Google Navigation Challenge III: from Cape to Cape

[Aislabie]

PREVIOUSLY: PART ZERO () | PART ONE () | PART TWO () | PART THREE () | PART FOUR () | PART FIVE ()

Day Six

Peter and Hanse's route today:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VugTPbstPbnfrHCS6

As a result of this very lengthy day's travel, Peter and Hanse will also be spending a day enjoying the dubious delights of Brazzaville before continuing north.

As always, I will get to the narrative later on.

[DigitDan7]

Day 6

ROUTE:



Start: Hotel Perola do N'Zeto, N'Zeto, Angola
End: Luozi cité, Luozi, Democratic Republic of Congo
Distance: 449km
Time: 8h 26min

Stop 1: Sinsu Kiame, M'banza Congo, Angola
Stop 2: Bar de Gosto Mambo do Etoo, Tentativa, Angola

Total distance: TBC
Total time: TBC (+3h 12min delays)
Countries: South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo

[pasta_maldonado]

Timestamp: 22:53BST
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/-13.527 ... &entry=ttu

ItStory to come later...
[/quote]

[Nessafox]

AS we take a look on the scoreboard, we see that Shadaza and Aislabie have reached the relatively safe havens of Congo-Brazzavile, and they'll be glad they got there, despite Aisy's penalties, knowing what's to come. This will put a few competitors in a dilemma, whilt a few others are kinda F-ed.

On the eastern front TommyKl is still leading, but it seems Nuppiz, one of the only few to finish the Google Navigation II challenge, is slowly catching up.

Stage 6 score

25 Ducktanian
18 NickyDustyOwl
15 Loadsamoney
12 Nuppiz
10 Forti
8 pasta_maldonado
6 Nessafox
4 TommyKl
2 Aislabie
1 Kinnikuniverse



In the points we see that Ducktanian, NickyDustyOwl and Loadsamoney are profiting from the good weather and the better roads where they are, allowing to catch up a little. Meanwhile Loadsamoney and Nuppiz unrjectify themself, basically only leaving me and Pasta as rejects...

Championship

62 NickyDustyOwl
58 Shadaza
53 DigitDan7
52 Ducktanian
47 Aislabie
41 Forti
39 Girry
32 Rob Dylan
32 TommyKl
31 Klon
30 Pinkd56
27 Kinnikuniverse
26 Nessafox
26 Nuppiz
21 Loadsamoney
18 Frogfoot9013
12 pasta_maldonado

Flying a bit under the radar at first, NickyDustyowl takes over the lead. There seem to be a lead group forming, The midfield is super tight still, and languishing in the back are the girls, the monstertruck and the brexit bus. Sounds like the beginning of a terrible joke.



The least km's have been covered by late starter Ducktanian, which speaks for itself and in the list of amount of countries Klon takes a commanding lead, with TommyKl and Frogfoot 9013 on his tail.

Least km's

2429 Ducktanian
3042 Rob Dylan
3693 pasta_maldonado
3837 Nessafox
3893 Forti
3925 Loadsamoney
4014 Frogfoot9013
4086 DigitDan7
4243 Klon
4272 Girry
4312 Kinnikuniverse
4332 Nuppiz
4355 Pinkd56
4460 TommyKl
4484 NickyDustyOwl
4490 Shadaza
4532 Aislabie

Most Countries

8 Klon
7 TommyKl
7 Frogfoot9013
5 Shadaza
5 Nessafox
5 Aislabie

Penalty times:
Aislabie is 132 minutes over time , that means 660 penalty minutes, this means he will not be allowed to start on leg 7 and lose an hour on leg 8
NickyDustyOwl is 18 minutes over time, that means 90 penalty minutes



https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit? ... 732632&z=6

Miscellainious rng's

Are there any cars that need maintenance?
Rng amount of cars: 10! This is certainly wearing down.
Which cars are affected?
#14 Kinnikuniverse time lost 104 mins
#4 Girry time lost 101 mins
#8 Pasta Maldonado time lost 65 mins
#1 Nessafox time lost 8 mins
#9 Klon time lost 72 mins
#6 NickyDustyOwl time lost 7 mins
#11 Frogfoot9013 time lost 94 mins
#2 TommyKl time lost 83 mins
#13 Digitdan time lost 30 mins
#10 Shadaza time lost 57 mins
Please stop at a place that is suitable for car maintenance.


Random object generator: notebook
RNG:13 @Digitdan7 will need to buy a notebook somewhere.

@ Loadsamoney monster truck rng for damage
Chance of hitting something rng: 12%
Rng results: 78, no problems today either

@Pastamaldonado leave bus rng for getting stuck somewhere
Chance of getting stuck rng 25%
Rng results 71, no issues today
Rng of time lost: n/a
Rng chance of attraction unwanted attention: 99%
38, you get a telephone, on the other side of the line is what seems to be an absolutely drunk scotsman who claims to be a veteran of the race. He gives you a lot of excellent advice, but you have absolutely zero clue what he's saying. You lost the line as the person seems to have fallen off a bridge. You lost 10 mins.



Weather and civil unrest rng's


Mozambique
Weather (% rain) 2%
66, dry
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
29, they're growing a bit tired of these damn tourists, but nothing happens

Angola
Weather (% rain) 5%, more than 30°C
63, dry, don't forget to hydrate twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10% Cabinda 20-50%
36 safe, Cabinda 61% so far the extortions gangs aren't planning revenge

Zambia
Weather (% rain) 2%
71, dry
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
36, safe

Malawi
Weather (% rain) 3%
46, dry
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
50 safe

Madagascar
Weather (% rain) 6%
9, dry
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
34, please go trough our country, we'l even sponsor you, please!

DR Congo
Weather (% rain) 58% west, more than 30°C 9% east
west 83, dry, don't forget to hydrate twice
east 62, dry
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
40, you get stabbed by an edgy leopold II fanboy when you defend a local, it's only a fleshwound, but you need to spend a full day in the nearest hospital, if you're rng'd for car maintenance, do that first thing when you're released tomorrow.
east-congo 50-80%
46, they search your stuff, they find a copy of 'tintin in congo' in your trunk, they'll put you to work in a cobalt mine. You lose 1 day until you get fired because 'lazy white man ain't productive', if you're rng'd for car maintenance, do that first thing when you're released tomorrow.

Congo-Brazaville
Weather (% rain) 44%, more than 30°C
2, a light drizzle, you barely notice it, don't forget to hydrate twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
31 Come on, shake your body baby, do the congo. I know you can't control yourself any longer.

Tanzania
Weather (% rain) 52%
41, it keeps raining, you lose another hour again
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
18 Tanzen!

