Expedition updates: 72 days to go!

It’s been two weeks since our last update, so what have we been up to? Well, nothing very Mangoky-related unfortunately!

Ben has been back in the UK on tour with his band Buffo’s Wake. By their own description, Buffo’s Wake is a twelve-legged beast, hatched in the murky backwater of Brighton, UK. Armed with accordions, violins and a bucket full of gusto they waltz, tango, mosh and kolo their way through a vast array of influences from Eastern European, Balkan and Russian folk, to punk rock and cabaret.

May be an image of 3 people, people standing, people playing musical instruments, cymbal and indoor

I, on the other hand, have been staring at a computer screen for 12 hours per day frantically trying to finish the manuscript for my Bradt Travel Guide to Tunisia (1st Edition), which I need to submit by 1 May – when we both plan on hopping on a plane to Madagascar. Well, that and the occasional very long run (prep for an ultramarathon in March). Oh, and taking way too many photos of my cat Moon:

But Ben has now touched down in Tunis and we are having an emergency expedition meeting this evening. On the agenda:

  • Fetching the Klepper kayak (which still is not in Tunisia) so that we can actually do some training
  • Finding expedition sponsors
  • Finding the source of the Mangoky River (i.e. the start line for our expedition). Kind of surprising how difficult this last one if proving to be!

We will try and update y’all further over the weekend. Might even film a video so you can all finally meet Ben!