Freetown to Cape Town- A journey through Africa with a difference: Recent Episodes
guy
Overland from Sierra Leone to South Africa with Parkinson's disease. Guy Deacon has Parkinson's Disease and will be travelling through Africa to demonstrate that anything is possible despite the condition. On the route he will be meeting and spending time with a fellow Parkinson's people and drawing attention to the stigma of Parkinson's in Africa and the urgent need to find a cure. He will meet people with Parkinson's whilst visiting some beautiful sites, and tells fascinating stories whilst on his one man odyssey in his camper van
just because i have stopped travelling dies nit mean tha ti have stopped working, in fact it is harder work than ever before , but i have no choice. we have built up quite a head of steam and want to make the most of this..
watch this space for the website....
My arrival in Cape Town was not marked with a great fanfare but more of a deflation. I was knackered but relieved to be here. Cape Town is an extraordinary place quite like in euros in Africa but very charming very pleasant but simply not Africa. I'm here with Luigi Waterson and his family and loving it. This will be my last proper episode but there will be one special to come I hope
This week is a quick podcast telling you what have been up to and enjoying the enormity of southern namibia
Total seclusion in huge scenery miles and miles of gravel roads and not a soul to be seen
having started with a rather low impression of Namibia, i have found myself being increasingly impressed by the place but in ways i was not expecting. I have met lots of nice namibians and the scenery in the south is stunning.
i forget too mention i have passed 2 strateigic milestones: i crossed the equator, an i crossed the Congo River at Matadi i really am on the home stretch. but there are a million things that can go wrong, and i am well placed to stumble into all manner of problems ranging from mechanical to Administrative !! so there is lots of excitement to come
That's meant to be a low point. If you don't like swearing you don't wanna apologise like Denis to this I apologise in advance but I'm afraid it's going out anyway I Michael veg tomorrow and another one
I damage the front shocks by driving into a severe pothole on my way south towards Libreville. One pothole in about 150 km of excellent Road and I drove straight into it and there began my problems. I am currently waiting for the van to be brought down to libreville and hopefully repaired...
such is life in Africa; just one problem after another. if it was just me affected would be fine, but i have commitments to meet
Yauonde has been pretty good and i have been well looked after by the High Commission staff, and military staff in Golf 5.
I might need t togo to the museum and that's about it.
Getting too, and crossing the border into Cameroon was just part of the issue. There was still a number of miles to go until we got to Banyo which is the principal town on the other side of the border in Cameroon and where I was arranging to stay with gendarmes. In fact they've been waiting for three days to meet me but knew I was late. That was the 1st of June second half was getting from venue down to Yoaunde, which was an adventure all of its own! But I've got to the capital and I'm now safe and secure
This half of the journey is psychologically important because for the first time in a long time I'm now heading south rather than east which means I've got the troublesome west Africa bit behind me and things will start to get easier from this pointonwards as I head south towards southern Africa
Arguably the most difficult part of the journey so far hello is it supposed to be difficult and most dangerous despair the journey was my real test. It's a long way from Lagos to the border I hadn't realised quite how long it was the journey took about four days and we were tested severely on the way but we got to the border eventually which point I could turn right or south down towards South Africa and put West Africa behind me
I have been in Lagos for about three weeks, quite busy for some of the time that I've been here but just a bit too long and am starting to abuse the hospitality shown byTim Hepworth! And I need to get onto Cameroon if I'm to get to Gabon in time to meet friends.
I have been extremely well looked after and I'm deeply indebted to tim for his kindness and generosity and his help in sorting out my administration.
But Nigeria is a big country and I have a long way to go before I get to the border so I have to kick on
This one is a bit different, and should have photos, but you wil have to look at my polar steps for that!!
Nigeria has a population of 220 million and is growing fast. it is a country of extremes and is a place where real effort is being shown in addressing patkinson's disease
Hello Lissner number seven. My advice service background music/noise because it goes on for a bit but I've had a very up-and-down couple of weeks. Missing it good but some pretty low pass as well so don't interventionism a good mood now anyway skim through and bear with me.
To cut a long story short I've collected many interviews appear on television three times national television that is been in the press the number of times must be with Parkinsons felt like giving up try to work out a way of getting on with it being fairly knackered et cetera. Somehow I will complete this journey I'm just approaching the Westin now but she will start to get better
Hello Lissner number seven. My advice service background music/noise because it goes on for a bit but I've had a very up-and-down couple of weeks. Missing it good but some pretty low pass as well so don't interventionism a good mood now anyway skim through and bear with me.
