INEOS Media Twitter Hard Way Home

Max · Jan 24, 2023

Not all sharks are protected...we have State Governments with different ideas about shark netting and drumlines but sharks still manage to travel freely...we hear more of the shark nets during the whale season on the east coast because they manage to entangle themselves in the dangerous nets...we kill more by product in the nets than sharks...wrong.

Getting back on the thread though, I would expect that the Hard way home will be very well documented...so who will be traveling alongside them...is the DCPunit handy?

AnD3rew · Jan 24, 2023

DaveB said:
That's just evolution in action.
If you are so stupid that you go swimming in the dark or in known shark attack area's then it's your fault not theirs.
A friend of mine was snorkeling near a seal colony and filming this playful seal underwater, suddenly the seal took off
Good chance that was because of a shark
I was snorkeling off Lady Musgrave Island 2 years ago and filming the reef fish and turtles
I turned back and this little fellow was about 3 metres behind me
At a guess he was less than 2 metres long so I was too big to be lunch for him.
View attachment 7801453

Yep, someone once asked if I wanted to go snorkeling at a seal colony, my reply was that to a shark I would just be the slowest fattest seal in the colony so no, no chance.

Tazzieman · Jan 24, 2023

Max said:
Getting back on the thread though, I would expect that the Hard way home will be very well documented...so who will be traveling alongside them...is the DCPunit handy?

A book as well???
The Last Overland doco (and book) is superb. I hope we get some great expedition footage from grenadiers around the globe in due course.

globalgregors · Jan 25, 2023

AnD3rew said:
Yep, someone once asked if I wanted to go snorkeling at a seal colony, my reply was that to a shark I would just be the slowest fattest seal in the colony so no, no chance.

The pattern across all of this is the importance of local knowledge to staying safe, knowledge which by definition a visitor won't possess and (due to language and access) may have trouble acquiring.
It's often the most scenic spots that are most perilous.

"Camp well away from water" is comically insufficient and might better read "if you have to ask...". Nb: that's a mind-your-dog sized croc, not that I'd swim with it.

On the venomous stuff... it is prudent to carry and know how to use a snake bite kit if you're travelling in the interior, you might be a long way from anti-venom - particularly once out of chopper range.
Fatalities on all these things are pretty rare these days though (eg av 2 p.a. for crocs, about the same for sharks and snakes).

Tazzieman · Jan 25, 2023

globalgregors said:
It's often the most scenic spots that are most perilous.

Not a week goes by without another attractive influencer falling off a cliff whilst taking a selfie.
When we did the Mt Blanc alpine circuit 3 years ago in our small party was a middle aged influencer from the USA who ran ahead and at every juncture stopped and posed (sometimes yoga poses) on the edge of a precipice.
She then had to post to all her followers.
She was also living off dry biscuits and peanut butter. And a cocktail of drugs for her supposed back pain , including a bag of mixed opioids.
One day she will fall off one of the "fourteeners"(mountains >14,000 feet for the uninitiated) she kept boasting about, and I for one won't be surprised .
Darwin's theory only works before they start procreating

frankkk · Jan 25, 2023

Logsplitter said:
I get what you’re saying but if I listened to the British FCO advice I wouldn’t go anywhere. The same advice was in place three years ago for the Adrar region when I was there. There are army and police check points everywhere to make sure you are safe. Western Sahara the same. Check out the FCO advice for South Africa and Pakistan. Lovely countries but bloody dangerous apparently. I’ve been to both recently and love them both.
Australians are advised to “Exercise a high degree of caution in the U.K. due to the threat of terrorism”. What’s that about.
For sure a corporate event wouldn’t go there but for Overlanders these are the exiting places in my view.
Maybe I’m just reckless. View attachment 7801448

I know, the FCO, like many of its counterparts across the world are overly cautious. Same in Germany and France. However, if you look at the "official" Swiss information, you get a better picture. The Irish Dept. of Foreign Affairs is not bad either in that respect.

What I never understood though, is the fascination of the Brits with Mauritania. Almost everyone interested in the Sahara was always enquiring about it. On the continent, no one is really keen on Mauritania when it comes to the Sahara.

Haven't managed to figure out, where that fascination comes from, maybe you can enlighten me ?

DenisM · Jan 25, 2023

In the past several years there have been a few people taken by crocodiles. Crocs can be patient... they stalk their prey and watch...and wait...those who were taken were without exception "careless": wading in shallow water close to known croc habitats; another, following a couple of New Year's Eve drinks jumped overboard from their yacht for a midnight swim .... .
Two years ago a family friend of daughter in Cairns spent a few days golfing at Port Douglas. Coming from inner city Sydney...he was quite vocal that the signs warning guests to walk only on the paths and stay in well lit areas after dark were there to create a false sense of excitement for the tourists. About the second evening he was sitting next to the glass wall in the elevated restaurant when one of the staff casually pointed to a 12 foot croc slowly making its way across the lawns (about 30m away) from the creek towards the fairway.... He was quiet for a day or so

Logsplitter · Jan 25, 2023

frankkk said:
I know, the FCO, like many of its counterparts across the world are overly cautious. Same in Germany and France. However, if you look at the "official" Swiss information, you get a better picture. The Irish Dept. of Foreign Affairs is not bad either in that respect.

What I never understood though, is the fascination of the Brits with Mauritania. Almost everyone interested in the Sahara was always enquiring about it. On the continent, no one is really keen on Mauritania when it comes to the Sahara.

Haven't managed to figure out, where that fascination comes from, maybe you can enlighten me ?

There’s a question.

Well my first impressions during my U.K. to Cape Town in 1995 was what a s—t hole! All I could remember was camels, flies, smelly fishing towns , burnt out cars, sand and rocks. Not too appealing to the average punter. If you want the safe quick route to Senegal from Western Sahara then stick to the coast road. Boring as and nothing to see much. And the second half of the road from Nouakchott to Senegal is shocking. A tarred very pot holed road worse than most dirt roads. However venture inland either on the Iron ore train or by vehicle to Atar then on to Chinguetti and this is where it starts getting interesting. Not much tourism but really interesting and quite an adventure dealing with roads.
Some lovely little Oasis to stay at and police/army super friendly and helpful. We are into our birds and wildlife so Banc d’Arguin National Park and Diawling national park on the border with Senegal are great for bird life although not much visited.
I suppose another reason is that it is on the route of so many overlanders and travellers who drive straight through to get to Senegal,Gambia and beyond. It’s a shame In my view to drive straight through this desperately poor country and not visit the few highlights they have. Super friendly and desperate for tourism .
Sorry to go on about it and maybe I should have private messaged.

Here’s a few photos as an appetiser

Tazzieman · Jan 25, 2023

First class stonework

ECrider · Jan 25, 2023

Logsplitter said:
There’s a question.
Well my first impressions during my U.K. to Cape Town in 1995 was what a s—t hole! All I could remember was camels, flies, smelly fishing towns , burnt out cars, sand and rocks. Not too appealing to the average punter. If you want the safe quick route to Senegal from Western Sahara then stick to the coast road. Boring as and nothing to see much. And the second half of the road from Nouakchott to Senegal is shocking. A tarred very pot holed road worse than most dirt roads. However venture inland either on the Iron ore train or by vehicle to Atar then on to Chinguetti and this is where it starts getting interesting. Not much tourism but really interesting and quite an adventure dealing with roads.
Some lovely little Oasis to stay at and police/army super friendly and helpful. We are into our birds and wildlife so Banc d’Arguin National Park and Diawling national park on the border with Senegal are great for bird life although not much visited.
I suppose another reason is that it is on the route of so many overlanders and travellers who drive straight through to get to Senegal,Gambia and beyond. It’s a shame In my view to drive straight through this desperately poor country and not visit the few highlights they have. Super friendly and desperate for tourism .
Sorry to go on about it and maybe I should have private messaged. View attachment 7801532 View attachment 7801531 View attachment 7801529 View attachment 7801528 View attachment 7801527
Here’s a few photos as an appetiser

