Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
where he lived and worked as a photographer. Jason had made Africa his speciality and
was well-versed in the conditions we would be facing.
'Come and settle in,' I said, motioning them to take a seat in the shade of the thatched
hut.
'God, it's hot out there,' said Matt. He was still sweating, but he had a smile on his face
that belied an excitement at being here, about to embark on a great adventure. Even though
he'd done this a million times before, he seemed to be feeling the shivers down the spine
that always precede the start of a journey. I felt the same way.
As they relaxed by an electric fan, I took the opportunity to look them over. We'd had
some email contact but, since I'd been out in the bush, I hadn't been able to find out all that
much about the two men who would be joining the expedition. Matt was originally from
Vermont in the USA and had carved out a career in adventure and travel journalism in an
era when the industry was in tailspin, writing for
National Geographic
and countless other
publications. He'd walked in places of the world of which I could only dream, trekking
along the Great Wall of China, through India's Sikkim State, and had even spent time with
Ed Stafford, an adventurer whose journey, to some extent, mirrored my own: three years
before my own trek began, Ed had completed walking the length of the Amazon river, an
expedition that had taken almost three years of his life. Softly spoken, Matt's voice had
an almost nasal quality - but, as the night wore on and barriers broke down between us, I
saw he was exactly the same as me: energised, not by the idea of a world-first-record, but
by the opportunity to be out here, walking, just because the world was there and we didn't
want to miss a single thing. I liked his style of documentation.
'Lev,' he said calmly, 'I'm here on a job. A very exciting job. I'm gonna tell the world
your story. Do you mind if I just keep my Dictaphone handy and record stuff you say?'
'Sure,' I replied.
'It seems to me that we could learn a lot from Africa. On the way here, I saw a kid with
a bike made entirely from wood. From
wood
.' He said it with such passion that everyone
in the room turned. 'And kids in America whine that they don't have the latest PlayStation
. . .'
I'd seen so many wooden bicycles in Uganda that they'd lost their novelty, but Matt
brought me down to earth and I realised that what he said was completely true.
Soon after we met, Boston departed; there was, he told me, a man living in Pakwach
who owed him money. This was a tale I had heard in several towns and villages along the
way, but with Boston gone, Matt, Jason and I got down to the business of planning and
preparation.
'We're here for six days,' said Matt, who looked rather out of place with his little glasses
and notepad. 'Don't worry - we'll be out of your hair before you reach the border. God,
you're on one hell of an adventure. I wish I could stay longer. How far will that take us?'
