Day: October 15, 2003

‘After these three last days in the trough of vagueness, Serge set out again with a good 8 kph which makes all its team feel more confident. Serge needed that to mark the TransAfrica 1000th K, printed in sand, at half-point of this 14 stage. Serge is a man of figures, for him each kilometre and each second is important. He would be able to say you that at the conclusion of the two first weeks he reached this evening, he already spent 142 hours 14 minutes and 20 seconds on the road. Station-border with Mauritania, with the edge of the Sahara, Nioro-du-Sahel that we reach after 50 kilometres of sinuous and dusty track could be named the country of thirst. We benefit from it to refuel there 150 liters of water to the pump (for the shower and the kitchen), 75 liters of bottled water (mainly reserved for the needs of Serge) and to catch there a cold beer in the single tavern of the city, also besides the single bar with 200 K around. In the sandy and Nioro, you do not stay a long time out of the shade and Serge crosses the city without a stop. Beyond Nioro, one teaches us that the track becomes more difficult but, measuring the state of our vehicles, our advisors predict to us good chances of success… According to our charts, the next town of importance (Nara) is 299 away and, once engaged, haviong to make U-turn would be a disappointment for each one and the option is not even possible for Serge. We fo have to pass. Because of sand, Serge’s ankles are put at hard test. One of it is painful this evening, requiring a strapping from Ludo. Camp is drawn up at the top of a hill, in the search of a little ventilation. Attacked at nightfall by grasshoppers and nongiven insects plunging on our head lights and in our plates, the fold under the tents is carried out this evening at record time. After Ludo and Rémy, here is 3th presentation of the team, Jean-Benoit, known as JB (it is me, photo 5). As a former computer programmer, I loosely gave up a few years from asepticized computer rooms to reconvert me into freelance journalism to live outside. Since, I share my time between my native Brittany (on Summer) and adptive French Guiana (on Winter). Since my earliest youth, my travels dreams transported me to Africa but I had to wait for Serge proposal to manage his TransAfrica website to discover it for the first time and I can only thank him here for that. TransAfrica kilometric assessment after 2 weeks:<week 1> 529 K, daily average 75,57 K<week 2 > 510 K, daily average 72,85 K, overall daily average 74,21 K’