Great photos. Tks for posting

Logsplitter · Jan 25, 2023

Maybe we need a different thread for interesting travel destinations as I’m aware lots of people have been to interesting places and I don’t want to hijack this thread any more .I think between us all we can help each other get to some interesting places in our Grenadiers. Food for thought

frankkk · Jan 25, 2023

Logsplitter said:
There’s a question.
Well my first impressions during my U.K. to Cape Town in 1995 was what a s—t hole! All I could remember was camels, flies, smelly fishing towns , burnt out cars, sand and rocks. Not too appealing to the average punter. If you want the safe quick route to Senegal from Western Sahara then stick to the coast road. Boring as and nothing to see much. And the second half of the road from Nouakchott to Senegal is shocking. A tarred very pot holed road worse than most dirt roads. However venture inland either on the Iron ore train or by vehicle to Atar then on to Chinguetti and this is where it starts getting interesting. Not much tourism but really interesting and quite an adventure dealing with roads.
Some lovely little Oasis to stay at and police/army super friendly and helpful. We are into our birds and wildlife so Banc d’Arguin National Park and Diawling national park on the border with Senegal are great for bird life although not much visited.
I suppose another reason is that it is on the route of so many overlanders and travellers who drive straight through to get to Senegal,Gambia and beyond. It’s a shame In my view to drive straight through this desperately poor country and not visit the few highlights they have. Super friendly and desperate for tourism .
Sorry to go on about it and maybe I should have private messaged. View attachment 7801532 View attachment 7801531 View attachment 7801529 View attachment 7801528 View attachment 7801527
Here’s a few photos as an appetiser

Oh, absolutely not, great pics..wanting to go now..

)..

You are probably right, it's got to do with the old overlander´s route South from the UK . For continental folk, it was always more convenient to set off from Genoa or Marseille across TUN-ALG and further on..more spectacular too.

frankkk · Jan 25, 2023

Logsplitter said:
Maybe we need a different thread for interesting travel destinations as I’m aware lots of people have been to interesting places and I don’t want to hijack this thread any more .I think between us all we can help each other get to some interesting places in our Grenadiers. Food for thought

Also, all that technical stuff would be good if somehow grouped in an archive. A lot of valuable information will get lost or untraceable, otherwise.

Logsplitter · Jan 25, 2023

frankkk said:
Also, all that technical stuff would be good if somehow grouped in an archive. A lot of valuable information will get lost or untraceable, otherwise.

Ok let’s think of a thread name. I struggle to initiate a new thread I’ve only done it a couple of times and takes me ages to work out the process.

frankkk · Jan 25, 2023

Dunno, Travel Abroad or Travel Africa or The Overland Thread or Overlanding..but that´s probably too general ?

Logsplitter · Jan 25, 2023

Grenadier travel inspiration

Jean Mercier · Jan 25, 2023

"On the Road" ?

From Wikipedia:
"On the Road is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States"
This was my birthyear, very good year

Fantastic book by the way!

RoadBuilder · Jan 25, 2023

Jean Mercier said:
"On the Road" ?

From Wikipedia:
"On the Road is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States"
This was my birthyear, very good year
Fantastic book by the way!

Kerouac coined the phrase, “Beat Generation.” He was part of a literary subculture that became known as the “Beatniks.” I have heard that the “Beatles“ derived their name from this. Our British friends on the forum who were around during the “British Invasion” may know more.

bigleonski · Jan 25, 2023

Logsplitter said:
Ok let’s think of a thread name. I struggle to initiate a new thread I’ve only done it a couple of times and takes me ages to work out the process.

The reality is we’d really need a technical and travel forum section for individual posts, otherwise all the good stuff gets lost amongst itself.

frankkk · Jan 26, 2023

bigleonski said:
The reality is we’d really need a technical and travel forum section for individual posts, otherwise all the good stuff gets lost amongst itself.

Ts´it..plenty of stuff is already tucked away in various threads..a searchable archive rather than 200 posts in one thread.

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