All entries for December 2006

Update from previous message

Follow-up to T4 – Karl Allegro,Team Sheen (Mark & Karl) & T5 from KramBlog

HP: This message appeared after the others but I think it is probably meant to go before:
Stayed in El Jaidida middle of Morroco on coast last night with T5 (+ Toby) on way to to Sidi Ifni, just had lunch at side of the road in lush hills. Very quiet today due to mass goat slaughtering festivals. It’s getting warmer, all well, happy New Year to everyone, thanks Tim’s mum for fab cake, thanks HP (that’s me!)

Mark Swift : 31 Dec 2006 15:09 |  Tags: Desert Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

T4 – Karl Allegro,Team Sheen (Mark & Karl) & T5

Karl Allegro, team sheen and T5 on the road again, just seen Fillipe and Anna heading for Sidi Infi.

Mark Swift : 31 Dec 2006 10:16 |  Tags: Desert Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

T4 – T5 (pauline & hendrickz)

Finally made it to Africa! Early start to make a 9am ferry only to watch it depart half full! No apparent reason, joyous but so typical! We’re heading south again so all chilled! Car been officially named ‘Mavis Mercedes’ and is still running like a dream. Heading for Sidi Infi for New Year’s Eve fun, beer, wine and fireworks! (T&P)

Mark Swift : 31 Dec 2006 10:12 |  Tags: Desert Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

T4 – T1 (Mark and Karl)

Team Sheen (Mark & Karl) and team 5 heading south towards Rabat hoping to get as far south as possible. Late due to ferry chaos. Volvo misbehaving a wee bit.

Mark Swift : 30 Dec 2006 23:25 |  Tags: Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

T4– T1 (mark & Karl)

T1, T8 and T5 all in square in Algericas eating tapas and drinking lots of Cerevas. Life is Good!

Mark Swift : 30 Dec 2006 01:02 |  Tags: Desert Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

T4 – T5 Pauline Volvo

Well we’ve arrived in Tariffa, lovely drive down, hotel view of Gibralter and port. Car running a dream, onto Africa tomorrow. Ditched coats due to glorious sun…

Mark Swift : 29 Dec 2006 18:18 |  Tags: Desert Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

T5 – Pauline Volvo

Day 3 started off in the beautiful pyrenees after fantastic hospitality chez spiro! Had an easy drive days 1 & 2, the car is running Like a dream and looking suitably pimped! This morning had a lazy amble over Pyrenees and through tunnel into Spain with some amazing views, when the fog’s not lurking. Heading to Madrid x

Mark Swift : 28 Dec 2006 16:59 |  Tags: Desert Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

T4 – T1 (Mark & Karl) T8 (Nathan)

Just Docking in Le Havre. Stuffing ourselves on English Full Monty breakfast after late night and early start.
“2nd Update” – On the way to Bordeaux with T8 plus Dad, so far so good!

Mark Swift : 28 Dec 2006 16:54 |  Tags: Desert Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Timbuktu Tomorrow

I am off tomorrow morning on my latest adventure / expedition driving from the UK to Timbuktu in Mali to see if thar Timbuktu place actually exists…

Blame it on a cocktail of a passion for petrol, travel and adventure and too much Paul Theroux, Alan Wicker, Micheal Palin… So tomorrow I leave with my good friend Karl Parsons in a 1988 un-tested Volvo 240 with a group of twenty others. The plan is to travel down through France and Spain, into Morocco by Saturday and to a tiny coastal resort call Sidi Ifni for New Years Eve. Then follow the north African coast line for about 1,000 miles until heading into Mauritania before turning East into the Sahara Desert. This is where the action begins in earnest, where the roads run out and the barren empty desert opens up. The intention is to get to Timbuktu by the 11th January and the Sahara Music Festival a couple of days later. We will fly back into the UK from Bamako, Mali on the 20th January.

Tomorrow is already here, so time to do last minute packing and then a big of kip and off in the morning down to home and Coventry and then onto Exeter to pick up Karl and then to the ferry at Portsmouth…

Until later,

M

Mark Swift : 27 Dec 2006 00:30 |  Tags: Desert Sahara Timbuktu Travel |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Off to Tmbuktu

Writing about web page http://www.theindependentandgloriousrepublicofnowillistan.co.uk/

Last day of term today, just a bit of tidying up to do and the department panto!

In less than a week the T4 challenge will be fully under way heading the 5000 or so miles to Timbuktu. After the Merc debacle and the Volvo has not sprung into action (more like limped).

We will be using the space to update everyone of our progress over the next weeks… A very kind HP will be publishing any SMS texts received when we are away. Thanks HP!!!

Our route for the nine teams is:

Mark Swift : 21 Dec 2006 09:32 |  Tags: Desert Sahara Timbuktu Travel Wmccm |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem