On January 17th, 1982 I received an urgent telegram from my brother, who was a teacher trainer for Canadian University Services Overseas (CUSO) in northern Nigeria.
"I don’t know what the chances are of us meeting in Kenya, but it sure would be fun!”
Little did I know how these words would impact my life. This was pre-Internet and telegrams were one of the few ways to communicate with people half way around the world. On a whim, I flew halfway around the world to meet up with my brother and girlfriend for an Easter holiday safari in Kenya. My brother’s words set me off on my great African adventure, which later culminated in four overland trips and eventually residing in Nairobi.
Like any evolving continent, there are always changes taking place, much like there are today. Africa in the 1980s was quite different: Uganda was recovering from the tyranny of Idi Amin and a no-go; travelling was forbidden and non-existent in Marxist Ethiopia, Tanzania had closed its border with Kenya, and Sudan was ruled by western-friendly President Nimieri.
This book is about overland travel at its best and worst, but by any means possible: beaten-up overland trucks, buses, on an overcrowded Nile barge, by foot, by train, or by crowded, shared taxis.
Travelling is not about your final destination, but about the people and different cultures you meet along the way. No one ever said that overland travel in Africa is easy, but if you want to see Africa, it might just be one of the ways. In the 1980s, it was the only way.