Articles

Here is a current list of Articles written for ContinentalDrifters.ca.

Africa 2008

Crossing the Sahara, Part One.

by Rob Sweatman

We landed at Tangiers Airport in the early afternoon and from the moment we began our drive to Chefchouen, I realized this wasn’t the landscape I had expected to see. This was not the Africa that I had pictured in my mind: mosques and mountains, rolling hills and green vegetation. This felt more like the Middle East than it did Africa. This is because it is partly true. Morocco is a great crossroads of civilizations; the three corners of Europe, Africa and the Middle East meet. [Read More]

Crossing the Sahara, Part Two.

by Rob Sweatman

We had survived “No mans land” and the minefield that surrounds it, but our adventure was far from over. Our first night in the country we drove until the sun was about to set, pulled off onto the side of the road and camped behind a sand dune. This was one of the most peaceful places I have ever camped, until just before we ate dinner, a sandstorm started blowing. We ate our sandy pasta and went to bed, our tents flapping in the unrelenting wind. [Read More]

A taste of West Africa.

by Rob Sweatman

Our trip through west Africa had two completely different sides to it: the sweet and the sour. It was a simultaneous story of two trips, played out at the same time. There were the good times - some of the best moments i have experienced while traveling to anywhere in the world - the highs so to speak. And then there was the bus. The bus ended up being our antagonist. The great chariot that was to take us half way across the world ended up being a total bust. It got us places, but thats about all it was good for. nstead of trying to split the two contrasting parts of our West Africa trip into two stories - one of triumph and one of defeat - i’ve decided to try and juxtapose the two side by side. [Read More]