Gabon
Weather (% rain) 5%, more than 30°C
65, dry, hydrate twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
89, safe

Equatorial Guinea
Weather (% rain) 7%, more than 30°C
15, dry, hydrate once (smaller country)
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
71, safe

Rwanda
Weather (% rain) 24%,
53, dry
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
77, safe, though you've sworn you seen that guy in your neighborhood in the UK

Burundi
Weather (% rain) 33%
36, a bit of mist, but dry
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
22, you're safe but they're making sure you know you're not about to mess with Burundi.





Leg 7 is now open, and promises to turn things on its head a bit. Deadline is monday 22 april 2024, 23:59 GMT+1, this means you'll have an extra day over the weekend. This is due to getting a more regular schedule with deadlines always on monday night, wednesday night and friday night. As that works out the best for me.

[Pinkd56]

DAY 7:
I got stabbed.



START: Concession holdings empire, G6H8+6JW, Kimbondo, Kinshasa, Congo - Kinshasa

FINISH: La Sunamite Hospital, G6XW+7X6, Kinshasa, Congo - Kinshasa


TIME ELAPSED (TODAY): 12m
TIME ELAPSED (TOTAL): 52h2m



DISTANCE (TODAY):5km
DISTANCE (TOTAL): 4338km

COUNTRIES VISITED: 4

[NickyDustyOwl]

Day Seven:

Today was a day to forget for Kondo! First off, the Toyota started to have issues which meant I had to try and get it to a repair shop. And as I was on my way I noticed this man attacking person! I couldn't just sit there and continue to drive, my mother did not teach me that way! I got out and immediately rushed towards them. However, I was unaware this person was armed with a knife. I found out the hard way!

What really matters though is that the person they were attacking was okay and that "man" was detained. However, I had to drive myself to the nearest hospital as a result which meant my day has come to an end. The doctors are telling me I'll have to spend a whole extra day! I was told at times growing up that being nice gets you bad things in return. Guess that applies right now!



https://maps.app.goo.gl/1tCTCHyEpxzPQ8vX7

Timestamp: 9:56PM EST

[Kinnikuniverse]

Itinéraire partagé
De Hôtel dynastie à IME, Kimpese, Congo-Kinshasa par N1.

2 min (600 m)
Pour obtenir le meilleur itinéraire en fonction de la circulation actuelle, visitez le https://maps.app.goo.gl/22N5TTqMCBqKrnnr8

Mario Lafleur: PAUL!! PAUL!! I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS, PAUL!!

Mamadou: My name is Mamadou., but don't worry, we are here!

[Klon]

Time stamp: 2024-04-20, 08.15.37

[Ducktanian]

Day 7 - Leg 4

The weather forecast said that it would be dry so I start the day by staying a nearby petrol station to grab a drink; they have Coca Cola because of course they do.

I then head up to Lubango, Angola's 2nd biggest city. I stop at place close to the main road for a nice meal and find out that local musicians often play there. After taking in the local music scene I head out of the city and make sure to refuel on the way out of the city and onto Angola's 3rd biggest city, Huambo.
It's a long drive and its really dry, so after I while start to look out for a place to stop and hydrate.
Unfortunately I'm struggling to find anywhere and that's when I hear it.
I hear the Linkin Park music growing louder and louder.
And thats when I see him.

I don't know why there's a Sasuke cosplayer in the middle of Angola but he really wants me to check out his Indian restaurant. I don't trust him to eat anything but at least I can hydrate there and be on my way.

After that I head into Huambo right on time. I stop at the local grill house to have some good eats after deliberately avoiding eating at that Indian and stop at my hotel.

[tommykl]

April 14th

Horrifying news. Several competitors, already mired in the backroads of the Congos, had been attacked overnight, requiring medical attention. The danger of the area had no doubt been a factor in the decision to move east early on, but the very real manifestation of that danger took an immediate toll on Tom and Yulia, particularly the latter. The prospect of travelling through Africa as a woman had been troubling enough without needing a reminder of the world's violence, already constant when checking news from home.

Given their location in rural Tanzania, the only way out was, as ever, through. Rain continued to affect the roads, compounding the unease from the morning news, and to make things yet worse, the engine was beginning to make a worrying noise when stationary. Kizwete, being a small village, had little in the way of garages, but the much larger Sumbawanga just down the road, had a few options. Loookus Car and Track Diagnosis did the job, and a spark plug issue was quickly diagnosed. Miraculously, the parts were available, and within 90 minutes, the car was back out on the road.

Jjeggoen Amaizing Place to Loookus Car & Track Diagnosis - 0h15

The previous day had proven to be a preview for this one, and while the roads were asphalted, the surface itself was a significant downgrade, and the scenery continued its monotony. A village approached. A collection of houses, a school, a small church, possibly a medical centre, fin. 15 minutes later, repeat. At Kisi (or Kizi, both were quoted), a welcome digression: the road turned right, away from the B8 route... but soon turning to dirt. With the rain, it was effectively densely-packed mud.



To aid with the misery of trudging through this mud, there was at least the consolation of entering Katavi National Park. The sky having cleaned up - and its damage already done - the sun allowed the couple to marvel at the rivers and their massive population of hippopotami. Further on, zebras, giraffes and more were visible in the distance, staying well away from the road.



At the exit of the park, the road rejoined the B8, which by this point was now dirt as well. With at least no time lost by having picked the national park route, they continued on north. By Magamba, the road was back to tarmac and the pace picked up once more. Mpanda came and went, a perfectly fine town, but too early to call it a day. Instead they powered north again, finding the brush to be getting thicker and thicker. Nkondwe Falls were advertised to their right, a perfect opportunity to clock out for a few minutes and take in the scenery that so many more reasonable travellers come for specifically rather than travel straight through.



The road had once again faded away, little more than a dirt track anymore, but remained marked by trees on the side, with milestones still polluting the roadside and the occasional sign counting down to upcoming towns. The terrain continued to surprise however. Rocky outcrops began to stick out from the trees in the distance, only growing in prominence as the kilometres struggled past. Places so remote they didn't have a name to be looked up later for recommendation to their families and friends.

Thankfully road conditions had improved well enough to make good progress to the next town, which would be reached with about 10 minutes in hand before the end of the day. Uvinza was reached by a single-lane bridge across the Malagarasi river, and seemed to be dominated by a salt mine. Still, it had a radio station, a couple of restaurants and, thankfully, a couple of hotels. The best-placed of them was the Crown Lodge, a quaint bed-and-breakfast that would have to do!



