Kayaks down the Nile by John Goddard (1979)
Read: February 2012
The front cover on this books shows the rollocking adventure that is in store - white water and elephants suggest that this is a real 'boy's own' adventure. DaddyP passed this on to us and it has been sitting on the shelf for a while waiting to be read. I wasn't in a rush to read it as I thought it might be a bit dated and not really what I was in to, but I was pleasantly surprised. It also went quite well to read this account of boating along the Nile just after reading a more recent expedition tale Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff.
This book is very readable and Goddard's style is very accessible even now many years after his adventure. It is presented as his diary and some entries are longer than others, sometimes days are grouped together, or just missed out if they remained in one place for a period of time (to fix the kayaks for example).
What is amazing about the journey itself is the equipment and support that they had / didn't have. They arrive late to their first major stop and are greeted by concerned citizens who had been expecting them days before. The rips that they sustain to their crafts - and their ability to patch them up - show just how good the technology was and makes you think about how such a journey might be carried out today.
The progress of their journey was really clear and divided into three sections. The changes in wildlife, settlement and the river marked each day as unique. The number of people too along the way who aided their journey was amazing too. The network of missionaries and foreign links along the way meant they had someone to look out for in villages along the way. It was also touching to read of the kindness of strangers as every time they asked they would be offered somewhere to stay and sleep the night and helped with food along the way.
I was surprised to find that their journey, in many ways, got more treacherous the further along it went. As they paddled in to the more populated areas of the Nile in Egypt they got more and more attention. In the first two parts of the book they human interaction was very positive and showed only friendliness and curiosity (naturally), but there were two incidents described when the kayaks were chased and almost ambushed and left a very sour taste in the mouth when reading.
What I would have liked to see more in the book was hearing the perspective of the other two Nileteers who were taking the expedition with Goddard. He mentions numerous times, more so towards the end of the book, about how the three of them might paddle separately during the day. This might be due to speed, or just stopping off at different villages or spots that take their interest. The group even have different over-night stop-offs at times and I would have been interested to know more about what the rest of the group saw and experienced. I understand why this was not included; this was Goddard's book after all and written in a 'diary' style, but it could have provided a more full account of their journey.
I would have also liked to have seen the map having a few more details added to it, and one or two of the pictures that accompanied the text were out of order (showing the Sphinx before they've reached Abu Simble?). A total breakdown at the end of the book showing the dates and the locations / distances would have been interesting, as would a 'kit' list. I've seen these in the more recent Long Way round / Down series and they made you realise what goes in to a trip like this.
Read: February 2012
The front cover on this books shows the rollocking adventure that is in store - white water and elephants suggest that this is a real 'boy's own' adventure. DaddyP passed this on to us and it has been sitting on the shelf for a while waiting to be read. I wasn't in a rush to read it as I thought it might be a bit dated and not really what I was in to, but I was pleasantly surprised. It also went quite well to read this account of boating along the Nile just after reading a more recent expedition tale Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff.
This book is very readable and Goddard's style is very accessible even now many years after his adventure. It is presented as his diary and some entries are longer than others, sometimes days are grouped together, or just missed out if they remained in one place for a period of time (to fix the kayaks for example).
What is amazing about the journey itself is the equipment and support that they had / didn't have. They arrive late to their first major stop and are greeted by concerned citizens who had been expecting them days before. The rips that they sustain to their crafts - and their ability to patch them up - show just how good the technology was and makes you think about how such a journey might be carried out today.
The progress of their journey was really clear and divided into three sections. The changes in wildlife, settlement and the river marked each day as unique. The number of people too along the way who aided their journey was amazing too. The network of missionaries and foreign links along the way meant they had someone to look out for in villages along the way. It was also touching to read of the kindness of strangers as every time they asked they would be offered somewhere to stay and sleep the night and helped with food along the way.
I was surprised to find that their journey, in many ways, got more treacherous the further along it went. As they paddled in to the more populated areas of the Nile in Egypt they got more and more attention. In the first two parts of the book they human interaction was very positive and showed only friendliness and curiosity (naturally), but there were two incidents described when the kayaks were chased and almost ambushed and left a very sour taste in the mouth when reading.
What I would have liked to see more in the book was hearing the perspective of the other two Nileteers who were taking the expedition with Goddard. He mentions numerous times, more so towards the end of the book, about how the three of them might paddle separately during the day. This might be due to speed, or just stopping off at different villages or spots that take their interest. The group even have different over-night stop-offs at times and I would have been interested to know more about what the rest of the group saw and experienced. I understand why this was not included; this was Goddard's book after all and written in a 'diary' style, but it could have provided a more full account of their journey.
I would have also liked to have seen the map having a few more details added to it, and one or two of the pictures that accompanied the text were out of order (showing the Sphinx before they've reached Abu Simble?). A total breakdown at the end of the book showing the dates and the locations / distances would have been interesting, as would a 'kit' list. I've seen these in the more recent Long Way round / Down series and they made you realise what goes in to a trip like this.
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