To cut a long story short I've collected many interviews appear on television three times national television that is been in the press the number of times must be with Parkinsons felt like giving up try to work out a way of getting on with it being fairly knackered et cetera. Somehow I will complete this journey I'm just approaching the Westin now but she will start to get better
I have been waiting on Airbnb now for a week for the vehicle to be fixed and it is. Now just raining heavily. Thankfully I have been joined by Hank has looked after me superbly. Now I have one interview to do with Ivorian coast television channel and then it's off to Ghana. Things are looking better gradually. Enjoy this one it's a bit short and a bit sharp but it's okay
I feel as if I'm approaching the end of my exhibition fight with Mike Tyson brackets Parkinsons) I have been taking somebody blues that I'm not knockdown boring me and I never will survive because the sponsors don't wanna match finish for the 15th round but I also know the end of daily I'm passing little his/her not mine but I've put up with the long time and I'm getting better I've survived so far soon my dear hope you fix I've definitely get a life of a much better I can't wait to move on again
I am getting used to being in abidjan and it's all alright. Just have to wait for the parts to arrive
I am sorry. I have shot from happier and I'm not in a good mood of the good place right now but I've decided to speak it is. I've had a difficult couple of days and I won't have a peaceful couple days in the coming days ahead but I need it won't it's just gonna get worse before it gets better
Incidentally I need to have sworn a couple of times but I can't be bothered I can find them so if you're shocked by the general don't listen to Wilkins
If you're still following this podcast or series of podcast you're a very loyal Lissner. I cannot begin to be proud of this that's not very good there's this I can do at this time of the night in my current condition. She only has proved to be very, very hot dusty and troublesome to get things done in I would advise on the road which should have been a couple of days tim then will be faced by different challenges. For some good contact with a high commission and with the press score so we've done a good job here and I really move on if you don't enjoy much followers just Bennett I don't mind I'm not proud
Every two weeks I do a podcast with Michael Reinhart. I've decided to forward this to you directly with a few additions. It makes life so much easier. And it's quite a lot more interesting talking to somebody else rather than by myself. I hope you enjoy it.
The FUP is the forming up place and it's a military term to describe an area where you go to before you start a mission. Well that's me. I'm now in Sierra Leone. And ready to go. This podcast is a first in many ways: a, it is the first one of series 2 secondly, I did an outside broadcast from the beach, third, it includes interviews with my host andstess and I have a beard I hope you enjoy it
This one is late, short on gossip and information, not well put together, and I'm not proud of it. But I've got a day to get better. It's been a funny week as you will hear. Most of it good
I have been rattling away most of the week doing thank you letters to people who have given us money. But I have also had the chance to speak to Roland Ladley who will write an accompanying book.
But the big excitement is that I have bitten the bullet and have booked a flight to Freetown, so will be leaving 15th March (but even that was a challenge online).
Enjoy this podcast. It is short and sweet.
as a special treat i have uploaded or down loaded the audio file of my appearance on CNN. You wil remember that i thought it was a complete train wreck...well i certainly wasn't as good as i hoped but on reflection it is not too bad! see what you think
in this episode i update you on funding process, tell you about Kubugo Hannington, in Uganda and explain where things went wrong with CNN.
The story that i tell inaccurately perhaps about Kubugo explains exactly why i am undertaking this trip or at least why i am making the film. attached is the CNN interview
https://video.snapstream.net/Play/4I6mH1wpgPmS826fACTenz?accessToken=w94021w12hhi
This week I do a bit more fiddling around making the podcast, but the Focus of the week is on the fundraising which is going really well. At the time of printing the film has been seen 26,000 times and £13,000 have been raised.
Every week I get a bit better at this business, but this one has been marked by my rapidly increasing knowledge on Facebook and Instagram. We have launched the campaign, and even receive some money so things are beginning to happen. If you haven't done the courses website, you too can contribute by opening the following link
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/freetown-to-cape-town-with-parkinson-s-disease--2
just rsampoing up the fund raising efforts and preparing items for shipping.
I talk about Larry Gifford and PD Avengers. I cannot find an easy link, but if you just type in PD avengers you will get there.
Have a great week:
Now that I've got a real listener that I know about I have to be quite focused and I'm gradually getting better at what I'm doing but I'm not there yet. Every week is another experiment every week I get a tiny bit better but give me time and have patience and we should get to be quite good at this after all I do have plenty of time by the way I hope you enjoy Bad Company!
In this episode I tell you a bit more about the administration that I have to perform and little piece of work I'm doing to get the van ready for this journey. It is still rather amateur I'm afraid but we're getting better every time!
This series of podcasts will follow the extraordinary journey of Guy Deacon as he travels from Sierra Leone to South Africa in a VW campervan. In its self a remarkable journey, but made Morceau by the fact that he suffers from Parkinson's disease. He will spend his time on the journey visiting people with Parkinson is in Africa and shine your light on the stigma that is attached to this disease. He hopes to gain maximum awareness of the problems of Parkinsons including the non-motor problems and by raising awareness will hopefully help people to find a cure. Enjoy the podcasts