Loookus Car & Track Diagnosis to Crown Lodge and Lounge, Uvinza - 7h12

7h27 without traffic, plus 60 minutes delay and 83 minutes penalty (64h35 total)
460km (4817km total)
80500 shillings (£1160 total)

[Shadaza]

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/R%C3%A9 ... ?entry=ttu

To my horror the Mercedes was feeling a little ill this morning! So the first part of the leg was backtracking south to a mechanics on the outskirts of Brazzaville. The car was in the shop for almost an hour but appeared fixed after a bit of percussive maintenance from Thor.



Then the journey north through the truly remote Congo began, with stops at markets to purchase drinks.



Searching for hotels was harder here than at any previous leg, and In the end I decided to push ahead and went slightly over time.

Travel time: 9:31.
Car repair time 0:57.

Total 10:28.

I thus will have 140 minutes less travel time next leg, but hey, it's better than being stabbed.

[Nuppiz]

Leg 7: Karonga, Northern Region, Malawi -> Nyang'oro, Iringa Region, Tanzania

522 km in 8 h 54 min without traffic (with traffic at 0:50 UTC+3: 8 h 58 min)

[Nessafox]

Well that was a terrible night sleep. My back is hurting all over, thankfully one of the lovely people at the camping gave me a few tricks to feel better. Not sure if it worked but at least i could depart. We were hungry and thirsty so we needed to buy some extra drinks on the road. So was our car, which needed new oil. When entering Nzuzu we found what we were looking for. In the Admarc Depot we could buy what we needed and a bit further up the road was a Toyota garage. We're not driving a toyota but for simply refilling some oil, it will suffice. We lost 8 minutes there, but all in all, better to do this now than to risk issues later on, right? As we got closer to Lake Malawi, we saw more and more buildings and roads and people. It was a nice change. The lake was breathtaking. Then we crossed another 5 star reviewed bridge (the Kyungy river bridge) on the way to the next country: Tanzania! There was a nice mix of middle of nowhere and villages. Then we passed the highest point of all trunk routes in Tanzania. Breathtaking.










The Great Rift Valley Vieuwpoint was even more impressive.




Despite the rain, today was defenitely worth it. Our plan was to find a hotel in Chunya, but it seemed we had to turn around for a few km's to get to the first hotel, so we took the second, that means we got 5 mintues overtime.
So the Kawaha Hotel, a decent enougb bed&breakfast, it was.










https://www.google.com/maps/dir/4QCR%2B ... &entry=ttu

5 minutes overtime (25 mins penalty)

[Forti]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ntadi ... ?entry=ttu

[Loadsamoney]

bathplug YEAH Thank Jehovah for MONSTER TRUCKS: Log 4 probably

Did you know that Malawi is half the size of the UK? I sure do now, after all that driving. I came across another Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall (yeah same name pretty much) on my way to… this place. Decided I’d visit. I can’t remember anything after that, I think Jehovah drove for me.

this should be the right one

[pasta_maldonado]

Timestamp: 21:42 BST
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Mbala+V ... &entry=ttu

[DigitDan7]

Day 7

Eris did something stupid...

"ROUTE":



Start: Luozi cité, Luozi, Democratic Republic of Congo
End: De La Cite Poste de Santé, Mbanza-Mona, Democratic Republic of Congo
Distance: 3km
Time: 10min

[Nessafox]

Roundup

Today has been a real bloodbath, edgy rich white boys went to DR congo 'on a mission', initially with racist motives, but as they got scared, they targeted anyone that might remotely seems as woke, like this rally apparently... Meanwhile Aine got stuck in some weird stuff in the Katanga region. This meant that DR congo has been tough to navigate. Aislabie's choice to drive further and get a bunch of penalty might be a good gamble. However... how did Shadaza escape this and got so much distance covered in *the other congo?*

Now on the eastern side of the map, everything is a bit less eventful, most people are in either Tanzania or Malawi, with a bit tactical diversity. Interestingly lot of routes seemed to intersect each other but theres very few people doing the exact same thing.

Least mileage

The least mileage covered is so far still late-starter @Ducktanian, to no-one's surprise. Today an all-time low of 364 km's have been covered on average.
3124 Ducktanian
3925 Frogfoot9013
4214 Nessafox
4274 Kinnikuniverse
4337 Pinkd56
4469 Loadsamoney
4479 Forti
4490 Aislabie
4522 NickyDustyOwl
4535 DigitDan7
4577 pasta_maldonado
4631 Girry
4647 Klon
4815 TommyKl
4864 Nuppiz
5274 Shadaza

Most countries

In the countries leaderbord, no big shuffles happened. @Klon is still dominating that like a German tourist ought to do that.

8 Klon
7 TommyKl
7 Frogfoot9013
6 Nessafox
5 Shadaza
5 Aislabie
5 Nuppiz
5 Loadsamoney
4 Pinkd56
4 Kinnikuniverse
4 DigitDan7
4 NickyDustyOwl
4 Girry
4 pasta_maldonado
3 Forti
3 Ducktanian

Stage 7 results

In the championship, we see a lot of people have been screwed over by DR Congo, so basically everyone else scored points.
25 Shadaza
18 Ducktanian
15 Forti
12 Loadsamoney
10 pasta_maldonado
8 Klon
6 Nuppiz
4 Nessafox
2 TommyKl
1 Girry

Championship

As we look at the championship, @Shadaza's lead is becoming quite concerning. Also Pasta Maldonado is now unrejectified, leaving the only reject so far, myself. I did score minor points in all the stages that i started though. We also have a new last place, which is, not entirely unsurpring, Frogfoot. Also noticeable is that Ducktanian is really racking up the points now. Creating a good buffer for when more diffucult countries come up.
83 Shadaza
70 Ducktanian
62 NickyDustyOwl
56 Forti
53 DigitDan7
47 Aislabie
40 Girry
39 Klon
34 TommyKl
33 Loadsamoney
32 Rob Dylan
32 Nuppiz
30 Pinkd56
30 Nessafox
27 Kinnikuniverse
22 pasta_maldonado
18 Frogfoot9013


https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit? ... 444416&z=6

Country rng's:

Angola
Weather (% rain) 5%, more than 30°C 65, dry, you better drink twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10% 34

Zambia
Weather (% rain) 2% 87
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5% 42

Malawi
Weather (% rain) 3% 31
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5% 55

Madagascar
Weather (% rain) 6% 62
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5% 18

DR Congo
Weather (% rain) 58% west, more than 30°C 9% east
west 13, light rain but still tropical, you lose 30 mins
east 14
Political unrest (% of something happening)
West 20-50% 32, theres some riots in kinshasa, you're not allowed within a perimiter of 10 km, if you're already there, either stay at your current place or risk it and second rng.
East 50-80% 40 It's more dire here, you get sick from working in the cobalt mine, as working conditions were atrocious, spend another day in the nearest hospital

Congo
Weather (% rain) 44%, more than 30°C 20, light rain, lose half an hour, hydrate twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5% 58n they welcome you with open arms as you manage to cross the Congo river

Tanzania
Weather (% rain) 52% 83, finally, it stops raining
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10% 49

Gabon
Weather (% rain) 5%, more than 30°C 23, hydrate twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5% 96

Equatorial Guinea
Weather (% rain) 7%, more than 30°C 38, hydrate once
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5% 16

Rwanda
Weather (% rain) 24%, 49
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10% 10 it's nothing major but resentment towards Brits and their former colonisers, the belgians and the germans, is real, expect some 15 mins delays as you navigate being bombarded by rotten eggs.

