[ac 427]

Mother of all travelogues:
The First People To Drive Across The Congo In 20 Years

Really inspiring travelogue of 2 people going through the Congo in a land cruiser.

A detailed travelogue :
Democratic Republic of Congo: Lubumbashi to Kinshasa - Page 3 - Expedition Portal Forum

Enjoy reading. I wish i can do such a trip some day

@ mods: Kindly change the location of thread if needed.

Cheers,
ac

[speedmiester]

It was an hair raising read indeed. Truly amazing. There is a shortage of superlatives to describe this adventure. Hats off to them.
Thanks for sharing it.

[RW9763]

Guys a serious thank you fo sharing this link.. maybe i would hav missed if not for you

[airguitar]

Still gasping. Bravo to the folks and to the battered TLC. Nerves of steel.

[anekho]

OMG! What a 'logue!

Really nerve-recking... thanks for the link though, makes a fantastic read!

[RW9763]

its ben 4 hrs n i am still reading it.. just cant seem to have enough.. wish we could test some of our suvs which we discuss with so much pride in these situation all for a day!! hats off for these guys who survived this!!

[aargee]

This is fantastic info; I'd love to read, but the office firewall is blocking the Expedition Portal!!!

A broken rear axle could be bypassed with a bush trick.

What does this mean? Can anyone help me understand pls?

[Red Liner]

I salute these folks. The rest of us are probably fit to visit a coffee shop or sit behind our desks and post one liners such as this one.

[sarmarishi]

This was a wonderful read. I finished reading it last night and read it the entire evening.. Amazing stuff. Thats true use of an SUV. I truly salute them and the Landcruiser 75 and how can I forget Toyota! I guess it is truly the mother of all SUV's.. Absolutely speechless after reading it. No wonder they still make it sell it to NGOs, UN, etc.

[download2live]

Seems that they quit their jobs and sold off all the belongings they had. Kind of puts mirror in front of our eyes. What a life we lead. Trying to get onsite, buy a flat, have kids pay for their education. Sigh.
There will be so much left unseen on this planet when I go.

[nix1976in]

Awesome find, Ac 427....and respect to Frederik and Josephine for daring to live their dream. On a side note, I am never gonna crib about any indian roads ever again...never ever!

[sathyaprakash]

A true meaning to roadless travel, it was really a amazing experience to go through it in one go i really apreciate the courage and will both Federik & Josephine showed in conquering the dreadful Congo roads i salute them from my heart for sharing thier experience for us, as i believe no one in India will ever take this mission.

[RW9763]

Originally Posted by nix1976in

Awesome find, Ac 427....and respect to Frederik and Josephine for daring to live their dream. On a side note, I am never gonna crib about any indian roads ever again...never ever!

HAHA.. i was just thinking the same thing. We Indians complain about everything.. after reading this report i was speechless.. i can still imagine the journey and it was soo gripping. But i was just thinking was it a wise decision to live thier dream at the cost of thier lives? Would any one of us ever do it? Lets have a poll and decide..

[ptushar]

Okay, first things first. That travelogue was AWESOME. Hats off to someone to actually drive that route. And too as a couple and not in the safety of a convoy. Still confused whether this falls in the category of "Adventurous Sprit" or " Absolute stupidity". But then when I think again, I must admit that it is these few individual's who show us that sometimes you can achieve wonders if you really dare to push yourself. Thus it must be Adventurous Sprit then.

It also makes you think that despite all the cribs we have, we seem to forget a strange truth that we still live in a socially, politically and economically stable part of the world (And I am referring to the Indian cities, maybe the Indian villages are only slightly better off than what we read).

Last but not the least, do you folks believe that any of the Indian vehicles (OR vehicles being sold in India currently) could last such a torture?

[sen2009]

Now I understand why there is not a big market for Toyota Landcruiser or the Landrover in India. There is simply no need!

One thing that comes out clear is that while India is not a developed country yet, it is by no means a third world country, anymore. And have not been so in last 20 years.
I have traveled frequently to interior Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bengal in my childhood days. The roads used to be broken and bad, villages impoverished. But, still the roads and the places could never be compared to this.

Probably English colonists were more committed to colony development than their other European friends or maybe Indian people in general are lot more capable and corruption resistant. Whichever be the case, I can't help but feel proud that we are so far from the third world despite being colonized for 200 years and being robbed off much of our valuable treasures.

Three cheers to Josephine/ Frederick and people of India.

EDIT:

ptushar:
...And I am referring to the Indian cities, maybe the Indian villages are only slightly better off than what we read.

I can vouch with all my might and state under any oath that Indian Villages are a LOT better off.