A Postcard from West Africa: 2008

A Postcard from West Africa

On September the 15th a freighter, The Grande Nigeria, leaves for West Africa. I have a passage. After 9 days I disembark in Senegal. A few days in Dakar, then I go to St Louis - where the survivors of the raft of the Medusa were taken ashore, and is the mouth of the Senegal river which goes all the way into Mali. Then... the Niger! If the rains are doing what they should, and the river is high, I can catch the river boat (comfort levels rudimentary - think African Queen) all the way to Timbuktu - If the river is low, there are always pinasses which, I am reliably informed, are large hand made motorized boats covered with a matted overhang, or, failing those, a pirogue (think punting with crocodiles) which ʻsometimes go long distances.ʼ ... I expect busy tropical undergrowth, hippos, crocs, desert, camels, assorted enigmas, and at the end fabled Timbuktu.

Would you like to be part of my West Africa river project? Hereʼs how you can be! I will draw post cards all the way along and mail them from the nearest mail box. You can purchase a postcard through PayPal by visiting my website - www.alisonneville.co.uk.

I will draw you a postcard and as soon as I find a river side mail box, post it to you. In the unlikely event of your card not reaching you from its riverside mailbox I will be making extras to replace the missing or strayed. You get to chose. I wish to use all your cards for the exhibition, and you will get them back after the show. I would love you to be part of this exhibition.

Saturday, 20 September 2008

A small initial delay

The rudder fell off my ship. She has gone to Antwetp, I am waiting .
I have been tentatively informed by Gramalldi lines that The Grande Atlantico, which replaces the hapless, rudderless Grande Nigeria, on which I should have departed last Monday, leaves on Wednesday morning for Dakar. If I arrive at Berth 4, Tilbury Docks at 1 pm on Tuesday, when the loaders have lunch, I can go aboard - Its safer then, Gary of Grimalldi tells me.
So the boat definitely leaves on Wednesday?
Oh no it all depends on tides and other things. (He did not specify)
I am to phone him on Monday morning to check.
I told the AA man who brought me petrol last week- Calling the AA is now the only way to get petrol in my neighborhood all our petrol stations are being dismantled, doubtless to be replaced by various Olympic related excitements- arenas for small scale Olympic sports (darts- shove halfpenny that kind of thing) or perhaps more un affordable housing. Anyway, the AA man told me my boat would probably be loading old cars to be taken to Dakar. He is often called to Tilbury - they won't take them unless they can be driven aboard, lots of them break down- Poor things, they really don't want to go you know, he says. I rather wish I had decided to send my car to auction last week- we might have been traveling together- or waiting together. Perhaps I had better start walking. -

A Postcard from West Africa

Map of Journey