Burundi
Weather (% rain) 33% 20, light rain, you lose half an hour
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20% 61

Uganda
Weather (% rain) 11% 49
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20% 72

Kenya 82
Weather (% rain) 15%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50% 18 There is some political tension, the streets are not in a condition that you could consider 'safe'. Second rng if you enter to see if they let you pass.

Somalia
Weather (% rain) 48%, more than 30*C, 26 light rain, lost half an hour, hydrate twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50% 37, theres some clan infighting, be careful to not pick sides, second rng

Cameroon
Weather (% rain) 8%, more than 30°C 77, hydrate twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50% 8 as they are looking for explosives, they found suspicious white powder, you will be set free as it's just baking soda, but police interrogation will take 4 hours. (also navigate to nearest police station)

Central African Republic
Weather (% rain) 4% more than 30°C 41, hydrate twice
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20% 67 seems the safer option for now.

Miscellanious rng

Random object generator: orange
RNG:17, @ducktanian has to get his first object, which should arguably not be tooo hard to find

@ Loadsamoney monster truck rng for damage
Chance of hitting something rng: 44%
Rng results: 80, well seems he's quite the talented driver

@Pastamaldonado leave bus rng for getting stuck somewhere
Chance of getting stuck rng 73%
Rng results 41, no issues today
Rng of time lost: 22 minutes
Rng chance of attraction unwanted attention: 35%
93, you are no longer trending on X



Maintenance


Car maintenance yet to be done because of reasons
#14 @Kinnikuniverse time lost 104 mins
#6 @NickyDustyOwl time lost 7 mins
#11 @Frogfoot9013 time lost 94 mins
#13 @Digitdan time lost 30 mins
#8 Pasta Maldonado time lost 65 mins


Maintenance done succesfully: Klon, TommyKl, Shadaza, Nessafox, Girry

Penalty Times:
@Shadaza: 140 min (28 min overtime)
@Nessafox: 25mins (5mins overtime)
@Aislabie: 60 mins (served 600 of the 660 minutes from yesterday)
@PastaMaldonado: 175 mins (35 minutes over time)

[Aislabie]

PREVIOUSLY: PART ZERO () | PART ONE () | PART TWO () | PART THREE () | PART FOUR () | PART FIVE () | PART SIX ()

Day Seven
(OOC: This is for our penalty day)

Peter and Hanse's route today:

5/5
Had an amazing stay at Radisson Brazzaville on my way to Norway. We turned off our phones, booked an extra day, and chilled out by the pool with our drinks. 10/10 experience, will return if I'm ever in the area.

[Aislabie]

PREVIOUSLY: DAY ZERO () | DAY ONE () | DAY TWO () | DAY THREE () | DAY FOUR () | DAY FIVE () | DAY SIX () | DAY SEVEN ()

Day Eight

Peter and Hanse's route today:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/M8VwbXfLhA2Kdg8r7

I will edit the narrative into this post shortly. Fully aware that I'm falling behind on the narrative front a little bit.

[Klon]

Time stamp: 2024-04-23, 12:29:35

[Nuppiz]

Leg 8: Nyang'oro, Iringa Region, Tanzania -> Namanga, Kajiado County, Kenya

714 km in 9 h 58 min without traffic (with traffic at 19:08 UTC+3: 10 h 3 min)

[Kinnikuniverse]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2HdhyW7Pu3Gx56wWA

Cape Town-Norway Rally day 7?

Oh god, what have i gotten myself into?

So yesterday, i was about to leave for Kinshasa when i saw some jerk bullying ome of the locals. I went there to stop the altercation, but then the nutjob stabbed me with a knife! I thought for sure that i was gonna die yesterday!

But thank god, the local i saved managed to drive me in my supra to the hospital, which was literally two minutes from my hotel. I slept for an entire day here. You thought sleeping in the hospital in Quebec was bad? Imagine in the middle of nowhere in Africa!



The next day, however, i was greeted by the local and his family. He called himself Mamadou, and you should've seen him and his family thanking me. I felt relieved, but i had a scar on my stomach. The doctor told me it was just a flesh wound, and i would be good to go today.

I then told the doctor what was the road to Kinshasa and if he knew a garage over there to maintain my Supra, but Mamadpu told me the bad news, that there is a riot of sorts going on in Kinshasa. Well, shite...

However, Mamadou also told me that there are garages a plenty in Brazzaville, on the other side of Kinshasa in the other Congo. However, he told me that i had to reverse route and go right towards Mbanza-Mona and into Mandigou, a city beyond the border of the congos. He recommended me this restaurant called les Rapides, where the meat was really good, apparently. There is also a zoo over there that is beautiful.

As i left, Mamadou and his wife told me that he will spread the word about my heroics throughout the region and the citizens even offered me water and food as a gift for saving him. How nice of them!

And so, i went off to Brazzaville, going completely around in the opposite direction heading into mandigou. I stopped at a totalenergies gaz station before finally reaching Brazzaville. Gotta say, it is a pretty nice city, all things considered.



I finally arrived at the Garage Océan Du Nord, where a nice chap named Ibrahim welcomed me and his boys maintained my Supra. He told me i was lucky that the Supra lasted this far, cause it was ready to break down like a raging elephant. Hey, i didn't make this up, that's literally what he said!



seems like a popular place, this Garage...

Anyways, i then drove by the Brazzaville zoo. It looked really nice. Tomorfow morning, i'll make sure to visit it.



I finally arrived at the restaurant Les Rapides. And indeed, the ribs there are delicious!



I finally arrived at the Brazza beach hotel. And gotta say, it is quite a cozy place! Africa is so weird...one moment, you are in hell, the next, you're chilling near a pool.



To Be Continued...

[Shadaza]

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/H2XV%2B ... &entry=ttu

Rocky road in Cameroon.



Republic of Congo has been very relaxed, with drinks easy to come by even in lowly populated areas. Cameroon though things are different, the military presence here is much greater as are customs, who have flagged me down outside the gates of my intended hotel stay for the night!

They have searched my car and seem interested in the baking soda I purchased back in Cape Town!

Looks like I'm stuck.

