Flooding the truck, road to Gorom Gorom

Day: 33
Location: Gorom Gorom, Burkina Faso
Weather:
Kilometers: 350
Hours: 5
Health: holding up, but Adam is feeling the start of something nasty
Accomodation: Campement Rissa
Price, room: 9K CFA including Modibo
Price, petrol: 604 CFA / lt
Shower: no
Morale: 9
Total spend: 115K CFA
Song of the day: "Lovestoned", Justin Timberlake

AW: For breakfast we grabbed an onion omelette with bread, beef kebabs, and cafe au lait. The coffee, in all of west Africa without exception, is made with way too much ultrasweet condensed milk and a little sprinkling of powdered Nescafe. Average price for coffee: 150 CFA.
We got magnum bars at the expat supermarket - 2K CFA each. That's a higher Magnum index than Montmartre in Paris at 3.50 in 2002. In fact it is the highest ever.

Outside the supermarket some guy jumped out with a 2 week old Economist - he wanted 3K CFA for it. He got lucky because he also had Time, Newsweek, and a bunch of other stuff we wouldn't have considered, but he decided to put his best foot forward. We bargained hard saying that it was very old, when in fact we didn't care - then bought it for 1.5K CFA. We discussed the delayed rains in an earlier post - they arrived this morning / last night.

The drive from Ouaga as far as Dori was easy, flying at 120km / hour on perfect tarmac. Then came the legendary road to Gorom Gorom, which was pitted dirt and was really insane given the swollen rivers flooding the roads.

Guillaume and I went through a few rivers each without incident, but when we came up to the big boy, we decided it would be better to let Modibo do it. A huge greyhound type bus led the way, with much trepidation - water was well above the massive wheels, but it crossed without incident. Burkina is the first west African country we have noted to have big bus transport options as opposed to small cars and minibuses, which may say something about access to capital, or the quality of the roads.

To cross a river it is important not to shift gears while submerged, as the car will take on water during the shift. This means 1st gear all the way through, maintaining a sufficient speed to avoid getting stuck. Jiggling the steering wheel left and right appears to help maintain traction as well. Modibo started into it, with water quickly coming above the hood, but no apparent problems. Just when we reached the middle of the river, where the current was the strongest, the front wheels (RWD) slipped and the right front wheel fell off the cemented portion and dropped several feet to the eroded river bed. The engine died. Within 10 seconds, there was water up to my knees in the passenger seat. Modibo's reaction: "Ca c'est pas bon. Guillaume's pack was soaked, but mine was on the seat. More importantly, had someone just demo'd a Hilux? I walked the packs out of the river in waist high water.

As usual there were 8-10 well built dudes loitering in the vicinity, but they didn't spring to our aid. Eventually Modibo stated the obvious by asking them to push with us. They would be happy to, for 7.5K CFA. Done! At first, the group of muscle men wanted to lift the vehicle straight up and place it back on the piste. Guillaume convinced them to put the car in neutral and push it reverse, and then push it out, which went off without a hitch. When it came out of the river we opened the doors and muddy water poured out. They quickly dismantled the air filter and checked the engine, and then told Modibo to start the car. It didn't work - but black water poured out of the tailpipe as he tried again and again, until it started up and ran really rough, still spewing the black water. The car smells like hell, but there is no serious damage. I wouldn't count on it going this well if it ever happens to you - it seems our bad luck with the Pajero is now matched by our good luck with the Hilux. Moral of the story - if it isn't clear where the road drops off into the river, stay away from the unknown edge and put people in the water to indicate the edge and the depth.

It's Wednesday night, and we made it to Gorom Gorom ready for the massive Thursday market tomorrow. We are concerned that this market will be one of the weakest on record given the flooded roads, and the fact that many people will likely stay home to tend the farm after the critical first rain. We'll see.

GB: Apres l'habituel petit dejeuner extra gras a base d'omelette et brochette, on a pris la route de Gorom Gorom, ou est cense se trouver le plus grand marche d'Afrique de l'Ouest. La premiere etape, jusqu'a la ville de Dori, est goudronnee. Au contraire de la seconde. 60km de piste, le tout constelle de trous, flaques et autres obstacles divers. Tous restent mineurs, si ce n'est pour les points ou la route croise des rivieres. Car il a plu des cordes le matin. Associe au retard de la saison des pluies, les cours d'eau sont passes de asseches a bien remplis, et pour ne rien arranger, les courants sont forts.

Adam puis moi meme passons les premiers. L'eau monte au niveau des genoux des passants, qui ne semblent pas particulierement rejouis de nous voir soulever des gerbes d'eau sur leur passage. Cela dit, jusque la tout va bien. Mais l'important, c'est pas la chute, c'est l'atterrissage.

L'atterrissage, justement. A 30KM de Gorom Gorom environ, on arrive sur un ruiss eau plus proche d'un fleuve qu'autre chose. Adam, dans un eclair de genie, me convainc de laisser Modibo gerer ce passage. C'est avec reticence que je laisse ma place, sous la pression du souvenir du 4x4 defoncé au Sénégal.

Je decide en guise de consolation de monter sur le bac arriere pour la traversee. Je prend l'appareil photo avec moi et me mets en position. Modibo demarre et lance le 4x4 dans l'eau. Jusque la tout va bien. Je prend une premiere photo, mais l'angle est mauvais. Je retouche le zoom et me prepare a reessayer. Le choc est me surprend alors à double titre. Je perds l'équilibre, alors qu'au meme moment le moteur rugit. Alors que je me cramponne au bord, Modibo reessaye d'accelerer. Seulemen t de la ou je suis il est evident que ca ne marchera pas. Je lui crie d'arreter, et le moteur s'arrete.

La roue avant gauche a quitte la route, et est desormais coincee dans un trou. La voiture penche de 30 degres vers la droite, et de ce cote la commence a etre dangereusement submergee. L'eau commence a rentrer par l'arriere et au niveau du siege passager. Les jambes d'Adam, mon sac, et celui de Modibo sont submerges. Je passe a Adam l'appareil, il regroupe les Ipods et autres, et emmene les deux sacs a terre.

Pendant ce temps Modibo a negocie avec un groupe de jeunes qui a accepte de nous aider pour 7.5K CFA. De l'eau jusqu'au torse, on pousse la voiture hors de l'eau. Une fois remise sur le chemin, on passe d'ailleurs pas loin d'en ressortir par l'autre cote sous le coup de l'enthousiasme de nos depanneurs...

Une fois la voiture a terre, la sourde apprehension est palpable chez nous trois. Un des jeunes essuie le filtre a air, puis nous annonce que "c'est bon, y'a pas de probleme". Apres 6 semaines dans la region, on attend de voir. Modibo prend place, et met le contact.

Teut teut teut... Hum.

2eme essai. Teut treut treut. Bon.

Ou plutot pas bon du tout. Mon taux d'adrenaline atteint des sommets qui me rappel lent le Senegal... Un jeune nous fait alors constater qu'a chaque essai la voiture crache un liquide noir. Ben au moins on aura nettoye l'echappement.

3eme essai: Treut treut treut vraoum. Modibo ecrase le champignon au point mort et on a l'impression que notre 4x4 se retenait depuis des mois tant il crache du liquide pendant longtemps. Enfin, en tous cas il marche. Maintenant seul subsiste le risque que le chassis ou la direction soient touches.

En arrivant a Gorom Gorom, ce doute reste, mais desormais tres faible. On trouve un campement sympa, et apres un bref diner on s'ecroule tous. Demain reveil a 4h du mat pour aller voir le lever de soleil depuis les dunes d'Oursi.

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