoseme.com/ethiopia-ends-into-sudan

For the first night I just wild camped off the road. Everyone says it's insanely safe here, and I have felt welcome right from the get-go.


Now in Sudan, I just paid $0.35/gal for gas - easily the cheapest I have ever paid on the continent, and in my life. It's nice to get a whole tank for $7 !

People here are insanely friendly, and now I'm looking forward to wild camping out in the desert!


Full story about what Sudan feels like here: http://theroadchoseme.com/to-khartoum

I can't believe I only have one more border to cross. After almost three years on the road it's going to be very surreal to "finish".

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

I have driven the length of Sudan, exploring the desert and wild camping every single night.

Tons more photos on my website.

Now after crossing the most expensive, complicated and convoluted border of my life, I have driven into Egypt. The 35th and final African country on this expedition!





All the details on the border crossing and madness here: http://theroadchoseme.com/into-egypt

I'm loving this place already!

-Dan

 

[Grecy]

Hi All,

After almost three years, 35 countries and over 53,000 miles, I have driven right around Africa, and arrived at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt!

I am absolutely ecstatic!!



Read the full story: http://theroadchoseme.com/cairo-pyramids-of-giza

Now only the final hurdle remains - shipping the Jeep out of Egypt!

-Dan