(AI artist impression)

[tommykl]

April 15th

A most welcome sunrise broke over the bed and breakfast in the back woods of western Tanzania, finally a welcome sight. Good news - of a sort - followed suit, with the assaulted participants all released from hospital, and those kidnapped uncomfortably close to the border being released after a day's hard labour putting the fear of god into these ungrateful northerners. The sun brought with it the long-forgotten dream of a dry road, albeit still one made of dirt, and with the bill settled, Tom and Yulia headed back to the salt mines, out of town and on the road for the eighth day.

However, rather than keep going north, they turned west towards Lake Tanganyika. Village after village went by, and they grew larger and larger until they could obviously only be towns. The road had turned to asphalt again when they hit the outskirts of Kigoma, the region's largest city.



They wouldn't get to see it, of course. They rarely did get to see anything. Instead, the road swerved north towards the border. There was little more to report by this point: the CDs had long been learned off by heart, and some new ones acquired along the way in the very few record stores they'd found along the way. They read books to each other. But mostly, they idly watched the landscapes go past. Nyarabanda appeared after 150km, a signal to turn hard left and cross over into Burundi.

"How do you think the others are doing right now?", Tom asked. Yulia paused to imagine the idea. The impossibility of her return home for two years, coupled with the sudden reminder of the violence mankind was capable of, assailed her in silence. Tom understand. They held hands wordlessly for the following hours. Burundi, landscape-wise, was unsurprisingly similar to Tanzania. However, the vanity projects were very clearly more densely packed. The Nkurunziza Peace Park Stadium was the first obvious example.



Large towns were only marginally more frequent here than in Tanzania, but one thing had changed: the roads were no longer cleanly north-to-south. Not until Bugiga did the ideal path settle on a single road, and even then it zig-zagged for a couple dozen kilometres more before finally straightening, headed directly north to the new capital of Gitega (via a quick stop for pizza at Jack Shack).

Settlements were definitely closer together now. This would have made things more stimulating, but Gitega aside, they were mostly a more frequent version of the previous days, with the signs now in French. Even Gitega was a disappointment, as they only saw slightly more of the usual buildings, In hindsight, they figured that would be the case given the capital's status as an old village with government buildings dumped on the outskirts. Ngozi could have been a rest stop, but it was more advantageous to bypass it. Kabari turned out to be the place, but it did little to alleviate (say it with me, folks) the monotony of it all.

The realisation wouldn't hit them for a while: that the change in scenery would be so slow that the novelty of a new biome would never hit unless they thought back to places they'd already left. All they had were a couple of mountain passes, another opportunity for them to test the Land Rover's handling post-maintenance and pretend they were riding the world's strangest rollercoaster. The going was slow in the grand scheme of things, but faster than the previous day, and as the hours blew past on the RN14, they reached the border of Rwanda at Bugesera shortly after 8 hours of driving.

Crown Lodge and Lounge, Uvinza (Tanzania) to Bugesera Border Crossing (Burundi/Rwanda) - 8h12

The so-called Singapore of Africa welcomed them with nice tarmac'd roads and a planned village around an airport. A few kilometres later, more signs of ostentatious power were evident. A military academy, an industrial park, more large villages built on grid systems. Not quite the kind of homes one would aspire to in America, these were still dirt roads away from the national highway, but they had the size and spirit. The roadside bars were now larger, better-advertised. The produce vendors took on the air of businesses, not quaint farmers' stalls. There was the whiff of entrepreneurial spirit that Yulia instinctively resonated with, having built her own company up to the point where she could afford this jolly across the world for a few weeks.

Nyamata came and went, announcing the imminent end point of the leg: Kigali. A Renault dealership, a cricket stadium, a solemn memorial to the 1994 genocide, and finally the largest city they'd seen since Harare.



A quick sprint towards the centre, and they found a suitable hotel less than a minute shy of the mark, having lost half an hour in customs on the Rwandan border from understaffing and another quarter of an hour having accidentally revealed to passers-by that Tom was Belgian during a petrol stop once there. The Nobleza Hotel would do very nicely for the night!



Bugesera Border Crossing to Nobleza Hotel, Kigali (Rwanda) - 1h03

9h15 without traffic, plus 45 minutes penalty (73h50 total)
548km (5365km total)
103000 Rwandan francs (£1224 total)

[Forti]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Resid ... ?entry=ttu

[Nessafox]

A few elaborations:
i generally allowed people to not hydrate in DR Congo because it's been more than enough trouble.

Forti's route is accepted because he was barely in Angola, so he had to drink once, it seems the stop there isn't an accomodation and i overlooked it so i'll have to do some health rng. I'll have it canonically that he drank from a well.

Weather and social unrest forecast From leg 9 onwards, remember forecastes are only a prediction, rng's will be ran every day.



Angola
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 30°C
Political unrest (% of something happening)
General 5-10%
Cabinda 50-100%
Madagascar
Weather (% rain) 80%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
DR Congo
Weather (% rain) 20% west, more than 30°C 0% east
Political unrest (% of something happening)
General: 20-50%
Katanga 50-80%
Congo
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 30°C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Tanzania
Weather (% rain) 70%, more than 30°C, possibly thunderstorms
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Gabon
Weather (% rain) 30%, more than 30°C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Equatorial Guinea
Weather (% rain) 50%, more than 30°C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Rwanda
Weather (% rain) 40
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Burundi
Weather (% rain) 70%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
Uganda
Weather (% rain) 50%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
Kenya
Weather (% rain) 90%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Somalia
Weather (% rain) 20%, more than 30*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Cameroon
Weather (% rain) 40%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Central African Republic
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 35*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
South Sudan
Weather (% rain) 20%, more than 35°C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Ethiopia
Weather (% rain) 40%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Sudan 0%, more than 40*C
Weather (% rain)
Political unrest (% of something happening)
General 20-50%
Darfur: 50-100%
Djibouti
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 30*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Eritrea
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Chad 0%, more than 45¨C
Weather (% rain)
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
Nigeria
Weather (% rain) 40%, more than 35*C
Political unrest (% of something happening)
South: 20-50%
North: 50-100%
+T-Minus bonus
Niger
Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 45*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Benin
Weather (% rain) 20%, more than 35*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
Togo
Weather (% rain) 10*, more than 30*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
Ghana
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 30*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
Ivory Coast 40%, more than 35*C
Weather (% rain)
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Burkina Faso
Weather (% rain) 20%, more than 40*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Mali
Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 40°C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Liberia
Weather (% rain) 50%, more than 35*C
Political unrest (% of something happen ing) 0-5%
Sierra Leone 20%, more than 30*C
Weather (% rain)
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Guinee
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 30*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Guinee-Bissau
Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 35*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Senegal
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Gambia
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Mauretania
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Egypt
Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 50%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Libya
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
Tunisia
Weather (% rain) 0%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Algeria
Weather (% rain) 0%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Western Sahara
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Morocco
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
Spanish exclaves (Ceuta, Mellila, etc)
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening 0-5%
Saudi-Arabia
Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 40*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
UK (Gibraltar)
Weather (% rain) 10%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Malta
Weather (% rain) 100%
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
Jordan
Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 30*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20
Palestine
Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 30*C
Political unrest (% of something happening)
Gaza 100%
West Bank 50-100%
Israel
Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 37*C
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%








My own route

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Tanzani ... &entry=ttu

3 mins overtime


Narration will follow later.

