The Long Haul, (Paperback)

<p>In 1986, with a freshly redundant job, a dangerously optimistic outlook, and a wallet full of cash, the author answered a small advert in <em>Private Eye</em> and accidentally signed up to cross Africa in a pair of elderly Bedford trucks. What followed was not a carefully curated "journey of self-discovery," but a rolling, rattling, frequently ill-advised expedition through deserts, jungles, war zones, borders that barely existed, and toilets that definitely shouldn't have.</p><p>This is a diary of life on the road as it really was: long days of dust and breakdowns, sudden bursts of awe, staggering natural beauty, questionable food choices, heroic drivers, ingenious fixes, black-market economics, and an alarming range of medical complaints. From gorillas in the mist to flamingos by the million, from military checkpoints to mosquito-ridden campsites, the trip lurches between the sublime and the ridiculous - often within the same paragraph.</p><p>Written with honesty, warmth, and a sharp eye for human absurdity, this book captures a moment in time before mobile phones, GPS, and risk assessments, when travel relied on luck, patience, humour, and a shared kettle. It is a tribute to the people who made it possible, the strangers encountered along the way, and the peculiar bond formed between a group of semi-lost travellers bouncing across a continent together.</p><p>Part travelogue, part confession, part love letter to organised chaos, this is Africa as experienced from the roof of a truck - unforgettable, unpredictable, and occasionally slightly terrifying.</p>

• The Long Haul, (Paperback)
• Author: Pete Minall
• ISBN: 9798233122750
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-06-01
• Page Count: 526