Niger River Project

I’m normally a bit of a Luddite, but I have to say when it comes to the wonders of Google Earth, I’m a fully paid up convert. I’d never used it until yesterday, but then for some reason I suddenly twigged that I could use it to see where Dan and I will be heading.

So I downloaded all the necessary bits and bobs, and before I could say “Hippo ahoy,” I was virtually paddling my way down the Niger. There it all was: the source (though more on that later); Faranah, where we’re setting sail from; Kouroussa, where we’re finishing the first stretch. What made it more exciting was that the day before I’d managed to track down an air chart of Guinea, which, although fairly unspecific, shows a few details of the terrain we’ll be paddling through. One bit that caught my attention on the chart was the label “rapids”. Cross-referring between the map and the computer screen, I was staggered to be able to see, quite clearly, those very rapids in sharp relief. They look pretty big, so we’ll have to watch out there.

One further cause for concern was that the grid reference I’ve got for the source, according to Google Earth, is actually in Sierra Leone. Bit confusing, and slightly worrying, as I’ve no real desire to cross the border, even though it’s highly unlikely to be patrolled.

In fact, it’s much easier to visit all these places in the comfort of one’s living room, without mosquitos or all the usual hassles of African travel. Think I might just stay at home. Dan, what do you reckon? Fancy taking some snaps of me surfing the net instead?

This entry was posted on Monday, October 2nd, 2006 at 2:34 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.