[Loadsamoney]

Eh, I’ll get Jehovah to do the write up for me…

[Ducktanian]

Day 8 - Leg 5



Another day. I nod at the statue of Agostinho Neto right by my hotel and set off.
Still going through Angola, now heading into the northern part of the country.
After leaving Huambo I travel a good while north, finally stopping at a nice family restaurant in Quibala to refresh before heading north once more.
A while later I stop at N'datalando. I find a cool looking music bar and decide to take a look. And pretty close by there's also a supermarket, where I find a whole stack of "Laranja". Orange Juice! and you know its a supermarket so... there's actual fruit too.



I then stop at the petrol station at Lacala to refuel, refresh and make sure I've taken the right turn before heading north once more to my final stop for the day at Hotel Pamplona at Negage.

[NickyDustyOwl]

Day Eight:

Kondo felt much better today! But I had a lot of time to catch up on. The first thing I had to attend to was the car which still needed work. I headed to the best petrol station I could find and attended it. I needed to change the oil and give the tires more air. Once that was all said and done I headed up north to continue my journey with no more issues.

I will remember to never EVER return the Democratic Republic of the Congo!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/zzyDi91yT1AHNq1t7



Timestamp: 5:30 PM EST

[DigitDan7]

Day 8

ROUTE



Start: De La Cite Poste de Santé, Mbanza-Mona, Democratic Republic of Congo
End: HOTEL LOUESSE PALACE, 3P39+8F7, Mossendjo, Congo - Brazzaville
Distance: 454km
Time: 7h 18min (+ 1h 30min delays)

Stop 1: KITALAKA, R7P7+H6, Nkayi, Congo - Brazzaville (drinks)
Stop 2: Station PUMA de Loudima, R2VW+4P9, Loudima Poste, Congo - Brazzaville (maintenance, check tyre pressure)
Stop 3: Grand Marché, QMVG+XMQ, Dolisie, Congo - Brazzaville (drinks & notebook)

I'll use the longer downtime to (hopefully) do write-ups for previous days.

[Pinkd56]

DAY EIGHT

After a fairly rough night in the Sunamite Hospital, I woke to the city of Kinshasa in a state of chaos. I considered staying in the hospital a little bit longer, but no amount of bribery could convince them to keep the bed for me. I'll be honest, I don't feel great - so I check the ferry timetable and identify that a quick dash across town should get me on a ferry to Brazzaville.


The Brazzaville ferry is a bit of a rickety deathtrap, but it manages to get us across in little over half an hour, and into country number five.



I touch ground in the very welcoming Republic of the Congo and make tracks the best I can - however the cocktail of painkilling medicine has made me reluctant to drive very far. I manage to find some lodging on the edge of town at the Residence Guyno. It's some fair simple digs, but I just need to get my head down. I feel a day of good rest will probably serve me well, despite the slow progress.



START: La Sunamite Hospital, G6XW+7X6, Kinshasa, Congo - Kinshasa

FINISH: Residence Guyno, M49W+GH, Brazzaville, Congo - Brazzaville

TIME ELAPSED (TODAY): 2h7m
TIME ELAPSED (TOTAL): 54h9m

https://i.imgur.com/hMxPlu0.png

DISTANCE (TODAY): 47km
DISTANCE (TOTAL): 4385km

COUNTRIES VISITED: 5

[Nessafox]

Roundup day 8

Shadaza keeps dominating, DR congo keeps wreaking havoc and on the east we keep seeing diversity.



A few standings:

Least km's covered

3847 Ducktanian
3925 Frogfoot9013*
4384 Pinkd56
4577 pasta_maldonado*
4736 Nessafox
4827 Kinnikuniverse
4897 Forti
4927 NickyDustyOwl
4989 DigitDan7
5055 Loadsamoney
5116 Aislabie
5174 Klon
5305 Girry
5363 TommyKl
5578 Nuppiz
5988 Shadaza


Most Countries crossed


9 Klon
9 TommyKl
7 Frogfoot9013*
6 Nessafox
6 Shadaza
6 Nuppiz
6 Loadsamoney
5 Aislabie
5 Kinnikuniverse
5 Forti
5 NickyDustyOwl
5 Pinkd56
5 DigitDan7
4 Girry
4 pasta_maldonado*
3 Rob Dylan
3 Ducktanian


Stage points

25 Ducktanian 723
18 Nuppiz 714
15 Shadaza 714
12 Girry 674
10 Aislabie 626
8 Loadsamoney 586
6 Kinnikuniverse 553
4 TommyKl 548
2 Klon 527
1 Nessafox 522

Overall points

98 Shadaza
95 Ducktanian
62 NickyDustyOwl
57 Aislabie
56 Forti
53 DigitDan7
52 Girry
50 Nuppiz
41 Klon
41 Loadsamoney
38 TommyKl
33 Kinnikuniverse
32 Rob Dylan
31 Nessafox
30 Pinkd56
22 pasta_maldonado
18 Frogfoot9013

Penalties
PastaMaldonado: 175 mins (35 minutes over time) This is for leg 8
Kinnikuniverse: 522 mins ( 87 mins overtime) -> you can drive for 138 mins tomorrow
Shadaza: 620 (100 mins overtime + 2 hours left at the police station) -> you can drive for 40 minutes tomorrow
Loadsamoney: 5 minutes (1 minute over time)
Nessafox: 15 minutes (3minutes over time)
Girry: 35 (7 minutes over time)

From Leg 9 onwards, i will not add this to the individual rng's anymore.

After consideration, i have also decided that you no longer need to stop in every invidual country 2 times, but just 2 times per day. or more if one of the countries is warmer. If you only been in a country for a small time, you only need to stop once, and if you're just dipping your toe in a country, u don't need to stop at all.

Maintenance

#8 Pasta Maldonado time lost 65 mins
#11 Frogfoot9013 time lost 94 mins

Everyone else has done theirs succesfully

Miscellanious rng

Forti forgot to put a drink stop in Angola, but did put a stop, this means i'll count him as having drank from a well:
chance of getting sick 28%
82, Forti is fine

Daily random object generator: multitool
RNG: 9, Klon needs to stop again. This time for something more useful.

