http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Warthog/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Warthog en-us Sun, 19 May 2013 10:43:01 +0000 Sun, 19 May 2013 10:43:01 +0000 A new future in Northern TanzaniaAfter the first very hard 18 months in Arusha 13 months of which as new parents we have been on a most incredible journey. Little Mr Jamin is now 13 months old and we have learned so much about so many things.Some of which mean the blog has been quiet for a while as the time demands of a new child and rebuilding a company from nothing with nothing have taken all http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Arusha/blog-586271.html I still had a few days left before heading back to Sudan and even on my own I was determined to make the most of it so next stop was Hell's Gate National Park very aptly named for the geothermal activity that belches plumes of steam from the earth.There are now two power stations in the park although noticeable with large pipes and bits of machinery in 2 places in the park it is surprisingly un http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Lake-Naivasha/blog-549827.html The other half of escape from SudanAfter a bit of a delay getting out of the airport after flying back from Pemba it was out into the Nairobi night late on a Sunday heading into Karen for a place to stay with friends and the start of the other half of my leave before heading back to Juba.The plan was to borrow a Toyota 4x4 Prado from some friends Phil and Cynthia from Malawi who were now li http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Central-Province-/Aberdare-National-Park/blog-549661.html The Isles of Scilly TrescoThe first trip we did after finding out the news of the big trip was to share the news with Katie's family they have been going to the Scilly Isles for years and Kate thought well not immediately that it would be a good place to break the news to her Mum and Dad I had never been before and had only spent a few hours meeting them up to that point so it was with trep http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Cornwall/Isles-of-Scilly/blog-549346.html Although my blog will still cover our travel.... it will also be a narrative if I can find the time on the journey we will start to undertake as parents being joined along for this journey by Kate and an ever growing bumpThe 4th of JulyThis was the day we found out.....A day late and Kate had felt very sick on the motorbike on the way down to Sussex... there is never a right time for childre http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Oxfordshire/blog-542368.html Switching off after 3 months South SudanOh to escape after 3 months trying to get stuff going it was a pleasure to get on the plane out of Juba on the morning of 14th November and make it to Nairobi. Picked up from the airport by a good friend and driven to a lovely house in Karen to eat good cheese and sit in civility surrounded by a green garden with flowers and trees full of birds so very di http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Pemba/blog-466308.html The last blog I published doesn't seem to want to show a 360 degree video I made of the sunset in Malakal so I thought I would see if it loads and folk can see it here.... let me know if you can'tIt is just to show how flat and featureless the land is up there yet how stunning it is in the barrenness of it with the strip of life that is the Nile running through it.Comments to see if the video http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/blog-463270.html I've spent quite a few blogs now on the travelling part of the job how much I have been lucky enough to see and travel through so I thought it time to put together a bit of a photo collage and a movie of the machines in motion doing what they do and clearing mines.The videos if you can download them are well worth watching especially the one of the big machine actually detonating an antitank http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Sudan/Juba/blog-462449.html A week later I was back in Kampala the truck trailer and Hilux all sorted out the purchasing had been done all things from tyres to oil pumps to fridges. So it was time to wait the much promised paperwork from the URA Ugandan Revenue Authority which was due Friday then Saturday then it rolled on to Monday then Tuesday.... well this is Africa never take for writ what is promised I had l http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Northern-Region/blog-462249.html All change after the last river crossing which was just a normal drive down albeit with the Boss from the UK HQ in the cab we got to KK and found the truck had spat the dummy about 100 meters before we got to camp it had decided a gearbox seal was no longer going to work and was merrily pumping oil all over the floor not a good signBeing as the truck has the only crane on it for the areas an http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Sudan/Juba/blog-459120.html So one lunch time the truck just turns up out of the blue from the project in the south the driver has a list of stuff the project needs including 4000 litres of diesel in drums and doesn want to drive the truck back because of the crossingAlthough I knew the convoy had arrived at the camp down near Kajo Keji I had no idea what conditions were like or the road between Juba and there we had r http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/blog-457221.html I wasn't going the full length with this convoy I would be following the guys down to the border making sure there were no hassles or major problems at the border then turning round and heading back to Juba.Because the roads are so bad the convoy was going to have to head south out of Yei town at the Congolese border at Morobo the road turns south east right along the border to the town of O http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/blog-451583.html So am at the end of the second month and it has been an adventure it has been incredibly busy. OK so a bit later than 2 months but has been stupid busy again... After the trip to Malakal in the north it was time to start on the 2 machines in the south so a quick day drive down the road to a town called Yei south west of Juba 160 kms only takes 6 hours the road isn't great it was apparentl http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Sudan/Juba/blog-443456.html Well it sounded like fun and the toys are bigSo i have changed career yet again well more gone back to something I have done before from the offshore world of submarines to the world of machines that are designed to run over chew up and blow up landmines of both the AntiPersonnel and the AntiTank varieties as well as allsorts of other goodies that they come across when doing something calle http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Sudan/Juba/blog-440757.html Slowing down calming down and blowing bubbles.....After the totally hectic dash to get to the plane fly through what remained of the night and get to Kenya to hop on another plane quick smart to head to Dar having completely forgotten there are direct flights to Zanzibar which would have saved 150 or so in flights then a taxi transfer to Terminal 1 for a ZanAir flight to ChakeChake in Pemb http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Pemba/Wete/blog-438543.html Best laid plans of mice and men...So after completing what will probably be my last offshore trip for a while which was actually my most interesting to date doing lots of flying and fixing lots of indepth stuff that was very interesting. Getting out was another story entirely.Because Omar Bongo died suddenly the Air Gabon route through Libreville was no longer safe.... the fact that quite a fe http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Lake-Malawi/blog-432859.html Belgium and namesJust realised that I missed a few photos of oddities in Belgique in particular a shop which at first glance appeared to be a translation issue one of those were in Dutch or Flemish the name sounded good then someone decided to put it up in English the give away came in the picture on the door it seems to be a high class boutique clothes store with the picture on the door....w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/West-Flanders/Bruges/blog-431657.html Well I was trying to get caught up just too many photos to share...So having driven back through Spain and France pretty much nonstop we hit the ferry port with 2 hours to spare not bad timing after a nearly 1600km drive.Unfortunately luck was having a wavering moment as the customs department decided to take the Landy apart so the entire contents was spread out over the loading ramp at Diepp http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Gironde/Sainte-Foy-La-Grande/blog-431118.html So much to write too much time enjoying the sightsApologies for it but there seems to be too much adventure to catch up with so I will try and use this post to catch up from the desert to the present in time it has been less than 6 months I have been trying to catch up my writings but am just not managing it.An important lesson learned though write ups for the blog needs to be written when http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-428617.html Heading south into Zagora and the SaharaHeading out we drove through the back route of Tamnougault passing the old Kasbah and having a small disagreement with a lad on his BMX who rode past just after I had taken a picture of the kasbah figured he was in it and demanded in English impressively money not asked nope demanded as if it were a right so I did relent I gave him a 5 Malawi Kwach http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/blog-423409.html