Country rng


clarification
if it is over 30°C you need to stop twice for hydratation (unless the country is really small)
over 35°C -> 3 times
over 40C -> 4 times
over 45C -> 5 times

This will aplly to all countries


Angola
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 30°C
75
Political unrest (% of something happening)
General 5-10% 18
Cabinda 50-100% 81 You get arrested, stay a full week in jail.


Madagascar
Weather (% rain) 80%
57, you lose an hour
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
2, they are finally tired of everyone ignoring them and will spam the social media of the nearest competitor, they lose 5 minutes.

DR Congo
Weather (% rain) 20% west, more than 30°C 0% east
west, 5, light drizzle, no time lost
east, 16, light rain, lose 15 mins
Political unrest (% of something happening)
General: 20-50%
81, it's finally safe
Katanga 50-80%
56, well yeah, not here obviously, rng will be ran if someone wishes to cross.

Congo
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 30°C
94
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
12

Tanzania
Weather (% rain) 70%, more than 30°C, possibly thunderstorms
13, light rain, you lose 15 mins
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
40

Gabon
Weather (% rain) 30%, more than 30°C
62
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
31

Equatorial Guinea
Weather (% rain) 50%, more than 30°C
64
Political unrest (% of something happening) 0-5%
71

Rwanda
Weather (% rain) 40
52
Political unrest (% of something happening) 5-10%
94

Burundi
Weather (% rain) 70%
91
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
76

Uganda
Weather (% rain) 50%
12, light rain, you lose 15 minutes
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
92

Kenya
Weather (% rain) 90%
42, you lose an hour
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
35, A year ago, you met a moderately attractive lady/gentleman on the internet. You kept sending money, even thought they rarely respond with more than a few generic words that have nothing to do with what you're actually saying. You now meet them in real life. They seem quite surprised, you have a good night sleep (well they're pretenting to like you after all), they take all your money and possessions that could be carried. When you wake up, you realise what happened. Due to the distraction, you'll almost crash and lose (rng), 9 minutes.

Somalia
Weather (% rain) 20%, more than 30*C
99n you got 99 problems, but the rain ain't one
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
7 you are attacked, you try to defend yourself, you actually win but lose (rng) 86 minutes.

Cameroon
Weather (% rain) 40%
96
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
89, the police found who they were looking for

Central African Republic
Weather (% rain) 10%, more than 35*C
28
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
75

Ethiopia
Weather (% rain) 40%
91
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
56

South Sudan
Weather (% rain) 20%, more than 35°C
58
Political unrest (% of something happening) 20-50%
33, your dressing style is haram, go buy something decent in the closest clothing shop

Chad

Weather (% rain) 0%, more than 45¨C
no rng needed
Political unrest (% of something happening) 10-20%
46

Nigeria
Weather (% rain) 40%, more than 35*C
27, light rain, lose half an hour
Political unrest (% of something happening)
South: 20-50%
24, the border doesn't feel on letting you pass, you need to bribe them, time lost: 40 mins
North: 50-100%
85, they notice on social media that you are friendly to the locals, you get forced to fight for the rebels, chance of death 95% rng 22: you die.

***T-Minus bonus***


Leg 9 is now open, you have until Monday 29th of april, 2024, 23:59 GMT+1 to post your legs

[NickyDustyOwl]

Yesterday was a struggle for Kondo, but I knew today was going to be a great day to bounce back! The route I had mapped out for today was mostly straight up, which meant I had a lot of time to gain. And if I calculated things correctly, I traveled around 770 kilometers! almost 300 more than the previous day. My people back home had always told me tough situations make you stronger and if you survive them, you will get a huge reward. I can't say they were wrong with that!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/5xuv3DinAwyov9BdA



Timestamp: 7:46PM EST

[Nessafox]

Narration stage 8


Today started as usual, breakfast, showering, packing stuff, ready to go. Make sure the old Chevy still goes well. And despite being a GM car and having been in an action movie, it drives fairly well. Had no issues with the trailer so far either.
A winding road took us trough forest in the westside, but after Makongolosi, the road turned north, and we'd be going north for a while. Not that crazy if you think about the concept of the rally...
The landscape went a bit more agrarian here. Makes a lot of sense, we're no longer in the dry parts of Africa.
Time to review another bridge. The Lupa bridge has 4,5 star review, but dissapointed me a bit. I would have prefferred a dual lupa bridge. Ba-dum-tss.
We are still in the smack dab of the absolute middle of nowhere, only some small houses and farms to be seen on the road. People were generally smiling though. When we passed Lake Kiridai, we hitted the target of today, The city of Singida. We had a bit of choice for hotels, but decided to go a little bit over time to be close to the right road for tomorrow. The Eden Garden lodge has good review but no date otherwise.




Stage 9



As we woke up from the Eden Garden logde, it was of the utmost importance to not commit any kind of original sin [foreshadowing background noise]
Now the weather has been a lot better lately, so the athmosphere was generally lot more relaxed. We looked forward to the rest of Tanzania. A beautiful country indeed. Mount Hanang was the first highlight of today.




Mount Kwaraa followed and on the opposite side of the road was Lake Babati, none of that compared to Mount Meru though.




But this was just a warm-up, once we passed that mountain, in the background, we could see another mountain. The big one. None other than Mount Kilimanjaro




Absolutely breath-taking!

After Mount Longido, the border with Kenya arrives. I know someone there [eerie noises on the background, as if something bad was going to happen]
But first let's go trough a carwash. Because why the hell not! The road defenitely got more dry as we soldiered on. One thing i noticed is that you have accomodations like this university in the absolute middle of nowhere.










And that was certainly not the last of the universities we encountered here, as we got closer to Nairobi. This city isn't as big as i expected in size, but theres a lot of people here... And so is Lucky, at least that's how she called herself. Well you see, we have this thing, i got very lucky with her. We don't talk a lot but we are in love you know. So i stopped the clock to get at her home. 't was the nicest thing. I felt asleep...

Then i woke up... all my stuff gone... my creditcard... even some of my clothes. The damn pervert. Oh well i guess she's short of money again. I doubt this has anything to do with me being unpleasant to be with!

Thankfully my truck wasn't stolen so i could continue driving. But i'd need to buy a bit of new stuff along the way with the cash i still have. Which isn't a massive lot, so i stopped the clock again and volunteered to work a few hours in a mall. Kenya has really been a hell so far. I also checked my passport... it was gone... but i got a call from South-Africa that i left it there and they sent it to nairobi anyway. Good job Nessa, good Job. Well at least i'm not illegal now. We called it a day in Kenol at the Golden Palm Breeze Hotel. It's getting late and i really need sleep, i almost crashed my car...




What a day... Jesus frigging Christ.
I tried messaging Lucky, but to no avail...

Going trough everything i checked again what the building was called where she lived. Wait... wait.. WAIT.





https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Eden+Ga ... &entry=ttu

15 penalty minutes + 9 minutes rng = 24 minutes, which means i am 1 minute over time.


Edit: Ah crap i forgot the weather. Well that's 76 minutes over time then.

[Shadaza]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Trist ... &entry=ttu



I got released from jail, I think I'll spend the rest of the day chilling in the hotel and getting a proper nights sleep before being fresh to carry on tomorrow.

[Nuppiz]

Leg 9: Namanga, Kajiado County, Kenya -> Laisamis, Marsabit County, Kenya

595 km in 8 h 51 min without traffic (with traffic at 19:56 UTC+3: 8 h 53 min)

Day 9: So far, the only issues we've had to contend with have been the occasional bad weather and traffic. We'd heard how other competitors especially on the western side had been arrested or even assaulted, so we had gotten off lightly. It all changed on our first full day in Kenya, though.

As we looked at our route for today, Amanda suddenly insisted that we must have one of our stops in the town of Isiolo. When I asked her why, she told me that over the past year she had been chatting up with some Kenyan guy and even sent him a bit of money! She had messaged him yesterday evening that she was now in Kenya, and as it turns out the guy lives in Isiolo which is on our route anyway. So they had already arranged a date in a pub/hotel, and Amanda refused to listen to my cautionary words about meeting a stranger in a strange town. I reluctantly had to agree to take an extended stop in Isiolo so she could go on about her... business.

Having restocked our supplies in Namanga at the end of the previous day, we just breezed past Nairobi on the expressway going through the city, although I briefly considered dropping Amanda off at the local mental hospital. The metropolitan area was huge, by far the largest we've gone through during our entire journey. Even after we exited the Nairobi metropolitan area, there was a near constant stream of small towns all the way up to our first stopping point of the day, the Magunas mall in Sagana.

We passed through farmlands and pastures before crossing the Equator in Nanyuki. Poor weather had slowed us down and Amanda was getting worried about missing her date, so there wasn't time for more than just a quick snapshot of the marker.


Amanda had kept texting her new boyfriend throughout the journey and had arranged for us to meet him at the Total service station. I found this rather alarming, but Amanda was so excited to see the "man of her dreams" that she once again refused to listen to reason. Sure enough, as we pulled over to the service station a somewhat handsome guy approached our Volvo and told Amanda to follow him to a nice bar around the corner called the "True Caller". He even tried to make me come along with them, but I politely refused and made an excuse that the car needed a bit of servicing. So I gave Amanda some cash to pay for drinks and off they went, while I actually decided to have the car checked up a bit just to make sure we don't break down in the middle of nowhere.

A couple of hours passed, I had some refreshments at the gas station shop, the friendly servicemen checked that my Volvo was in good shape and the fuel tank was filled up. But Amanda was nowhere to be seen. I was starting to get worried and started asking around from the locals. Turns out that there used to be a pub called "True Caller" nearby, but that no longer existed. I was pointed to the right direction though, and found out that Amanda had last seen entering a place called the Moonlight Tavern & Grill.


Sure enough, it was there I found her. Passed out. Missing her purse and any other valuables she had on her. I couldn't get her to wake up so I had to ask some locals to help drag her to my car. I returned to the service station, took her out from the car and sprayed her with cold water. That did the trick and she woke up from her coma. After a few minutes of blabbering nonsense she started to come into her senses. As it turns out, after just one drink she had started to feel woozy. She recalls trying to leave, but then just blacked out. The next thing she remembers is me giving her a cold shower at the service station. She was very fortunate that the guy was only interested in taking her money and valuables and nothing else.

We considered going to the police to report the robbery, but as she couldn't recall any details and we couldn't really stay in the town for any criminal proceedings, we just did some rudimentary damage limitation and made sure to cancel her credit cards at the local bank.

The car was very quiet for the rest of the day. I was angry at her, but also relieved that we didn't lose all of our cash and most importantly our passports. Amanda alternated between vomiting to a plastic bag, crying and just staring out of the window. As we passed through the drier and more sparsely populated regions of Kenya we nearly went overtime, but in the small town of Laisamis we found a decent-ish hotel to stay for the night.

The weather was miserable. Amanda was very miserable. Even I felt a bit miserable. But hey, at least the hotel has free Wi-Fi!

[Pinkd56]

DAY NINE
I needed a rest after the incident in Kinshasa, and the relative safety of Brazzaville was the place to do it. Sacrificing a day to get myself back in fighting shape was a good call, and I awoke fresh ready for a nice long drive northwards - well aware I've got to make some ground up. Well aware it was going to be a hot one today, I stocked up on fluids and supplies in the marché Madibou in Brazzaville, before taking a coastal road along the Congo delta.

Case de Gaulle, Brazzaville

Leaving Brazzaville on the P20, I soon end up deep in the Congolese jungle - perhaps I'll find some Um Bongo?


After consulting the locals, I can confirm they do not drink it in the Congo.

Deep in the jungle, I stop at an Italian/Indian restaurant Casa di Alessandro Matera in the small town of Kitembe. Powering through Congo, I end up on the P9 road towards to Gabonese border crossing at Ndongo.

A quick crossing, and we're... still in the jungle.


My target is the bustling metropolis of Franceville, an oasis of man-made noise in the chaos of the Gabonese jungle. Arriving in Franceville, I see the city's municipal stadium - a 12,000 seater built for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. It's a fairly impressive ground for this part of the world, and seems to be getting a bit of use from a local team.



Today's resting stop is the rather charming Hotel Masuku, a nice hotel with vibrant purple paint and a swimming pool. It's nice to relax somewhere after some of the absolute holes I've been in over the last week or so.


That'll be it for today. I'm hopeful I'll be able to get back on the tail of the others in the next few days.



START: Residence Guyno, M49W+GH, Brazzaville, Congo - Brazzaville

FINISH: Hotel Masuku, Franceville, Gabon

TIME ELAPSED (TODAY): 9h29m
TIME ELAPSED (TOTAL): 63h38m



DISTANCE (TODAY): 537km
DISTANCE (TOTAL): 4922km

COUNTRIES VISITED: 6

[Ducktanian]

Day 9 - Leg 6

Well, I achieved my goal of getting to Kinshasa in 6 Days.
Finding places to stop is getting ... fairly hard so I stopped where I could, using some of the drinks I bought earlier in the trip. I made sure to restock on supplies once in Kinshasa.



Hopefully I can board the ferry next time and actually find somewhere to stay.

[Forti]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/LE+GO ... ?entry=ttu